从《喜宴》看中美婚姻观差异.docx

从《喜宴》看中美婚姻观差异.docx

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从《喜宴》看中美婚姻观差异

从《喜宴》看中美婚姻观差异

摘要

随着跨文化交际的迅速发展，中美双方的文化交流日益密切。

在这种背景下，中美双方对婚姻的看法自然也存在着差异，这些差异可能给跨文化交流带来障碍，甚至冲突，在这背景下了解中美婚姻观具有重大意义。

本文以李安电影《喜宴》为例来分析以伟同父母为代表的中国典型式婚姻观和赛门所代表的美国婚姻观。

本文从择偶标准，结婚目的以及婚礼仪式这三个方面进行比较分析，并阐述导致这些差异的原因，以便在现流行的跨国婚姻中，做好充分准备，避免中美双方误解和冲突，便于开展更加成功的跨国婚姻，帮助人们形成正确婚姻观。

关键字：

《喜宴》；婚姻观；文化差异

TheDifferencesofViewofMarriageBetweenChinaandAmericaReflectedinXiYan

Abstract

Withtherapiddevelopmentofcross-culturalcommunication,culturalexchangesbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStateshavebecomeincreasinglyclose.Undersuchcircumstance,therearealsosomedifferentviewsonmarriagebetweenChinaandtheUnitedStates.Thesedifferencesmaybringobstaclesorevenconflictstocross-culturalexchanges.Inthiscontext,itisofgreatsignificancetounderstandtheChineseandAmericanviewsonmarriage.ThispapertakesAngLee’sfilmXiYanasanexampletoanalyzethetypicalChinesemarriageconceptrepresentedbyGaoWeitong’sparentsandtheAmericanmarriageconceptrepresentedbySimon.Thispapermakesacomparativeanalysisfromthreeaspectsofspouseselectioncriteria,marriagepurposeandweddingceremony,andexplainthereasonsforthesedifferences,soastomakefullpreparationinthecurrentpopulartransnationalmarriage,avoidmisunderstandingandconflictbetweenChinaandAmerican,facilitatemoresuccessfultransnationalmarriage,andhelppeopleformacorrectmarriageconcept.

Keywords:

XiYan；viewofmarriage;culturaldifferences

1.Introduction

1.1AnIntroductiontoAngLeeandXiYan

AngLeewasborninTaiwanin1954andgrewupinafamilywhichhadtypicaltraditionalethics.Asaresult,hewaswell-acquaintedwithtraditionalChineseculture,whichcanprovideoriginalmaterialsinhisfilms.AftergraduatingfromtheartschoolofNationalTaiwanUniversityin1975,AngLeewenttostudyintheUnitedStatesaloneforfurtherstudy.Atfirst,hestudiedatIllinoisUniversityandreceivedabachelor’sdegreeindrama.Later,hewenttoNewYorkUniversitytostudyfilmproductionandgotamaster’sdegreeinfilm.What’smore,healsohadmademanyfamousfilmsduringthisperiod.Fromthebeginningofhisuniversitytothecreationoffilms,hecombinedChineseculturewithwesternculturetocreatenewworks,whichlaidancrucialpositioninHollywoodfilmindustry.HisfilmscancombineChinesetraditionalConfucianhumanismandreligiousaestheticwisdom,andalsocombineChineseplotwithwesternhumanisticbackground,therefore,theworkswithuniquestyleofAngLeeareformed.InAngLee’searlywork---XiYan,itcanhaveadistinctiveorientalbeautytofrightenwesternfilms,consequently,itenablespeopletofeelthecharmofChina’scultureandaesthetics,andfeelthedifferentculturesandaestheticcharacteristicsfromthewesternworld.

ThereisnodoubtthatAngLeehassetupabridgebetweeneasternandwesterncultures.AsapersongrowingupinatraditionalChinesefamily,henotonlymadeChinesefilms,suchasPushingHands,XiYan,EatDrinkManWoman,andCrouchingTiger,HiddenDagon,butalsomadeEnglishfilmssuchasSenseandSensibility.Atthesametime,healsomadesomecommercialfilmssuchasIceStorm,RridingwiththeDevil.Amongthem,hisfilmXiYanisenjoyedgreatreputationbyaudiencesaroundtheworld,andhaswon“bestforeignlanguagefilm”,“GoldenBearAward”andsoon.ThisfilmisoneofthefilmsthatdirectorAngLeereceivedinternationalattentioninhisearlyyears.It’saChinesefilmmadeentirelyintheHollywoodformat,whichwonunanimouspraiseafterreleasing.ThefilmwontheGoldenBearAward,TheBestDirectoraward,andwasalsonominatedforBestForeignLanguageFilmattheOscar.Themovie,XiYanisaboutGaoWeitong,ahomosexuallivingintheUnitedStates,wholivesinManhattanwithhisloverSimon,anAmericanman.InordertogetridofhisparentswhocomefromTaibeitoforcehimtomarry,hedecidestomarryGuWeiwei,anillegalimmigrantfemalepainterwhoisworriesaboutnotgettingagreencard.Atlast,Weiweiispregnant,whichleadstotheestrangementandquarrelbetweenSimonandWeitong.Onemisunderstandingafteranotherarise.Weitong’sfatherrealizesthetruthbecauseheunderstandstheirquarrel.Weitongishospitalized.Therefore,WeitongtellshismotherabouthisrelationshipwithSimon.Thefourpeopledecidetohidethetruth,buttheydon’tthinkthattheseniorfatheralreadyknowseverythingandagreeswiththeirrelationship.Finally,Weiweidecidestogivebirthtoachild,SimonagreedtobetheirGodfather.ThelastsceneofthemovieisattheairportintheUnitedStates.ItendswithapictureofWeitong’sfatherholdinguptheirhands,asignofcompromise.ThefilmreflectsthecollisionoftraditionalweddingetiquettebetweenChinaandthewesternworld,andthedifferencesbetweenChineseandwesternmarriageconceptswerevividlyreflectedinXiYan.

