How do Chinese print media in New Zealand present ideas of Chinese cultural identity?

Abstract

Two case studies examine and elaborate the idea of how the Chinese print media in New Zealand present Chinese cultural identity. The thesis examines the free Chinese newspapers given away in shops, supermarkets and other location where Chinese people gather. Do Chinese people use the media to maintain their cultural identity or to adapt to a new environment? The Chinese community in New Zealand is varied due to the diversity of its origins and the different stages at which its members have arrived. The Chinese in New Zealand show many differences in countries or regions of birth, languages, dialects, religions, values, behaviour and cultural identities. Little work has been done on Chinese print media in New Zealand. Many New Zealanders regard the Chinese community as homogenous. They do not know how many different kinds of Chinese newspapers there are in New Zealand and why Chinese migrants have so many of them. Chinese migrants in New Zealand group themselves after their arrival according to their origin, values, religions, dialects, and behaviours. Such varied groups of Chinese need their own papers to express their ideas, attitudes, values and argument. This study is intended to show how these varied newspapers reflect ideas about cultural identity in diasporic setting. Another important factor is how the Chinese print media react to an issue or social events and how readers respond. Chinese readers pick up the newspapers to read and discuss various controversial stories. People argue about important questions such as “who we are” “what we are doing here” and “what is our identity”. By studying these newspapers, we can gain insights into how the Chinese cultural identity is transformed by the experience of immigration.