MovieChat Forums > Da hong denglong gaogao gua (1991) Discussion > Why Didn't Songlian...?

Why Didn't Songlian...?

posted 16 years ago by virtual_dummy27
10 replies | jump to latest

Why didn't she at least leave the manor or what have you for a bit? Obviously this was allowed since Meishan left to go to a hotel in the city, so why didn't Gonglian go out a bit to keep sane?

[–] Sivvussa 16 years ago

I think she didn't have anything/anyone to go to. Her family was poor/disgraced (her father killed himself) I kinda thought the family wouldn't want her associating with people who were "below" them... and she couldn't carry on with her education or visit the university- look how jealous the master gets just when he finds a flute and thinks she got it at the uni!

The other thing was that her husband complained when she was playing Mah Jong with the third wife, and went to one of the other women... so maybe she wanted to be there just in case? For most of the film she seems to devote her energy to trying to get in his good books. :)

[–] littlebigjohn 16 years ago

Note: he got jealous because he thought she got it from a man at the University.

[–] shred213 16 years ago

Gonglian lol

[–] virtual_dummy27 16 years ago

Yeah, I know I misspelled the name in the title but in my message I got it right, just a typo.

I guess that explanation makes sense but, still, it sucked that she had to spend the rest of her time being the crazy lady on campus. Thanks for the replies, guys!

[–] sheldonc_12 16 years ago

Actually, you got the name correct in the title but confused her real name with her character's name in your post, heh.

[–] pink-spider 16 years ago

I think it's because she hadn't "earned" the right yet. It might be because she hadn't even been there a year yet. Or maybe it's because she hadn't born a song yet.

What someone else said about how she didn't have anyone or anything to go to is also very likely. If there was anything she wanted from town, the servants would get it. If she insisted on going out she'd probably be met with suspicion.

[–] ash341986 16 years ago

Besides she could not return home. It is regarded as a disgrace to the wives' family if she ever returns home unallowed. We used to have a saying that "a married daughter is like the spoiled water", for they belong to their husbands' family and no longer their original families. People might look down on the family if they have a married daughter return home unallowed or not at the time when they should visit their parents (like the second day of Chinese New Year).

[–] rosarypliers 16 years ago

Well, the third mistress was a bit spoilt by Chen family standards. She was always playing sick...even when Chen was supposed to consumate his marriage to Songlian, she called for him. Chen also tolerated that the family doctor visited her repeatedly and prescribed (probably expensive) medicine, even though she seemed perfectly healthy. I guess he granted these privileges to her because he wanted to avoid her mean temper. ("She even curses my ancestors.") The third mistress was a former opera singer, and it is possible that everybody assumed she was going to the opera when she was secretly meeting the doctor.

[–] blubb06 16 years ago

Good question. Answer: Because it wasn't in the script ;-)

Well, Soglian isn't only a victim, she is a willing participant and quite a spoiled bitch herself. She didn't fight for her freedom, but sold herself in the first place, and after half a year in her new "home" she is willing to play by its rules, even though she hates them.

[–] myroseblooms 14 years ago

There are people, who out of resentment and anger, will "cut off their nose to spite their face"--I think Songlian was one of these. She had a privileged position and could have played that up, but instead, did really stupid things to spoil the master's view of her. Yes, she did go "out", because the master mentions taking her to a dumpling restaurant, as in "didn't you say you liked the dumplings at that place on Guilian Street?" There are also indications that the 2nd and 3d wife went out shopping as well (the Suzhou silk 2nd wife gave her, for example). Being so upper class and restricted, it probably wasn't often, but still, she was 'educated', and could have found something to do. Yes, it was a bad situation, however, how one reacts to one's environment makes as least as much of a difference as the environment itself.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."