1.2LiteratureReview

DomesticresearchonthemarriageviewcanberetrospectedtotheBookofRites-MarriageRighteousness.Thedefinitionofmarriageinthisbookis“theweddingwillbethenameofgood,inatemple,nexttothelateralso”itcanbeseenthattheancientsthoughtthemainpurposeofmarriageistoservehisparents,andcarryonthefamilylineage.Afterthereformandopeningup,duetotheinfluenceofwesternculture,themarriageconceptofChinahasbecomequiterespectfulforwomenandhumanrights.Quietafewscholarsbegantofurtherexploremarriage,inTheChangeofMarriageViewofContemporaryChineseundertheTransitionofWesternCulture,HanQinghua（2008）studiedtheinfluenceofwesterncultureonChinesemarriageconcept.HeexploredthereasonsforthechangeofChinesemarriageconceptandpointedouttheimpactofwesternthoughtsonChinesetraditionalmarriageconceptandvalues.ThishelpedChinesewomentoobtainindependentpersonality,equalrighttoeducation,andtherighttochoosetheirownmarriage,soastogetridoftheoldideathatmenaresuperiortowomeninancienttimes.InTheDifferencesbetweenEasternandWesternContemporaryViewsonLoveandMarriage,ZhangXiaxia（2014）explainedthereasonsfromtheaspectsofthevirgincomplex,theroleofchildreninthefamilyandtheattitudetowardshomosexuality,andconcludedthatthereasonsforthedifferencesweredecidedbyvariousfactors,includingculturaldifferences,economicstrengthofbothsidesandeducationalsystem.In1987,LiuYingandXueSuzhen（1987）definedmarriageintheirstudyasasocialrelationshipcharacterizedbytheunionofthesexes,aswellasaprerequisitefortheestablishmentofthefamily,embodiedindifferentstagesofhumanhistory,andbasedondifferentfoundations.Inaddition,therearealsomanyresearchersdoingsomeresearchonthecontemporaryChinesemarriagefamilystatus,andcontemporaryChineseyoungpeople’sviewsonmarriage.Theresearchers,WuJingandWeiLiang（2008）pointedoutthatyoungpeopleinChinahaveaviewofmarriageasfollows:

theywereenthusiasticabouttheobjectiveofmarriage,butinthefamilymarriagelife,theyonlyaskedformorethantheygive.Althoughmaterialconditionswerethebasisofmarriage,theyshouldnotbethedefiningattributeofmarriage.Intoday’ssociety,ontheonehand,themajorityofthepopulationadvocatetheconceptoflovefirst,butinthefaceoflove,peoplechoosetoputthematerialfoundationinthefirstplace.Ithasbecomeauniversalphenomenoninmodernworldthatwecanabandonlovebecauseofbread.

AbroadstudyofmarriagecanbetracedbacktotheearliestrelevantchaptersintheBible,thatgodsetupmarriageinordertohaveapartner,andthenmarried,finallytobreed,theideaissimilarwiththeancientChineseConfucianmarriage,but,incontrast,itismoredemocraticandfreeinthewest.Fromthe18thtothe19thcentury,itwasamalecenteredsociety,inwhichwomenhadlowstatusandnoinheritedpropertyrights.Thecenteroftheirlifewasthefamily.Therefore,theonlyshortcutforwomentosurvivewastogetmarriedandobtainthesafeguardoflife.InPrideandPrejudice,famousBritishnovelistJaneAustenpointedoutthatthesocialmoneyinsteadoflovewasadecisivefactorinthemarriage.Shethoughtthatthemarriageviewwhichonlyvaluesmaterialthingswaswrongandstupid.Aperfectmarriageshouldhavebothmaterialandlove.Suchamarriageishappy.Thiskindofideaofmodernmarriagestillhasgreatrealisticsignificance.ThenHarris（1912）studiedthefactorsthatinfluencemarriageintheUnitedStatesandconcludedthatphysicalcharacteristicssuchashealth,longevityandagecaninfluencemarriage.Inaddition,Hollingshead（1950）studiedtheculturalfactorsonthemarriagepartnerselection,inwhichthesefactorssuchasreligiousbeliefsandsubculture,andsocialstatuswoulddeterminetheroleofapersoninthemarriageatthattime.IntheirtranslationofChangingFamily---Cross-CulturalPerspective,SongJianandLiRu（1998）putforwardthatHerteldosomeresearchaboutmarriagechangesintheprocessofsocialchangeanditalsohascertainreferencesignificancetoourcountry.However,foreignstudiesonmarriagewillberathermixed.Firstofall,theydidnotanalyzethecontemporaryviewofmarriagethroughthetraditionalviewofmarriage.Secondly,withoutthewesternspiritualpillarBibleasthesourceoftheory,itwouldseemempty.Therefore,especiallyfortheAmericanswhoaredeeplyinfluencedbytheBible,itneedstocombinetheknowledgeoftheBibletounderstandtheconceptofAmericanmarriage.

ThefilmXiYanwasshotbydirectorAngLeein1993,thismoviedescribesthestoryofChinesepeopledealingwithmaritalproblemswithauniqueviewof