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Abstract
The author argues that Jackie Chan's success in the United States should be understood in terms of the transformation of Kung Fu cinema from its preoccupation with racial politics envisioned by Bruce Lee to its current embracing of multiculturalism stipulated by Chan's Kung Fu comedy. Chan's sense of “multiculturalism” has nothing to do with racial politics or cultural diversity but points to the fact that Kung Fu cinema now aims to accommodate the tastes and needs of the middle class on a global scale for profits and entertainment.
... judo, karate, taekwondo, and aikido) (Allen, 2016;Brown et al., 2009;Theeboom and De Knop, 1997). 'Kung Fu', a term that has primarily been introduced internationally through the entertainment industry (Ciembroniewicz, 2019;Kaminsky, 1974;Shu, 2003), is often used by practitioners outside China to depict the Chinese martial arts and linked to feelings of 'Chineseness' (Bowman, 2016(Bowman, , 2020Frank, 2006;Judkins, 2016). One of the earliest examples of introducing this term in the West was through the production of the American television series 'Kungfu' in the early 1970s on the life of an exile from the Shaolin Temple, played by American actor David Carradine (Pilato, 1993). ...
... At the time, it gave rise to a genuine 'Kung Fu craze', illustrated among others by the international success of 'Kung Fu Fighting', a disco song that rose to the top of the British, Australian, Canadian, and American charts (Bronson, 2003). The term Kung Fu was also used when referring to various action movies starring Chinese martial artists, such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li (Judkins, 2016;Shu, 2003;Theeboom and De Knop, 1997) and to the animated martial arts comedy 'Kung Fu Panda', a media franchise consisting of a number of films, television series and video games (Greene, 2014). ...
The term ‘Kung Fu’ is used internationally more often than its official name ‘Wushu’ to depict the Chinese martial arts. Yet the latter term has been promoted by the Chinese government for nearly 50 years and also used by the International Wushu Federation (IWUF) during the past three decades. This paper examines the distinction in the meaning between both terms through Stuart Hall's Representation Theory, based on 20 in-depth interviews with international expert witnesses. Findings suggest that the term ‘Kung Fu’ is mostly associated with traditional Chinese martial arts, Kung Fu cinema, Oriental imagination, and fighting practicability. For expert witnesses, Kung Fu represents an identity of traditional Chinese martial arts and a way to experience ‘Chineseness’. By contrast, although the IWUF has made efforts to package Wushu as the term representing Chinese martial arts, ‘Wushu’ is regarded as a competitive sport, shaped significantly by IWUF's Olympic ambition. Also, three key aspects regarding the representation of the Chinese martial arts in relation to both terms are discussed.
... Lee has become a virile figure among part of the Chinese public, redeeming the years of colonial humiliation (Shu, 2003), even if he is of mixed descent with American citizenship, and even if he appeared in Hong Kong films (then a British island with an Asian population). Contrasting with the effeminate and emasculated image of the Asian male created by the Westerners, Bruce Lee's athletic body constantly exposed to the camera became both the symbol of the martial effectiveness of the Jeet Kune Do (Brown, Jennings, & Leledaki, 2008) and the place where masculinity and nationalism merge (Li, 2006). ...
... 37). Shu (2003) noted his key role in the affirmation of a subordinate masculinity: 'Bruce Lee and his Kung Fu tragedy became a possible scenario for Asian Americans to rethink and reinvent the Asian male body' (p. 53). ...
Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball mixes the sports manga codes with references to kung fu and action movies of the 1980s and 1990s, playfully appropriating them in order to build a Bildungsroman whose epic emphasis and dynamic layout underline body discipline. The animated version of the manga tends to emphasize the effects of the return of topoi and amplifies the duration of pivotal events. The transnational reception of this fiction generates misconception and re-appropriation. The physical suffering accentuating heroic determination was perceived negatively by some of the public, who expressed concern about the influence of Japanese cultural products on youth. The Japanese hero may also have served as an alternative model in the construction of a subaltern masculinity.
... Аналіз впливу жанру уся на розвиток відеоігор є доволі недослідженим питанням у науковій літературі, оскільки здебільшого фахівці з вивчення цього кіножанру зосереджують свою увагу на історії його виникнення, характеристиці творчості окремих режисерів і акторів Hudson, 2009;Teo, 2015;White, 2015;. Існує багато літератури, присвяченої історичним костюмованим фільмам уся; гостросюжетним бойовикам кунг-фу, які порушують сучасну соціальну проблематику; новаторським прийомам комедійних бойовиків (Shu, 2003;Hu, 2008;Bettinson, 2016). Є й достатня кількість оглядових видань, що описують фільми про бойові мистецтва з погляду кінокритики, а також аналізують пов'язані з їхнім виробництвом бізнес-процеси (Chute & Lim, 2003;. ...
Bezruchko, Oleksandr Editor-in-chief, 2023, Bulletin of KNUKiM. Series in Arts, 49
Bezruchko, Oleksandr Editor-in-chief, 2023, Bulletin of KNUKiM. Series in Arts, 49
The collection of academic papers Bulletin of KNUKiM. Series in Arts is a scholarly periodical of the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, which covers the main trends of Ukrainian and world art studies.
Founded in 1999, the publication offers a forum for a wide audience of scholars and practitioners from around the world. The materials can be useful for academic and teaching staff, scholars, and higher education students. The publication focuses on the history, theory, and practice of Ukrainian and world art, including music, theatre, architecture, design, film and television, and choreography. Reviews are also published in the journal.
The publication is included in the List of Scientific Professional Publications of Ukraine (category “B”) in the programme subject area 021 “Audiovisual Arts and Production”, 022 Design, 024 “Choreography”, 025 “Music”, 026 “Performing Arts” by the order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated 02.07.2020 No.886.
