Memorable Landscape And Feminized Culture: A Crtique Of Cultural Representations Of Ethnic Zhuang Dentity In Two Visual Texts

Representations of ethnic minorities can be seen as discursive practices whichproduce meaning. This study examines the emerging genres in a wave ofmarket-based cultural productions of the Zhuang identity. Two major texts arediscussed—cultural performance Impression Sanjie Liu and publicity video BeautifulScenery in Guangxi. Located at the intersection of film and visual studies, feministtheory and postcolonial critique, this study provides a critical analysis of the samplesand visuals in these products, which are in a lacuna yet to be filled.In Introduction, the question is asked: how are meanings fixed in culturalrepresentations of the Zhuang? Chapter One reviews relevant literature acrossmultiple disciplines, i.e., cultural anthropology, sociology, literary and film studies.While previous scholarship has fruitfully investigated the formation of ethnic style,little attention has been given to works produced in the recent decade. Chapter Twoexamines the approach of representing primitive landscape and way of life. ChapterThree discusses the feminization of Zhuang culture, which yields ideal images of thebeautiful, innocent and servile females through four strategies.This study is intended to demand a genuine picturing of ethnic identity, as wellas authentic voices from the subjects. By close-reading and comparative explorationwith the film genre, this study offers several conclusions. First, the representations ofthe Zhuang are an extension of the ethnic style established in movies and imageriessince the1950s. Second, the discursive practice reinforces the contrast between themodern Han "self" and primitive ethnic minority "Other". Finally, in the market-basedcultural production, political underpinnings are no longer prominent, but ethnicminorities are reduced to spectacle, loaded with symbols and cultural markers.