Pushing Hands推手~ Chinese Movies&TV

Today let’s take a brief introduction of a famous Chinese movie named “Pushing Hands”.The screenplay of Pushing Hands was written by Ang Lee himself in 1990 and it won Excellent Screenplay Award from Taiwan government. In 1992, 37-year-old Ang Lee directed his first film based on this story in New York. This is a comedy which reflects the generation gap and cultural shock in a Taiwanese-born family who lived in New York. The contrast between the Chinese old man who emigrated to America and the female American writer, Ang Lee said, actually mirrors his two-faced life during the first few years after graduation. The film not only won Best Film Award at Asia Pacific Film Festival, but also achieved three awards, including Best Actor, Best Actress and Special Jury Award for Best Director, of Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards. What’s more, it was also nominated for nine other awards at Golden Horse Film Festival.

The story of Pushing Hands centers on an emigrated family in America and shows the contrast between traditional Chinese culture and American customs and habits. Different cultural backgrounds lead to different views on family. In western culture, individualism is highly emphasized and the American hardly accept to live with the last generation; while in China family means living together and looking after each other. Focusing on this contrast, the story of Pushing hands goes like this: Retired tai chi teacher Lao Zhu emigrates from Beijing to live with his son, American daughter-in-law, and grandson in a New York City suburb. Lao Zhu cannot speak English and it is quite inconvenient for him to go outside. Therefore Lao Zhu has to stay at home and practice tai chi. His daughter-in-law Martha, who writes at home, is afflicted for having no clue at that time. They two cannot communicate with each other and their relationship becomes more and more intense.

The film also reveals the contrast that when Chinese who have received traditional culture go to America, they cannot help being influenced by American culture and lose the balance. It comes up with the question how we should deal with the culture shock when it occurs.

李安Lǐ ān：an Academy Award winning Taiwanese-born American film director.
台北Táiběi：Capital of Taiwan.
太极拳tàijíquán： a traditional Chinese method which is good for keeping health and body shaping.