The collection of scholarly papers may publish the results of thesis works for the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Sciences, and academic ranks of Associate Professor, Professor.
Editor-in-chief: Oleksandr Bezruchko, DSc in Art Studies, Professor, Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts (Ukraine)
Editorial board address: Scientific Library, 36 Ye. Konovaltsia St., Off. 1, Kyiv, 01133, Ukraine
Тел.: +38 (044) 529-61-38
E-mail: arts.series@knukim.edu.ua
Збірник наукових праць «Вісник КНУКіМ. Серія: Мистецтвознавство» – наукове періодичне видання Київського національного університету культури і мистецтв, яке висвітлює основні тенденції українського та зарубіжного мистецтвознавства.
Засноване у 1999 році, видання пропонує форум для широкої аудиторії вчених, практиків зі всього світу. Матеріали можуть бути корисні для науково-педагогічних працівників, науковців, здобувачів вищої освіти.
Тематика видання охоплює історію, теорію, практику українського та зарубіжного мистецтва, зокрема музику, театр, архітектуру, дизайн, кіно й телебачення, хореографію. У журналі також публікуються рецензії.
Видання включено до Переліку наукових фахових видань України (категорія «Б») відповідно до наказу МОН України від 02.07.2020 року № 886 за спеціальностями: 021 «Аудіовізуальне мистецтво та виробництво», 022 «Дизайн», 024 «Хореографія», 025 «Музичне мистецтво», 026 «Сценічне мистецтво». У ньому можуть публікуватися результати дисертаційних робіт на здобуття наукових ступенів доктора, кандидата наук, ступеня доктора філософії та вчених звань доцента, професора.
Головний редактор: Олександр Безручко – д-р мистецтвознавства, проф., Київський національний університет культури і мистецтв (Україна)
Адреса редакції: 01133, Україна, м. Київ, вул. Євгена Коновальця, 36, головний корпус, 1 поверх, Наукова бібліотека
... The scholarly literature has examined Bruce Lee's impact on human self-improvement, his portrayal as an exceptional athlete (Hurley, 2021), his influence on world literature, and his role as a cultural bridge (Chang, 2022). Most studies on Bruce Lee and JKD focus on biographical, anecdotal, or technical elements (Bowman, 2010(Bowman, , 2011(Bowman, , 2013Chiao, 1981;Hu, 2008;Ongiri, 2002;Pobratyn et al., 2017;Prashad, 2003;Shu, 2003), but only a few, such as the work of Rodríguez-Sánchez (2019), elaborate on the conceptual and strategic contributions of such a method. Therefore, this research aims to contribute to the scientific knowledge of JKD as a fighting method through the content analysis of Bruce Lee's written and audiovisual works. ...
This research examines Bruce Lee’s martial arts philosophy, with a particular focus on his unique approach to jeet kune do, to address the scientific rigour gap in the analysis of his martial arts methodology. The study adopts a case study research strategy and employs content analysis using MaxQDA v.11 software. A selection of Lee’s official literature,prioritising unchanged writings and those reflecting his direct thought, forms the research sample. The key findings highlight Lee’s development of five ways of attacking, demonstrating an intricate knowledge of timing, distance, and rhythm. His emphasis on adaptability in combat emphasises the dynamic interplay between offensive and defensive manoeuvres. Lee’s preference for parrying over blocking, his focus on evasion, and strategic concepts such as seven stars and three fronts emphasise the importance of protecting vital body areas. In summary, Bruce Lee’s martial arts philosophy is characterised by adaptability, strategic decision-making, and efficient technique execution. His approach, constantly evolving and rejecting preconceived combat outcomes, is underpinned by principles of simplicity, economy, fluidity, and spontaneity. This comprehensive system integrates both offensive and defensive strategies, reflecting his commitment to refining the martial arts into a practical and responsive discipline
... Jackie Chan's comedy style is in sharp contrast to Bruce Lee's kung fu tragedy that mostly focused on racial politics and the working class, 31 as seen in Rumble in the Bronx (1995) and Rush Hour 1 (1998). 32 Jet Li, born in mainland China, was a retired wushu champion before entering the film industry. 33 Hong Kong saw his golden age with consecutive commercial hits: Shaolin Temple trilogy (1982,1984,1986), Once Upon a Time in China series , and Fong Sai-Yuk (1993,1995). ...
The popularity of Chinese kung fu has gone global in recent years, with martial arts movie stars like Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and Jackie Chan having significantly contributed to it. Through topic modelling and sentiment analysis, this study examined a total of 3,542,799 tweets relating to ‘kung fu’ between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2019, presuming that Twitter is an important social media platform in disseminating the image of kung fu worldwide. We discovered that kung fu-related tweets mainly focused on two topics: ‘kung fu movies’ and ‘kung fu per se’. The majority of the tweets (76.9%) were neutral in tone, and negative and positive ones were 6.0% and 17.1% respectively. Both the time series and topic modelling revealed that the Kung Fu Panda series contributed greatly to the worldwide spread of kung fu on social media. The global popularization of kung fu is also a result of cultural appropriation, and it plays a significant role in embellishing the Western imagination of Chinese traditional culture through stereotypical perceptions of the ‘oriental others’.
... In the Chinese diasporic context, Kung Fu stars have attracted much scholarly attention, particularly in regard to Bruce Lee's participation in nationalistic-themed films (e.g., Bowman, 2010;Chan, 2001;Shu, 2003). Z. Lu et al. (2014) believe that since the late 1960s, martial arts in Chinese films have been endowed with political and cultural significance, symbolizing indigenous virtue and strength and ultimately evolving to represent Chinese nationalism. ...
