Questions for reading response 1 (Rickshaw): (a)
Discuss the relation between Hsiang Tzu and his Rickshaw; (b) how does Hsiang
Tzu relate to the spaces of Beijing? (c) How do women in the novel relate to city
spaces? How do they differ from men in these relations?
Questions for reading response 2 (Shower): (a) Discuss
the role of "old Beijing" in Daming's life (b) how does the relation
between old and new reflect in the relation between the brothers, and between
Daming and his father? (c) what is the significance of the scene in Shanxi? What
is the significance of the last scene?
Questions for reading response 3 (Goddess and "The
Urban Milieu"): (a) What other parts of Shanghai's culture were connected
to film culture and how? (b) How does Goddess portray the woman's relation
to the city? Discuss at least one specific scene.
Questions for reading response 4 ("Five in a Nightclub"):
(a) Discuss the symbolic significance of urban locales mentioned in the short
story, such as neon-lit streets, the nightclub, the stock market; (b) How does
the prose reflect the cinematic sensibilities of 1930s Shanghai?
Questions for reading response 5 ("Sealed Off"):
(a) How do Shanghai spaces change in wartime? (b) What does the feeling of being
sealed off in a tramway car induce in the characters? Why?
Questions for reading response 6 (Rouge): (a) How
do Hong Kong spaces change with time? What remains the same? (b) Why should Hong
Kong's past appear as a ghost?
Questions for reading response 7 ("Marvels of a Floating
City"): How does Xi Xi portray Hong Kong as a floating city? Why, in
your opinion? What is the effect of juxtaposing Magritte's paintings with a description
of Hong Kong?
Questions for reading response 8 (Chungking Express):
What is the significance of the passing of time in the film? How does Abbas's
description of the "culture of disappearance" help understand the movie?
Questions for reading response 9 (Papa, Can You Hear
Me Sing?): What is the role of urban development and of popular music
in portraying the economic change in 1980s Taiwan portrayed? What is the symbolism
Questions for reading response 10 (Wondering in
the Garden): What is the characters' attitude toward their past? How do
the stories depict the relationship between today's Taipei on the one hand and
Shanghai and Beijing of the 1930s and '40s on the other? How does nostalgia feature
in these pieces?
Questions for reading response 11 (Vive l'amour):
How does each of the protagonists relate to Taipei spaces through his/her work
and interests? What makes the film funny and sad? What in your opinion is the
significance of the empty apartment?
Questions for reading response 12 ("Fin-de-siecle
splendor"): What is Miya's attitude to life in Taipei? In what ways does
she related to her immediate surroundings? How do you explain the lack of a major
Questions for reading response 13 (Beautiful New
World ): Is Baogen changed by the city? Can you find traces of old Shanghai
and its spacial practices, of Goddess times, in the modern Shanghai?
Questions for reading response 14-15 (Shanghai Baby;
double response length): Some critics see the novel simply as a form of soft
pornography. Do you agree? What is the symbolic significance of sex in the novel
What other elements of urban life does the novel portray? What is the importance
of Tiantian's drug addiction to the novel's plot? What is the self-image of CoCo
as a writer?
NOTE: Final paper proposals due 12/3
Questions for reading response 16 ("Like
a Knife"): How does rock music function as an alternative ideology
in the PRC? What is the significance of the lyrics of "A Piece of Red Cloth"?
Questions for reading response 17 (Suzhou):
Sorry, class - my computer crashed and I couldn't post the questions on time.
Since some already submitted their response, please feel free to comment on any
aspect of the film you found interesting.
Questions for reading response 18 (Frozen):
What is the role of art as a social protest? What does Qi Lei's death symbolize,
in your opinion? How did the ending change your view of the film?