Foreign Language Publications Modern Chinese Literature and Culture

"Nezha Was Here": Structures of Dis/placement in Tsai Ming-liang's "Rebels of the Neon God" Author(s): Carlos Rojas Reviewed work(s): Source: Modern Chinese Literature and Culture, Vol. 15, No. 1, Special Issue on Taiwan Film (SPRING, 2003), pp. 63-89 Published by: Foreign Language Publications Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41490894 . Accessed: 16/11/2012 07:36
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"Nezha

Was

Here": in Tsai

Structures Ming-liang's 6od

of

Dis/placement Rebels Carlos Rojas of the

Neon

In 1995# Taiwanproducer Tsai the Wang Niancicommissioned Ming-liang to filma documentary AIDS in Taiwan,as part of a largerseriesof on J The was intended focusmore to documentaries thespreadof HIV. series on of on the socialand cultural disease, implications AIDS as a transnational link its as opposedto merely reinforcing stereotyped to male homosexualon were asked to contribute documentaries focusing ity(otherdirectors and women).Against AIDSinrelation topicssuchas HongKong,Japan, to Tsai theexpress however, decidedto concentrate requestof hisproducers, a thatthereremained on on gaymeninfected withthevirus, the grounds in greatdeal of misunderstanding Taipei,not onlyabout AIDS,but also about the gay men withwhom the disease has oftenbeen associated. withmorethanten HIV-infected interviews After conducting preliminary withtwo of them.The interviews gay men,Tsaiended up usingin-depth is entitledMy New Friends, a somberand lyrical documentary, resulting thatAIDS has had on these men'slives, not reflection onlyon the impact to some degree these menattempted retain butalso on the way inwhich in of normalcy theirlives,in spiteof being HIV-positive (Tsai 1995; Wen 2002: 126-129). the Tsai'sdocumentary conjunction themesof bringsinto dramatic on and AIDS,homosexuality, the geographic space ofTaiwan.Byfocusing on the Taiwan, film developsa morelocalizedperspective thetransnational

ithank anonymous reviewers the the for help clarifying their in valuable and argument adding references,

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the to whereas attention AIDSand homosexuality, spreadofHIVf conversely, is usedto present somewhat a unconventional on perspective the political the drawsattention this to bodyof Taiwanitself. Although documentary of the elements,it nevertheless conjunction individual activelyresists be equivalencethatone might temptedto projectupon them.Thatisto Tsai on in to the say, focuses gaymenwithAIDSprecisely order resist facile thatAIDS is a "gay disease." Although about AIDS, stereotype ostensibly Tsai'sdocumentary perhapsbetterunderstood a critical is as exploration of conventional about bothhomosexuality Taiwanidenand assumptions In not a of tity. thisway,the documentary onlyprovides glimpse the alltoo-realsocialissueofthetransnational spreadof HIVamonggay menin butalso effectively the figure AIDSas a metaphor the uses of for Taiwan, deconstruction thesesame conventional of and sexualidentigeographic ties (e.g., "Taiwanness" and "homosexuality"). The use of AIDS in MyNew Friends a figure the deconstruction as for offixed and also a geographic sexualidentities provides useful point entry intoa broaderconsideration Tsai'scinematic of as oeuvre,insofar hisown as also aspublicidentity a filmmaker explicitly challengesconventional about both Taiwan and homosexualidentity. begin with, To sumptions the Tsaiisfrequently Taialthough Taipei-based groupedwithprominent wan directors suchas Hou Hsiao-hsien Edward and Tsaiisactually a Yang, nativeof Malaysiaand did not moveto Taiwanuntil1977,when he enrolledinTaipei'sChinese Culture (Wenhuadaxue) at the age of University nineteen.Similarly, Tsai'scinematic relation withhomosexuality his (like relation with isalso farfrom with films Taiwan) straightforward. Although such as Vivel'amour(Aiqingwansui,1994) and The River (Heliu,1997), TsaiMing-liang emergedas one of the mostprovocative original has and directors withhomoerotic he themes, has nevChinese-language working ertheless statedhisresistance beingstereotyped merely to as a repeatedly director 1997: 18). I would suggestthatthe moreim(Jiao/Cai "gayfilm" portantquestion is not so muchhow Tsai'sfilms engage withissuesof 64 Tsai Ming -lia rig's Rebels of the Neon God

