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