modernity vs tradition in 1990s Taiwan

title card

tradition = the father

modernity = the daughters

religion

career

fast food

chu continues to cook, despite losing his sense of taste

the two daughters getting married and leaving the house

chu goes into house and sees the things that are missing

the scene at the end symbolizes that both can coexist

面临/面对

挑战

由。。。转向

暂时

地球村

欢迎

忙着

航空公司

淘汰

至于

必须

孝顺

不但。。。反而

负责任

依靠

维持

即使
tradition meets globalization/modernity

title card – traditional characters and seal script

cars and motorcycles

then cut to the house, and the father cooking in a traditional style which is interspersed with our
introduction to the three daughters

the three daughter’s separate lives also reflect a changing Taiwan: Christianity, aviation company, and
fast food worker – these are all outside influences

there is an emotional gap between the father, rooted in traditionalism, and the daughters’
representative of modernity

their tenuous relationships are maintained through their extravagant weekly dinners, but everyone is
too uncomfortable to have an appetite

everyone is stifled in tradition and the “old ways” they live in their childhood home, their father does
their laundry, he wakes them up every morning

one by one, the daughters leave this cocoon of familiarity

first, jia ning

then, jia jen

then finally the father himself

however, the director is not necessarily making the case that all tradition is bad and should move aside
for change

“good” tradition: funeral rites, cooking

what’s harmful is allowing tradition to limit yourself

at the end, when the father comes back to visit the house that he no longer lives in, he looks at the dark
and empty rooms, not recognizing the home he once had here, his daughter cooking in the kitchen

but at the end, when the father takes jia chien’s hands (jia chien is arguably the best example of the
“new taiwan” (having casual relationship and not getting married, working in a business setting)
represents that tradition and modernism can and should exist harmoniously together
 “饮食男女” 讲述一位父亲和他三个女儿之间的关系的故事。但这部电影的导
演，李安，到底想用“音质男女”来表达什么意见呢？在我看来，李安拍这部电影是为了
表示他对传统和现代的想法。

电影一开始以后，在标题卡上，“饮食男女” 的 “饮食“ 是用繁体字写的，而

“男女” 是用篆书写的。篆书比繁体字古老的多，因此从电影的开头，导演就想让我们
开始考虑传统跟现代的关系。标题卡的背景是一大团的汽车和摩托车。

电影接着切换到一个比较安静的地点，而我们看见一间房子。房子里是朱爸爸，专
心的准备他和他的女儿星期天的晚饭。这三位姐咩的生活也反映了台湾收了外国的印象。
老大 convert 到基督教、老二在航空公司工作、老三在快餐店工作—这都代表西化带来的
变化。显然，爸爸象征传统的思想二女儿象征比较现代的想法。爸爸和女儿的关系有点紧
张，虽然他们之间还是有亲情，没有互相理解。到目前为止，他们依靠星期天的晚饭来维
持他们的关系。这家庭的人都被传统和过去所扼杀，也就是说女儿还住在老家、每天早上
是爸爸惊醒女儿、爸爸还洗女儿的衣服，好像女儿从来没有长大。

there is an emotional gap between the father, rooted in traditionalism, and the daughters’
representative of modernity
their tenuous relationships are maintained through their extravagant weekly dinners, but
everyone is too uncomfortable to have an appetite

everyone is stifled in tradition and the “old ways” they live in their childhood home, their
father does their laundry, he wakes them up every morning
one by one, the daughters leave this cocoon of familiarity
first, jia ning
then, jia jen
then finally the father himself
however, the director is not necessarily making the case that all tradition is bad and should
move aside for change
“good” tradition: funeral rites, cooking
what’s harmful is allowing tradition to limit yourself
at the end, when the father comes back to visit the house that he no longer lives in, he looks at
the dark and empty rooms, not recognizing the home he once had here, his daughter cooking in
the kitchen
but at the end, when the father takes jia chien’s hands (jia chien is arguably the best example of
the “new taiwan” (having casual relationship and not getting married, working in a business
setting) represents that tradition and modernism can and should exist harmoniously together