Sing Tsiah-Png: Displacement and Diaspora in Taiwanese American Cinema

Author

• Yung-Jen Yang, CUNY Graduate CenterFollow

Date of Degree

9-2026

Document Type

Master's Capstone Project

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Program

Liberal Studies

Advisor

Christopher Schmidt

Subject Categories

American Film Studies | Art Practice | Asian American Studies | Film and Media Studies | Film Production | Visual Studies

Keywords

Taiwanese American Cinema, Taiwan New Cinema, Diasporic Cinema, Taiwanese Subjectivity, Pan-Chinese Assimilation, Tigertail

Abstract

Taiwanese American cinema is often overlooked and categorized as pan-Chinese or broader Asian American cinema, and the factors shaping its cultural identity are not fully understood. This capstone project addresses this issue with a two-part structure: first, drawing on theories from cinema and diasporic studies, the capstone White Paper analyzes Taiwanese-American cinema and its use of 1980s Taiwan New Cinema approaches. Second, these theories are applied to the capstone object itself: an 11-minute short film addressing the Taiwanese diaspora.

The White Paper places Taiwanese American cinema in the context of Taiwan New Cinema’s style, while also looking at how it differs from pan-Chinese diasporic films. It begins with an examination of two Taiwanese New Cinema filmmakers, Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang, and the ways they construct Taiwanese-ness through techniques of retrospective and alienated storytelling. Then it analyzes closely two films emerging from the Taiwanese diaspora, Ang Lee’s Pushing Hands (1991) and Alan Yang’s Tigertail (2020), and assesses how successfully these films draw on Taiwan New Cinema traditions of featuring Taiwan’s political history in their explorations of Taiwanese American life.

My creative project, Sing Tsiah-Png, further extends the psychological and aesthetic traditions of Taiwan New Cinema into American settings. The story centers on an elderly Taiwanese immigrant woman, Huiping, who has lost her memory and her ability to speak after a fall in New York. Through her recovery, she is reunited with her long-estranged son, Yinghao, who travels from Taiwan to support her rehabilitation. As mother and son struggle to reconnect, the film explores how the unresolved trauma of Taiwan’s martial-law era continues to affect families across generations.

Together, the white paper and short film place Taiwanese American cinema in the context of Taiwan New Cinema’s style. By strengthening the connection to this particular cinematic legacy, the capstone examines how filmmaking helps marginalized communities preserve their culture and assert their identity. It also reclaims modern Taiwanese American films’ cultural sovereignty, distinct from the overgeneralized category of Asian American film.

Recommended Citation

Yang, Yung-Jen, "Sing Tsiah-Png: Displacement and Diaspora in Taiwanese American Cinema" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6834