An Analysis Of Taoist Yin-yang Theory In North American Chinese Diaspora Literature

Taoism has been influencing Chinese for more than 2,000 years since it was established.With such a long history it does not lose any vitality.Rather,Taoism gained extensive attention both at home and abroad.The glamour of its naive dialectic still attracts people to study this ancient Chinese wisdom.North American C hinese diaspora literature works not only received high appraisal in the host countries of diaspora groups,but also obtained world-wide approval.It is obvious and common that the harshness caused by exile and racial discrimination of daily life of North American C hinese runs through nearly all the diaspora literature works.Based on the life experience of Chinese diaspora,studies o n the diaspora literature were usually focused on culture clash and cultural identity.This thesis,however,applies Taoism into the interpretation of North American Chinese diaspora literature and analyzes the embodiment of Taoist?s Yin-Yang thoughts in these literature works.The analysis is not only a demonstration of practicability of Taoism,but also a new understanding of Chinese diaspora literature.The thesis falls into six chapters.Chapter O ne is an introduction of the background of the study,the formation and development of Taoism,the notion of Taoist Yin-Yang,and the concept of literary diaspora.Chapter Two is literature review,focusing on the research status of Taoism and Taoist Yin-Yang theory as well as of North American diaspora literat ure both at home and abroad.Chapter Three probes into the universality of Yin-Yang theory in North American Chinese diaspora literature,which is concretely indicated by the Yin-Yang attributes of food,and the Yin-Yang of personalities.Chapter Four explores the opposition and unification of Yin and Yang in North American C hinese diaspora literature,in which the opposition is of traditional C hinese culture and western culture,while the unification is of male features and female features,and of obedience and rebellion.Combined with Hofstede?s theory of cultural dimensions,the opposition of traditional C hinese culture and western culture subdivides into the opposition of collectivism and individualism,the opposition of high-power distance and low-power distance,and the opposition of long-term orientation and short-term orientation.The unification of male features and female features as well as of obedience and rebellion proves that the female characters are the unities of opposites.Chapter Five deals with the conversions of Yin and Yang in North American Chinese diaspora literature.The conversions of misery and happiness,of cultural identity,and of tolerance and defiance are powerful evidence that conditionally the pair of contradictions can convert to the other.The conversions of misery and happiness reveal the fluctuating fortunes of Chinese diaspora groups,and reflect the rigors of their lives.The conversions of cultural identity and of tolerance and defiance that are not embodied clearly in all the diaspora literature works should not be ignored as well.Chapter Six discusses the significance and the limitations of the study.This study finds out the embodiment of Taoist Yin-Yang theory in North American Chinese diaspora literature and promotes the transmission of traditional C hinese philosophy.Moreover,the study is also a new perspective of the interpretation of North American Chinese diaspora literature.There exist some limitations in this study as well.