Shared anthropology and popular music studies: pursuing the questions of Chineseness with filmmaking

Lin, Chen-Yu 2021. Shared anthropology and popular music studies: pursuing the questions of Chineseness with filmmaking. Anthropology Vision 29 (12) , pp. 51-55.

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Abstract

This article reflects on the making of Chasing the China Wind: A Musical Journey (2016), a thirty-minute ethnographic documentary developed alongside my doctoral research on popular music audiences across Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom. Drawing on ethnographic interviews, participant observation, textual analysis, and filmmaking, the project explores how post-1990s audiences perceive and negotiate “Chineseness” through Chinese Wind pop music, particularly the works of Jay Chou and lyricist Vincent Fang. Inspired by Kuan-Hsing Chen’s concept of “Asia as Method” and Jean Rouch’s notion of “shared anthropology,” the article argues that filmmaking can function not merely as documentation but as a methodological extension of ethnographic inquiry. Through feedback screenings and audience discussions across Europe and Taiwan, the film generated new dialogues about authenticity, orientalism, cultural identity, and the politics of representation within global popular music studies. The article further critiques Western-centric assumptions embedded in discussions of musical authenticity and Chinese cultural expression, arguing that “Chineseness” in transnational popular music is historically contingent, constantly renegotiated, and shaped by unequal global cultural infrastructures. Ultimately, the paper proposes ethnographic filmmaking as an experimental and reflexive method that enriches both anthropological writing and popular music research

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Journalism, Media and Culture
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) M Music and Books on Music > M Music
Language other than English:	Chinese
Publisher:	Taiwan Society for Anthropology and Ethnology
ISSN:	978-986-02-0952-5
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	20 May 2026
Last Modified:	21 May 2026 14:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/187131

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