The yellow stereotype in Western and Chinese cultures: a multimodal discourse analysis of multimedia resources

Abstract

The media can influence people's beliefs, values and behaviours to some extent, and Hollywood films, as one of the most powerful mass media in contemporary society, have been spreading stereotypes of members of ethnic minorities. The portrayal of Chinese stereotypes in Hollywood films and other multimedia resources has influenced Westerners' perceptions of Chinese people and, therefore, it is important to study this topic. The dissertation considers the portrayal of Chinese people in multimedia resources, mainly Hollywood films, from the 19th century until the period soon after the outbreak of the Coronavirus. It analyses how they have changed compared to previous portrayals and explores the reasons for the changes. Moreover, the dissertation uses qualitative methods to analyse Asian characters in Western films and posters and explores the image of the yellow race built by Chinese people through songs, with the aim of answering the following questions: 1) What are the characteristics of Chinese images in Western history? 2) The reasons for the change in the image of Chinese people compared to the past, 3) Why do Chinese people accept to be called the ‘yellow race’ without rejection, even with a little bit of pride? Through a multimodal discourse analysis of multimedia resources, the following conclusions can be drawn: 1) The role of Asian male and female characters in Western multimedia resources are portrayed in both positive and negative lights depending on the historical context; martial arts roles still dominate the Chinese characters; many of the characters are minor. 2) Although the term ‘yellow race’ has negative connotations when it was created, it has always had positive meanings in Chinese culture also for patriotic propaganda. Even though the study conducted in the dissertation seems to be concentrated merely on a group of Asian people, the history of representation of the yellow stereotype in the media may help the audience to understand the origin of their perception towards Asian people and how it is affected by the mass media communication.