Globalizing Chinese martial arts cinema: the global-local alliance and the production ofCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Abstract

Using the Mandarin-language global blockbuster Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as a case, this project aims to study how an oriental culture is globalized against the odds as predicted by theories of cultural imperialism. First, the globalization of local talents is found to be a precondition for this reversed cultural flow. Second, the formation of a global-local alliance, consisting of networks of both local and global firms and professionals, plays a critical role. The alliance serves to translate local cultural capital into economic capital and to enhance the transculturability of the cultural product. To be accountable to the Western agencies and to be faithful to local culture, the production team is under constant pressure to strike a balance between particularization and universalization. The implications of this unprecedented case are discussed.

Kung Fu Hustle: Transnational production and the global Chinese-language film

“…Some have focused on the flows out of western media centres and into the peripheries (Tomlinson 1991). Others have investigated cases of reverse flows, in which forms of culture move out of Asia and into the West (Tobin 2004;Wu and Chan 2007). Still others, seeking to de-centre the West, have focused on cultural flows out of non-western centres and within the periphery (Iwabuchi 2002(Iwabuchi , 2004.…”

“…While film studies scholars often gesture towards such an analysis (Teo 2005: 191), they rarely work through the actual details of a film's production and distribution. Scholars who do undertake such materialist analyses often come from other disciplines (Wu and Chan 2007).…”

A Cultural Discourse Analysis to Chinese Martial Arts Movie in the Context of Glocalization: Taking Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero as Cases

“…"deculturalization", "acculturalization" and "reculturalization" (Wang & Yeh, 2005: 177-182). Wu and Chan (2007) also took Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as an example to argue that Chinese martial arts film could be seen as a reversed cultural flow to against asymmetric Western hegemonically cultural flow that referred to most of cultural products or ideologies were exported from Euro-American developed counties to those developing and undeveloped countries. In their study, they comprehensively explained how the local Chinese martial arts genre film could be globalized and further pointed out that international cooperation and the balance of East-West culture in the film were key factors for the success of Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. In addition, Disney's animated film Mulan seems an initial representative of hybridization of Chinese culture and the Western culture.…”

Living for the city: cinematic imaginary of the cityscape in China's transnational films

“…Its portrait of Shanghai is compatible and embraces a modernised city space, high technology, advanced transportation product from the West to the East and thus resisting cultural imperialism in the era of globalisation (Lau 2007;Shim 2005;Wu & Chan 2007). Nevertheless, this celebratory tone should not be allowed to obscure the aesthetic and ideological implications of and hegemonic discourses, or are complicit with them.…”