''Woman Sesame Oil Maker'' () is a 1993

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

film. In the

English speaking world Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...

it has been released in the United Kingdom under the title ''Women from the Lake of Scented Souls'' (the more literal translation) and more recently on DVD as ''Woman Sesame Oil Maker''. It is adapted from a novel by

Zhou Daxin Zhou Daxin (; born 1952), also known by his pen name Pǔdù (). He is a Chinese novelist who was the president of Henan Literature Academy. Biography Zhou was born into a family of farming background in Dengzhou, Henan in 1952. In 1970, after ...

, "The Fragrant Oil Mill by the Lake of Scented Souls" (). The film is adapted and directed by Xie Fei and tells the story of a woman in a small village in Hebei who runs a small sesame oil business that becomes unexpectedly successful, but who then uses her money to buy for her mentally disabled son a peasant bride. The film won the Golden Bear for Best Film at the

43rd Berlin International Film Festival The 43rd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 11 to 22 February 1993. The Golden Bear was awarded to American-Taiwanese film ''The Wedding Banquet'' directed by Ang Lee and Chinese film '' Xiāng hún nǚ'' directed by Xie Fe ...

in 1993, a prize it shared with Ang Lee's '' The Wedding Banquet''.

Plot

Illiterate villager Second Sister Xiang (

Siqin Gaowa Siqin Gaowa (, Mongolian Cyrillic ''Цэцэнгуа'', born 19 January 1950), born Duan Anlin, is a Chinese-born Swiss actress. She was born in Guangzhou to a Han Chinese father and a Mongol Chinese mother. Her father died when she was 4, she was ...

) was sold as a

tongyangxi Tongyangxi (), also known as Shim-pua marriage in Min Nan dialects (; and in phonetic Hokkien transcription using Chinese characters: 新婦仔), was a tradition of arranged marriage dating back to pre-modern China, in which a family would adop ...

(

child bride ''Child Bride'', also known as ''Child Brides'', ''Child Bride of the Ozarks'' and ''Dust to Dust'' (USA reissue titles), is a 1938

) to her present husband, a man with a lame leg, when she was seven. She has an intellectually disabled son Dunzi, who suffers from epileptic fits and is now grown up, and a younger daughter Zhi'er. Through her diligence she has started a successful sesame oil mill and now becomes the richest person in her village. A Japanese businesswoman decides to invest in her business after visiting her mill. Meanwhile, Sister Xiang tries to find a bride for her son. She engineers her son's marriage with Huanhuan (

Wu Yujuan Wu may refer to: States and regions on modern China's territory *Wu (state) (; och, *, italic=yes, links=no), a kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period 771–476 BCE ** Suzhou or Wu (), its eponymous capital ** Wu County (), a former county i ...

), a peasant girl whose family is in dire financial straits. One night, Dunzi nearly strangles Huanhuan to death during a fit. Huanhuan runs back home, but her mother-in-law makes sure she returns. Huanhuan witnesses her drunk father-in-law beating Sister Xiang in bed. She also chances on Sister Xiang in an adulterous affair with family friend Ren, who fathered her daughter Zhi'er. Ren later initiates a break-up with Sister Xiang. Sister Xiang falls ill. She is heartbroken, despite her sesame oil being awarded top prize by the provincial government. Sister Xiang gradually realizes that Huanhuan, like her, suffers as a kindred spirit. She decides to release Huanhuan by asking Huanhuan to go for a divorce. But Huanhuan states that her life is already ruined. She then breaks down.

References

External links

* * *
''Woman Sesame Oil Maker''
at the Chinese Movie Database

podcast of a lecture by Dr. Julian Ward, University of Edinburgh {{Golden Bear 1980-1999 1993 films Chinese drama films 1990s Mandarin-language films Films set in Hebei 1993 drama films Golden Bear winners Films based on short fiction Films directed by Xie Fei