‘Mirroring Hou Hsiao-Hsien explores a new aesthetic perspective in Chinese-Zealand diasporic films and filmmaking, through the application and interpretation of Chinese-Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s film aesthetics and techniques. Opening with an investigation of the creative strategy in Hou’s films, this research links Hou’s aesthetic style to traditional Chinese artistic concepts Xie-Shi (realism) and Yi-Jing (artistic conception), sourced from Chinese ancient landscape painting and poetry. Through theoretical investigations and practical filmmaking, this research explores ways to integrate traditional Chinese aesthetics into cinematic strategies used to represent a Chinese-New Zealander’s diasporic experiences on screen.

This creative practice research project offers a different perspective on diasporic filmmaking studies through the investigation of creative possibilities to represent a Chinese-New Zealand diasporic experience via a fusion of traditional Chinese aesthetics and New Zealand’s geographical and cultural context. It intends to propose a new cross-cultural aesthetic that challenges hegemonic Hollywood film language and narrative norms, aiming to inspire Asian New Zealand filmmakers to start their investigation of their cultural roots and artistic exploration.