The woman who broke the Great Wall of China - Juwen Zhang
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Long ago, an emperor decided to build a great wall to protect his new empire and ensure his power. He ordered men across China to leave their homes and submit to the grueling labor required for its construction. As years passed and the wall grew, few returned home. But one worker’s death spelled trouble for the wall. Juwen Zhang shares the myth of the heartbroken Lady Meng Jiang and her sabotage.
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As a wonder tale, also known as a fairy tale, this story integrates the typical structural elements of folk and fairy tales, as articulated by the folklorist Vladimir Propp, and contains specific content and symbols that are distinctive and essential to Chinese culture.
Besides its entertainment as a story, it expresses the resistance of the powerless against a tyrant’s oppression. It is an example of fairy tale as an art of subversion, as discussed by Jack Zipes. Through the image of Meng Jiang, the story shows how women hold family and social responsibilities while suffering from families being broken due to constant warfare and social instability. Meng Jiang is praised for her loyalty of love, as well as her bravery, persistence, and cleverness, but her tragic ending is also symbolic of women’s continued suffering through social upheavals and injustice.
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Juwen Zhang
- Director Raghav Arumugam, Jagriti Khirwar
- Narrator Alexandra Panzer
- Composer Salil Bhayani, cAMP Studio
- Sound Designer Amanda P.H. Bennett, cAMP Studio
- Guzheng played by Bei Bei Monter
- Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
- Produced by Sazia Afrin
- Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
- Editorial Producer Cella Wright
- Script Editor Iseult Gillespie
- Fact-Checker Charles Wallace