hybridization in architecture

Hybridization: Cultural Differences Shape Humanity
Hybridization is an unstable and non-stop historical process that tends towards unpredictable changes. It’s merely the mixing, blending and synthesizing of different elements and can be seen as an association of pre-existing elements, though arranged in new configurations. The presence of hybridity depends on who the audience is and how one observe，namely，it can not be seen from the same angle given “differences are the essence of humanity” (Hume,2003:17). This paper will first sketch the background and the state of the tree debates regarding the hybrid culture results that emerge along with globalization’s rise. It will then point out that hybridization is synthesizing superficial elements instead of deeply embedded cultural values by looking at different facets of Ang Lee’s martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon(the USA,2000) as an example.

Globalization is a phenomenon of interaction and integration within our society and culture that have drastically increased the recent changes in the world. Many believe a global culture will emerge along with its onset. However, viewpoints about the nature of its results generally been divided into three. Some believe that there will be a monolithic, homogeneous system (Wallerstein, 1990). Some argue that a ‘third space’ will be open within which cultural elements interact and transform each other, thus generating new forms (Wang and Yeh, 2005, p.175). Others illustrate that there will be an ensemble of ‘particulars’ (Hannerz, 1996), as it seems the process of globalization is a fusion of homogenization and heterogenization instead of a broad contours process of homogenization.The more trivial aspects of culture and society tend to transfer, however, the deeper, more embedded culture elements remain bound and stay specific.（Hassi and Storti,2005) Although never-ending interculturality may gradually become uniformized and lead to partly cultural standardization, cultural differences are unchangeable. While adopting standardized practices to produce common transcultural goods, producers still need to consider certain cultural specificities as what is exotic for some might be commonplace for others, vice versa. In other words, the definition of terms like ‘some’ or ‘other’ is both ambiguously different for each one since the same person simultaneously embodies several cultures, let alone societies.Thus supra-individual concepts are more likely illusory theoretical abstractions(Murdock,1972) or epitomes inferred from differentness in observer’s viewpoints spatial as well as temporal, and in which discrete culture particulars hardly cohesive and merely bear surface amalgamations.

Hybridization can be related to as “agencement” or arrangement of rhizomes. According to Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari famous rhizome concept in their Capitalism and Schizophrenia (1972–1980) project, rhizome usually grows underground horizontally, it spread with no direction, no beginning, and no end and is non-hierarchical, heterogeneous, multiplicitious and a-centred. With its image, we might simply illustrate that culture hybridity can be a juxtaposition or an integration of any different or similar culture points, and arranged in a never-before-seen formation. In that context, the subjective standpoint of the observer becomes essential, and it involved with each individual’s current convergence of knowledge, belief, art, morality, law, custom and all other abilities. Unless life could develop absolute uniformly, however, it’s impossible even in the simplified model in terms of this heterogeneity world(Boyd,2005), any kind of supra-individual concept can different for each one thus can’t form an objective view.

Cinema is a vehicle for exploring related cultural concepts for they are synergistic. Film is both a product and a former of culture. It is a mirror that projects collective images of culture’s contemporary attitudes, philosophies, values, and lifestyles while influencing them(Benson, 1974; Rushing & Frentz, 1978). Especially in the postcolonial era, under the circumstance of the demand for films have reached an unprecedented scale. In 2001, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as a Mandarin film achieved extraordinary success in the global market, has also received criticise. Charged by lacking authentical “Chineseness”, for it has purposely sidestepped the core of Confucianism; And even described with “westernisation” , because it seems caters to the West/East stereotype about Taoist image of China, which capitulated to the commercialist value system embodied in imperialism culture. According to the philosopher Charles Taylor, culture is indispensable to a relationship of two or more cultural spaces (Taylor, 1991: 32-33). So, it is inevitable to shed some lights on the cultural background of both Ang Lee’s team as well as audience groups if we want to analyse transculturality in his work.
Ang Lee, the producer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, is a diasporic Chinese born in Taiwan in 1954. He grows up in a Mainland migration KMT family with powerfully influential Confucianism, experienced American model open-minded education after moving to Tainan in 1963 and went to American to study drama at 1978. His cultural identity can not be located due to the complexity of his background and Taiwan’s historical background at that time.Lee once admits that he knew nothing about the real China. the China he presented on screen in the China in his head that probably never existed.He said In some ways, we’re all looking for that old cultural, historical, abstract China – the big dream of China that probably never existed. (Lyman, 2001: 1)