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but how thesefilms "Taiwanness" homosexuality, rather or encourageus these proto reexamine very the notionof identity ostensibly underlying cessesof identification. constitutes particularly a BecauseMyNewFriends potentintersection and withTaiwaneseand homosexual withtheseparallelconcerns identity I therefore whichwe findin muchof Tsai'slargeroeuvre, identification, of a as take the 1995 documentary a starting pointforexamining cluster thatare developedin hisfirst relatedquestions film, full-length Rebelsof theNeon God (1992). Rebelsnotonlyengages ina particularly compelling but and sexual orientation, way withthe issuesof geographicidentity five to the reference AIDS in any of Tsai'sfirst also contains onlyexplicit coincifilms full-length (throughWhat TimeIs It There?).Thisthematic dence betweenthe passingallusionto AIDS in Rebelsof the Neon God alof examination AIDS in My New Friends moreexplicit, and the later, lows us to see AIDS inthesetwo worksnot onlyas a specific disease,but and encounter flowsofcontaas for also moreabstractly, a figure random the upon spatialand socialboundaries challenge firm gionthateffectively I arMore specifically, to whichidentity maybe imagined be grounded.1 and withthemesoffluidity of gue thatthefigure AIDSinRebelsresonates that is not based on specific a visionof identity mediation, suggesting of is or libidinal loci,but rather the product moredelocalizedprospatial and cessesof transference displacement. Marks of Contagion of to Before proceeding a detailedconsideration Rebelsof theNeon God, both on the geographicspace in whichthe I providesome background Tsai's within film was conceivedand set and on the locationof the film oeuvre.Rebelsof the Neon God is set in modernTaipei,as incinematic in of In it deed are all ofTsai'sfilms. fact, is precisely recognition thisfocus films Rebels,Vivel'amour( 1994) and The three on TaipeithatTsai'sfirst - are sometimes His to referred as his"Taipeitrilogy." fourth River (1997) Modern Chinese Literature and Culture 65

11n AIDS as treating here a metaphor, the I neither nor deny downplay social of devastating impactthe in itself ways which disease orthe about misleading generalizations and is how viruscontracted the have used spread been toincrease specific prejudice various against social groups.

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was commissioned partof an interas The Hole (1998), meanwhile, film, nationalcinematic on project the themeof "The year2000 seen through urthe eyesof . . .," and explicitly Taipei'scontemporary brings together ban transformation the transnational and fin-despreadof a mysterious, virus that could be seen as a symbol sicle "Taiwanvirus"(an imaginary fifth WhatTime ItThere? Is for, HIV). film, (2001), amongotherthings, Tsai's this withthe space of Paris, brings focuson Taipeiintostark juxtaposition half world a as reminisces about Xiaokang obsessively away, theprotagonist a youngwoman whom he barelyknew,who boughta watchfromhim in and thenwentto Paris. films, Generally speaking, Tsai's Taipei's cityscape not onlyprovides concretebackground the characters, also efa for but in becomesa locusof attention itsown right. defectively Paradoxically, to attention the spatial specificity contemporary of spite this recurrent Tsainevertheless also admitted has sumcommunication, Taipei, (personal mer2002)that,at one level, setting this often functions as merely a convenientbackdrop reflection the natureof contemporary on for urbanexperiencein general. relevant Tsai'sfirst to Rebelsof the film, Spatiallocationisparticularly Neon God,inthatthefilm notonlyset inTaipei,butalso foregrounds is a in the Southwestsection of the cityknownas specificneighborhood the the Ximending literally, "WestGate District."2 proAlthough film's can be seen zippingalong the city streets theirmotorcycles on tagonists and scooters, mostof the action remains bounded bythe verycarefully mainavenuesthatcircumscribe WestGate District the (Wen2002: 84-85). Thisparticular has a keynostalgic moreover, neighborhood, significance forTsaiMing-liang himself wellas forTaiwanesecinemaingeneral.Tsai as was drawnto thisdistrict, instance, for when he arrived Taipeiin the in late 1970sas a college student, and it was herethat he received thora introduction Taiwanand to worldcinema.As he recalls a 1999 to in ough interview:

2Tsai notes after focused also that he onthe ofthe Gate teenagers West District in Rebels well in as as two earlier television many series, people came view asanexpert the to him on issue et (Rehm al.1999: 84).