Through an in-depth analysis of gender representation in the box office record-breaking Chinese movie Wolf Warrior II, this study interrogates how the male body is used as a site for the projection of Chinese national power. Furthermore, it illustrates a revival of patriotic pride in China through a contemporary reading of cross-genre action-military films. Developing Shuqin Cui’s notion of “woman-as-nation,” which understands on-screen female victimization in Chinese films as signifying the past suffering of the nation, this study proposes the new concept of “man-as-nation” to explain how the masculine virtues of male protagonists in Chinese films signify the nation’s rejuvenation and strength. Framing male virtue into the paradigms of wu (武), as martial valor, and wen (文), as cultural attainment, this article argues that masculinity has come to symbolize China’s enhanced comprehensive power and to embody its ideological orientation in both global and domestic domains.
... Unfortunately, their imagery perpetuated Asian stereotypes that have affected and were critiqued by Asian Americans without a channel of constructive communication between them. For example, despite Jackie Chan's extraordinary run in Hollywood, leading films marketed with a particular brand of multiculturalism, cultural critics have pointed out the curtailed potential of political critiques in his films, which have mainly commodified Kung Fu and martial arts for profit and entertainment (Chan 2009;Marchetti 2001;Shu 2003). Ultimately, they did little to provide an opportunity to show meaningful representations of Asian Americans, which #starringJohnCho calls for. ...
Applying a political economy lens to image production suggests that the US film industry, namely, Hollywood, prioritizes financial considerations over racial justice and equity. Decisions made in the production and marketing processes aim to minimize financial risks, but they often limit the participation of filmmakers and actors of color. At the same time, Hollywood incorporates foreign-born directors and actors to entice international audiences. This chapter assesses how Hollywood “going global” impacts local racial-ethnic politics in the US film industry. The authors closely examine films from the past two decades in which people of color constitute the majority of the cast or films in which nonwhites are the lead actors. The authors argue that the incorporation of foreign-born directors and actors inadvertently undermines the efforts of US filmmakers of color to tell cinematic narratives from a critical perspective. Concurrently, Hollywood fails to promote Black films and Black actors on the basis of the assumption that they cannot appeal to international audiences, even though Black films directed by Black directors perform well domestically and show great potential for international success with proper support from Hollywood.
... The paper begins with an historical overview of early Chinese settlement in Britain. With a population of approximately 400,000, the Chinese in Britain represent the third largest minority group yet their representation in advertising remains largely unexplored, despite a strong body of academic work on British Chinese cultural identity (Parker, 1995;Song, 1999), a growing body of research on Chinese feature films in Hollywood (Shu, 2003;Chan, 2009) and martial arts discourse (Farrer and Whalen-Bridge, 2011;Bowman, 2013). Whilst ethical advertising from the perspective of gender portrayals in Hong Kong magazine advertising exists (Chan and Cheng, 2012), very little is known about the Chinese as a silent minority population in Britain yet the common stereotype that the Chinese are 'high-kicking chop-socky martial artists' can be found in all forms of media (Wen 2018). ...
This paper focuses on the responsibility of advertising messages to authentically mirror and reflect British audience feelings towards ‘the Other’ and discusses caricatures of the Chinese in advertising through early martial arts tropes. It provides contextual background to Chinese depictions on screen in Britain before illustrating martial arts representations on print and television advertising during the 1970s. The paper includes examples of two popular brands in Britain: Pfizer’s ‘Hai Karate’ (1973) and Golden Wonder’s ‘Kung Fuey’ (1974-76) to illustrate colonial notions of the ‘Oriental’ during the 1960s and ’70s. This interdisciplinary study borrows from ethical representation and martial arts discourse in film and TV, to explain the exoticisation and exclusion of the Chinese in the context of authenticity and appropriation in advertising.
... Unfortunately, their imagery perpetuated Asian stereotypes that have affected and were critiqued by Asian Americans without a channel of constructive communication between them. For example, despite Jackie Chan's extraordinary run in Hollywood, leading films marketed with a particular brand of multiculturalism, cultural critics have pointed out the curtailed potential of political critiques in his films, which have mainly commodified Kung Fu and martial arts for profit and entertainment (Chan 2009;Marchetti 2001;Shu 2003). Ultimately, they did little to provide an opportunity to show meaningful representations of Asian Americans, which #starringJohnCho calls for. ...
A theory on the political economy of image production argues that the U.S. film industry, namely, Hollywood, prioritizes financial considerations over racial justice or political correctness. Decisions made in the production and marketing processes are to minimize financial risks, but they often limit the representation of racial–ethnic minority filmmakers and actors. At the same time, Hollywood incorporates foreign-born directors and actors to reach international audiences. This article assesses how Hollywood’s “going global” impacts local racial–ethnic minority politics in the U.S. film business. As a part of a larger study examining the 100 top-grossing films in the United States from 1995 to 2014, we closely examine films where racial–ethnic minorities comprise the majority of the cast or films where minorities are the lead actors. We argue that the incorporation of foreign-born directors and actors undermines U.S. racial–ethnic minority filmmakers’ efforts to tell cinematic narratives from a critical perspective. Also, Hollywood fails to promote black films and black actors based on the assumption that they cannot appeal to international audiences, but our findings illustrate that black films directed by black directors perform well domestically and they show great potential with more support from Hollywood.
... The martial arts bodies of Lee and Chan respectively embody the 'hard' and 'soft' ends of the masculine spectrum [Tasker 1997;Shu 2003;Lo 2004]. Li, however, seems less keen on either showcasing his body or on allowing comedic elements to dominate his action. ...
... These alternative cinemas forge their own transnational liaisons and garner international financing in the face of geopolitical hegemony. Likewise, the notion of universal western sensibilities must also be tempered against the transnational consumption of non-western cinemas, particularly regarding the widespread popularity of Indian (Desai 2004, Gopalan 2002, Larkin 2003) and Hong Kong cinemas (Shu 2003, Srinivas 2003, Wong and McDonogh 2001 ...
