Historical and Phycological Reasons for Nostalgia in Rouge

电影《胭脂扣》讲述一个关于一位著名的妓女，如花的故事。是上个世纪30年代，在香港，寻找50年前深爱她的那个男人，在一对夫妇的帮助下，她终于找到那个人，陈震邦，没想到他还活着，但很可怜。最后，如花为了爱，在绝望中离开。《胭脂扣》，带着深深的怀旧情绪，让观众们可以重新回顾历史并也可以减少香港人民在面对未来时的心理压力。

The film Rouge tells a story about a famous prostitute, Ru Hua, in the 30s of last century in Hong Kong, whose spirit went back in 50 years only to find a man who ever fell in love with her and killed himself with her in a suicide pact. With the help of a couple in modern society, she finally found that man, Chen Zhenbang, was still alive with a wretched appearance. Finally, Ru Hua left in desperation for love. Rouge, with deeply nostalgic emotions, gives audiences the opportunity to reconnect with history and reduce Hongkong peoples’ phycological stress of facing up with future.
  The script of Rouge was written by Li Bihua, and according to Li Xiaoliang(1995), “Li Bihua’s novels have an interesting train of thought, it is to focus on the current Hong Kong with an eye of reviewing a given historical space”(p. 65). This film reviews the styles and features of old Hong Kong from a small perspective of a prostitute story. In the film, Yuan Yongding who was a newspaper director in modern society, said to Ru Hua, I am an original person who have no idea about any history of Hong Kong, and I just got a H in my history general examination. This plot clearly shows that the common Hong Kong citizens’ indifference about their history and politics. However, though the telling of Ru Hua’s spirit, it makes it possible for Yuan Yongding and audiences to have a look at the customs, behaviors, spoken language, wearings, buildings and even abnormal interpersonal relationship in the brothel in 30s of last centry. It is the nostalgia that impels Yuan Yongding to follow the trace of Hong Kong history and finally help Ru Hua to find her lover. Thus, the historical reason for nostalgia in Rouge is to trigger Hong Kong people’s recognition about history and self-identity, as Ru Hua said, I am a Hong Kong person, not from mainland of China nor abroad.
  In the words of Luo Feng (1995), “after entering the middle of 1980s, Hong Kong society was full of anxiety, insecurity and hesitation which was mainly originated from the puzzlement about 97 Hong Kong issue, as a way of reducing stress and providing comfort, nostalgia prevails in Hong Kong at that time” (p.74). This film was shown in 1988, at that time, the talk between China and Britain about Hong Kong issue stroke deep fear into people’s heart. On the one hand, Hong Kong people were longed to changes since they were not satisfied with the current status, on the other hand, they doubted about the “one country, two systems’ policy that was promised to maintain within 50 years by Chinese government. In the film, Ru Hua and Chen Zhenbang vowed solemnly to be dead together, however, after waiting for 50 years, Ru Hua found that everything had changed, she could not recognize the place she lived before and Chen Zhengbang who was a handsome gentleman lived with a wretched appearance. By using the nostalgia to make a contrast and the time concept of 50 years, this film shows the distrust and fear of Hong Kong people for the future. The nostalgia of 1930s is the expectation about that tranquil and elegant era of Hong Kong people, a sarcasm to the current society which struggled to survive in the cracks and a driven power to the newborn of Hong Kong identity. I envy Ru Hua, because she can be so persistent to love, and I will not dare to do anything she did for love in my entire life, Ling Chujuan, who was the girlfriend of Yuan Yongding, ever said that in the film. As the concealed line in Rouge, the love between Ling and Yuan reflects the identity that Hong Kong people owned at that time, people were so busy with their work and earning money, sometimes took other people’s concern for granted, just like at the beginning of film, Ling Chujuan showed indifference to the gift Yuan Yongding sent to her. Since the modern society is increasingly endowed with utilitarianism and philosophy of surviving, the pure and traditional view of love gradually turns to be an imagination in people’s heart, however by using the nostalgia in a well-organized way of flashback, people could have a chance to seek for the comfort from the old traditional love. As Fredric Jameson ever came up with in his postmodern culture theory, one of the main characteristics of postmodern culture is nostalgia, it is not the true confession about the old age, but instead a imitation to the attitude of modern people.
  By adding Nostalgia elements into the film, Rouge was given deeper implications such as the reflections on self-identity and historical responsibility, which in turn arouses the sympathy of the whole Hong Kong society.
References
Feng, L. (1995). The city in the end of the century: Hong Kong's pop culture. Britain: Oxford      University Press.
Li Xiaoliang. (1995). Stabilization and Insecurity . Hong Kong: Modern Chinese literature.
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