66 Tsai Ming-liang 's Rebels of the Neon God

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Inthe earlydays[after in ofarriving Taipeiin 1977],I wentvery ten to the district called "Ximending"3 sim(WestGate District), thas no plybecause therewas a lot of cinemathere.Of course, the case now because Taipeihas changeda lot,butwhen longer I was stilla student, thas wherethe cinemaswere and the production which often on screenings. truethatI origiIs houses, put wentthereforthe films, is also truethatXimending but is nally drawnto it is a teenage district. reason stillso strongly The that I feel veryclose to it and the people there. (Rehmet al. 1999:83) The West Gate District long been regardedas the centerof Taiwan has was The name "Ximending" cinema,as well as itssymbolic birthplace. to arounda specific used bythe Japaneseto refer the district originally streetthat runsfromeast to west and that latercame to be knownas the was notrenamed Taiwan's"film street" dianying Although street ( jie). film street"would until1922 (and the idea of a "Ximending Ximending boththestreet and the notcome intoexistence another for fifteen years), withcinemaforsome had generaldistrict alreadybeen associatedclosely to first theaterdevotedsolely film timebefore that.Infact, Taiwan'svery same street early 1911 (Ye as as thatvery (theFangnai ting)opened along the Japaneseoccupationand the 1997: 20-25; 47). Sincethen,through the and martial imposedbythe Kuomintang, up through late 1980s, law concentramaintained largest the the WestGate District consistently has tion of cinemasand film studiosin Taiwan.Bythe early1990s,the nine the film theaters builtduring Japaneseoccupationhad increased original theatersclusteredin thiscompactneighborto as manyas thirty-seven hood (Ye 1997:292). as the 1990s,however, district's the significance the heartof During film because ithas cometo be viewedmoreas Taiwan's declined, industry of centerand teen hangout.Inthe conclusion a coma generalshopping of bookon thecinematic throughhistory theWestGateDistrict prehensive film scholar Ye Longyan observes out the twentieth century,the

3Here in I have and what follows, used in revised transliteration the the text. original

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nostalgically: On October20, 1991,when the eight-building Zhonghuamall, whichhad heldso many memories everyone for and middle-aged was razed bythe municipal as older, government partof its"SixYear Victory Movement Reconstruction it Project," was as ifthe WestGate District itself suddenly had becomean isolatedold man cut offfrom old world,and itwas as ifthe district's the cinemas werescreening of their version TheWest GateDistricts Final Night. (Ye 1997:290) Thistransformation the district's of cinematic armoreover, significance, the declineof Taiwan'sdomestic film It guablyparallels relative industry. was at thatsame historical in the moment, late 1991,thatXu Ligong, vice(CMPC),lamented managerof the CentralMotionPictures Corporation the relative lackof new directorial talentinTaiwancinema,noting that, "Sincethe emergence directors of suchas Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang, Ke Yizhengand Wan Ren,Taiwancinemahas been a virtual vacuum"(in Wen 2002: 71). Xu laments absenceof anyclearsuccessor the influthe to entialNew TaiwanCinemathat had emergedduring the 1980sand sugthat Taiwancinemais ina stateof crisis. gestspessimistically the entire Atthesametime, the in moment theearly1990s however, transitional to whichXu Ligongpointsrepresented onlya symbolic not for twilight bothWestGate and Taiwancinema,but also marked potential a the for new beginning. almostprecisely withthe 1991 razingof the Coinciding about the relativelack of Zhonghua mall and Xu Ligong'sobservation new directorial talentinTaiwan, soughtout TsaiMing-liang suggest Xu to thatTsaidirect film a 2002:70). Notonlyhad Tsaijustbeen given the (Wen best-director awardforhistelevision show"Lixiang ganqingxian"(The de emotionalthreadof beautiful but Xu fragrance), furthermore, had been Tsai's television eversinceTsai's acclaimed 1989 work, impressed by critically of the earth) a program that,inproduction, "Haijiao tianya"(Corners