Not available Anthropology
This chapter examines the representations of AfroAsian brotherhood and its cultural significance in the Rush Hour trilogy (1998, 2001, 2007). The comedic plots of the films revolve around Lee, a Hong Kong policeman played by Jackie Chan, and his partner, Carter, a Los Angeles police officer played by Chris Tucker. Although the movies are different from each other in terms of setting, they all feature the bonding surrounding an AfroAsian brotherhood and the subsequent overlapping racialization of masculinities. This chapter studies the gazes used by the filmmakers when depicting the characters to interrogate this cross-racial bromance. It is an inquiry into the dynamics of the relational masculinities of the protagonists. By looking at the mise-en-scène and characterization used in these movies, the chapter presents the cultural significance of the blockbusters by examining the racialized bromance within Hollywood cinematic representations of AfroAsian bonds.
Мета статті – виявити та проаналізувати вплив китайських бойовиків уся (wuxia) на індустрію відеоігор. Результати дослідження. Індустрія відеоігор, яка активно розвивалася в 1980–1990-х рр., базувалася на темах і образах, популярних у масовій культурі. З середини 1980-х рр. розробники почали активно використовувати зовнішність і пластику акторів китайських фільмів уся, відтворювати характерні епізоди з відомих бойовиків, вставляти кат-сцени (цитати з фільмів). Якщо образ Брюса Лі почали використовувати у відеоіграх після його смерті, то Джекі Чан свідомо спрямував свою продюсерську та акторську діяльність на виробництво ігор. Поява масових багатокористувацьких комп’ютерних ігор стимулювала використання жанру уся в ігровій індустрії: було створено багато проєктів, де користувачі вступають в бій не з абстрактними запрограмованими перешкодами та неігровими персонажами, а з іншими живими гравцями в онлайн-режимі. З іншого боку, ігровий дизайн почав впливати на сценарну структуру фільмів уся – з’явилися різні рівні складності для головного героя, епізоди воскресіння та отримання другого життя, повернення до попереднього етапу або точки біфуркації (ситуації вибору), візуальний сторітелінг тощо. Наукова новизна. Ця публікація вперше розкриває питання впливу китайських бойовиків уся на тематику та образність відеоігор. Висновки. Доведено, що фільми уся вплинули на візуальну естетику, драматургію та бойову хореографію відеоігор. З’ясовано, що сучасна гейм-індустрія реагує на кожен успішний фільм уся створенням ігор на його основі; виробники франшиз у жанрі уся залучають геймінг до реклами та дистрибуції кінофільмів; оригінальні відеоігри уся розробляються як франшизи та адаптуються до кіно чи телебачення. Зроблено загальний висновок, що зв’язок фільмів та відеоігор в жанрі уся має характер взаємовпливу.
This article presents an analysis of the most recent statue of Bruce Lee displayed in the entrance to the Bruce Lee exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. The analysis primarily utilizes O’Toole’s social semiotic framework as outlined in The language of displayed art (1994, 2011) in the tradition of systemic functional linguistics for analyzing the multimodality of sculpture, and provides insights into how the statue represents the kung fu legend Bruce Lee, who created the martial arts discipline of Jeet June Do. The article begins by first analyzing its sculptural features and then interprets these features against the sociocultural context of the city. The paper argues that the cultural background for the representation of Lee in the statue with its unique representational, modal, and compositional features testifies that meanings attributed to visual information in sculpture are to a large degree socially structured and culturally bound. It shows that the location of the statue and its features such as its gaze and torso can be better understood with reference to the political and cultural significance of Lee’s legacies, thereby enhancing our understanding of the social semiotic nature of statues as a means of commemoration- and a significant part of our cultural heritage.
In view of the common assessment claiming a chronic under‐ or mis‐representation of ethnic minorities in mainstream media images in Hong Kong, this chapter investigates the extent to which non‐Chinese ethnic figures did appear and acquire cultural significance in public media. It identifies four broad themes, each highlighting a unique narrative trajectory through which ethnic difference is employed as a cultural platform for various ideological and industry imperatives shaped by, and shaping, the Hong Kong film industry in the 40‐year span. The themes are “inter‐ethnic romance,” “the fabricated ethnicity in kung fu films,” “consumerism and comic relief,” and “identities on the edge.” A mapping of the existence of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong cinema through an investigation of their onscreen representations can certainly help to delineate a Hong Kong subjectivity with more clarity.
This chapter explains the role of Shaolin kung fu novels and movies in the construction of a national identity among the Chinese people. Wuxia novels and kung fu movies produced in the twentieth century functioned as important vehicles for the maintenance and reinvention of nationhood. They served two purposes: retrieving traditional Chinese culture and constructing a modern Chinese national identity. As the cradle of Chan Buddhism and a centre of Chinese martial arts, Shaolin was regarded as a symbol of indigenous virtue and strength and therefore became a popular theme in novels and movies. Chinese novelists and movie producers used legendary Shaolin heroes and Shaolin kung fu to invent a cultural identity, and aided the construction of a collective modern national identity among the Chinese.
This paper reflects on the background to popular research on identification processes in modern ethnology and cultural or social anthropology. By discussing themes closely connected to identity (national and popular culture, and the construction of Others), the author reveals that identity is not merely a redundant trend that researchers recklessly pursue, but that it reflects the need to reveal existing uncertainties and is an attempt to revise errors made to date, as well as lapses of the discipline we work in. The author primarily focuses on national identity and its situational transformations and intertwining with other existing identities. Bosnia-Herzegovina is placed at the center of interest. This theoretically oriented text concludes by analyzing the idea of erecting a monument to Bruce Lee in Mostar, which reveals the full complexity of identity processes around a world marked by intense and unique global and transnational currents.
