Rewriting the Rules

This line comes from a dinner table scene in Her Story, a new Chinese comedy hit. Two men, competing for a woman’s attention, take turns showing off their knowledge of feminist theory. The scene name-drops Chizuko Ueno, a prominent Japanese feminist whose work has significantly shaped contemporary public discourse on gender issues in China.　

Written and directed by award-winning screenwriter-director Shao Yihui, Her Story has quickly become a smash hit since its release on November 22. The film tells the compelling story of three women living in Shanghai. Wang Tiemei (Song Jia), a strong-willed single mother, moves into a new apartment with her sharp-tongued yet introverted 9-year-old daughter Wang Moli (Zeng Mumei).　

The two meet Ye (Zhong Chuxin), a free-spirited woman in her 20s who sings in a band, and the three form a close bond, supporting one another through life’s challenges.　

Wry, subtle and thought-provoking, Her Story explores female empowerment, relationships, single motherhood and parenting. With an impressive rating of 9.1/10 on Douban, China’s leading media review site, the film joins the ranks of iconic Chinese cinema like Farewell My Concubine (1993) and To Live (1994).

The film scored 8.1/10 on Douban based on nearly 800,000 reviews. In 2022, Shao won Best Screenplay at the 35th Golden Rooster Awards, one of China’s most prestigious film accolades.　

Shao’s follow-up, Her Story, shifts focus to Shanghai’s vast community of non-locals. The film has drawn comparisons to the 2023 fantasy comedy Barbie by Greta Gerwig for challenging traditional gender roles and stereotypes while promoting female empowerment.　

Unlike typical commercial films, Her Story does not follow a linear plot or dramatic conflict. Instead, it explores vignettes of two adult women and a young girl supporting one another as they confront challenges many women face, from divorce and single motherhood to dating and mother-daughter relationships.　

In the film, single mother Tiemei must navigate complex relationships with two men: her ex-husband, who still tries to insert himself into her life, and her new romantic interest, Ma, the drummer in Ye’s band. Ye also finds herself in a “situationship” with Hu, a charming but emotionally distant dentist who avoids establishing a serious relationship with her.　

Before her divorce, Tiemei was a successful journalist, financially supporting her family while her ex-husband stayed at home to care for their daughter. However, feeling a lack of fulfillment and self-esteem, he eventually asked for a divorce. Afterward, the ex-husband, whose name is never revealed, begins to regret his decision and becomes increasingly interested in feminist theories – one of Tiemei’s longtime interests. Tiemei, wise to his motives, calls him a “feminist performing artist,” mocking how he spouts off feminist theories without really believing any of them.　

Her Story challenges stereotypical portrayals of single mothers, who are often depicted in Chinese film and TV as living in misery, poverty and loneliness. Tiemei maintains an equal and open relationship with her daughter. She also forms a close friendship with Ye. Tiemei embraces her romantic desires but chooses not to get overly involved with Ma, a nod to her growing independence.　

The film purposefully leaves the male characters nameless. Tiemei’s exhusband is never referred to by name, and the two primary male characters – Tiemei’s new love interest and Ye’s date – are simply called by their surnames, Ma and Hu.　

In an interview with ticketing platform Taopiaopiao on November 23, Shao explained, “In many films and TV shows, women often don’t have names or are referred to only by their husbands’ surnames. Throughout history, many women were nameless as well.”

Since its first screenings in mid-November, Her Story has become one of the most discussed films on Chinese social media. Many viewers embraced the title’s wordplay, describing the film as “a really good thing.”　

“I’ve watched many feminist films in recent years, but this one gave me a fresh perspective. It doesn’t just showcase feminism by shouting slogans or stereotyping characters,” said Yang Xiaochi, a 34-year-old industrial designer from Zhengzhou, Henan Province. “It neither overemphasizes women’s suffering nor glosses over their struggles.”　

Yang went on to explain how the film’s humor made the experience unique: “I haven’t laughed so much with so many women in a cinema before. When we laughed together, I felt like the film was truly telling our story – so real and relatable.”　

“This is definitely the best domestic film I’ve seen this year,” said 31-yearold Shi Qi, a Shenzhen-based overseas education consultant. “It’s sincere, heartwarming and powerful, filled with humor, insights and vitality. The film’s witty lines brought endless laughter from the audience. The director has created a beautiful, optimistic world that provides refuge for audiences.”　

