In the perspective of cross-cultural communication, the image of Chinese is an important part of the image of China. The shaping of the image of Chinese by foreign films often reflects the creator and the local culture's understanding and interpretation of Chinese culture, and also reflects the local culture's relationship with How to define self and "other" in the interaction of other cultures. In recent years, with the increase in the number of Chinese in Italy and the improvement of China's international influence, there are more and more Italian film and television works with Chinese as the theme. According to incomplete statistics, between 2005 and 2019, more than 25 well-known Chinese-themed films were released in Italy, such as "The Night Still Belongs to Us" (2008), "Chinese Community" (2008), "I Am Li" (2011) ), "Mr. Wang Comes" (2011), etc. These works construct images of Chinese in different periods from different perspectives, describe the process of Chinese integration in Italy's economic and social life, and reflect the change in Italian society's attitude towards Chinese and China. Although the images of Chinese people presented in these films have undergone obvious changes, the understanding of Chinese people and Chinese culture is still oriental.
The unchanging "other"
"Orientalism" originally refers to the study of the history and culture of Eastern countries. The famous scholar Said pointed out that it is a prejudiced way of thinking or cognitive system that Westerners arbitrarily invent "Oriental culture". Said believes that the "Oriental" presented in the Western-dominated discourse system cannot reflect any real Eastern civilization, and there is even no real East at all. From this perspective, the Chinese image created by Italian film and television works has long represented an opposite and heterogeneous marginal culture that contrasts with the mainstream Italian society.
Most of these works take Italy as the representative of the West, and take this as a starting point to examine and criticize Chinese and Eastern cultures. The "othering" imagination and cognition of Chinese and Eastern cultures they show are often rigid and rigid, which not only strengthens the The marginalization of Chinese in Italy and the difficulty of integrating into society are also constantly constructing the "self-image" that Italian mainstream culture hopes to affirm and maintain.
After the 1980s, some Chinese went abroad to immigrate to Italy. At the same time, in order to cope with the increasingly fierce global competition, the Italian government is also constantly absorbing foreign immigrants, including Chinese, to provide cheap labor for the country. After the Chinese who arrived in Italy earlier established a foothold in the local area, they began to provide information, funds and other assistance to compatriots who are willing to immigrate in China. Since the 1990s, such a chain of immigration has led to a rapid increase in the number of Chinese in Italy. After arriving in Italy, many Chinese have directly employed or carried out business activities in the Chinese ethnic circle, and cities such as Milan, Florence, and Prato have also formed large-scale Chinese communities. However, most of the Chinese and other immigrants who were brought into Italy as cheap labor were concentrated in industrial areas or around ethnic networks, with limited communication with mainstream Italian society, and the Italian people did not know much about Chinese and China. When Italian film and television works present the Chinese during this period, they are often portrayed as street vendors or workers in Chinese factories, etc., concentrated at the bottom of society and isolated from mainstream society.
After entering the 20th century, with China's accession to the WTO, the huge Chinese manufacturing industry began to participate in global competition, which had a certain impact on the Italian fashion industry in the field of light industry, especially in the field of clothing OEM. Some local Chinese enterprises have gradually gained a firm foothold, using the resources within the ethnic economy to develop, expanding their own operations, or conducting transnational operations by combining the production factors of China and Italy. In the face of these competitions, the Italian media language often constructs the established Chinese community, the rising China, Chinese culture and Made in China as a disorderly existence that is opposed to the mainstream Italian values. When presenting the image of the Chinese in this period, many film and television works often unthinkingly label the industries operated by Chinese as "threatening" and "informal economy". The film Gorbachev the Gambler (2010), for example, directly portrays Chinese-run restaurants as bases for clandestine criminal activities. Such works exacerbate the discrimination faced by the local Chinese and the exclusion from the mainstream society, and limit the channels for Chinese to transition in the local society.
