Chinese Print Media in NZ present ideas of Chinese Cultural Identity

This thesis is a study of the free newspapers thatform a significant part of the media consumed byChinese people in New Zealand. In it I examine howthese newspapers reflect and portray ideas ofidentity . Little work has been done on Chinese printmedia in New Zealand and the free newspapers haveoften been regarded as ephemeral and of littleinterest to media scholars. However, in this thesis Iargue that they offer insights into the experiencesand attitudes of the Chinese people in New Zealandboth those who have been settled here for many yearsand also more recent immigrants. This study isintended to show how these varied newspapers reflectideas about cultural identity in a diasporic setting.Two case studies are used to examine and elaboratethe idea of how the Chinese print media in NZ presentChinese cultural identity. Chinese readers pick upthe newspapers to read and discuss variouscontroversial stories. People argue about importantquestions such as 'who we are' and 'what is ouridentity'. By studying these newspapers, we can gaininsights into how the Chinese cultural identity istransformed by the experience of immigration.