An Analysis Of The Romantic Relationship Of Chinese Martial Artists In Hollywood Action Movies

Hollywood movies have a long history of creating Chinese characters and employing Chinese elements. As the second largest movie market in the world, China has been playing an increasingly important role in the global strategy of Hollywood. In history, most of the Chinese characters are depicted as negatively as the "Oriental Other", insidious or incompetent; at the present time, though they are enjoying a growing positive depiction, the Chinese characters are still suffering from invention and misinterpretation. In the mean time, Kungfu, which is mainly represented by Chinese men, is the mostsymbolic feature of China and also attracts the great interest of Western audience towards Chinese culture. However, a majority of existing studies only focus on the physical representation of Chinese martial artists, but not their mental relationships. Therefore, the analysis of The Tuxedo (2002) featured by Jackie Chan, Kiss of the Dragon (2001) featured by Jet Li and Dragon:Bruce Lee Story (1993) featured by Jason Scott Lee on the romantic relationships of Chinese martial artists is of great importance to a more profound understanding of the construction of Chinese culture by Western movies.This essay employs the method of Intersectionality. Intersectionality is a method focusing on the interrelation of representations among sex, gender and race. Intersectionality challenges the traditional identity politics, denying the essentialism and rejection towards the marginalized groups and recognizing that identity is socially constructed, fluid, changeable and compatible. Meanwhile, intersectionality problematized the unitary approach and the additive approach employed by identity politics. Intersectionality emerged as an alternative that provides a more comprehensive method for analyzing difference among people, as well as a critical insight of the operation of the structural position.As a kind of media discourse, movies function more than a simple entertainment. Movies reflect social ideology through visual images, influencing the public cognition towards race and gender and publicizing stereotypes. Hollywood is a representative producer of "oppressive cultural products". To ensure the global marketability, it usually uses the patterned narrative structures and constructs simplified, objectified and stereotyped local culture. In this process, genre movies play a vital role. Genre movies can be understood by a ritual approach or an ideology approach:the former focuses on the influence of audience on the production of movies, while the latter is mainly about how genre movies manipulate the audience. These two approaches share one fact in common:genre movies are constructed by social conventions, and their circulation and diffusion reinforce these conventions in return.Hollywood movies take great advantage of genre movies to propagandize and reinforce stereotypes. On the one hand, stereotype is closely connected with racial representation. The stereotyped representation reflects the inequality and injustice experienced by certain social groups, intensifies these disadvantages and deprives the possibilities of the individual impression. The negative representation of Asians and Asian Americans is heavily influenced by such racial stereotype. On the other hand, stereotype also contributes to gender representation, which is mainly embodied by hegemonic masculinity. First, hegemonic masculinity is embedded with the concept of power. It has the power to guide the public and to keep social orders. Second, hegemonic masculinity embodies a comprehensive understanding of the construction of gender hierarchy. Therefore, Hollywood’s consumption on Asian men is not only about personal entertainment, but also about a gendered, racialized social and cultural systems. The romantic relationship between Chinese martial artists and White women creates a new masculinity, embodying the process of empowering Chinese culture.This essay examines the mutual construction of white female femininity and Chinese masculinity in these three movies. First, these movies pay great attention on constructing the priority of white female femininity. This is achieved by the comparison between the white and the colored, and the reinforcement of dominance by the white females. In contrast with the people of color who are unreliable and superficial, white females are depicted as loyal followers and wise mentors. Second, the movies constructed a flawed masculinity of Chinese martial artists on purpose, which is reflected by the lack of power and the incompetence of romantic connections. The contrast between white female femininity and Chinese masculinity is embedded with profound cultural implications. This is because that Hollywood’s depiction of characters is based on cultural stereotypes; the difference between the west and the east and the incompatibility between the Other and the dominant groups are implied in the conflicts among the characters.