The Ties That Bind. The Chinese American Family in Transnational Chinese Cinema

Abstract

The primary research question raised in the thesis is how have films been able to construct the identity of ethnic Chinese in the United States? This question is addressed through three sub-questions. First, why is the family narrative so characteristic of films about Chinese Americans in transnational Chinese cinema? In other words, how and why are images of Chinese or Chinese Americans in transnational Chinese cinema different from those in Hollywood movies? Second, how does transnational Chinese cinema define and negotiate the aesthetic conventions of melodrama commonly used to depict Chinese American families? That means in terms of establishing melodrama as an evolving mode of storytelling and the narrative device of the family melodrama, how does Chinese American cinema historically connect with both Hollywood and Chinese cinema? Melodrama is therefore almost used as a tool to explore how conflicts are played out in Chinese families, and to trace social, historical and aesthetic lineages. Third, what has the narrative treatments of Chinese American families in transnational Chinese cinema contributed to the ongoing representation of Chinese culture and construction of ethnic Chinese identities in Western societies? This study adds to current discussions on controversial issues in the field of Chinese studies, American studies, film studies and cultural studies. First of all, given the growing scholarly interest in ethnicity that has marked American Studies, bringing Chinese studies and American studies into dialogue echoes the state-of-the-art debate that the diasporic subject position should not be viewed as a burden imposed on ethnic groups. Chinese American formations are not disconnected with Chinese or Americans. Although marginalized and pushed to be the periphery, to be Chinese American at the same time can be seen as a geocultural space and a rich middle ground, which has dissolved and preserved cultures that are well developed in both China and the United States. A focus on this hybrid space offers the potential of combining Chinese studies and American studies. A mixture of historical, transnational and cultural sensitivity has thus emerged from the interdisciplinary dialogue. My articulation of the Chinese American reveals the historically significant transnational connection among Chinese American, Chinese, and American cultures. This also confirms the point that Chinese culture, rather than being developed in total opposition to Western cultures, has been and is dialectically interactive with Western (American) culture. My exploration of the representation of ethnicity in media and popular culture shows a sense of urgency that is needed in acknowledging the importance of transnational history, which can turn the past almost into a laboratory for studying the present. All the evolving connections that have been analyzed in this thesis show Chinese people being defined and redefined, which includes the Chinese defining and redefining themselves, their culture, and the world around them. It is the transnational and historical connections of ideas, practices, and images that form the special perspective on the representation of ethnic Chinese in this work. My thesis shows that the adoption of historicism and transnationalism is particularly important for cross-cultural analysis or the analysis of cross-cultural content.