Porcelain has long been a global medium, exported from China to markets around the world. Over the past two decades this historical prestige has been enhanced by the work of contemporary Chinese artists for whom china, the material, is emblematic of China, the country, and an ideal means to interrogate such identification. Taking Ah Xian, Sin-ying Ho, Liu Jianhua and Ai Weiwei as case-studies, this dissertation analyses the reasons for their shared decision to use porcelain, proposing an original interpretive paradigm for their work as a form of "New Export China". Works by these artists are analysed in five chapters, each dedicated to a defining feature and artistic motivation. The first chapter analyses the tension between artists' attraction to the historic and cultural aura of porcelain, and their desire to question this authority. The second examines the tension between their use of mass-production technologies, and their need to distinguish their work from that of the artisans they employ to produce it. The third chapter traces the tension between a desire to reconnect with a lost sense of Chineseness and the realisation that cultural identity is a composite fabrication. The fourth exposes the tension between the superficial appeal of porcelain and the depths of meaning that can be concealed beneath an attractive facade. Finally, the fifth chapter analyses the tension between an isolating exoticism and the bodily desires that express our shared humanity. Underlying each of these tensions is an enduring awareness of the mobility and flexibility associated with porcelain, as a medium long exported around the world. These artists and their work exist in an interstitial space of artistic practice, in between cultural and historic contexts, yet they are grounded not only by their specific life experiences but by a fascination with the locality of Jingdezhen, China's "Porcelain City". In addition to the much-needed attention given to a material that has yet to receive sustained analysis as a medium for contemporary artistic expression, the innovation of this thesis is therefore to propose an art-historical model in which the assumption that works by Chinese artists are solely derived from or reflective of a Chinese context is displaced by a recognition of the multiple contexts and frames of reference in which they gain meaning, across both space and time.
Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Interpretation vier ausgewählter Filme des Filmemachers Ang Lee – Pushing Hands, The Wedding Banquet, Brokeback Mountain und Hulk, die in den Jahren 1992 bis 2005 entstanden. Sie erforscht die unterschiedliche Inszenierung von Konzepten der Männlichkeit im chinesischen und US-amerikanischen Kontext, sowie den Männlichkeitsdiskurs in Räumen des kulturellen Üergangs. Die Untersuchung Lees männlicher Figuren und Männlichkeitskonzepte macht sich sowohl die chinesische als auch die westliche erkenntnistheoretische Perspektive zu eigen, dabei ist Untersuchung sowohl konzeptionell als auch analytisch angelegt. Auf der konzeptionellen Ebene soll sie zeigen, wie sich die Konstruktion von Männlichkeitskonzepten unter der Einbeziehung nicht nur der westlichen konzeptionellen Argumentation von transkulturellen Räumen (Transdifferenz), sondern auch von andersartigen erkenntnistheoretischen Perspektiven, hier der chinesischen, besser erklären lässt. Auf der analytischen Ebene werden in der Untersuchung der Inszenierung männlicher Figuren audio-visuelle Textanalysen benutzt. Die Analyse hat deutlich die Komplexität und Vielfältigkeit der Aushandlung von Männlichkeitskonzepten in transkulturellen Räumen gezeigt, wobei die Rekonstruktion und die Neuverhandlung von Männlichkeit sowohl emanzipatorisch als auch repressiv von statten gehen kann. Männliche Protagonisten bei Lee finden drei unterschiedliche Wege, ihre männliche Identität zu konstruieren. Als erste Lösung unterdrücken sie den transdifferenten Aspekt und wählen die klare Zugehörigkeit zu einer der Kulturen, die dann als Ursprung für die Restauration der Männlichkeit dient. Die zweite Lösung ist das Annehmen der Transdifferenz um eine mehrdeutige maskuline Identität im transkulturellen Raum aufzubauen. Als letzte Lösung gelingt es einen männlichen Figuren, kulturelle Grenzen zu überschreiten und eine transkulturelle Männlichkeit zu manifestieren.
This essay provides a discussion of the problematization of sexual discourse in a fairly vast (albeit somewhat underground) segment of Hong Kong society, and of related questions of gender, misogyny, and sexual freedom. Through examining the highly popular practice of internet-based “sex chatting,” I attempt to theorize the rapidly changing forms, norms, and values of sex as an important facet of internet chatting culture. Internet-based “sex chat” refers to the casual exchange of vernacular views about sexual beliefs, rumours, and behavior. Sociological, popular culture, and gender studies have suggested that internet-based social chatting about sex is an informal social practice pursued mainly by men, and as such, the chat room or forum is considered a space for the ongoing construction of particular modes of masculinity. I ground this study in a detailed empirical netnographic study of the Hong Kong Golden Forum (GF), a highly popular internet chat site in a city known to have a vibrant culture of internet forum chatting. After investigating the main recurring themes in sex chatting conducted in GF, and the specificities of the language used by the chatters (including written and visual slangs, metaphors, tones, and registers), I ask how the themes and language of “sex chat” contribute to the construction of a “vernacular masculine culture” specific to youth culture in Hong Kong. Like a colloquial language, the notion of “vernacular masculinity” speaks the idiom of the curious, the obscene, and even the vulgar. It is hoped that this ethnographic study helps to reframe our theoretical and political understanding of sexual values shaped by a profoundly quotidian source of meaning-making.