68 Tsai Ming-Hang's Rebels of the Neon God

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The that enough,was also set in the WestGate District. film terestingly between Tsai and Xu fromthese initialdiscussions ultimately emerged an tranRebelsof theNeon God, represents, therefore, important Ligong# and of sitionalpoint in both the history the West Gate District Taiwan of can cinemaingeneral.The film be seen as an incarnation Ye Longyan's the FinalNight," while it represents "The WestGate District's figurative intothe pantheonof eliteTaiwanesedirecof beginning Tsai'sown entry talentthatXu the torsand implicitly to fill vacuuminnewdirectorial helps at had identified. Finally, a morepersonallevel,Rebelscan also be read as manyof the generalthemesthatwould come foreshadowing uncannily or oeuvreoverthe nextdecade. Tsaiwrites Tsai'scinematic to characterize to and for cowrites screenplays all of hisfilms, also returns the repeatedly in of many the same actorsand themes.Tsaican be seen as a trueauteur, but demandto be viewednotonlyas independent thathisfilms creations, oeuvre. also as interrelated piecesof a collective four betweenRebelsof theNeon God and Tsai'ssubsequent The links beto motifs specific films correspondences generalthematic rangefrom severalof in tween moments each work.To beginwith,Rebelsfeatures turnin his subsequentfilms, the actorsto whomTsaiwould repeatedly as Chen Zhaorong,Miao Tian,and Lu established actorssuch including ChenZhaorong actorLiKangsheng. as wellas the nonprofessional Xiaolin, rivalof the protagonist, playsin Rebelsthe partof Ah Ze, the youthful to Vivel'amour, playa similar, in and returns Tsai'ssecondfilm, Xiaokang, and What in TheRiver role.He also appears moremature, thoughslightly Miao Tianand Lu XiaolinplayXiaokang'sparTimeIs It There?Similarly, the to ents in Rebels,and then return playessentially same rolesin The River (Miao Tianalso has important partsin TheHole and WhatTimeIs It witha The mostobviousexampleofTsai'slong-term relationship There?). Li withLiKangsheng. is a nonis however, hiscollaboration actor, specific arcade and who in actorwhomTsaidiscovered a video-game professional and has "Xiao hai" (Child), in first starred Tsai's1991 television program,

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each timeidentified the films, gone on to starinall ofTsai'ssubsequent by - Xiaokang, "little same diminutive version Kangsheng's of own name or collaboration had significant has for implications Kang." Thislong-term Tsai'swork,because Tsaihas adapted hiscinematic to style accommodate Li'suniquely laconicbodilyrhythm, because Li has increasingly and come to standforTsai'srelationship withhisown father, well as figure the as as director's cinematic alterego. It is precisely aroundthe figureof Xiaokang,furthermore, the that in themesof homoeroticism Tsai'sfilms developedmostexplicitly. are The homoerotic tensionpossibly hintedat in Rebels in the relationship be, tween Xiaokangand Chen Zhaorong'scharacter, Ze, forinstance, Ah is elaboratedquite directly yearslater, Vivel'amour,where it once in two the again involves characters played by Li and Chen. In the latterfilm, character attracted Chen's to Xiaokangisa quietand introverted explicitly - to the pointofsecretly Ah character, Rong outgoingand playboy kissing Ah Rongone day as he liesasleep in a vacantapartment. is Tsai'sthird It The River, thatfeatures what is almostcertainly most the film, however, notorious sceneof libidinal in to displacement all of hisfilms date,namely, the scene in whichXiaokangand hisfather (again playedbyMiao Tian) homoerotic contact a darkbathhouse in before recengage inanonymous each other. ognizing the focuson Taipei, Tsai's films consistently also Paralleling geographic moreconfined and rooms, foreground spatialareas suchas apartments, elevators. instance, use ofthevacantapartment Vive For the in l'amouras a sitefora variety anonymous of encounters betweenthethreemainpromirrored the role of the bathhouse,in The tagonistsis subsequently by in betweenXiaokangand hisfather. the In River, enablingthe encounter same way,Tsai's 1998 filmThe Hole takes itstitlefromthe plate-sized in thatabruptly his aperture thefloorofXiaokang's apartment brings life intocontact witha stranger, femaleneighbor theapartment the in below. Inall threecases,individual rooms function so muchas a form spanot of 70 Tsai Mi ng -1i a ng 's Rebels of the Neon God

