Chinese box

Chinese box may refer to different topics:

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Chinese Box

Chinese Box is a 1997 movie directed by Wayne Wang and starring Jeremy Irons, Gong Li, Maggie Cheung and Michael Hui.

The movie is set and was made at the time of Hong Kong's handover to the People's Republic of China on June 30, 1997. The film credits Paul Theroux as a source for the story, based on themes he explores in his 1997 novel Kowloon Tong.

Plot

The movie unfolds at least nine different stories on very different levels. First, there is John as a reporter, trying to capture interesting scenes on the streets of Hong Kong, persuading himself his work gives his life a tangible meaning.

Second, there is Vivian who is looking to find a balance in life, trying to escape from the underground she once was a part of and forget about her past, but is hindered in her attempts by prejudices that go back thousands of years in the Chinese society (including Hong Kong).

Third, there is Vivian (still), with a chance to discard most of her problems by simply marrying John and moving to England with him. Even though she is tempted to do so, she knows this would just be running away from the core of the problem and could not be a long-term solution, mostly because of their different cultural backgrounds and maybe even because of a subtle uncertainty regarding John's ex-wife and former life.