Hou Hsiao-hsien and the Question of a Chinese Style

Abstract

Is the style of the Taiwanese film director Hou Hsiao-hsien Chinese? This question seems innocent enough, maybe even redundant to those who find its answer to be self-evident. In fact, more and more the critical and scholarly literature on Hou has answered largely in the affirmative without exploring the deeper assumptions upon which this conclusion rests. Godfrey Cheshire, for example, says that in turning away from plot and character, and focusing more on objects and settings, Hou is returning to a longstanding, older tradition in Chinese art and culture.