One of the most touching scenes is a montage in which Ye, the musician, asks Tiemei’s daughter Moli to put on headphones and guess the sounds of various samples she recorded. The imaginative girl describes the sounds in poetic ways – storms, thunder, tornadoes, dolphins jumping in the sea, crocodiles taking baths and hippos brushing their teeth.　

These sounds, however, came from Tiemei doing housework – vacuuming the floor, using the juicer to prepare breakfast, frying bacon and picking up scattered crayons. The film juxtaposes Moli’s poetic interpretations of the sounds with her mother’s everyday chores.　

This scene has been praised by both critics and netizens. “It’s the best scene in Chinese cinema this year,” said Xi Louchen on Douban. Another Douban user, Min Sijia, commented, “The daughter guessing sounds shows that the sounds of women are the sounds of the world. We’ve never noticed or defined these sounds this way before.”　

“I love this scene the most. It feels as if these everyday domestic tasks have transformed into a grand symphony that encompasses the entire universe,so graceful and inspiring. This innovative cinematic language frees the single mother from the stereotypical narrative of misery. Here, the mother’s daily work possesses a transcendent power, holding the grandeur of the world itself,” said film critic Zhang Ting in an interview with NewsChina.　

However, some critics and viewers said the film’s storytelling is somewhat loose, resembling a comedy routine filled with catchphrases and memes rather than a film with a solid narrative.　

Despite these mixed reviews, word-of-mouth propelled the film to remarkable box-office success. By December 10, Her Story had earned over 555 million yuan (US$77m). According to projections from China’s leading ticketing platform Maoyan, the film is likely to gross as much as 706 million yuan (US$97m).

“Stories of great expeditions, scientific discoveries, adventures and dreams seem to have little to do with women… There are many excellent women in various fields, but they are often unseen. As a result, we lack widely recognized female role models and imagination about women’s potential. We also lack diverse and profound female narratives,” Shao said.　

A key line from Her Story echoes this sentiment: “If you are unsatisfied with the existing rules of this world, then try to create a new set of rules for the game yourself.” More and more female creators are setting these “new rules.”　

In 2024, China saw a significant rise in female-driven films that were made by women and not only garnered widespread acclaim but also brought in substantial box-office revenue.　

The highest-grossing Chinese film of the year is YOLO, a comedy-drama about female empowerment, written, directed and led by comedian Jia Ling. Revolving around a 30-something underdog who finds strength and meaning in life through boxing, YOLO grossed 3.46 billion yuan (US$478m), leading the country’s box office.　

In September, Like a Rolling Stone won millions of hearts with its uplifting message of female awakening and independence. Written and directed by Yin Lichuan, the film tells the true story of Su Min, a 50-year-old woman who escapes an abusive marriage and tiresome domestic life to embark on a nationwide solo road trip. Like a Rolling Stone received an 8.9/10 rating on Douban, making it the third highest-rated domestic film of 2024, after the documentary feature The Sinking of Lisbon Maru (9.3) and Her Story (9.1).　

In addition to film, the most acclaimed domestic television series of the year was also created by a female filmmaker. To the Wonder, an eight-episode mini-drama directed and written by Teng Congcong, is based on author Li Juan’s essay collection My Altay. The series, which portrays the lives of Kazakh women in Northwest China, has been praised for its nuanced depiction of women’s struggles and independence.　

In a conversation with Shao Yihui on November 26, Mao Jian, a writer and Chinese professor at East China Normal University, pointed out that female content creators are crafting a new grammar for telling stories from a distinctly female perspective.　

“In Her Story, male characters no longer dominate the narrative. The bond between these three women is the heart of the film. Male characters become the prepositions, while women are the verbs and subjects. This represents a powerful shift in the way of thinking,” Mao said.　

Shao reflected on how she was unconsciously influenced by conventional narratives. “When I filmed B for Busy, even though I am a woman, my camera still followed the male gaze, emphasizing women’s beauty and sex appeal,” Shao said. “This perspective was ingrained in my mind from a young age.”　

It was not until she wrote and filmed Her Story that Shao examined her work to ensure it would not make female audiences feel uncomfortable. “This was a conscious change in both how I see and how I think,” she said.