Chinese Television As a Medium of National Interpellation: Diasporic Responses to the CCTV Production of the Spring Festival Gala
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Chinese Television as a Medium of National Interpellation: Diasporic Responses to the CCTV Production of the Spring Festival Gala by Yawei Cui A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto © Copyright by Yawei Cui 2009 Chinese Television as a Medium of National Interpellation: Diasporic Responses to the CCTV Production of the Spring Festival Gala Doctor of Philosophy, 2009 Yawei Cui Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning University of Toronto ABSTRACT This dissertation considers how the party-state of the People’s Republic of China has been mobilizing various forms of interpellation in an attempt to sustain a continuous imagination of a particular community defined on the terms of a shared “Chinese” national identity. As well, the research considers how these forms of interpellation have been challenged by a range of complex diasporic viewer responses. Taking media productions of the Mainland China television industry as my point of reference, I have studied in detail, multiple productions of the widely popular, complex program, the Spring Festival Gala (SFG) produced by China Central Television. Though not without its contradictions, this show has employed various interpellative strategies, persistently and continuously hailing viewers into the subject position of loyal members of an enduring “Chinese Nationality.” However, interpellation is one thing, subjectification within it is another. To better grapple with the cultural citizenship of transnationalized Chinese, this dissertation also considers observations regarding the receptions of the SFG by diasporic “Chinese subjects” who now live in Canada. While their continuous imagining of the “Chinese Nationality” helps to better understand the complex mechanisms which contribute to the retaining power of interpellation, their ii moments of “de-imagining” also shed light on the problems and difficulties of such interpellation. These moments are considered as possible openings to the formation of fluid, multiple Chinese subjectivities that lay the groundwork for a “flexible citizenship” (Ong, 1993; 1999) for all “Chinese,” furthering the endeavor to go beyond certain nationalist and/or statist visions of identity, subjectivity, and citizenship. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am greatly beholden to all who have helped me during this journey and have acquired many debts to these individuals over the past few years. As a teacher to his disciples, Confucius was always patient. This certainly makes Dr. Roger I. Simon a Confucian – subject position he might not be willing to assume, but one that he nonetheless occupies in my assessment. His consistent patience, amongst his many virtues, has saved me from foolishness over and over again. Thanks to Roger, I finally understand the meaning of intellectual rigor, ethical groundedness and encyclopedic vision. This dissertation would not have been possible without his care and carrying. I am deeply indebted to Dr. Jo-Anne Dillabough, my MA supervisor and dissertation committee member. Since my MA program, Jo-Anne has remained a mentor and sister figure to me. However busy or far away, she is always there for me, pushing me to think harder while giving me peace of mind. My gratitude towards Dr. Ruth Hayhoe is equally profound. Not only has Ruth been readily available to me, as she so generously is for all of her students, but she has always responded to my writing in an incredibly prompt manner. I also truly appreciate her guidance and amazingly meticulous reading of my work. I would also like to thank Dr. Ruoyun Bai and Dr. Ying Zhu for coming on board at the last stage of this journey. Their scholarship on Chinese society in general and Chinese media in particular has truly rounded out my understanding of the subject matter of this dissertation. iv My appreciation goes out to my beloved editor, Carol Lynne D’arcangelis. Carol Lynne’s work has made reading this dissertation a much less painful process. Knowing someone is out there who has succeeded in making my thoughts more accessible to like minds will always bring forth fond feelings and memories for me. I owe special thanks to my friend Paritosh Mehta. Our first serious talk happened on the 509 Streetcar while on the way to work. Since then, his stories, especially those about Indian diasporas, have remained a wonderful source of inspiration to me throughout this journey. I also thank him for his trust and his help in my professional advancement. Three friends who now live in China deserve my gratitude as well. During every phone conversation and in every email or instant message, Hua Huang, Dr. Hong Zhu and Hui Jiang never forgot to ask me about this project and to give me all the support and encouragement I could have asked for and more. From the bottom of my heart, I thank them for their loyal friendship and their generous confidence in me. My sincere appreciation also goes to those who kindly agreed to participate in this project. I chose not to disclose their names and keep them anonymous so as to save them from any possible inconvenience. Nevertheless, for what they have given to me, I am forever grateful. Last but not the least, I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to my family, my wife Bo Liu and our son Bophilias Liu Cui. Even though from time to time, Bo would understandably lose her temper as I kept writing and revising v without appearing to make much progress, she has been there for me all along. She has not only provided sustenance in the form of beautiful food on the table on a daily basis, but also a sense of home and a beautiful boy after enduring a serious illness. Since coming into the world two and a half years ago, Bophy has been diverting me from writing in many wonderful ways. A boy funny and jovial by nature, Bophy has taught me that true joy is found in playing with him! Having now learned to speak both Mandarin and English, perhaps one of those days he will be able to philosophize more thoroughly my deepest love for him and his mother, and share this love to the world. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ..........................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT......................................................................................iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .....................................................................................vii DEDICATION.......................................................................................................ix INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................1 1. Statement of Problems ...............................................................................1 1.1 Central Concern: What Sustains the “Chinese Nation”?...................1 1.2 A Cultural Approach to China’s Nation-State Formation ...................5 2. An Outline ....................................................................................................9 CHAPTER ONE China's Citizenship Politics & Television: A Review ..........12 1. From the Imperial Qing to the Republican Time.....................................13 2. The Communist Epoch under Mao Zedong ............................................19 3. The Reform Era since Deng Xiaoping .....................................................25 4. Television and Diaspora: Issues to Address ..........................................49 CHAPTER TWO Content Analysis as Methodology.......................................62 1. Why Is the Spring Festival Gala a Case in Point? ..................................63 2. Sample 1: 27 Years of the Spring Festival Gala......................................69 2.1 Sampling and Categorizing.................................................................69 2.2 Coding ..................................................................................................70 2.3 Analysis................................................................................................72 3. A Synopsis of the Spring Festival Gala...................................................74 4. Sample 2: A Selected Group of Diasporic Audiences............................77 4.1 Target Population and Recruitment ...................................................77 4.2 Interviews .............................................................................................81 4.3 Categories, Coding, and Analysis......................................................84 CHAPTER THREE “The State Never Stops Talking:” The Spring Festival Gala as an Exemplar of the “Culture/State Nexus”........................................87 1. Inclusion Strategy 1: Constructing a Primordial Identity.......................88 1.1 Genetic/Genealogical Aspects of Primordialism ..............................88 1.2 Primordial Identity and Its Contradictions.........................................96 2. Inclusion Strategy 2: Manufacturing a Cultural Identity ........................97 2.1 Cultural Essentialism ..........................................................................97 2.2 Cultural Symbolism ...........................................................................102 2.2.1 National Landscapes ..................................................................103 2.2.2 Dragon..........................................................................................113 2.2.3 The Great