An acrylic painting on wood panel, titled 'I Am Not Pan Jinlian', of a pantless woman holding a cardboard sign above her head showing the Chinese character for 'Injustice'. Her left hand has a sparking roman candle falling down to a pair of white sneakers and a bull statue.

I Am Not Pan Jinlian

(2016, Feng Xiaogang)

Also titled I Am Not Madame Bovary, this movie is not only perfect for diving into the bizarre bureaucracy of Chinese politics but also a great starter for other nuances in Chinese culture. The tale of “Pan Jinlian” is an old tale about a woman who has an affair with another man then kills her husband; it has since been the name for women considered to be “bad”.

Li Xuelian (Fan Bingbing) is accused of being a “Pan Jinlian” and crusades to higher courts to fix an injustice that local courts could not. This petitioner journey has a long history that continues to this day in cases like Yang Linghua who is currently under house-arrest and barred from traveling.


A screenshot from the film 'I Am Not Pan Jinlian' with a circular viewport showing a woman sitting on the ground cross-legged with a carboard sign above her head with the Chinese character written for 'Injustice'. An animated gif of a scene from the film 'I Am Not Pan Jinlian', with a circular viewport showing a woman sharping her machete on a stone in a wooded area. A screenshot with a circular viewport of a woman and a police officer talking at the officers desk. A Chinese lattice window is behind them. From the movie 'I Am Not Pan Jinlian'.

© 2016 - Huayi Brothers