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Intercultural Communication of Chinese Theatre

Author: XuRan
Tutor: ZhuZuo
School: Shanghai International Studies University
Course: English Language and Literature
Keywords: Kunqu Overseas communication Third culture building Intercultural communication effects
CLC: J826
Type: Master's thesis
Year: 2010
Downloads: 204
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Abstract

China has been actively participating at the world stage during recent years. Culture,as a dynamic aspect of national image, is playing an essential role in presenting Chinato the world. Chinese cultural elements such as Kung Fu and Confucianism have beenwidely acknowledged by the West through the promotion of Chinese movies andConfucius Institutes. People get to know about China via these cultural elements andmutual understanding is built by means of intercultural communication. However, it isa pity to find out that in the field of Chinese traditional theatre, which is a rich sourcefor people to understand China, there is a big blank in terms of its overseascommunication. Few foreigners have the chances or channels to appreciate thisancient beauty of China. Kunqu is one typical representative. It has been strugglingfor survival in the constantly changing modern world for years; ever since Kunqu wasselected as the world’s intangible cultural heritage, it is able to come back to people’slife and to bring about attentions and thoughts subsequently. In order to be known bymore people, Kunqu is now going through a reform as to better communicating itselfwith outside cultures, as well as with the modern culture. Nevertheless, what is thebest strategy of promoting intercultural communication of Kunqu? Is modern changesof Kunqu acceptable? How to define the identity of traditional art in a modern context?And who has the say to judge Kunqu reform a success or failure? These are thequestions this paper aims to explore.This present research adopted the case study as the major strategy of qualitativeinquiry. 23 one-to-one interviews were conducted to explore the interculturalcommunication effects of Kunqu element in this particular opera "Marco Polo",namely three levels---cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioral effects. Preliminaryfindings revealed that what the audiences received from this play were generallyconsistent with the expectations of message deliverers; and the "third culture building"strategy was proved to be useful in the preliminary phase of Kunqu communicationoverseas. Interesting topics and follow-up discussions were generated throughinterviews, which further enriched the research findings. The primary aim of this research is to explore options for overseas communication ofKunqu at its primary phase, focusing on the possibility of "third culture building" inthe field of theatrical communication. The author is happy to discover plenty ofpossibilities of cooperation between intercultural communication and Kunqudevelopment as she carries on this research; hopefully this study will be of theoreticaland practical use to the development of Kunqu outside of China and will provide afresh perspective for the advancement of intercultural communication in China.

Intercultural Communication of Chinese Theatre

Abstract

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