The Gradual Change of Chinese Image
Around 2010, the image of Chinese in Italian film and television works gradually changed. Some successful Chinese entrepreneurs began to appear in the film, but they were still portrayed as beneficiaries of global competition, competitors in Italian related fields, and needy. Cautious partners, such as the film "Chinese Textile Merchant" (2009), "Chinese Occupation/Employment: Made in Prato" (2009), etc. The Chinese entrepreneurs in these works are often portrayed as foreign and powerful opponents who are good at using the laws of capital to achieve business expansion and try to acquire local Italian companies. For example, in the movie "Mr. Wang Comes", the character representing the Chinese is an alien surnamed Wang, who appeared in Italy not for tourism, but to plan to conquer Italy, or even the entire earth.
A still from "Mr. Wang's Arrival".
A still from "Chinese Occupation/Employment: Made in Prato".
When this work was released, the number of Chinese immigrants in Italy had experienced rapid growth for more than ten years, which attracted the attention of all sectors of Italian society. The film attempts to portray the Chinese as an alien "other", which reflects and caters to the stereotypes of some Italians at the time about the Chinese and China.
In this type of film and television work, although Italy has been unable to look down on the Chinese and China from a condescending economic strength, it still tries to belittle the development of Chinese enterprises and the Chinese economy on a moral level. This kind of "othering" imagination of the Chinese is full of many unfounded stereotypes. But it can also be seen that the Chinese image created by Italian films has undergone a transformation from a backward "other" to a powerful and threatening "other". In a sense, this transformation process also reflects the economic and social integration difficulties faced by the local Chinese in different periods, the dynamic comparison of international status between China and Italy, and the sense of crisis aroused in Italian society.
Attempts to transcend orientalism
It is worth mentioning that in recent years, some Italian film and television works have made some very valuable attempts to go beyond Orientalism in portraying the image of Chinese. Regardless of whether these attempts are comprehensive and successful, they all convey to the audience a different interpretation of the local Chinese community and Chinese culture. For example, although the film "Chinese Textile Merchant" shows the pressure caused by successful Chinese enterprises to some local textile enterprises that are declining, it also intends to guide the audience to compare and reflect on the entrepreneurial and development process of early Italian small and medium-sized family enterprises and the Chinese Ethnic economic parallels. At least in the field of economic activity, similar films have begun to try to deconstruct the stereotyped perception of the Chinese community in mainstream film narratives, and have begun to recognize the positive contribution of the Chinese and the rise of the Chinese economy to the local economy.
In terms of cultural and social exchanges, in recent years, some Italian creators have begun to show the integration process of the vast immigrant groups, including Chinese, in the cultural and social life of Italy. It is particularly worth mentioning that some of the second and third generations of Chinese living in Italy have also begun to actively participate in the creation of film and television works, or as the protagonists of the film, to present their own experience of cross-cultural communication and real and concrete beyond the stereotype. , a rich personal experience. For example, "The End of the World" (2016), in the form of a documentary, presents the fragmentation and search experienced by the second generation of Chinese in the process of constructing self-identity and seeking a sense of belonging.
In similar works, this group of Chinese in other places began to try to regain the right to speak and tell their own stories about China and the Chinese people. In addition, with the development of streaming media platforms, the micro-film and short-video industries are developing rapidly. Compared with traditional films, they have much lower requirements in terms of capital, technology and time, and have also changed the way film and television works are disseminated and viewed. Individuals and communities marginalized by mainstream society, including Chinese, can also take up the camera to present and disseminate their own experience and culture.
The Chinese images in Italian film and television works show different characteristics in different historical periods. At present, we can see two new trends in Italian film and television works about Chinese images: some Italian filmmakers actively and equally demonstrate friendly exchanges with local Chinese and Chinese culture; the other is Chinese in Italy actively participating in traditional film and television works Or in the creation of other video content. We can expect that Italian film and television and media will present a more three-dimensional and diverse image of Chinese people, and Sino-Italian cultural exchanges will usher in a new era of more equality, sincerity and friendship.
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