To Live

Zhang Yimou is a very creative author, who is encouraged to write because of the past experiences in his life (Zhang & Chu, n.p). Zhang was interested in reading throughout his life, and in a country where literature material was not easily accessible, Zhang made sure he read stories whenever he got them. This exposed him to a lot of events, a move which made him to understand the communist system of ruling in China. Zhang was a dentist, but he later decided to quit the job, as he was disinterested with a job which paid less money, and it required a huge commitment. He found refuge in writing, where he would report to work at any time, and spend most of his time sleeping until mid-day (Michael, 2).  

The film, Zhang Yimou, is based on the actual happenings in China during his youth age period. As an author, Zhang has written which is based on Yu Hua’s novel To Live (Zhang & Chu, n.p). The film portrays a real picture of the Chinese government’s way of ruling, the way of life of the Chinese, and the general outlook of the Chinese society. In a country which communism was the main system of ruling, where the Chinese were forced to adapt to different types of life. The Chinese government was in total control of each and every activity, and it therefore meant that, employment was not a choice but it was mandatory. The government provided jobs for the Chinese, and no one had the authority of looking for a job (Michael, 4). In addition, the pay was very poor, since the classes of living were created by the government, a move which made it hard for one to easily move from one social class to the other. 

Zhang uses melodrama throughout the film, in a bid to explain how the events unfold. For instance, he uses Fugui, who is a gambler as a means of creating melodrama (Zhang & Chu, n.p). Fugui lives an extravagant type of life, through gambling, but when warned with his wife about warning, he does not stop but instead continues, a move which leads to loss of his own house to Er. During the revolution, the communist set ablaze Er’s house, which was earlier owned by Fugui and he is later executed (Rey, 8). Ironically, Fugui rejoices, as the house was owned by Er. Fugui’s life later changes from being an extravagant gambler to being a poor man who looks for other means of making money. This move lands him into prison, living his wife and two children behind, a move which makes his wife Jiazhen to end up working as a door to door supplier of water.

The film basically, provides insights on the type of government which ruled over China. The government was very incompetent, a move which led to constant revolutions which resulted in the loss of lives and property (Zhang & Chu, n.p). In addition, through this film, Zhang is able to provide a clear representation of the type of life which the Chinese led during this period, a life which was highly influenced by the Chinese government. Furthermore, the film provides an understanding of how different people in different social classes led their lives, and how their way of life affected that of other (Rey, 12). In general, the film was more than just an ordinary film, but it is a comic representation of a government which has decided to rule differently.

Reference

Rey Chow. We Endure, There We Are: Survival, Governance, and Zhang Yimou’s To Live

  Michael Standaert. Interview with Yu Hua: University of Lowa Writing Program. 30 Aug 2003. Print.

Zhang Yimou & Chu Fu Sheng. To Live 1994 Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB7HYhUpDz8