The Best MPhil Thesis in the Faculties of Architecture, Arts, Business& Economics, Education, Law and Social Sciences (University of HongKong), Li Ka Shing Prize / published_or_final_version / Fine Arts / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Fine Arts / Master / Master of Philosophy

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This thesis is a study of the Chinese diaspora in Singapore from 1819 to the 1950s. It begins by situating the diasporic subject in a historical context, highlighting some of the key moments in the diaspora's development, such as the advent of colonialism during the nineteenth century, and the formation of an ethnic enclave in the settlement. The discussion then calls into question the construction of the Chinese subject in colonial discourses, and interrogates the ways in which the diasporic population was constituted within the framework of colonialism. The main purpose has been to examine how the diaspora in Singapore has evolved, and to explore the adequacies, or inadequacies, of existing diasporic theories in the ways they relate to the Chinese experience. This is achieved by recapitulating the theoretical implications of existing diaspora frameworks, and questioning the tensions and limitations generated by such discourses. Simultaneously, this study takes into consideration the construction of a "Chinese identity", and does so by presenting possible ways of conceptualisng what it means to be "Chinese" for subjects of the diaspora. In discussing the extent to which the subject's sense of "self" and belonging has been shaped by its immigrant past, this research draws on and studies the writings, both literary and non-literary, that have emerged from the community. A central concern in all this is the identity and subjectivity of the diasporic subject, and the point here is that not every subject experiences diaspora in the same way, but that these alterities are important in the constitution and formation of a Chinese identity. As I note in the introduction, the issue of what it means to be Chinese, and indeed, the issue of home and belonging, is one that is always contested for people in the diasporic community, and the aim of this thesis has been to continually deconstruct the idea of a "single" Chinese diaspora, and to expose it as a heterogeneous, fragmented, and internally differentiated construction.

Thesis advisor: Rebecca Nedostup / Seeing as how the leadership of both the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China have claimed a sense of inheritance and legitimacy from the political philosophy of Sun Yat-sen, it seems a paradox how different the political situations are in their respective domains. It is the intent of this thesis to discern how prioritizing different elements of Sun Yat-sen's political theory resulted in divergent decisions made by the leaders of the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party, which in turn help explain conditions found in the Republic of China on Taiwan and the People's Republic of China. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: College Honors Program. / Discipline: History Honors Program. / Discipline: History.

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

Wenyi film has long been a research focus of Chinese film studies since the 1980s. An abundance of scholars has been writing on the topic of wenyi film, defining its generic nature as literature and art film or film adaptation of great literature, or understanding it in relation to themes of love and human relationships. Many scholars have explored the role of wenyi films in post-war Hong Kong and Taiwan cinemas. Yet, in terms of Republican Chinese cinema, only brief accounts on some wenyi directors or works can be found. This dissertation aims to answer the question of what is wenyi film? by studying materials from the 1910s to the 1940s. Wenyi film as a discursive notion was never static in that period of time and the notion intersects with different discourses and practices. By investigating the interaction between the notion and those discourses and practices, this dissertation aims to present a taxonomy of wenyi film as grouped under the themes of romance, family, national character, heroism and the people.

Following the footsteps of British merchants, Jewish merchants began migrating to China's coastal ports starting from the 1840s. Small in their number, they exerted great influence on Shanghai's economic development. The community of Jews from Baghdad, for instance, wielded enormous clout in coastal China's economic and financial markets. To fill the gap of the economic and financial activities of the Jewish merchants' community in the existing literature, this dissertation considers Jewish economic activities in Shanghai using the Kadoorie enterprise as a case study. It examines the emergence, development and retreat of the Jewish merchants' community and argues that the Jewish merchants' community seized the opportunity of the changing political and economic environment in China to engage in the capital market in Shanghai and to enlarge their influence in the Chinese economy. Through the case study of the Kadoories, this dissertation focuses on the financial side of their operations and suggests that the Jewish merchants' community in Shanghai had established their identity and status in the Far East through expanding their economic influences. This dissertation starts by analyzing how the Kadoories knocked over the obstacles on the problem of nationality and started their business in Shanghai with the British legal tools. It further investigates their methods of raising capital and highlights their economic contributions. This dissertation examines the business strategies of the Jewish merchants, as a migration diaspora given the vagaries of the global economy and the changing political situation in coastal China. It then explores the interactions and power struggles between the Kadoories and their business partners to explain the business network of the Jewish merchants and account for the building up of the economic influence of the Jewish merchants' community in China. Furthermore, the case study examines how the Jewish merchants adapted their business strategies in response to political and economic changes. Examining the economic activities of these Jewish merchants provides insight into China's economic history. The case study of the Kadoories also reveals the fluctuations in Shanghai's economy and the characteristics of economic changes in contemporary China. Finally, this dissertation highlights the retreat of the Kadoories from Shanghai after 1945. At present, the Kadoories are still conducting business in China.

Finally, through the application of spatial analytical and spatial statistical methods, a better understanding of the spatial patterns of TCM and Western medical services and their correlations with urban morphology, market, religious, educational and legal patterns can be acquired. / First, Republican Beijing historical information management can successfully manage integrated data for medical service studies of Republican Beijing. Historical data coming out of the historical enquiries can be collected, organized, managed, processed, analyzed and displayed. This framework may have some methodological implications on how to collect, organize, represent and analyze historical urban information in a GIS environment. / Second, Republican Beijing historical GIS database is not just the foundation of spatial analysis in this research, but provides a useful resource for scholars in many years to come. Through this database, public health, urban morphology, education, religion, market and legal cultural observations can be accessed by any investigator throughout Republican Beijing. The approach to identifying the street number improves the accuracy of the database while the approach of zoning 80 districts solves the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem. In fact, these are very common problems encountered in historical GIS research that are concerned with "accuracy" and "scale". The two approaches may shed some light on solving such problems. / This research applies an historical GIS approach, which focuses on the spatial dimension as well as quantitative analysis to explore aspects of TCM and Western medical services in Beijing from 1912 to 1937. This dissertation provides a framework for successful integrated data management by establishing Republican Beijing historical information management as an organizational priority. Based on this framework, a system that integrates the functions of data storage, selective retrieval, analysis, display and archiving is established. First, Republican Beijing historical GIS database is produced. Two approaches are provided to work out the street number sequences and zone the 80 subdistricts respectively. Second, four kinds of spatial analytical methods, including buffer analysis, two-step floating catchment area method, spatial auto-correlation and GWR are integrated and used to explore the spatial patterns of TCM, Western medical services and their correlations with urban morphology, market, religious, educational and legal patterns. The main contributions are three-fold: / Zhang, Peiyao. / Advisers: Lin Hui; Billy K. L. So. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-01, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 150-163). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.