Writing Of Minnan Folk Culture In Chinese Literature Of Philippines,Malaysia And Singapore

It is a common socio-cultural phenomenon that the people of Minnan immigrate to Southeast Asia of all time.With the transnational migration of Minnan people,Minnan culture(especially Minnan folk culture,which is ubiquitous in our daily life)has also spread to Southeast Asia and then been presented in Southeast Asian Chinese literature.Based on intensive reading and literature research,this thesis adopts interdisciplinary research methods and relevant theories of folklore,literature and ethnic Chinese studies,focusing on the study of Minnan folk culture and discussing the significance of Minnan folk culture writings in Chinese literature of Philippines,Malaysia and Singapore.The thesis is divided into three parts: introduction,text(four chapters)and conclusion.The introduction firstly interprets the related concepts of Southeast Asian Chinese literature and Minnan folk culture,then expounds the research scope,ideas,methods and research significance of the thesis on the basis of combing the existing research results.The first chapter not only traces the history of the migration of Minnan people to Southeast Asia,discussing the identity changes of Chinese immigrants and their descendants from “overseas Chinese” to “Chinese with foreign nationality” in Southeast Asia since World War II,but also expounds various ways of Minnan folk culture spreading in Southeast Asia.In the second chapter,referring to the classification of folk culture by folklorists,the folk custom of Chinese literature of Philippines,Malaysia and Singapore is discussed from the aspects of festival customs,life customs(marriage,funeral,etc.),life customs(Minnan catering customs),spiritual customs(Minnan folk worship)and so on,from which the communication and inheritance of the folk custom of south Fujian in the Philippines,Malaysia and Singapore are presented from the perspective of Chinese literature.The thesis holds that the Minnan folk culture in Chinese literature of Philippines,Malaysia and Singapore reflects the deep cultural identity of Southern Fujian and even Chinese culture of those writers.The third chapter discusses the phenomenon and causes of “cultural hybridity” in Southeast Asia,where Chinese culture,indigenous culture and western culture coexist and interact with each other.It focuses on the typical cases of the catering folklore and folk beliefs of south Fujian,expounding the hybridity characteristics and phenomena of the Chinese literature of Philippines,Malaysia and Singapore in the writings of Minnan folk culture.The thesis holds that the description of the hybridity in the Chinese literature of Philippines,Malaysia and Singapore not only reflects the degree of cultural adaptation and influence of Minnan culture in the mixed cultural environment,but also reflects the survival dilemma of Minnan culture in the context of globalization,which has played an enlightening role in the inheritance and spread of Minnan culture and even Chinese culture overseas.The fourth chapter discusses the dual significance of the writings of Minnan folk custom in the Chinese literature of Philippines,Malaysia and Singapore at the cultural and literary levels.From the cultural point of view,the Minnan folk custom writings in the Chinese literature of Philippines,Malaysia and Singapore not only shows Minnan people’s ethnic culture and national cultural identity,but also,with the help of literary media,brings about the inheritance and spread of Minnan folk culture in these three countries.From the literary point of view,the new Chinese writers in the three countries show their feelings about family and hometown with the memory writing of Minnan folk culture,showing Minnan ethnic essence and the spirit of Chinese culture express the same literary motif and the literary function of “expressing emotion” and“expressing ambition” as the literature of home country.In the conclusion,the thesis briefly summarizes the contents of each chapter,and concludes that those writers unveil the folk culture of Southern Fujian in the form of literature,which not only promotes the communication and inheritance of Minnan folk culture in Philippines,Malaysia and Singapore,but also reflects the deep recognition of Chinese culture by the Chinese,and enriches the cultural heritage of the works to a certain extent.