Floating Home
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Floating Home A journey of Taiwanese identity in the UK Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Kingston University By Shih-Yun Su June 2017 Table of contents: Acknowledgments P.01 Abstract P.02 List of figures P.05 List of participants P.11 The Research films P.16 Introduction: A Road map to the thesis P.21 Literature review P.24 Research questions P.28 Theoretical Framework P.31 Chapter 1: Home is where we begin Origins of the research 1.1 The genesis P.37 1.2 Definition of Floating Home P.43 1.3 The formation of Taiwanese identity and Taiwan New Cinema P.50 1.4 Focus group in the films P.71 Chapter 2: Rhizomatic filmmaking Methodology 2.1 Filmmaking as research P.98 2.2 Habitus and practice P.106 2.3 The concept of Tactics P.116 2.4 Rhizomatic path in filmmaking P.131 ii Chapter 3: Presenting the Taiwanese identity in the UK Analysis 3.1 The stereotypical representation of ethnic Chinese in the UK P.144 3.2 The practice of daily migratory life P.156 3.3 The evolving hybrid identities P.174 Chapter 4: Floating in-between Findings 4.1 Sandwich (wo)men and female dual role P.188 4.2 Liquid/Floating/Fluidity P.205 4.3 Rhizomes, minoritisation and becoming P.213 Conclusion: Journey to an unknown stop 1. Emergence of identity under Chinese domination P.224 2. The contribution of the research P.227 3. Optimism of becoming P.234 4. Further study P.238 Appendix: Definition of terms P.245 Reference P.248 Bibliography P.252 Filmography P.267 iii Acknowledgments I would like to thank Yung-Fang Chen, Claire Griffin, Patty Pan, Maggie Chang, and their families. Also, I want to thank Steve Cheung and his family, Da-Chung Chang and his wife, Sherman and Marcia Lai with the staffs of Taipec. I always feel privileged and lucky that I can participate in some parts of your lives. And you all treat me really well with your kindness during the filmmaking process. A big “thank you” to Mick Kennedy, Abbe Fletcher, Nelson Douglas, Corrin Depper and Fiona Curran for encouraging me, and for believing in my ideas and abilities. Your supports and guidance are greatly helpful and meant a lot to me. I want to acknowledge Cosine Lu for your participation of the long-length filming, plus many helps from Darragh Alder. Also, I want to give a thank you to Mitch Panayis and Dave Powles for dedicating time to help and improve my thesis. Thank you for the opportunity from Kingston University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Science. Lastly, I want to thank my parents and family for supporting me with your unconditional love. 1 Abstract People from Taiwan have been internationally marginalised and unrecognised for a long time, particularly by the cultural hegemony from the Western cultures and colonialism from Japanese imperialism1 and Chinese authoritarianism. These historical influences generate a hybrid2 culture in the Taiwanese society. Through the migratory experience of the Taiwanese people in Britain, their hybrid-cultural identity is caught between even unstable in between the host society and their homeland. As Stuart Hall states that identities, particularly in late modern times, are ‘multiply constructed across different, often intersecting and antagonistic, discourses, practices and positions’ (Hall, 1996:04). It is intriguing to explore what is the identity of Taiwanese people in the UK, especially in the migratory situation. This practice-based research project, which combines a production of a documentary feature and a series of seven short documentaries made over the research period, and a written thesis. The research explores and examines the intricacies of the experience of a small group of Taiwanese migrants3 living in the UK. It investigates Taiwanese identity in Britain using collaborative documentary filmmaking techniques as its central research methodology. 1 See the definition of term on page 247 2 See the definition of term on page 246 3 See the definition of term on page 245 2 The employment of Michel de Certeau’s concept of tactics and Deleuze and Guattari’s rhizome are the main two theories throughout the research. They are not only applied to theorise the identity of Taiwanese people in the UK through the daily practice; but they are also exercised on a particular ethically responsible, inclusive and non-hierarchical filmmaking practice in the research approach. This thesis analyses how the identity of Taiwanese people in the UK evolves and transforms through the audiovisuals in the films, which captured the Taiwanese participants’ everyday practice. And the analysis of those daily practices actualised by the Taiwanese participants