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for as tial demarcation but,moreimportant metonyms the processes by whichthese preexisting spatialand social boundariesare contestedand inthe two the of Furthermore, latter examples, themes water compromised. and fluidity bathhousein The River inherently is and humid, (the damp and in TheHole it notonlyrainscontinuously, waterconstantly but leaks intothe apartmentbelow) become potent fromXiaokang'sapartment dissolution existing of for toboundaries, physical symbols the concurrent unconnected lives. withthe suturing otherwise of gether cometo function a metaphor invisas for Moregenerally, liquidflows For the iblecontagionand contamination. instance, Kafkaesque"Taiwan virus"in The Hole is explicitly associatedwiththe incessant deluge that fin-de-sicle and Xiaokang's afflicts at this neck Taipei juncture, debilitating as of is crampin TheRiver presented the result hishavingbeen asked,at of to the beginning the work, playthe partof a floating corpsein a polBecausethe invisible lutedTaipeiriver. diseases spreadof communicable the presumed ofspecific the geographic spatialunits, challenges integrity themeof waternot onlyhelpsto definethe urbansetting thesefilms of an spatial locusthat efTaipei),but also constitutes alternative (namely, destabilizes thesespatialcategories. fectively The dichotomy between wateryflowsand spatial enclosures recurs Rebelsof theNeon God a s well from initial the contrast bethroughout tween the enclosed space of Xiaokang'sbedroom and Ah Ze running aroundinthe pouring rainoutside, the scene at the end of the film to of Ah Ze's own apartment, floodedwithstagnant waterthatsurgesup irreout floor.I begin myreadingof the pressibly of the drainin the kitchen how the openingof the film the film, therefore, considering presents by but enclosedspace ofXiaokang's bedroomas a provisional, ultiphysically to inadequate,barrier the socialand ideological(and, indeed,litmately of outside. eral)fluidity the street-world

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Of Space and Movement Rebelsof the Neon God opens on a rainy Taipei evening,and the first of scenesfeatures two youngmenwho willemergeas the the sequence 4The room in film very used this in Tsai's third reappears subsequently in The it film. River- whichbelongs, not however, toXiaokang himself, but ratherhis to parents. Tsai's See discussion issue the of this in in Wen interview 2002: 228. central of protagonists thework: Xiaokangand AhZe. Theformer initially sitsat hisbedroomdeskgazingout hiswindowat the rain/ and the latter runs aroundoutsideinthe rainwithhisfriend Bin.Xiaokangisa quiet Ah and rather teen who livesat home withhisparents and who, at moody the beginning the film, preparing take the standardized of is to college a entranceexams byattending cramschool,forwhichhisfatherhas alfromwhichXiaokang latersecretly readypaid (and dropsout). Ah Ze, of who isroughly thesame age as Xiaokang, leadsa very different We life. never AhZe's parents, he appearsto spendmuch histimecruissee and of aroundTaipeion hismotorcycle, alternatively or ingaimlessly robbing pay and video arcades,when he is not spendinghismoneyon video phones do games or otherdiversions. Although Xiaokangand Ah Ze initially not knoweach other, filmnevertheless the the stresses inverse parallelsbewiththe openingminutes the workfeaturing very tweentheirlives, of a alternation betweenthesetwo protagonists. careful, scene-by-scene In the first scene of the film's prologue,Ah Ze and Ah Binare seen to from pourthe dashingintoa telephonebooth,apparently takeshelter drill of theyuse an electric to forceopen the keyhole the ingrain;instead coin box. The following scene thencutsto Xiaokang, publictelephone's in who is studying his bedroom.He noticesa cockroach underhischair, and calmly impalesitwiththe pointof hiscompass(fig.1). The nextseveral scenescontinue cut back and forth to betweenAh Ze and Ah Bin who roba fewmorepublic beforeretreating a video-game to telephones, to who concludes that parlor spendtheirill-gotten gains and Xiaokang, 1: a FigureCompass impaling cockroach onXiaokang's desk. thecockroach died and tossesitoutthewindow. has Thisstrict alternation of shortscenes ends abruptly when Xiaokang observesthe cockroach it out, had notdied afterall) crawling the outsideof his (which, turns up bedroomwindow,and then accidentally cuts himself while banginghis

