This paper explores the history of Chinese Shuaijiao (wrestling). The sport has a history that is connected to the development of Chinese nationalism during the transformation of Qing China into...Show moreThis paper explores the history of Chinese Shuaijiao (wrestling). The sport has a history that is connected to the development of Chinese nationalism during the transformation of Qing China into the Chinese Republic. Shuaijiao morphed from an activity which occupied an important position in the Manchu Qing empire into an instrument to promote Republican nationalism.Show less
Different countries have their own traditions when it comes to the horror genre and within these traditions there is again a variety of subgenres. According to the distribution company Tartan Films...Show moreDifferent countries have their own traditions when it comes to the horror genre and within these traditions there is again a variety of subgenres. According to the distribution company Tartan Films Asia does this by embracing the ‘extreme’ which is celebrated by the selection of films belonging to the Tartans Films brand ‘Asia extreme’. Being critized for using the discourse of Orientalism in the promotion of the films, this thesis will look how the Chinese horror movie Jiàn Guĭ and The Eye are related cinematically with this discourse.Show less
This study introduces three typologies (bao, baoying and baochou) for the analysis of wuxia films. It proposes a more nuanced way of analysing revenge, punishment and justice in (Chinese) action film.
This thesis analyses the reception of three Chinese women writers (Mian Mian, Wei Hui and Chun Shu), part of a group of female authors known as Beauty Writers, by professional critics and popular...Show moreThis thesis analyses the reception of three Chinese women writers (Mian Mian, Wei Hui and Chun Shu), part of a group of female authors known as Beauty Writers, by professional critics and popular readers. The reception of the Beauty Writers by the public in the People’s Republic of China, their native country, has been the focus of very few researches. I seek to add to the existing corpus of research by analysing two different types of reviews: the comments of intellectuals, such as professional critics, fellow writers, editors and professors, and the reviews of general readers who published their remarks on the internet. I will base the examination of the comments on the theory of reader-response criticism, which was born in Western literature and states that the reader shapes the meaning of a text, and that the text is thus not an isolated and self-standing work. By considering the external elements that help the readers judge a work, I seek to understand the reasons behind the positive or negative comments on the Beauty Writers’ works, which have drawn much media attention soon after their publications in the early 2000s. I propose that despite the early heated discussions about the literary worth of the Beauty Writers, in the end the perception of their writing style has reached normalisation, with the inclusion of the writers in the history of Chinese literature.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
open access
In this thesis I conduct discourse analysis on the traditional values of talent show The Voice of China (TVoC). Whereas former talent shows have been suspended because of ‘low moral standards and...Show moreIn this thesis I conduct discourse analysis on the traditional values of talent show The Voice of China (TVoC). Whereas former talent shows have been suspended because of ‘low moral standards and vulgar content’, TVoC already finished its third season in 2014. In this thesis I show that traditional Chinese values can intertwine perfectly with the Western values of TVoC, and that the discourse of harmony is reinforced multiple times in the end. The traditional values and the concept of harmony are in line with what the Chinese government propagates. Taking this and the restrictions on former talent shows into account I therefore argue that self-censorship of TVoC due to soft-power of the government has been the case in talent show TVoC.Show less
