| Author : | Tso, W. B. |
|---|---|
| Category : | Journal Article |
| Department : | English |
| Year / Month : | 2019 / 12 |
| ISSN: | 1174-8915 |
| Source : | The New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies, 21(2), 25-36. |
Abstract
- This paper focuses on the gender analysis of how Chinese films, in particular Hong Kong films made in the 1980s – 1990s (the most prosperous era of the Hong Kong cinema), represent cross-dressing. I argue that while Butler’s theory on gender and performative acts can explain the representation of queer identities in some popular Chinese films, cultural specificities cannot be ignored. For example, for the screening of crossdressing in the context of the traditional Chinese theatre, it is crucial to give reference to the male/female impersonation tradition, which is charged with ambiguities and/or subversive gender-bending implications. The study of both ‘male femaling’ and ‘female maling’ in the following Chinese films made in the 1980s and 1990s are examined – A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), He Lives by Night (1982), Mr. Vampire (1985), Chicken and Duck Talk (1988), He’s a Woman, She’s a Man (1994) and Farewell My Concubine (1993). As a cross-dressing film precursor in the late 1950s, The Butterfly Lovers (1958) will also be discussed.
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