A Study On The Stereotypes Of Chinese In Hollywood Movies(2008-2018)

To a certain degree,media can influence people's beliefs,values and behaviors.Hollywood movies,as one of the most powerful mass media in contemporary society,have been disseminating stereotypes of ethnic minority groups in the United States.The stereotyped description of Chinese in Hollywood movies influences the American impression of Chinese people.This study analyses the image of Chinese in Hollywood movies from 2008 to 2018,and its changes compared with the previous image,and explore the reasons for the changes.In this study,both quantitative and qualitative methods are used to conduct data statistics and analysis,case studies are also used to analyze specific roles in order to answer the following questions:1)What are the general characteristics of the Chinese image in Hollywood movies in the past eleven years?2)Is “nerd” a new American stereotype of Chinese image in Hollywood Movies?3)How did the film Crazy Rich Asians break the old stereotype?4)Why the Chinese image in Hollywood movies has changed?Through the detailed analysis of the sample characters,this thesis draws the following conclusions:1)Although most of the Chinese roles are positive,there are a few cases where the negative stereotypes are solidified;the role of martial arts still accounts for the majority of the Chinese roles;many of the characters are unimportant background characters;and the image of female characters is more positive than that of male characters.2)Although the image of the Chinese “nerd” appears frequently in Hollywood movies in recent years,it seems to be a new stereotype,its essence originates from the old stereotype of “model minority”.3)Cray Rich Asians is the first Hollywood film with full Asian cast in 25 years.The heroines in the film are bold and decisive,breaking the stereotype of Chinese women's roles as simple,reserved or naive;the heroes are strong and charming,breaking the stereotype of Chinese men's lack of masculinity.4)There are two main reasons why Chinese images have become more positive in Hollywood movies: firstly,Hollywood's various efforts to open up the Chinese market;secondly,the development of globalization has aroused people's multiculturalism awareness.Thus,the filmmakers and audiences have been making efforts to promote cultural diversity in Hollywood.Movies have a unique influence in shaping the national image.They are also an important means to enhance the soft power of the country and publicize the national image.This study draws the conclusion that through unremitting efforts of all parties,some progress has been made in combating stereotypes and inequalities in Hollywood.Although the image of Chinese characters in Hollywood movies is becoming more positive,most of the roles are still unimportant background characters,and negative stereotypes and prejudices still exist.As the stereotyping of Chinese in Hollywood films has been in existence since the early twentieth century,it should be recognized that it is not something that can be changed in a short time or by the efforts of Chinese alone.The present study may make only a limited contribution to redress the current inequities in Hollywood,but the efforts from more researchers,media,and activists,would urge Hollywood to be more diverse and equal.