investigates their cultural adaptation and cultural resistance in the British society. Under the impact of globalisation4 that the developed technology opens up countries boundaries, Taiwanese migrants paradoxically encounter their longing of the homeland and the belonging of searching new homes. This situation positions them in an in-between space, where they combine and negotiate Taiwanese and British cultures that emerges a further hybrid identity in the UK. They are afloat between two cultures; they are “in- betweeners”, who keep floating to find their ultimate homes. This research further examines how Taiwanese migrants in the UK process the formation of their community through word of mouth – the alternative means of communication, to construct a potential and on-going development of non- hierarchical social structure. Finally, combining the 4 See the definition of term on page 247 3 filmmaking approach and theoretical analysis, this research contributes to a practiced-based path to study cultural identity with a reciprocal way: actualising the theories on filmmaking approach and utilising the same theories to analyse the films. 4 List of figures Figure 1. A simplified map of Taiwan, Hong Kong and partial Mainland China P.10 Figure 2. A map of Taiwan with the participants’ hometowns and birthplaces P.10 Figure 3. A screen shot of myself in the feature documentary Floating Home P.38 Figure 4. Changes in the Chinese/Taiwanese Identity of Taiwanese as Tracked in Surveys by the Election Studies Center, NCCU (1992-2015) P.60 Figure 5. Taiwanese passport with the Republic of China as the official state’s name on the top, Taiwan is right underneath the ROC’s emblem P.61 Figure 6. The chart of UK emigration and immigration, 1991 to 2014 P.73 Figure 7. The population of Overseas-born residents excluding some residents in communal establishments, by sex, by country of birth in 2015 P.75 Figure 8. A screen shot of London’s Chinatown during the celebration of 2014 Lunar New Year in the episode of Little Taiwan P.77 5 Figure 9. A simplified map of the UK with the participants’ current location P.85 Figure 10. A screen shot of me documenting in front of the gate of Chinatown, London in Floating Home P.91 Figure 11. International Passenger Survey estimates of long-term international migration into the UK for formal study by nationality, 2009 to 2014 P.92 Figure 12. A screen shot from Floating Home shows how Yung-Fang Chen and her friends prepared the dishes for the celebration of the 2013 Lunar New Year P.112 Figure 13. A screen shot from the feature Floating Home shows Claire Griffin, her husband and friends having the hotpot for the celebration of the 2014 Lunar New Year P.114 Figure 14. A screen shot depicts me, Da-Chung and his friends enjoyed a little gathering in his restaurant in Little Taiwan P.138 Figure 15. Rhizomatic structure of Floating Home P.139 6 Figure 16. Four levels of methodology in the project of Floating Home P.141 Figure 17. A screen shot from Floating Home shows Claire Griffin makes dumplings for her family’s dinner P.162 Figure 18. A screen shot from Floating Home shows Maggie Chang and her daughter Luna rolling out the flour to make breads P.167 Figure 19. A screen shot from In between the two cultures shows Yung-Fang Chen, Ben Gibbon and their daughter Jilly cross the road P.170 Figure 20. A screen shot from Beyond the frying pan shows me filming the interactions between teacher and students in a Cantonese class at Coventry Chinese school P.172 Figure 21. A screen shot in feature Floating Home shows the celebration of Ethan’s birthday party with Patty, Frank and their friends P.181 Figure 22. A screen shot in Crouch, hold and engage shows Jalen does the training with his rugby teammates P.183 Figure 23. A screen shot from In between the two cultures shows Yung-Fang, her husband Ben Gibbon and their 7 daughter Jilly surrounded by their local friends in a birthday party P.191 Figure 24. A screen shot from Floating Home indicates Maggie’s décor in her living room, which are a black doll statue of Taiwanese indigenous stands along with an iconic London red bus P.201 Figure 25. A screen shot from Crouch, hold and engage demonstrates Claire’s house door with a couplet on it P.202 Figure 26. A screen shot from Travel of the flavour shows numerous containers shipping to the UK P.205 Figure 27. A screen shot in the episode Beyond the frying pan shows a picture that Steve Cheung as a child with his siblings in front of the takeaway shop from a Cheung’s family photo album P.209 Figure 28. A photograph on Maggie’s wall shows Maggie alongside Luiza as an infant – taken from documentary Floating Home P.210 Figure 29.