Misogyny on screen in both Spring in a Small Town and Raise the Red Lantern presents an interesting case study of Chinese culture. In both films, the female leads have little to no effectiveness in their personal and professional lives. Each film presents a glimpse of radically different eras; the 1950s and early 2000s, respectively. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essay Spring in a Small Town is ostensibly a view of Yuwen and Liyan's marriage, but is further complicated by Zichen and Xiu which effectively create a love square (a love triangle but with four). Yet, at its core, it's about Yuwen and her own ability to choose what makes her happy in life or what she feels she should do. Daruvala argues that perhaps this aspect of the story constitutes an intentional step away from the lyricism of the aesthetic in an attempt to highlight the moral message hidden within (Daruvala 171). Yuwen feels obligated by duty to stick to the vows she made for the sake of the vows, not for the sake of her husband. What might be considered great love is in fact humble servitude, misplaced devotion to the cause for the sake of devotion, nothing more. It's almost as if Yuwen would rather go and collect her husband's medicine every day than think about the possibility of doing something for herself. On the other hand, Raise the Red Lantern is a love square, albeit one-sided. The misogyny and oppression here is inherent in each woman's lack of control over her own affairs. The “love”, or rather the temporary affection, is only from the master to the mistress he has chosen for the evening. There is no reciprocity in any of his interactions with women. Women use the master's fleeting attention to gain power and confidence, but nothing beyond the surface, there is no emotional connection. As an example, the third mistress calls the master out of the fourth mistress's house on her wedding night due to an alleged illness. In truth, it was a clever ploy to exert his own power and show Songlian his rightful place in the house. Similarly, when the second mistress felt threatened by the new women in the house, she hired the help of a servant to work furtively against them. Ultimately, at the end of each film, the misogyny is reinforced by the lack of action from the two female leads. . Yuwen's happiness lies right in front of her, the door having been opened by her true love, Zichen. Time and time again, she chooses loyalty to misfortune over her own personal life. The story ends with a hint of hope that Zichen might return this time next year, but the cautious viewer knows that she will once again forgo his offers in order to remain in a loveless marriage . It is a classic dilemma between love and duty (Daruvala 174). Likewise, Songlian found herself at her wits' end when she found out about Meishan's murder. His reason had no choice but to dissolve. In this way, both films re-emphasize the misogyny and lack of agency of their female leads in their own personal narratives. Both films are also very accurate depictions of their respective realities in Chinese history. Daruvala notes, “deeply rooted in Chinese aesthetics” (Daruvala 171). Although they are fiction, they embody and highlight the society around them at that time. Lu supports.