Introducting democracy in a Wuhan primary school: Please,vote for me (2007) directed by Weijun Chen |
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| Authors: | Margaret Sleeboom-Faulkner |
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| Institution: | 1. University of Sussex, Brighton, UKM.Sleeboom-Faulkner@sussex.ac.uk |
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| Abstract: | In the film, Please Vote for Me (2007), director Weijun Chen illustrates how leadership ambitions allowed ‘undemocratic’ means of competition during a democratic election among primary school children. Parents encouraged and teachers allowed unscrupulous competition among preselected eight-year-old candidates. The competition led to classmates being manipulated and disappointed and a ‘dictatorship’ similar to that of previous years. This film shows that a ‘democratic election’ in a primary school in Wuhan was guided by native Chinese values of ‘good leadership’ in reformed China. However, the newly introduced discussions on democratic leadership could also be seen as initial steps towards reflection on democracy. The documentary has won prestigious international awards, including the Sterling Feature Award (2007) and the Adolf Grimme Award (2008). |
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| Keywords: | China democracy moral education |
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