Beauty, binaries, and the big screen in China: character gender in feature films

Abstract

This study examines gender constructions of the main characters in Chinese top-grossing feature films, 2002–2011, and the sex of content creators in relation to film content. Content analysis of 332 characters reveals that women are more likely than men to be young, sexualized, and conform to an ideal image. Male characters are older and reflect traditional Chinese norms of masculinity. Women are rarely present among content creators and are most likely to be writers or producers. Findings indicate that Chinese film content reflects the growing Chinese beauty economy.

Keywords:

• gender
• film
• China
• beauty economy
• content analysis

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Department of Communication at the University of Macau and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University for research support. They also thank the University of Macau graduate students who helped to code data for this study.

Notes on contributors

Carol M. Liebler is a Professor in the Department of Communication at the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She recently spent a year as a Visiting Professor at the University of Macau, where this research was initiated. Her interests center on media and diversity, and particularly on gender as it intersects with race, ethnicity and class. Current work explores hegemonic beauty ideals across various media platforms in the US and China.

Wei Jiang is a Ph.D. candidate in Communication at the University of Macau, and a lecturer at Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College. He has worked as assistant director and art department coordinator to renowned film directors such as John Woo and Jiang Wen. His Ph.D. research focuses on Japanese images in Chinese war films since 1949.

Li Chen is a master's candidate at the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She worked previously as a journalist and television program producer in China. Her thesis research is a reception analysis of how women audience members view a woman-centric film. Her academic interests include gender and media, celebrity culture, media ethnography, and critical cultural studies.

Notes

1. One US dollar is approximately equal to RMB 6.3.

2. This does not include 102 digital feature films produced by the CCTV film channel. Of the 558 feature films, roughly 200 films were released.

3. The co-production films between Hong Kong and Mainland China are no longer restricted by the quota system after the CEPA was signed between Mainland China and Hong Kong in 2003, and the ECFA signed between Mainland China and Taiwan in 2010 offers the same privilege to the co-productions between Mainland China and Taiwan.