Date of Award
2006
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Program
Media Studies
Supervisor
Dr. Carole Farber
Abstract
This thesis addresses why the Chinese-made movies exported to the US exoticize “Chineseness”. Chinese films were exported to the US in two waves; one from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s, the other from the early 2000s. I first conduct a systematic analysis of the international and national dynamics that nurtured the production of those Chinese-made movies. I then perform a thematic analysis of Farewell Mv Concubine from the first wave and Hero from the second wave to explore how the two movies exoticize Chineseness. By comparing the two films and their unique social contexts, I show that it is for political and economic reasons that these movies were made and exported to the US. Finally, I examine the potential danger of providing self-exoticizing Chinese films to the US, which may lead to problematic perceptions of “Chineseness” by US audiences.
Recommended Citation
Song, Chang, "Editing Culture: Chinese-Made Movies’ Exoticization of Chineseness" (2006). Digitized Theses. 5092.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/5092