Raise the Red Lantern
China in the 1920's. After her father's death, nineteen year old Songlian is forced to marry Chen Zuoqian, the lord of a powerful family. Fifty year old Chen has already three wives, each of them living in separate houses within the great castle. The competition between the wives is tough, as their master's attention carries power, status and privilege. Each night Chen must decide with which wife to spend the night and a red lantern is lit in front of the house of his choice. And each wife schemes and plots to make sure it's hers. However, things get out of hand...
Despite its tight budget of $1.0M, Raise the Red Lantern became a runaway success, earning $16.6M worldwide—a remarkable 1560% return. The film's innovative storytelling resonated with audiences, showing that strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 23 wins & 15 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Raise the Red Lantern (1991) reveals carefully calibrated narrative architecture, characteristic of Zhang Yimou's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 5 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.6, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Songlian
Meishan
Zhuoyun
Yuru
The Master
Yan'er
Main Cast & Characters
Songlian
Played by Gong Li
A university student forced to become the fourth mistress of a wealthy master, struggling to survive in a world of ritual and competition.
Meishan
Played by He Caifei
The Third Mistress, a former opera singer who is temperamental, proud, and fiercely competitive with the other wives.
Zhuoyun
Played by Cao Cuifen
The Second Mistress, a seemingly kind and gentle woman who plays the political game with quiet cunning.
Yuru
Played by Jin Shuyuan
The First Mistress, the eldest wife who has accepted her marginalized position and withdrawn from competition.
The Master
Played by Ma Jingwu
The wealthy patriarch who controls the household, rarely seen but whose favor determines everything for the wives.
Yan'er
Played by Kong Lin
Songlian's personal maid who secretly loves the Master and resents Songlian's position as Fourth Mistress.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Songlian, a university student, sits in her bedroom as her stepmother informs her she is being sold as the fourth concubine to the wealthy Chen family, her education abruptly ended.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when Songlian's lanterns are lit for the first time, marking her official entry into the master's rotation and triggering jealousy from the other wives, particularly Third Mistress Meishan, who immediately begins to manipulate her.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 32 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Songlian actively chooses to play the game of manipulation, faking pregnancy to secure the master's favor and gain power over the other wives, crossing into the world of calculated deception., moving from reaction to action.
At 63 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Songlian's fake pregnancy is discovered by the doctor. Her scheme collapses, she loses the master's favor completely, and her lanterns are covered as punishment. What seemed like clever manipulation reveals itself as a trap that tightens the cage., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 95 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Songlian drunkenly reveals Meishan's affair. The Third Mistress is dragged to the sealed room on the roof and executed according to family law. Songlian witnesses her friend's death, the ultimate consequence of the system she participated in—literal death., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 101 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Songlian has a complete psychological break, understanding with terrible clarity that there is no winning this game—only survival through madness. She chooses surrender to insanity as the only escape from consciousness of her cage., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Raise the Red Lantern's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Raise the Red Lantern against these established plot points, we can identify how Zhang Yimou utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Raise the Red Lantern within the drama genre.
Zhang Yimou's Structural Approach
Among the 11 Zhang Yimou films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.8, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Raise the Red Lantern takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Zhang Yimou filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include After Thomas, South Pacific and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. For more Zhang Yimou analyses, see Full River Red, Cliff Walkers and The Flowers of War.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Songlian, a university student, sits in her bedroom as her stepmother informs her she is being sold as the fourth concubine to the wealthy Chen family, her education abruptly ended.
Theme
The servant Yan'er tells Songlian: "The master chooses who gets their lanterns lit each night. That's how you know who he favors." The theme of power, control, and the reduction of women to objects in competition is established.
Worldbuilding
Songlian arrives at the Chen household and learns the elaborate rituals governing the concubines' lives: the lighting of red lanterns to signal the master's favor, foot massages, opera performances, and the complex hierarchy among the four wives.
Disruption
Songlian's lanterns are lit for the first time, marking her official entry into the master's rotation and triggering jealousy from the other wives, particularly Third Mistress Meishan, who immediately begins to manipulate her.
Resistance
Songlian navigates the treacherous politics of the household, receiving conflicting advice from servants and the other wives. She debates whether to fully submit to the system or resist, while discovering the brutal consequences of disobedience.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Songlian actively chooses to play the game of manipulation, faking pregnancy to secure the master's favor and gain power over the other wives, crossing into the world of calculated deception.
Mirror World
Third Mistress Meishan, the opera singer, represents what Songlian could become—a woman who once had dreams and talent but is now trapped, using whatever weapons she has (beauty, performance, affairs) to survive the cage.
Premise
Songlian engages fully in the manipulation games: scheming against the other wives, enjoying brief moments of power when her lanterns are lit, and experiencing the hollow victories of a gilded cage. The rituals of power and favor play out in their cruel beauty.
Midpoint
Songlian's fake pregnancy is discovered by the doctor. Her scheme collapses, she loses the master's favor completely, and her lanterns are covered as punishment. What seemed like clever manipulation reveals itself as a trap that tightens the cage.
Opposition
Stripped of favor and status, Songlian faces increasing isolation and punishment. The other wives close in. Second Mistress consolidates power. Songlian discovers Meishan is having an affair with the family doctor and must decide whether to reveal it.
Collapse
Songlian drunkenly reveals Meishan's affair. The Third Mistress is dragged to the sealed room on the roof and executed according to family law. Songlian witnesses her friend's death, the ultimate consequence of the system she participated in—literal death.
Crisis
Devastated by guilt and horror at what her words caused, Songlian descends into psychological darkness. She realizes she has become complicit in the very system that imprisoned her, and there is no escape, no redemption possible within these walls.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Songlian has a complete psychological break, understanding with terrible clarity that there is no winning this game—only survival through madness. She chooses surrender to insanity as the only escape from consciousness of her cage.
Synthesis
As summer turns to winter again, Songlian wanders the compound in a dissociative state, ignored by the household. A new young Fifth Mistress arrives. The cycle continues without her, the system unchanged and unchallengeable.
Transformation
Songlian, now mad, watches detached as the new Fifth Mistress is brought in and red lanterns are lit in her courtyard. The educated girl who once resisted has become a ghost haunting the compound, transformed from person to cautionary shadow.