Females Tragedy in Chinese Horror: Patriarchal Oppression in the Form of Marriage

Abstract

Chinese horror, a rapidly developed genre, is closely connected with customs and traditions. Women being the majority of ghosts and villains is a distinct feature of Chinese horror. This phenomenon is closely bonded with the Chinese cultural background, especially the ancient literature pieces and the yin-yang theory. As the sex belonging to yin, women villains contribute to the eeriness of the horror work, and this property also makes women easy victims in the story. The duality of the female victim and villain identity is portrayed in many works featuring female villains, as most of these women figures have tragic marriages and domestic life, and they want revenge. Typical forms of marriage-related suffering are domestic violence, arranged marriage, and posthumous marriage and human sacrifice. Through analyzing the elements above, this paper discusses female tragedy in Chinese horror works and its reflection of reality and showcases how different kinds of marriage-related sufferings of females serve as the manifestations of patriarchal oppression.