Through examining the highly popular practice of internet-based “sex chatting,” this work attempts to theorize the rapidly changing forms, norms, and values of sex as an important facet of internet chatting culture. Internet-based “sex chat” refers to the casual exchange of vernacular views about sexual beliefs, rumors, and behavior. Sociological, popular culture, and gender studies have suggested that internet-based social chatting about sex is an informal social practice pursued mainly by men, and as such, the chat room or forum is considered a space for the ongoing construction of particular modes of masculinity. This study is grounded in a detailed empirical netnographic study of the Hong Kong Golden Forum (GF), a highly popular internet chat site in a city known to have a vibrant culture of internet forum chatting. After investigating the main recurring themes in sex chatting conducted in GF, and the specificities of the language used by the chatters (including written and visual slangs, metaphors, tones, and registers), I ask how the themes and language of “sex chat” contribute to the construction of a “vernacular masculine culture” specific to youth culture in Hong Kong. Like a colloquial language, the notion of “vernacular masculinity” speaks the idiom of the curious, the obscene, and even the vulgar. It is hoped that this ethnographic study helps to reframe our theoretical and political understanding of sexual values shaped by a profoundly quotidian source of meaning-making.
This paper reflects on the background to popular research on identification processes in modern ethnology and cultural or social anthropology. By discussing themes closely connected to identity (national and popular culture, and the construction of Others), the author reveals that identity is not merely a redundant trend that researchers recklessly pursue, but that it reflects the need to reveal existing uncertainties and is an attempt to revise errors made to date, as well as lapses of the discipline we work in. The author primarily focuses on national identity and its situational transformations and intertwining with other existing identities. Bosnia-Herzegovina is placed at the center of interest. This theoretically oriented text concludes by analyzing the idea of erecting a monument to Bruce Lee in Mostar, which reveals the full complexity of identity processes around a world marked by intense and unique global and transnational currents.
This chapter argues in the diaspora it too has created new embodied subjectivities as an effect of the regulation of queer domesticity. The concept of queer domesticity has been theorized in historical accounts of diasporic settlement and home-making. The chapter focusing on the concept of “regulation”, to show how the concept is central to the diaspora as a site of regulated mobility and subjectivity. The discourse of regulation relates directly to Hong Kong as it experiences the effects of re-nationalism; for Hong Kong migrants living outside of Hong Kong, it too affects everyday life and world-making practices. Relating to the broader tenet of “policy,” “regulation” is also a productive site to consider how policy should not only be consigned to the narrow realm of film policy studies but can also be incorporated in the growing discipline of Hong Kong cultural and cinema studies.
Traditions in World Cinema is a series of textbooks and monographs devoted to the analysis of currently popular and previously under-examined or undervalued film movements from around the globe. Also intended for general interest readers, the textbooks in this series offer undergraduate- and graduate-level film students accessible and comprehensive introductions to diverse traditions in world cinema. The monographs open up for advanced academic study more specialised groups of films, including those that require theoretically-oriented approaches. Both textbooks and monographs provide thorough examinations of the industrial, cultural, and socio-historical conditions of production and reception. The flagship textbook for the series includes chapters by noted scholars on traditions of acknowledged importance (the French New Wave, German Expressionism), recent and emergent traditions (New Iranian, post-Cinema Novo), and those whose rightful claim to recognition has yet to be established (the Israeli persecution film, global found footage cinema). Other volumes concentrate on individual national, regional or global cinema traditions. As the introductory chapter to each volume makes clear, the films under discussion form a coherent group on the basis of substantive and relatively transparent, if not always obvious, commonalities. These commonalities may be formal, stylistic or thematic, and the groupings may, although they need not, be popularly identified as genres, cycles or movements (Japanese horror, Chinese martial arts cinema, Italian Neorealism).
In April 1971, the Chinese government extended an invitation to the U.S. Men’s Table Tennis team to tour China for a "friendly" tournament. Many observers at the time believed that this so-called “Ping Pong Diplomacy” was the beginning of China’s return to full engagement in international politics as well as an improvement in Sino-American relationships. From the ethnocentric point of view of Westerners, then-President Richard Nixon came to be known as a world leader who "opened up China" to the West. However, not all of the world saw it this way: sport became one important avenue for the Chinese government to establish connections with other nations.
Also in the same year, a little-known Chinese-American actor appeared in a low budget film, "The Big Boss," which, within a short time, set box office records in Hong Kong and in Asia and was especially popular for ethnic Chinese. In the movie, the protagonist used martial arts to seek justice for overseas Chinese laboring under adverse conditions. "The Big Boss" captured the imagination of many Chinese who had long felt humiliated under semi-colonial rule by various western imperial powers, up until the Second World War.
Arguably one of the most famous iconic Chinese figures, martial artist and philosopher Bruce Lee rose to prominence in the early 1970s through only four films. Until his death in 1973, Lee spread his philosophy of martial arts and physical prowess in various writings, interviews, and, of course, through the cult following of the four films. His influence on the perception of Chinese physical prowess extended beyond ethnic Chinese, as his movies had a huge following outside Asia.
Through a socio-historical content analysis of his first three movies, "The Big Boss," "Fist of Fury," and "Way of the Dragon," this article examines how Lee’s movies portrayed a new conception of the body and physical prowess to Chinese, but also to North American audiences. Since the plot of these movies had a Chinese as the main character and, for two of the three movies in this analysis, stereotypical foreigners as villains, these movies also revealed a renewed national pride based on the body and physicality at the same time as the People’s Republic of China re-engaged the international community in diplomacy and sports. In addition to the three movies, Lee’s writings, interviews, and biographies inform this analysis.
This book details original research into the practices and discourse of multimedia stardom alongside changing social and cultural landscapes in Hong Kong since 1980. It examines the cultural and sociological significance of stardom in the region, and the conditions which gave rise to such famous stars as Jackie Chan. This book elaborates the distinction between multimedia stardom and celebrity, asserting that in Hong Kong stardom has been central in the production and consumption of local media, while demonstrating the importance of multimedia stardom as part of the cultural Chinese mediascape and transnational popular culture from both historical and contemporary contexts.
