@article{ART003206591},
author={张锴(Zhang Kai) and Zheng Dianhui},
title={A Study on the Image of Money in Jia Zhangke's Films},
journal={The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China},
issn={1738-0502},
year={2025},
number={76},
pages={441-458},
doi={10.16874/jslckc.2025..76.017}
TY - JOUR
AU - 张锴(Zhang Kai)
AU - Zheng Dianhui
TI - A Study on the Image of Money in Jia Zhangke's Films
JO - The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China
PY - 2025
VL - null
IS - 76
PB - Korean Society of Study on Chinese Languge and Culture
SP - 441
EP - 458
SN - 1738-0502
AB - As a recurring motif in Jia Zhangke's films, “money” symbolizes not only material scarcity but also serves as a metric for human alienation and social stratification. This paper takes eight of Jia’s narrative films—such as Xiao Wu, Unknown Pleasures, and Still Life—as its primary objects of study. By analyzing the forms of money imagery, its narrative functions, and its symbolic meanings within the context of the times, the paper explores how Jia uses the image of money to reflect the social ecology of marginalized groups amid societal transformation. The study finds that money, as a functional symbol in Jia’s work, changes in denomination and currency in tandem with the evolving era, with its representation shifting from being explicit to more implicit over time. Narratively, the money motif not only shapes the portrayal of lower-class characters but also connects storylines and drives plot development. Furthermore, it reveals the deeper issues underlying societal development—namely, how money exacerbates social stratification and class antagonism, vividly illustrates the growing pains of younger generations, and ultimately alienates human emotion and social moral norms.
KW - Jia Zhangke’s films;money imagery;narrative function;social stratification;coming-of-age dilemma;human alienation
DO - 10.16874/jslckc.2025..76.017
ER -
张锴(Zhang Kai) and Zheng Dianhui. (2025). A Study on the Image of Money in Jia Zhangke's Films. The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China, 76, 441-458.
张锴(Zhang Kai) and Zheng Dianhui. 2025, "A Study on the Image of Money in Jia Zhangke's Films", The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China, no.76, pp.441-458. Available from: doi:10.16874/jslckc.2025..76.017
张锴(Zhang Kai), Zheng Dianhui "A Study on the Image of Money in Jia Zhangke's Films" The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China 76 pp.441-458 (2025) : 441.
张锴(Zhang Kai), Zheng Dianhui. A Study on the Image of Money in Jia Zhangke's Films. 2025; 76 : 441-458. Available from: doi:10.16874/jslckc.2025..76.017
张锴(Zhang Kai) and Zheng Dianhui. "A Study on the Image of Money in Jia Zhangke's Films" The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China no.76(2025) : 441-458.doi: 10.16874/jslckc.2025..76.017
张锴(Zhang Kai); Zheng Dianhui. A Study on the Image of Money in Jia Zhangke's Films. The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China, 76, 441-458. doi: 10.16874/jslckc.2025..76.017
张锴(Zhang Kai); Zheng Dianhui. A Study on the Image of Money in Jia Zhangke's Films. The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China. 2025; 76 441-458. doi: 10.16874/jslckc.2025..76.017
张锴(Zhang Kai), Zheng Dianhui. A Study on the Image of Money in Jia Zhangke's Films. 2025; 76 : 441-458. Available from: doi:10.16874/jslckc.2025..76.017
张锴(Zhang Kai) and Zheng Dianhui. "A Study on the Image of Money in Jia Zhangke's Films" The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China no.76(2025) : 441-458.doi: 10.16874/jslckc.2025..76.017
