SUPER GIRLS IN CHINA: THE PERFORMANCE OF NEOLIBERAL VALUES, DESIRE, AND ALTERNATIVE TEMPORALITIES KIERA D. CHION THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTERS IN ARTS JOINT GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN COMMUNICATIONS AND CULTURE YORK UNIVERSITY, TORONTO, ONTARIO MAY 2009 Library and Bibliotheque et 1*1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-51621-8 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-51621-8 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Plntemet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non­ sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. 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Canada ABSTRACT In May 2005, Li Yuchun/Chris Lee, the winner of the Chinese singing competition, The Mongolian Sour Cow Yoghurt Super Girl Contest, became the catalyst for a national debate on issues ranging from democracy to standards of feminine beauty to the visibility of a queer national identity. Using critical discourse analysis of news reports and surveys with heads of local and diasporic fan clubs, I investigate the culturally performative aspects of Yuchun's image by interrogating the particular socio­ political-virtual space that she occupies as both a new moral and cultural reflexion for the performance of an alternative Chinese temporality. I explore how her image connects with the dislocated and globalizing forces of gendered national identity by locating the role of Yuchun in the boundaries of the Chinese digital imaginary - an imaginary that is driven by new modes of consumption, desire, and fantasies of locales within Asia and beyond. IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Without the guidance of my supervisor and second reader, Dr. Kenneth Little and Dr. Anne-Marie Lee-Loy, this thesis would not have been possible. Dr. Lee-Loy has been an unwavering source of support and humor at every stage of the process and her enthusiasm in the project gave me the final push to put it all together. Thanks so much for going through the extra legwork to be on my committee. From our first meeting, Dr. Kenneth Little has shown me nothing but patience, kindness, and warmth. I am grateful for your level-headedness, support, and strong critical eye for commas! Our tangential conversations always got me right back on track with the project and gave me extra food for thought! Drs. Little and Lee-Loy: Huzzah! You are both stars! v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract iv Acknowledgements v Table of Contents vi Chapter 1: What does it take to be a Super Girll 1 Thesis Outline 7 Chapter 2: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Theoretical Articulations of An 'Imagined Community' 11 The Performance of China's Semicoloniality through the Image of the Modern Girl 14 Multidirectional Flows in China's Semicolonial Popular Cultural Industries 18 Contextualizing Super Girl: From the Hello Kitty Effect to the Rise of Tomboy Cool.. .27 The Japanization of Asia: The Culturally Odourless TV Format 33 Uneven Cultural Flows: The Rearticulation of Yuchun's Chineseness 39 'Alternative Modernities' 40 Conceptual Shifts: Transnationality vs. Globalization 44 Chinese Transnationalism: On the Limits of the Diasporic Paradigm 49 New Cultural Imaginaries: Citizenship and Subject-Making 53 Conclusion 56 Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY Overview and Rationale 58 Researcher's Role 59 Recruitment and Criteria for Participation 61 Description of Data Sources - Electronic Survey Interviews 63 Description of Data Sources - News Articles and Blog Entries 64 Analysis Strategies of Surveys 66 Chapter 4: YUCHUN AS THE SITE OF THE INSTANTIATION OF NEW NATIONALISM Introduction 68 The'China Dream' 70 How the Language of Personal Transformation is Operationalized 71 Super Girl as an Imaginary Pathway to Success 79 The Commodification of National Newness: The Uniform of Individuality 81 Yuchun's Everygirl Relatability Factor 89 Articulations or Absences of Queerness 92 Media Discourse around the 'Opening up of China' through Deregulation vs. Democracy 95 vi Conclusion 99 Chapter 5: CONCLUSION The Price of Participation in 'National Newness' 101 Appendix A 107 Appendix B 109 Appendix C Ill Appendix D 114 Bibliography 115 vii Chapter One: What Does it Take to Be a Super Girl? How do articulations of gendered national identities become grounded culturally, consumed, and eventually absorbed by state apparatuses? As China continues to transition to a more leading, pivotal role in the global capitalist economy what does the emergence and widespread popularity of locally produced pop idols, say about the potentials and limitations of a highly commodified cultural citizenship? This thesis attempts to answer these questions by investigating the singular and incredible national outpouring of support surrounding the phenomenon known as The Mongolian Sour Cow Yoghurt Super Girl Contest (to be referred to as Super Girl) that occurred in China in 2005. The 'Supergirl rebellion', a term coined by reporter Benjamin Joffre-Walt (2005), refers to the country-wide mania over and emulation of the unconventionally celebrated female characteristics such as confidence, assertiveness, and originality that were best embodied in the mannerisms and sartorial system of the 2005 winner, Li Yuchun, also known by her English name, Chris Lee. For the purposes of simplicity, I refer to Li Yuchun or Chris Lee throughout the paper as Yuchun. In May 2004, local producer Liao Ke, via Hunan Satellite Television, introduced the annual Chinese singing competition, Super Girl, to a national audience. The show (named after its primary sponsor, a dairy manufacturing company based in Mongolia) attracted 150 000 aspiring contestants ranging from 4 to 89 years old in its five regional competitions (Epstein 2005). English media coverage of the contest frequently drew comparisons between the populist fervor over the contestants and the text messaging voting format of the competition, to American Idol and Britain's Pop Idol. On the night 1 of the 2005 three-hour national finale, eight million SMS 'text messages of support' were sent. The intense public interest with the independently produced show stimulated a nationwide online discussion in endless message boards and forums on issues ranging from democracy, to a breakdown in standards of feminine beauty, to the emerging visibility of a queer identity in China's national imaginary. In China, where it is illegal to organize many types of public meetings, fans formed online 'booster clubs' (forums to stir up support for one's favourite candidate) and canvassed malls to sway "prospective voters", and "campaigned publicly" on Yuchun's behalf (Jakes 2005). The creators of the original Super Girl would not have predicted or anticipated that the 2005 season's winner, Yuchun, would ultimately achieve the distinction of being the most watched and most voted for national figure in Chinese political and televisual history. Nor did they realize that the process of voting for the next Super Girl was an exercise in selecting and producing an image of 'national newness' that would be the signifying extension of an emerging 'alternative' Chinese female identity and temporality that was already brewing in the cultural imagination of millions of Chinese youth. As Yuchun rose through the regional qualifying rounds in the 2005 season, media coverage continually focused on her unconventional masculine style and performance of songs traditionally sung by men. Against an industry backdrop of "... .an interchangeable lineup of warbling coquettes, husky crooners, and jolly fellows in brass stars and epaulets belting out odes to red flags", Yuchun stuck out because of her "proud androgyny" and "creative eccentricity" (Joffe-Walt 2005). In her audition tape, Yuchun wore jeans, a 2 loose-fitting men's dress shirt, and not a bit of make-up, and sang, "In My Heart There's Only You, Never Her", a song made famous by Taiwan's Liu Wenzhen, a male heartthrob (Lo 2006). Possibly, the most vivid characterization of Yuchun's