The Goddess (1934)

 Wu Yonggang's "The Goddess"

After watching Wu Yonggang's 1934 film "The Goddess," I found it hard to believe that such a socially and politically charged film could have ever graced the film screen in 1930's China. After reading more extensively about China's culture and politics in 1934, I find it ever more surprising! 

"The Goddess" centers on a single mother in Shanghai who must prostitute herself on the street in order to provide economically for her son. After a street thug begins to take advantage of her, she starts hiding money to enter her son into a private school. However, once other parents learn that their children are going to school with a prostitute's son, they write letters to the school demanding his expulsion. The principal investigates only to be won over by the woman's tragic story and her resolve to better her son's life. He tells the school board that if they decide to expel the student, he will resign. They do, and he does. The mother then decides to use the rest of her money to leave Shanghai and go someplace that nobody will know about her profession. However, before she can retrieve the remaining hidden funds, she finds out that the abusive thug staying with her has stolen it. She murders him and is sent to prison. The former principal visits her in prison and tells her that he will adopt her son and raise him as his own.

At the time of the film's production, prostitution in Shanghai was rampant. Due to increasing Westernization in Chinese culture, many women were embracing Western-backed fashion. This took the form of the 'qipao,' which became popular amongst Chinese women in the 1920s and 30s. By the 1930s, it started to become associated with the image of the 'modern' woman. Many women who held higher standing in Chinese society specifically wore the qipao. Because the clothing had started to become associated with women in higher positions, such as well-to-do women, courtesans, hostesses, actresses, students, and workers, the image of this 'modern woman' started to become manipulated. Many Chinese advertisers and calendar producers started to portray women wearing these modern garments in very sexual ways. The garments started to become synonymous with sexual availability from the increased use of them in sexualized propaganda. Through this, women began to be viewed more through the lens of a commodity. Perhaps this use of the qipao in propaganda to sexualize women was a tactic to tear down women in higher standing. Perhaps it was used to vilify Western influence. Either way, the garment became synonymous with prostitution and sexual availability. This is why our protagonist is wearing this garment in the film. 

Because of this oversexualization and commodification of women in the 1930s in Shanghai, prostitution reached record highs. 1 out of every 9 women resorted to prostitution in Shanghai, making the city the highest population of prostitutes in the world, beating out cities like London, Berlin, and Beijing. Eventually, the role of prostitute took on a 'victimized' and 'disorderly' stereotype. This is the struggle our protagonist deals with in "The Goddess." Due to her low economic standing and inability to take on any meaningful job, she is forced into the position where she must prostitute herself to sustain economic viability. On top of this, she is abused by thugs and scorned by other women. 

The writer and director of the film, Wu Yonggang, wanted to express the societal complexity of such a topic. However, because of China's Kuomintang (KMT) Nationalist Party's "Film Censorship Law," he had to censor out illicit scenes and promote Confucian values, like self-sacrifice and discipline. To make the film, he was forced to cut out many of the realities of prostitution and simply imply them. He also had our protagonist self-sacrifice herself to save her child's future to accommodate Confucian values. She also ends the film in jail, accommodating the 'disciplinary' aspect of Confucian values. Despite these inclusions, Yonggang still manages to get his larger point across about the unjust evaluation of prostitutes in contemporary society. By showing our protagonist as a woman just wanting to protect and better her son's future, she becomes a heroine. Also, through the school principal's examination of how unfair the prostitute's situation is, he acts as the thematic narrative of the film, demonstrating to the audience the film's underlying notion about Chinese justice. 

Another layer to add to this incredibly complex film is the 'goddess' herself, the film's star Ruan Lingyu. The role in this film was one of her final roles, as she committed suicide only a year after the film's release. She was one of China's most prominent actress at the time. She was so popular that she became a tabloid sensation. After her split from her chronic gambler husband, he sued her for reparations. After the split, the tabloids' probing into her private life intensified and put her under immense pressure. This nasty lawsuit, along with her portrayal as a prostitute in this film, gave the tabloids reason to portray her in scathing depictions. The intensity of this became so bad, that she overdosed on barbiturates in 1935, at the age of only 24. 

 Lingyu's greatest role was in "The Goddess" and it was perhaps another nail in her coffin. However, the very subject of the film and its themes demonstrate this villainization of women in Chinese culture. It is a film of a universal subject with universal themes that are still relevant today. It is a miracle this film made it past Chinese censors and we are lucky its prints are not lost to the realms of film history.