The Shaw Brothers' Wuxia Pian: an early business-cultural connection for the Chinese in Malaya

Cinema, as one of the early mass communications, is an important site from which scholars can pursue the question of how to understand history, society and the construction of cultural identity. The Shaw Organization is one of the oldest establishments of the Chinese cinema in Southeast Asia and ser...

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Main Author: PSM
Other Authors: Ngo, Sheau Shi
Format: Journal
Published: Kajian Malaysia (Journal of Malaysian Studies), Universiti Sains Malaysia 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.myjurnal.my/public/article-view.php?id=15523
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spelling oai:www.myjurnal.my:155232018-09-20T00:00:00Z The Shaw Brothers' Wuxia Pian: an early business-cultural connection for the Chinese in Malaya PSM History Cinema, as one of the early mass communications, is an important site from which scholars can pursue the question of how to understand history, society and the construction of cultural identity. The Shaw Organization is one of the oldest establishments of the Chinese cinema in Southeast Asia and serves as an ideal vantage point from which to assess the cultural connection between the early Chinese cinema and the early migration of Chinese to British Malaya. This article investigates one of the most popular genres of the time, namely the Wuxia pian or Martial arts film, in early 20th century Shanghai along with its contemporary marketing networks in then Malaya and Singapore. This article demonstrates that the cultural vacuum purposely ignored by the British rulers in Malaya gave the Chinese entrepreneurs not only great economic opportunities but also the ability to exert a greater cultural influence over the public through negotiating, defining and formatting the fluidity of the Chinese identity in Malaya and subsequently Malaysia. The symbolism of 'Chineseness' and the notion of justice within the genre of the Wuxia pian are each based on a veneration of shared symbols and historical myths together they have, to a certain extent, re-energised the study of the construction of Chinese identity and popular cinema. Kajian Malaysia (Journal of Malaysian Studies), Universiti Sains Malaysia Ngo, Sheau Shi 2011-00-00 Journal application/pdf 15523 www.myjurnal.my/filebank/published_article/10038KM Vol. 29 Supp. 1 - Art. 5 - (Ngo Sheau Shi).pdf www.myjurnal.my/public/article-view.php?id=15523
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Local Institution
institution MyJournal
building MyJournal Repository
collection Online Access
topic History
spellingShingle History
PSM
The Shaw Brothers' Wuxia Pian: an early business-cultural connection for the Chinese in Malaya
description Cinema, as one of the early mass communications, is an important site from which scholars can pursue the question of how to understand history, society and the construction of cultural identity. The Shaw Organization is one of the oldest establishments of the Chinese cinema in Southeast Asia and serves as an ideal vantage point from which to assess the cultural connection between the early Chinese cinema and the early migration of Chinese to British Malaya. This article investigates one of the most popular genres of the time, namely the Wuxia pian or Martial arts film, in early 20th century Shanghai along with its contemporary marketing networks in then Malaya and Singapore. This article demonstrates that the cultural vacuum purposely ignored by the British rulers in Malaya gave the Chinese entrepreneurs not only great economic opportunities but also the ability to exert a greater cultural influence over the public through negotiating, defining and formatting the fluidity of the Chinese identity in Malaya and subsequently Malaysia. The symbolism of 'Chineseness' and the notion of justice within the genre of the Wuxia pian are each based on a veneration of shared symbols and historical myths
author2 Ngo, Sheau Shi
author_facet Ngo, Sheau Shi
PSM
format Journal
author PSM
author_sort PSM
title The Shaw Brothers' Wuxia Pian: an early business-cultural connection for the Chinese in Malaya
title_short The Shaw Brothers' Wuxia Pian: an early business-cultural connection for the Chinese in Malaya
title_full The Shaw Brothers' Wuxia Pian: an early business-cultural connection for the Chinese in Malaya
title_fullStr The Shaw Brothers' Wuxia Pian: an early business-cultural connection for the Chinese in Malaya
title_full_unstemmed The Shaw Brothers' Wuxia Pian: an early business-cultural connection for the Chinese in Malaya
title_sort shaw brothers' wuxia pian: an early business-cultural connection for the chinese in malaya
publisher Kajian Malaysia (Journal of Malaysian Studies), Universiti Sains Malaysia
publishDate 2011
url http://www.myjurnal.my/public/article-view.php?id=15523
first_indexed 2018-09-20T08:20:13Z
last_indexed 2018-09-20T08:20:13Z
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