Research On "Mang Liu" Images In Chinese Independent Documentary Films (1995-2001)

The word "Mang Liu" congested the official discourses and public views in1990s. As a derogatory term, it was named to migrant farmers by the mandatory power of nation and has its own stigma tendency. This word and name brought negative effects to the group of migrant farmers through every aspect in their daily life. At the same time, the newborn Chinese independent documentary films also started to focus on such a rock-bottom group living in cities. This article divides the "Mang Liu" stigma into three kinds, they are "the Oppositions","the Gold Diggers","the Ragtag", and try to find out the image examples in independent documentary films to break those social stigma. The article summarized three kinds of images--"Participatory Images","Aspiring Images" and "Authentic Images"--to support the argument that independent documentary films showed us a real and multidimensional "Mang Liu" group. Removing the stigma of migrant farmers by showing such images is one of the social influences of1990s Chinese independent documentary films. At last, the article summarized the ideas and ways of independent documentary films that showed the "Mang Liu" group, and also point out its lacking practicality tendency. The Chinese directors of independent documentary films could have done more work by treating their video camera as "Social Weapons", and engendered deeper social influence than it was.