A Companion to Chinese Cinema is a collection of original essays written by experts in a range of disciplines that provide a comprehensive overview of the evolution and current state of Chinese cinema. Represents the most comprehensive coverage of Chinese cinema to date. Applies a multidisciplinary approach that maps the expanding field of Chinese cinema in bold and definitive ways. Draws attention to previously neglected areas such as diasporic filmmaking, independent documentary, film styles and techniques, queer aesthetics, star studies, film and other arts or media. Features several chapters that explore China's new market economy, government policy, and industry practice, placing the intricate relationship between film and politics in a historical and international context. Includes overviews of Chinese film studies in Chinese and English publications.
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This article demonstrates representations of racialized speech styles of Chinese masculinities in popular wushu ‘martial arts films’. For the detailed analysis, I concentrate on four blockbuster films that represent general depictions of wushu heroes and their expected Chinese masculinities. By focusing on discursive practices employed in the films, such as the heroes’ reticence and use of formulaic or philosophical speech styles, in combination with visual arts, I discussed how these mediatizations index masculinity in ways that mesh with the audiences’ expectations for Chinese martial arts figures, as such figures have developed through mediatization.
1. For a more comprehensive analysis of the Chinese opera reforms, see Elizabeth Wichmann, "Tradition and Innovation in Contemporary Beijing Opera Performance," Drama Review 34, no. 4 (spring 1990): 146-78; and Elizabeth Wichmann-Walczak, "Reform at the Shanghai Jingju Company and Its Impact on Creative Authority and Repertory," Drama Review 44, no. 4 (winter 2000): 96-119.
2. Henry Chu, "An Old Art Struggles in New China," Los Angeles Times, 23 May 1997.
3. Jesse McKinley, "Chinese Officials Study Broadway Musicals," New York Times, 23 December 2002.
4. Nancy Yunhwa Rao, "Racial Essences and Historical Invisibility: Chinese Opera in New York, 1930," Cambridge Opera Journal 12, no. 2 (July 2000): 156-57, 162.
5. Ronald Riddle, Flying Dragons, Flowing Streams: Music in the Life of San Francisco Chinese (Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1983), 20.
6. H. M. Lai, foreword to Flying Dragons, Flowing Streams, Riddle, ix.
7. Riddle, 19; San Francisco Alta California, December 25, 1852.
8. Alta California, 20 October 1852.
9. Jack Chen, The Chinese of America (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1982), 16.
10. Glenn Hughes, A History of the American Theatre: 1700-1900 (New York: Samuel French, 1951), 217.
11. San Francisco Bulletin, 6 December 1856.
12. Thomas Chinn, Bridging the Pacific: San Francisco Chinatown and Its People (San Francisco: Chinese Historical Society of America, 1989), 21.
13. Iris Chang, The Chinese in America (New York: Penguin Books, 2004), 50.
14. Daphne Lei, "Can You Hear Me? The Female Voice and Cantonese Opera in the San Francisco Bay Area," The Scholar and Feminist Online 2, no. 1 (summer 2003),"World Making: Performance and Cultural Formation." Available at www.barnard.columbia.edu/sfonline/ps/lei.htm.
15. Ibid.
16. Riddle, 144.
17. A.C. Scott, Mei Lan-fang: Leader of the Pear Garden (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1959), 1.
18. Joshua Goldstein, "Mei Lanfang and the Nationalization of Peking Opera: 1912-1930," Positions-East Asia Cultures Critique 7, no. 2 (fall 1999): 379.
19. Mei Lanfang, "Reflections on My Stage Life," in Peking Opera and Mei Lanfang, ed. Wu Zuguan, Huang Zuolin, and Mei Shaowu (Beijing: New World Press, 1980), 11.
20. Mei Shaowu, "Mei Lanfang As Seen by His Foreign Audiences and Critics," in Peking Opera and Mei Lanfang, 51.
21. Goldstein, 407.
22. Nancy Guy, "Brokering Glory for the Chinese Nation: Peking opera's 1930 American Tour," Comparative Drama 35, nos. 3-4 (2001-2002): 382.
23. Lan Cao and Himilee Novas, Everything You Need to Know about Asian American History (New York: Plume, 1996), 30.
24. Guy, 383.
25. Richard Kurin, Reflections of a Culture Broker: A View from the Smithsonian (Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997), 21-22; Guy, 385.
26. See the following articles for more comprehensive analyses of Mei's U.S. tour: Goldstein, 377-420; Guy, 377-92; Rao, 137-46; and Mark Cosdon, "Introducing Occidentals to an Exotic Art: Mei Lan-fang in New York," Asian Theatre Journal 12, no. 1 (spring 1995): 175-89.
27. Goldstein, 402.
28. Ibid., 409.
29. Robert Littell, review of Mei Lanfang's performance, New York World, 17 February 1930.
30. George Warren, "Mei Lan-fang Delights with Dramatic Skill," San Francisco Chronicle, 24 April 1930.
31. J. Brooks Atkinson, "China's Idol Actor Reveals His Art," New York Times, 17 February 1930.
32. Rao, 144.
33. Scott, 108.
34. Hughes, 419.
35. Atkinson.
36. Rao, 148.
37. Goldstein, 19.
38. James Brandon, "A New World: Asian Theatre in the West Today," The Drama Review 33, no. 2 (summer 1989): 25.
39. Ibid., 25-27.
40. Among the Seven Little Fortunes, Jackie Chan is the youngest and most successful. Corey Yuen was the first director to bring Hong Kong-style action to an American film, with the Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle No Retreat No Surrender in 1985. Sammo Hung was the last to conquer Hollywood though he was the most senior, the Big Brother among the Seven Little Fortunes. For his performance in the cop show Martial Law, he won the Most Promising Newcomer Award at the TV Guide Awards in 1998. This "newcomer" had in fact directed over forty films, with Jackie Chan in fifteen of them.
