Discovering the digital Stephen Chow: The transborder influence of Chow’s films on the Chinese Internet in the 2010s

Matthew Ming-tak CHEW*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal PublicationsJournal Article (refereed)peer-review

Abstract

This study uncovers and analyzes the transborder influence of Stephen Chow’s films in China in the 2010s. This influence takes a form that is new and different from that of the first three fan cultures of Chow’s films. It operates through various online carnivalesque items co-created by Chinese netizens and cultural producers. I document this with an investigation of the online catchphrases, visual memes, and web novels inspired by Chow’s films. One can interpret this new wave of influence as the fourth fan culture of Chow’s films or as a merger between Hong Kong nonsensical culture with the Chinese online carnival. This study’s data come from primary sources including memes and web novels and secondary sources including relevant news reports, online commentaries, and Chinese-language scholarship.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)124-137
Number of pages14
JournalGlobal Media and China
Volume5
Issue number2
Early online date10 Jun 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Chinese memes
  • Chinese online carnival
  • Hong Kong popular culture
  • Stephen Chow
  • transborder

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