The Culture Of Fansub Groups In China

Fansub groups, community groups that translate, subtitle foreign cultural works and publishes their products in domestic resource sharing sites. As a new phenomenon in Chinese youth subculture, fansub groups provide their members with a lifestyle that is different from dominant and mainstream culture. Through analysis of original works, the group of young intellectuals reconstructs their own understanding of criticism and influence on the world in subtitle texts. They try to reconcile conflicts between social life and media environment with their own power. To some extent, their presence has become a turning point at which audiences begin getting rid of dominance of mainstream media and establishing self-identity. Fansub groups demonstrate fundamental characteristics of the Internet:free, open and sharing. Under these spirits, they bring a new style to youth culture by adhering to selfless and altruistic mindsets.The thesis starts from the perspective of youth subculture. Through relatively comprehensive and detailed descriptions of cultural spread of fansub groups in China and their participants, it studies different power relations of cooperation-competition and dialectics, between youth subculture groups and mainstream media, governmental and business power on culture. It confirms youth subcultures'potential of cultural creation, as represented by that of fansub groups and their positive effects on cultural transformation of the whole society.Chapter One contains background, significance, literature review, research methodology and framework design. Chapter Two,"Myths of the groups:establishment and development of China's fansub groups", comprehensively illustrates cultural background of fansub groups'establishment in China, elaborates the meaning and history of fabsub groups and introduces types and workflow of fansub groups. Chapter Three delves into identity construction of fansub groups in China, analyzes styles of fansub groups from three perspectives and demonstrates how the subculture groups defy mainstream culture. Chapter Four,"Right of domination and motion of logic of fansub groups' subcultural domain in China", goes deep into the invisible exploitation and repression in cultural production domain of fansub groups in China, shows the competitive reality of fansub groups community with different cultural, business and political power and analyzes cultural capital construction and social logic of fansub groups. Chapter Five scrutinizes value meaning and future development of fansub culture in China from six perspectives. The conclusion summarizes, refines and further develops this study, pointing out prospects for further research.