User:Weiliu777/Summer Palace (2006 film)

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This article is meant to be an added section to the existing article regarding Lou Ye’s Summer Palace. The current article only briefly mentions the nudity of the film but lacks information on the significant and symbolic meanings of sex. In order to fill the gap, this article aims to focus on sex shown in the film. The main topic in the article body is divided into three parts, which is sex and politics, sex and liberation, and sex and female self-identity. Sex is served as a parallel to the political movement in 1989. The director uses unsatisfying lovemaking experience as metaphor to address the failed relationships between students and the government. The music titled "Lovemaking" in the film is also an indicator of this parallel. Moreover, sex is associated to liberation during the student movement. The article provides one participant's oral account and film scenes to show this connection. Supportive visual evidence form the film is used here. Lastly, the emphasis on female self-identity is shown through individual's perspective towards sex. Yu hong and Song Ping are two characters that represent opposite perspective towards sex and sexuality in the film, while the former represents the desire for (sexual) freedom while latter holds a conservative view.

Sex and Politics
In Summer Palace, the director "masterfully converges sexual awakening and romantic confusion with political radicalization and frustrated aspirations". The sexual revolution among young university students serves as a parallel to the political revolution in 1989. Scholar Shen Qinan points out that student's sexual exploration in 1980s aligns with the rapid social developments in China during that period. The correlation between student movement in Tiananmen Square and their sex life well explored and implied in the film. Dir. Lou Ye sees the relationship between students and the government as a romantic couple. He points out that the student movement to the governmnet is similar to a lovemaking experience. The violent suppression can simply be seen as a unsatisfying sex experience shared by both parties. Sex scenes are rarely erotic in the film. On the contrary, the repetitive sexual intercourses are shown as "a clumsy athletic exercise, a messy enervation of tumbling bodies". Sex is used as a metaphor to address political issues in the film. When the film depcits the climax of the student movement, the song titled "Oxygen" becomes the soundtrack of the senquence. The song is sung by Han Lei, who plays the role of Yu Hong. The song is also titled as "Making Love". Therefore, the combination of the song and the sequence showcases the close connection between sex and politics.

Sex and Liberation
Scholar Shen points out "the need for sexual release increased in proportion to leisure, boredom, and chaos" during the student movement in 1989. One participant recalled that some students left the Tiananmen Square in the evening and engaged in (group) sexual intercourse nearby, and they considered the on and off campus sexual activities as the "first sexual liberation movement in New China". In the film, examples can be found where Yu Hong teaches Dongdong regarding masturbation and their sexual experiences with students from other universities.

Sex and Female Self-Identity
The sex between Xiaojun and Yu does not always lead to pleasure. Yu is portrayed as "confused and sad" on occasions. In the film, she later indicates that " sex is the most direct way for her to show men her goodness". Song Ping appears more conserved about sex and values the sexual morals in conventional Chines culture. Song sees Yu's frequent and pre-marriage sexual activities "disgusting". This character is menat to represent the generation of the Cultural Revolution, and her confrontation with Yu reveals the altering campus climate during the late 1980s that university is not only limited to study but also becomes a romantic space for young people.