Immigrants' Art And Its Identity: Studies On Chaozhou Opera In Thailand

Chaozhou opera in Thailand is a typical case of immigrants' art.Thailand is the earliest built and sole independent country without becoming a colony in Southeast Asia.For a long time,Chinese immigrants have highly merged with Thai society.As a type of synthetic stage art,Chaozhou opera in Thailand is not only the most important medium by which overseas Chinese maintain ethnic culture and reveal their inner feelings,but also the quintessence of intercommunication of Chinese immigrants' art,Thai society and culture.Based on proving Chaozhou opera a special kind of immigrants' art,the thesis discusses its identity,thus explores how Chaozhou opera,a local Chinese art, changed into immigrants' art and finally became Thai art.Except the introduction and conclusion,this thesis is divided into following five chapters.First,describing evolutional stages of the modernization and localization of Chaozhou opera in Thailand so as to show its artistic value.Second,with the promotion of Teochew businessmen,Chaozhou opera's network between China and Southeast Asia gradually formed,consequently Chaozhou opera in Thailand became a typical kind of immigrants' art.Third,exploring the social function of Chaozhou opera in Thailand,then ethnic Chinese group's consciousness of identity was refracted by studying Chaozhou Opera for Thanking Gods and Chaozhou Opera in Thai.Fourth,Sino-Thai relations in different periods affected overseas Chinese state-identity,thus Chaozhou opera played roles in Thai political life.As a result,it explains the certainty and crisis of political identity of Chaozhou opera in Thailand. Fifth,from the perspective of ethos,analyzing the acculturation and acceptance between Teochius and Thai,then further discussing constructive and fraught cultural identity of Chaozhou opera in Thailand.This thesis tries to comprehensively sort out the whole process of Chaozhou opera in Thailand by reasonable stages for the first time.It discusses the relations between immigration and spread of Chaozhou opera,narrates the formation of Chaozhou opera's network,makes a comparison among Chaozhou opera in different countries,studies the mutual promotion between Chaozhou opera in Thailand and in China.Therefore,it enriches traditional Chinese opera studies,furthers the communication between traditional Chinese opera,Thai theatre and culture. Meanwhile,the spread of Chaozhou opera in Thailand and its effects on Thai arts also demonstrate that people in Southeast Asia accept traditional Chinese opera. Therefore,the case involves cross-Asian studies.This thesis takes Chaozhou opera in Thailand as a case to set up a pattern of studies on immigrants' art.Its methods and conclusion do some good for studies on traditional Chinese opera,cross-cultural art,overseas Chinese problems and Southeast Asian as well as international migration and relations studies.