41. John...
This article explores how issues of racial otherness are negotiated in the millennial buddy cop film. It also shows how Hollywood's adoption of Hong Kong action stars and action cinema conventions has renovated the American genre of the cop action film for the new millennium with myths of transnational cooperation.
In contrast to historical representations of women of color as victims and villains, the author argues that the portrayal of contemporary women of color as heroines can be linked to globalization, the economic power of Asian minorities, and prevailing discourses of multiculturalism. Drawing on the television series Relic Hunter, the author outlines the use of the racialized female hero as a strategic sign to appease social anxieties, resolve contradictions, and manage difference.
This article proposes three trajectories for future studies on Chinese cinema. It argues, first, for an inclusive, cosmopolitan and comparative approach that critically interrogates the alleged Chineseness of Chinese cinema. Second, in the context of a current bias towards art cinema, it argues to study the more popular, vernacular kind of Chinese cinemas. Third, it proposes a broader framework of analysis, one that includes the production of the cinematic text as well as its reception. It is argued that the Chineseness of Chinese cinema is not just located in the text or its auteur, but also in its cinematic production and reception.
Jackie Chan has had a long and consistently successful career in the entertainment industry, becoming the most universally recognized Chinese performer, second only perhaps, to Bruce Lee. His rags-to-riches path to stardom has been well documented and oft quoted. At a time when all the up-and-coming martial arts actors felt the pressure to be carbon copies of Bruce Lee, Chan made his mark on the screen by making his persona everything that Lee?s wasn?t. With 1978?s Snake in the Eagle?s Shadow and Drunken Master, Chan?s revolutionary comic and realistic persona was firmly established with audiences. Throughout the 80s and 90s, Chan remained undeniably the biggest star in the East, demonstrating wild popularity in not only Asia, but throughout Europe and Africa as well. After several failed attempts at breaking into the American market, Chan finally achieved success with 1998?s Rush Hour. Unfortunately, success in the West has come with strict limitations placed on the characters he has been allowed to play. These limitations most often manifest themselves in the sexuality and morality of the characters, as well as the dramatic opportunities available to Chan within the films. In order to keep Chan?s vast filmography ? which has recently seen him sign on to his 100th leading role ? I have separated it into three distinct stages. The first stage of his career begins with his groundbreaking turn in Snake in the Eagle?s Shadow and ends with his last Asian film before successfully breaking into Hollywood, 1998?s Who am I?. From this point on, his career takes two distinct paths: the path in Hollywood, beginning with Rush Hour, and the path in Asia, which begins with 1999?s Gorgeous. Each stage features distinct characteristics and trends with rare digression. I will provide examples from a selection of films within each stage of his career in order to clarify the traits and characteristics of the roles he has taken in each one. The purpose of this thesis is twofold. First and foremost, it will reveal the extent to which Chan faces negative stereotyping in the United States by clearly offering the contrasting positive representations he is able to achieve overseas. The second aim, which has naturally arisen from the workings of the first, is a critical look at a career that has found its actor bored with the kinds of films that have brought him worldwide fame.
An analysis of "Modern Security Guards" (1981) reveals the importance of comedy to Hong Kong cinema during the 1980s and demonstrates how Hong Kong films should be read within their own sophisticated cultural and political context.
The concept of Chinese aesthetics, when carefully defined and circumscribed, illuminates the relationship between narrative space and cultural tradition in the films of King Hu. Chinese aesthetics is largely based on three ethical concerns that may be termed nonattachment, antirationalism, and perspectivism.
This article attempts to develop a critical understanding of the reconstitution of Hong Kong identity in Hollywood productions involving Hong Kong film talents. It argues that the'local' in the city's historical context of the nineties no longer refers to any entity pertaining to a particular locality and culture but is always already determined by the framework of the transnational, which structures the perception of its local social reality. In particular, the paper suggests that the remaking of Hong Kong cultural identity in Hollywood films could be grasped in terms of the notion of a double negation. While the formation of such an identity is based on a negation of Chineseness, Hong Kong'stransnational crossing to Hollywood initiates another negation that negates the very symbolic realm common to Chineseness. Jackie Chan's Hollywood blockbuster, Rush Hour , is used to illuminate the ways in which Hong Kong film stars and directors working for the global entertainment syndicate re-appropriate their agency in the production of a transnational narrative of their identity.
The dissertation presents an account of the contemporary American action cinema. The themes, stereotypes and iconography associated with the genre are explored through detailed discussion of film examples. Films are also situated in relation to the particular context of production and consumption associated with 'new Hollywood', including genre hybrids, the blockbuster as a form and the importance of new forms of distribution such as home video. Though framed as a genre study, the account is also centrally concerned with an exploration of gender. The dissertation presents an account of the articulation of masculinity within the genre and engages with developing debates in this field. It is suggested that contemporary images of men, widely discussed as new, can be usefully explored in relation to the generic history from which they emerge. The articulation of masculinity in the genre is explored through both genre codes and star images. Recent distinctive roles for women in the action cinema are further situated in a generic context. The research also explores the contention that representations of gender should be understood within an exploration of other discourses including race, class and sexuality. The place of black performers in the genre is discussed, and the extent to which recent films reiterate and/or develop existing stereotypes is addressed in this context. The limitations of ideological and narrative analysis in relation to a political exploration of the popular cinema is explored, with a consideration of cinematic spectacle and the place of fantasy identifications and symbolic configurations of power. The political ambivalence of popular imagery is emphasised in this context. It is argued that action films, which are often dismissed as simplistic in political terms articulate complex configurations of gendered and other identities.