Thesis (M.A.)--The University of Regina (Canada), 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 289-303).

Kung fu is a cinematic genre investing on the discourse of the “real”. From Kwan Tak Hing, Bruce Lee, Jacky Chan, Jet Li to Donnie Yen, cinematic representations of kung fu are inextricably intertwined with realism – real techniques, real fighting and real body. This paper is a theoretical reflection of “real kung fu” as a cultural imaginary and its transfiguration since the 1950s. The discussion will focus on recent developments of the genre in two major industries – digitalization of kung fu in Hollywood and recent return of kung fu masters in Hong Kong through coproduction. Through a parallel analysis of kung fu productions in a global context, this project outlines and predicts possible reinventions of the genre in the first decade of the 21st century. On the one hand, the notion of “real kung fu” is reinvented by digital technology. By applying Jean Baudrillard’s idea of “simulacra and simulation” to the context of kung fu cinema, Leon Hunt’s tripartite scheme of authenticity and Edward Said’s Orientalist discourse are (de/re)constructed in an age of digital production. Through a scrutiny of The Matrix (1999) and Kung Fu Panda (2008), I will demonstrate that the convergence of digital cinema and digital gaming creates a new spectatorship that redefines kung fu with an alternative understanding of body, time and space. On the other hand, the Ip Man trilogy (2008-2010) and Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (2010) show that there is a possible return of kung fu masters in local martial arts co-productions. Instead of a nostalgic return to the established genre in the 1970s, these realist kung fu films reinvent the genre by synthesizing different paradigms of realist styles and renegotiating the longstanding difficult relationship between nationalism and modernity. / published_or_final_version / Comparative Literature / Master / Master of Philosophy

Thesis (M. A.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Neil Jumonville, Florida State Universsity, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of History. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Jan. 27, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 93 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 2006. / Adviser: Lisa Brooten. Includes bibliographical references (p. 122-135)

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio State University, 1986. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-60). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

published_or_final_version / Music / Master / Master of Philosophy

Thesis (M.S.)--Auburn University, 2007. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (ℓ. 154-163)

Thesis (M.A. in communication)--Washington State University, December 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Dec. 31, 2008). "Edward R. Murrow College of Communication." Includes bibliographical references (p. 72-85).

No description available.