A Good Life For Us: 好美生活 - An Oral History Documentary: 
Diasporic Identity Formation in Cross-Cultural “Chinese” Families

My degree project will use documentary as a medium for seeking answers and insight on how my grandparents’ past has shaped our family identity in the greater context of post- 1949 Taiwan and the complicated dynamics of Taiwan’s waishengren 外省人 and benshengren 本省人 as a part of Taiwan’s collective identity and the larger Chinese Diaspora. A Good Life for Us examines identity, hardship, and memory in each generation through interviews, historical footage, and poignant shots of my grandparents and their home. Through reflection and discussion on long-avoided topics and untold stories, this documentary focuses primarily on YeYe, the silent patriarch with an intentionally hidden past. Each family member tells their story of wrestling with identity and an obscured relationship towards their heritage, leading to an opportunity to directly discuss these topics with YeYe himself. These recollections are reinforced, and sometimes contradicted with historical research and academic interviews that provide a larger context for audience members unfamiliar with Taiwan and China’s complicated past. Hoping to shed light on the sacrifices and circumstances that have shaped my own family, A Good Life for Us is a one- of-a-kind narrative that speaks to the experience of countless others.

Date

2021

Resource Type

Text

Resource Subtype

Masters Project
Paper

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