Nostalgia and Feminism in Chinese Literature

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Nostalgia and Feminism in Chinese Literature
Feminism and nostalgia often interact in Chinese literature in complex and nuanced ways. In some works, nostalgia may be used as a tool to critique and challenge traditional gender roles and expectations, while in others, it may be used to reinforce and perpetuate these same ideas. The trend is evident in Bai Xianyong’s (Pai Hsien-yung) “Eternal Snow Beauty” and Zhu Tianwen’s “Fin-de-siecle Splendor.” In the present paper, nostalgia and its interaction with feminism based on the historical background of the two works is explored.
In the two short stories, a major element of nostalgia stems from the socio-geographical factors that instill a sense of exile in the characters and their longing to return home. The popularity of Yin Hsueh-yen in Shanghai was attributed to her ability to evoke a feeling of homecoming among her guests. “When they entered her living room and sat down on those sofas with their silk pillows, they had a sense of homecoming, of utter contentment.". Yin Hsueh-yen had adorned her house in such a way that it allowed her visitors to remember their memories. Silk is one of the products that has remained constant in Chinese culture, with minimal changes experienced in its production and usage for more than 3,000 years. By using silk pillows in her sofas, Yin Hsueh-yen evokes a sense of nostalgia among her visitors as they can easily feel that they have traveled back to the Chinese culture.[Pai, Hsien-Yung, Xianyong Bai, and Pai Hsien Yung, Taibei ren, Chinese University Press, 2000, p.1.]
Further, Yin Hsueh-yen evoked a sense of nostalgia in her visitors by using food that allowed the visitors to travel back to various regions in Mainland China. "At noon she might serve Ningpo New Year's pudding or stuffed rice dumplings Huchow style; for supper, her chef prepared Nanking and Shanghai dishes: gold-and-silver ham, Imperial Favorite chicken, prawns eaten raw with soya sauce, and crabs marinated in wine. Yin Hsueh-yen herself designed a sort of rotating menu; each day a new and delectable array of dishes materialized”. Food can evoke a sense of nostalgia by reminding us of a specific place or culture. For example, eating a traditional dish from a person's home country or region may transport them back to that place in their memories and inspire feelings of longing for the familiar tastes and traditions of that place. From the quote, Yin Hsueh-yen prepares dishes from all major Chinese regions, which effectively makes it easy to evoke a feeling of nostalgia in the visitors.[Pai, Hsien-Yung, Xianyong Bai, and Pai Hsien Yung, Taibei ren, Chinese University Press, 2000, p. 8]
Comparatively, the narrator in Tianwen’s short story suggests that smell serves to trigger the feeling of nostalgia in Mia. At the beginning of the story, Tianwen narrates, “Mia is a fervent believer in the sense of smell; her life is dependent on memories evoked by different smells.". The smell is closely linked to memory and can often evoke strong feelings of nostalgia because the olfactory bulb, which is responsible for processing smells, is directly connected ...