Chinese Culture and Identity

Chinas Gegenwartsgesellschaft gleicht einem sozialwissenschaftlichen Laboratorium: Einerseits ist sie einer rasanten Umgestaltung unterworfen, die in vielerlei Hinsicht Parallelen zur Entwicklung in westlichen Ländern aufweist. Andererseits finden diese Prozesse sozialen Wandels in anderer zeitlicher Abfolge und Geschwindigkeit, vor einem eigenen historischen und kulturellen Hintergrund und unter gänzlich anderen politischen Vorzeichen statt. Dies ermöglicht es, gängige soziologische Theorien nicht nur anzuwenden, sondern zugleich ihre Erklärungskraft für den Fall China kritisch zu hinterfragen. Die Beiträge dieses Bandes nehmen mit den Themen Familie, Bildung, Arbeit und Identität die neuralgischen Punkte der chinesischen Gesellschaft in den Blick. Damit trägt der Band sowohl zu einem vertieften Verständnis der chinesischen Moderne als auch zur soziologischen Theorieentwicklung bei.

Bantengan adalah tarian tradisional masyarakat Malang, dan sekitarnya.Dalam beberapa tahun terakhir ini, di pentas pertunjukan yang cukup besar, pertunjukan Bantengan, terutama di Malang sering menampilkan pula tarian Naga (Liong) dan Singa (Barongsai).Adanya pentas ‘kolaborasi’ ini, menambah kinerja pentas Bantengan, yakni menarik banyak penonton dan undangan untuk pentas. Meskipun Barongsai  sebenarnya tidak terlalu sering diikutkan pentas sebagaimana Liong, namun perubahan tampilan tarian macanan (yang biasanya dimainkan oleh satu orang) di Bantengan dalam beberapa tahun terakhir ini bertransformasi menjadi sosok “Singo Arema”. Perubahan fisik tampilan macanan yang menjadi sosok Singo Arema dengan gaya tarian yang mirip dengan Barongsai  (dengan dua pemain)  diperkirakan mendapat pengaruh yang kuat dari Barongsai. Fenomena ini menimbulkan banyak pertanyaan yang menarik untuk dikaji dan dianalisis lebih lanjut. Seperti, bagaimana realitas pewarisan tradisi tarian Barongsai dan tarian Liong di dalam masyarakat Tionghoa Malang itu sendiri? Baik di era Orde Baru dan saat ini di era Reformasi sehingga sekarang tampaknya meresap ke dalam masyarakat Jawa sebagaimana tampak dalam pertunjukan Bantengan mereka.Bagaimana bentuk pertemuan dua tradisi ini bisa terjadi? Diperkirakan bahwa tarian Barongsai  danLiong ini tentu diperkenalkan dari Klenteng Eng An Kiong Malang serta kelompok sasana Wushu di Malang sekitarnya. Sejak kapan kedua tarian ini meresap ke masyarakat Bantengan Malang? Seperti apa respon dari dua komunitas tersebut terhadap pertunjukan Barongsai dan Liong di Bantengan. Dengan menggunakan pendekatan etnografi, tulisan ini mencoba untuk mengungkap fenomena kontemporer di pentas kesenian Bantengan di Malang yang menggambarkan adanya akulturasi harmonis antara masyarakat Tionghoa dan Jawa.
KATA KUNCI

Akulturasi, Barongsai & Liong Dances, Bantengan Malang

Hong Kong, as a former colony of the United Kingdom, is characterised as a hybrid of East and West. Its colonial history is commonly seen as establishing many positive aspects of Hong Kong and shaping good qualities of its people, such as the value of rule of law, free speech, freedom of the press, and fluency in English. Yet the majority of people in both Hong Kong and China share Han Chinese ethnicity, which has been used by both the Chinese and Hong Kong governments to promote a blood-based idea of Chinese identity for decades. This paper explores "Chineseness", or Chinese identity, as promoted by the Hong Kong government. It first explores the concept of Chineseness, elaborating on a blood-based view that connects with ethnic-nationalism, in contrast with a pluralistic view of identity in the Hong Kong context. The paper then examines how Hong Kong government officials promote Chineseness through major outlets, on government websites and in speeches captured in media. As we show, the government tends to advocate a blood-based view of Chineseness akin to ethnic-nationalism. A more inclusive and pluralistic view which recognises the dynamic nature and multiple visions of Chinese identity better fits Hong Kong's multicultural context.

It is often said that politics should not interfere with sports. However, the realization of China’s soccer dream might also be determined by another often-neglected dimension: Who is Chinese and who can represent China internationally? The current law prohibits dual nationality and there are strict administrative procedures for non-ethnic Chinese who intend to obtain legal citizenship. In China’s current national team, the majority of players is of Han Chinese origin, while there are only a few members that belong to the country’s other 55 ethnic groups. Mixed-ethnic or non-ethnic Chinese players are completely absent. This is in sharp contrast to Europe and many Arabic countries, which have been utilizing the resources of migrants, refugees, and ethnic minorities to increase their international competitiveness. In fact, most of the top performing soccer nations in recent years seem to have benefitted from an increasingly diverse talent pool. Arguably, this global trend may also affect China’s politics of representation in the foreseeable future. For instance, in recent years, soccer development policies have put greater emphasis on the northwestern province of Xinjiang, where Uyghurs have been identified as promising athletes, reshaping the body myth previously associated with the Korean minority in China’s northeast. From an ideological perspective, a “change of face” in the national team would not only offer a socio-political opportunity to foster national identity and cohesion, but also challenge dominant notions of Chineseness. At the same time, China’s soccer dream can only be achieved in direct competition with other Chinese nationals: The Special Administrative Regions (SAR) of Hong Kong and Macau, as well as Taiwan (officially competing under the name of “Chinese Taipei”), are all independent FIFA members and eligible to participate in international tournaments. Nonetheless, their players are also all in possession of a legal “Chinese nationality” and can choose their preferred representative team, at least theoretically. Future regulations currently considered by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) might accommodate more players from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau as “local players” in the Chinese league system, which would expand the Chinese dream beyond its current borders.1 In addition, some national sports associations have started to explore the possibility of recruiting Overseas Chinese that could boost China’s medal output in traditionally less successful sporting disciplines. Previously, such practices were better known in reverse, with foreign countries welcoming Chinese athletes, particularly in table tennis and badminton.