Women in Chinese martial arts films of the new millennium : narrative analyses and gender politics / Ya-chen Chen.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- Toward social-cultural and historical readings: "Chinese cinematic martial arts feminism" and its limitation in the narrative of martial arts films -- Narrative analyses of women and gender concerns in every film. The fox, dragon, and lotus in Crouching tiger, hidden dragon -- To (en)gender the gendered history in hero -- There is a beauty in the door(way) of flying daggers -- Women who do not practice martial arts in Seven swords -- Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping beauty in The promise -- The Chinese Hamlet's two women and Shakespeare's Chinese sisters: Qing Nü and Waner in The banque -- Traffic of madwomen in the Chinese royal attic: gender concerns in Curse of the golden flower -- Integrated analyses about the limitation of feminist emancipation in groups of films. Let's make a wish: martial arts ladies' wishes under the cinematic pen(is) from A touch of zen to Crouching tiger hidden dragon, Hero, House of flying daggers, and The promise -- Phallocentric teacher-student comoplex: from Legend of the mountain, Crouching tiger hidden dragon, and Hero to Seven swords -- A Chinese cinematic martial arts room of Pygmalion's own -- Interviews. Interview with Chung Ling, King Hu's spouse and screenwriter -- Interview with Pan Hua, a female classmate and peer-director of Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Wu Ziniu, Li Shaohong, Hu Mei, and Peng Xiaolian -- Interview with Tsai Kuo-Jung, a coplanner and screenwriter of Ang Lee's Crouching tiger hidden dragon -- Interview with Wang Wei, a judge in the Golden Horse Film Festival.