Red Lanterns Dowsed Black Forever
Songlian is a symbol of China after the Cultural Revolution. Initially, Songlian revels in being able to disregard traditions and customs. She walks to her new sanheyuan, a Chinese courtyard house, instead of waiting for the customary wedding procession to carry her there. The moment she enters, she is confronted by a cultural revolution: a new family with its own customs, rites, and rituals, to which she is expected to adhere. The master burns her father's flute, which burns her connections to her father and her ancestors. Songlian's entrance into the family signals the onset of a competition for power, similar to Chinese Elitists who were competing for capital gain and political power. Songlian becomes tyrannical; her servant Yan'er commits suicide, just like the peasants of the Cultural Revolution committed suicide. Later, the third wife Meishan is murdered in the power struggle.
The sanheyuan is set up like the philosophy of Confucianism: the architectural and structural design of the sanheyuan permits a specific set of social rules to exist, and when these rules are implemented properly, the family will be well-run, and a well-run family contributes to a well-run government. This is a constricting Confucian ideology that Songlian undermines.
Within these set of social rules, women are to protected from outside hardships by staying within the walled boundaries of the sanheyuan, the study of Confucianism must be practiced, and the family must be the prime focus.
In Songlian's household, hardships run amok; all the wives are ruthlessly fighting with each other for the privilege of having their lanterns lit and their feet massaged, which symbolizes their control of the master and household. The wives bravely ignore the cardinal rule of Confucianism: a person knows his or her place in society, and upholding family tradition takes precedence over the individual's needs.
The ensuing Revolution obliterates Confucianism and the patriarchy, allowing female liberation and modernity to flow freely without restriction.
Unfortunately for Songlian, she goes mad.