Pitfalls of cross-cultural analysis : Chinese wenyi film and melodrama

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

Asian Journal of Communication

Publication Date

1-1-2009

Volume

19

Issue

4

First Page

438

Last Page

452

Publisher

Routledge

Keywords

Chinese cinema, Cross-cultural analysis, Film studies, Melodrama, Wenyi

Abstract

This article begins with a review of the debate on cross-cultural analysis and the relationship between Western theory and Asian texts that took place in film studies. Film scholars have often applied theories of melodrama to interpret Chinese family films, romances and art cinema. Given the vast differences between the historical and theoretical construct of melodrama and these Chinese films, it is advisable to locate an intrinsic and, perhaps, more illuminating term to explain Chinese-language cinemas. The second part of the article focuses on Chinese wenyi as an alternative to the concept melodrama in writing Chinese film history and criticism. The review of the term wenyi and its shifting meanings and contexts demonstrates how a new corpus of wenyi cinema may emerge as a distinct historiography in film scholarship. © 2009 AMIC/SCI-NTU.

DOI

10.1080/01292980903293379

Print ISSN

01292986

E-ISSN

17420911

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2009 Routledge

Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Additional Information

Also published in G. Wang (ed.) (2011), De-westernizing communication research: Altering questions and changing frameworks (pp. 99-116). Oxon: Routledge.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Yeh, E. Y.-y. (2009). Pitfalls of cross-cultural analysis: Chinese wenyi film and melodrama. Asian Journal of Communication, 19(4), 438-452. doi: 10.1080/01292980903293379

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