ความเป็นจีนในละครโทรทัศน์ไทย

Abstract

This research aimed to study Chineseness in Thaitelevision serials. The research topics included  1) Chineseness appeared in Thai television serials from the beginning to the present, and 2) Chineseness construction through television serial elements.  Theoretical concepts used were follows: 1) TV serial concepts 2) Chineseness concept 3) Semiotics, and 4) Meaning theory of media portrayal. The methods used in the study were document and textual analysis from DVD and youtube.

The results showed that Chineseness in Thai television serials from the beginning to the present can bedivided into four periods. The firstperiod was the period ofChinese historical drama (1956-1962). In this period, there are no contents illustratingcontemporary Chinese events or Chinese people in Thailand. The story of the secondperiod was about the first generation of Chinese immigrants in Thailand (1978-1985).  Chinese characters in this periodoften hadconflicts with Thai characters, and their social status was seen asmarginal in Thai society. The thirdperiod presented the improvement of socio-economic status of Chinese family in Thailandand some more relationship between Thai and the second generation Chinese in Thailand (1988-1997). The fourthperiod has demonstrated a great numbers oftelevision serial remakingand new interpretation of Chinese in Thailand (1998-present). In this remaking period,Chinese as marginal was rare. The characters became to the rich as well as mafias or moguls. 

Chinese characters portray Chineseness in terms of family and gender roles. The places that portray Chineseness include Chinese opera theaters, shrines, restaurants, graves, cinemas and opium dens. In terms of social context, Chineseness presence in birthday parties and wedding ceremonies, history, proverbs, traditional performances, traditional medicine, symbols of flowers and fruits, belief, costumes, martial heroes,and food and drinkare exemplified.  More to the point, voice and sound elementsare used to portray Chineseness, for example, Taechew dialect and intonation including Chinese music and musical instruments are employed.

The portrayal of Chineseness through various elements of television serials appeared two directions 1) Making obviously by using Chinization, Taechewization, and Thai-Chinization for audio-visual elements and 2) Reducing the complexity of Confucian philosophy.