Art and CultureSnow Falling in the SpringThe art and culture in the novel is very differnt from the culture today in and out of China, especially the practice of footbinding, the kind of matchmaking they did and the popular music. One thing that hasn't changed that is still popular in China's culture today is the New Year celebration. In the novel, Snow Falling in the Spring, by Moying Li, one thing that sets aside China's culture from everyone else's is that China had footbinding for a long period of time. When Moying's Lao Lao was a little girl, the book says, "it was a custom at the time for girls, aged three or four, to have their feet bound- a traditional ideal of beauty and submission, compelling women to walk slowly" (24). This is one cultural tradition that China had. This footbinding process was very painful; according to the article, "Painful Memories for China's Footbinding Survivors," from the National Public Radio, women were "binding their feet to turn them into the prized 'three-inch golden lotuses.'" The article also reports that a woman name "Zhou Guizhen says 'At that time everybody had bound feet. If you didn't, you'd only be able to marry a tribesman from an ethnic minority.'" To read more about the process of footbinding, the consequences of footbinding and more accounts from women who had their feet bound, click here and read the article.
The bound feet of a women named Louisa Lim from the NPR article.
Another tradition of China that took place during the time Snow Falling in the Spring was written is matchmaking. During this time, for boys, the book reports, "if you can't afford to pay the matchamker and provide enough gifts to the bride's family, no parents will let their daughter marry you" (90). Matchmaking is a long-practiced tradition for the people of China. Chinese people have to pay a matchmaker and go through a process, similar to an interview, in order to get married and find a good match for themselves. If the interviewing process doesn't go well, or the matchamaker is unable to find a good match for a person, then there is very little hope for that person to get married. Here is an example of an interviewing process for a girl that doesn't end up going well.
A clip from the disney movie Mulan called "The Matchmake Scene."
Good music that was considered bourgeois that was meant only for people who were wealthy in China during the time Snow Falling in the Spring took place was classical music such as Blue Danube by John Strauss. This song was a song on one of "the two records that Mama loved most- Strauss's Blue Danube Waltz and Vivaldi's Four Seasons," according to the novel (83). This novel took place when people still used phonograph records and turntables to listen to music. Music was a big form of entertainment to China and the rest of the world as well. Chinese often enjoyed traditional classical music during the era of the Cultural Revolution, before it was banned from all houses.
Blue Danube by John Strauss, the song that Moying Li's Mama liked so much.
A major celebration that the Chinese culture has during the time Snow Falling in the Spring took place and still going on today is the Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year has always been a great holiday for all of China. In the novel, according to Moying Li, New Year's Eve was also the only time of the year when children were allowed to stay up past midnight. Dressed in New Year's best, (they) would parade through the neighborhood with red lanterns, made of rice paper and shaped like the moon or the stars. Also, the article, "Chinese New Year," from the History website states that Chinese New Year, to this day, "remains the most important social and economic holiday in China." This article also says "the holiday was a time to honor household and heavenly deities as well as ancestors. It was also a time to bring family together for feasting." This holiday is very important to the Chinese culture and all of China throws a big celebration for this holiday with fireworks, parades, feasts, costumes, and much more. For more imformation about Chinese New Year and videos from the History Article, click here.
This video is called "Chinese New Year Highlights." It was taken for the 2009 Chinese New Year which was the year of the Ox.Go to the article, "Chinese Zodiac," to see which animals belong to each year for the Chinese New Year.
In the novel, Snow Falling in the Spring, by Moying Li, one thing that sets aside China's culture from everyone else's is that China had footbinding for a long period of time. When Moying's Lao Lao was a little girl, the book says, "it was a custom at the time for girls, aged three or four, to have their feet bound- a traditional ideal of beauty and submission, compelling women to walk slowly" (24). This is one cultural tradition that China had. This footbinding process was very painful; according to the article, "Painful Memories for China's Footbinding Survivors," from the National Public Radio, women were "binding their feet to turn them into the prized 'three-inch golden lotuses.'" The article also reports that a woman name "Zhou Guizhen says 'At that time everybody had bound feet. If you didn't, you'd only be able to marry a tribesman from an ethnic minority.'" To read more about the process of footbinding, the consequences of footbinding and more accounts from women who had their feet bound, click here and read the article.
Another tradition of China that took place during the time Snow Falling in the Spring was written is matchmaking. During this time, for boys, the book reports, "if you can't afford to pay the matchamker and provide enough gifts to the bride's family, no parents will let their daughter marry you" (90). Matchmaking is a long-practiced tradition for the people of China. Chinese people have to pay a matchmaker and go through a process, similar to an interview, in order to get married and find a good match for themselves. If the interviewing process doesn't go well, or the matchamaker is unable to find a good match for a person, then there is very little hope for that person to get married. Here is an example of an interviewing process for a girl that doesn't end up going well.
A clip from the disney movie Mulan called "The Matchmake Scene."
Good music that was considered bourgeois that was meant only for people who were wealthy in China during the time Snow Falling in the Spring took place was classical music such as Blue Danube by John Strauss. This song was a song on one of "the two records that Mama loved most- Strauss's Blue Danube Waltz and Vivaldi's Four Seasons," according to the novel (83). This novel took place when people still used phonograph records and turntables to listen to music. Music was a big form of entertainment to China and the rest of the world as well. Chinese often enjoyed traditional classical music during the era of the Cultural Revolution, before it was banned from all houses.
Blue Danube by John Strauss, the song that Moying Li's Mama liked so much.
A major celebration that the Chinese culture has during the time Snow Falling in the Spring took place and still going on today is the Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year has always been a great holiday for all of China. In the novel, according to Moying Li, New Year's Eve was also the only time of the year when children were allowed to stay up past midnight. Dressed in New Year's best, (they) would parade through the neighborhood with red lanterns, made of rice paper and shaped like the moon or the stars. Also, the article, "Chinese New Year," from the History website states that Chinese New Year, to this day, "remains the most important social and economic holiday in China." This article also says "the holiday was a time to honor household and heavenly deities as well as ancestors. It was also a time to bring family together for feasting." This holiday is very important to the Chinese culture and all of China throws a big celebration for this holiday with fireworks, parades, feasts, costumes, and much more. For more imformation about Chinese New Year and videos from the History Article, click here.
This video is called "Chinese New Year Highlights." It was taken for the 2009 Chinese New Year which was the year of the Ox.Go to the article, "Chinese Zodiac," to see which animals belong to each year for the Chinese New Year.