''Blush'' () is a 1995 Chinese film about the experience of two women during
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
's campaign to re-educate prostitutes. ''Blush'' was directed by
Li Shaohong and stars
He Saifei, Wang Ji, and
Wang Zhiwen
Wang Zhiwen (, born June 25, 1966) is a Chinese actor born in Shanghai, China. He was selected by for his acting abilities at an early age and began to pursue a career in acting that has flourished in recent years, culminating in his role in Che ...
. The film was a co-production between Hong Kong's Ocean Film and Beijing Film Studio.
[Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei (1998). "The Fifth Generation" i]
''Encyclopedia of Chinese Film''
Taylor & Francis, p. 98-99. . The film is based on the novel ''
Petulia's Rouge Tin'' (in Chinese, named ''Hóngfěn'') by the writer
Su Tong.
''Blush'' won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Single Achievement at the
45th Berlin International Film Festival
The 45th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 9 to 22 February 1995. The Golden Bear was awarded to French film '' The Bait'' directed by Bertrand Tavernier. The retrospective dedicated to American actor Buster Keaton was show ...
, and
Golden Peacock (Best Film) at the
27th International Film Festival of India.
Plot
''Blush'' takes place in the 1950s during a campaign by the new Communist government in China designed to "re-educate" prostitutes to become contributing members of society. Two such prostitutes, Xiao'e (
He Saifei) and Qiuyi (Wang Ji), have recently been sent to a re-education camp by the
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...
. Rebelling against her new life of uniforms and forced re-education, Qiuyi escapes and becomes a kept woman for Laopu (Wang Zhiwen). When Qiuyi becomes pregnant, she seeks refuge in a Buddhist temple but is cast out when the nuns discover her pregnancy - soon after, the baby
miscarries.
Left in the training camp, Xiao'e undergoes her ideological re-education and emerges from her ordeal as a factory worker. Detesting physical labor, she goes on to marry Laopu and has a child with him, forcing him to steal money from work. When Laopu is caught, he is sentenced to death, and Xiao'e abandons him and her child to remarry. As the film ends, Xiao'E's child is adopted by Qiuyi, who had gone on to marry a simple old
teahouse owner.
Reception
''Blush'' was well received by most critics in the West, with
Jonathan Rosenbaum of the ''Chicago Reader'' calling it the "most emotionally complex picture I've seen from mainland China about the effect of the communist revolution on the lives of ordinary people."
Notes
Names in native languages
References
External links
*
*
''Blush''at the Chinese Movie Database
{{Su Tong
1995 films
Films about prostitution in China
1995 drama films
1990s Mandarin-language films
Films set in the 1950s
Films directed by Li Shaohong
Beijing Film Studio films
Chinese drama films
Films scored by Guo Wenjing