猛女下山 Meng Nu Xia Shan
“Fierce Women Descend the Mountain”
猛女下山 Měng Nü Xià Shān (“Fierce Women Descend the Mountain”) is an original epic about 8 horse archers who enact justice against misogyny.
The 8 horse archers are inspired by historical Asian women change-makers, including Kurmanjan Datka, Phoolan Devi, and Tan Yunxian. Click here to see the full list of change-makers (coming soon).
Through art and storytelling, 猛女下山 Fierce Women Descend the Mountain explores:
How cultural values and folklore influence the manner in which society perceives and treats women.
The different ways in which women can enact justice against misogyny, which is defined as the hatred of, aversion to, or prejudice against women.
The Butcher’s Daughter from 猛女下山 Meng Nu Xia Shan
The Artist from 猛女下山 Meng Nu Xia Shan
Cultural context: The title, 猛女下山 Meng Nu Xia Shan, is a reference to the traditional Chinese painting, 猛虎下山 Meng Hu Xia Shan (“Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain”), that depicts a tiger descending a mountain with its fangs bared. Ready to hunt, the tiger ignites both fear and reverence within people at the foot of the mountain, thus symbolizing great power. In my epic, I have swapped the Chinese character of 虎 hu (“tiger”) for 女 nu (“women”).
Synopsis: “Eight horse archers flee into the mountain where earth and sky meet, having suffered injustices for being born women. The eight begin building a Paradise where their truths are respected. One day the mountain abruptly turns, opening a gateway into one of four realms. The archers descend the mountain to confront a society festering with misogyny. For four tireless years, they enact justice for the women of that realm. Afterwards, the eight ascend the mountain to resume building their Paradise.
The mountain rotates again, every five years, opening gateways into other realms. The women descend the mountain each time to combat injustice. During their one year in Paradise, the women document their lived experiences in the four realms. These truths about themselves differ from the stories that the realms fabricate about them: Depending on the values of the society and who tells the tale, the women are perceived and treated as witches, angels, virgins, jezebels, mothers, spinsters, or mythical warriors of the mountain.”
The Medic from 猛女下山 Meng Nu Xia Shan
The General from 猛女下山 Meng Nu Xia Shan
The Research: The character development of the horse archers is inspired by ongoing research of 32+ historical Asian women change-makers. These women include Grace Lee Boggs (Chinese-American activist), Junko Tabei (Japanese, 1st woman to climb Mount Everest), Keumalahayati (Indonesian, 1st woman admiral), Khutulun (Mongolian wrestler), Kurmanjan Datka (Krygyz politician), and Phoolan Devi (Indian revolutionary). Click here to see the full list of change-makers (coming soon).
The Artwork:
The Maiden from 猛女下山 Meng Nu Xia Shan
The Engineer from 猛女下山 Meng Nu Xia Shan
Dive into the world of 猛女下山 Fierce Women Descend the Mountain:
The Songstress from 猛女下山 Meng Nu Xia Shan
猛女下山 Meng Nu Xia Shan (“Fierce Women Descend the Mountain”) is supported by YoungArts.