Stereotypes and Invisibilities: cinema and the construction of imagery about China in the West

Abstract

In "How China Is Rewriting Its Own Script", Amy Qin and Audrey Carlsen (2018) asked: "When was the last time you watched a movie with a Chinese villain?" If you don't remember, the authors claim that this may not be a coincidence, since several Hollywood films have had their scripts changed to avoid resenting the Chinese authorities and, consequently, risk losing access to China's gigantic domestic market. If China is trying to rewrite its own scripts, a possible question for this dossier is: what were Hollywood's narratives about China, and why is China trying to change them? Based on poststructuralist perspectives, this article will analyze some films representative of these Hollywood narratives about China, created at times when China did not have the capacity to rewrite its own script, highlighting how they helped to shape the image of the Chinese in the U.S. and the West. It will also address recent changes that have been taking place in the world cinematographic field, with possible diversification of narratives, and on the potential impacts of these events. Thus, this paper intends to contribute to a greater understanding not only of Western images about the East, but also of the role of culture-especially cinema-in the construction of these narratives.