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to the insectdown palmon the glass windowpanein an attempt knock with dramatic the of lective 2). shattering thesemiref (fig. Itisat thispoint, breaksmomentarily thatthe film from strict the windowpane, mirroring structure that it has followedup to thispointand cutsto the opening credits. in Thecontrast established theseopeningscenesbetweenXiaokang's confinement Ah Ze's and Ah Bin'sapparent and spatialand psychological and freedom reinforced the imageof Xiaokang's of imis act mobility by A of withthe compass. compass, course,isa drafting palingthe cockroach tool fordrawing circle, functions specifying radiusand a point a and a by of origin, and then tracing the perimeter determined that pointof by ForXiaokang,the compassnot onlysymbolizes mathhomethe origin. work whichhe ispresumably for the usingit(and,byimplication, parental and institutional strictures whichhe clearly feels confined), also, but by moreabstractly, the boundaries hisbedroom, home, of his suggests physical and even of the Taipei neighborhood whichhe moves all of through whichbothdelimit physical his movement definehisidentity and (thatis, his Ah radiusand pointof origin). Ze's and Ah specifying own figurative Bin'sphysical and ideologicalmobility, contrast, symbolized the is by by videoarcadewherethey end up thatfirst Inthe published screenevening. ofthefilm,5 videoarcade isidentified a diandong this as play youlechang, - inwhich binmefor"electronic," or "electronic entertainment site" the as The diandong,could be translated literally "movedbyelectricity." abstract of "dian" (electricity), I argue,functions within film a the as figure of both inthe sense thattechnologies suchas powerful symbol mobility, actual and virtual ) ) telephones(dianhua and elevators(dianti facilitate and arcadesand telephone movement, thatthesocialworldofvideo-game centers thefilm in a symbolic dating represents space ofvirtual effectively wherein of freedom, teenagersoperate relatively independently parents and otherauthority figures. From thisinitial contrast betweenXiaokang'sconfinement strategic Modern Chinese Literature and Culture 73

2: his FigureXiaokang shattering bedroom windowanattempt in to knock cockroach the down.

5Cai/Zhang This 1992. coauthored text out the came in same asthe year film contains only entire and not the but also of screenplay, a couple introductory and essays fictionalized "character sketches" ofthe ofeach characters. major

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and AhZe's freedom, Rebelsexplores howXiaokangattempts pushthe to boundaries hisphysical ideological of and even constrictions, as AhZe himselfisconfronted withthe implicit limits hisown ostensible of spatialand social mobility. Nearthe beginning the film, of Xiaokanggoes to the administrative office the cramschoolinwhichhisfather of himand enrolled - thuseffectively asksto withdraw himself from one of the more freeing salientelementsof hisparentaland educationalconfinement. Ze, on Ah the otherhand,meetsnearthe beginning the film youngwoman by of a the nameofAh Gui,who initially shareshisown free-floating sensibilities, butwhomhe ultimately comesto resent restricting autonomy. for his The two meetoutsideAh Ze's apartment, Ah after Gui has had what appears to have been a one-night standwithAhZe's olderbrother,6 he immeand diately givesAh Guia rideon hismotorcycle. Ah Ze and Xiaokangeffectively shadoweach otherthroughout most of the film, and theirtwo moments directcontactare partially of medithefigures Ah Guiand Xiaokang's of ated by The father, respectively. first timeXiaokangand Ah Ze encounter each other, appropriately enough,is on thestreets Taipei,as Xiaokangisbeingdriven hisfather's of in taxi,and Ah Gui is riding withAh Ze on hismotorcycle. each other Theyencounter at a red light, have a brief overwho has the right way,and of argument Ah Ze smashesthe taxi'sdriver-side in side-view mirror a fitof anfinally watches entire the scene gerand rides away.Meanwhile, Xiaokang silently from taxi'spassengerseat (fig.3). Likethe brokenbedroomwindow the at the beginning the film(fig.2), the shattered of mirror an symbolizes in shift the relationship betweenXiaokangand Ah Ze; it is at important thisprecisemoment thatthe two characters mirmovefrom figuratively each otherto actively into roring intruding each other'slives(fig.4). The randomact of violenceon the streets Taipeisets in motiona chainof of eventsthatwilllargely determine courseofthe restofthe film. the More a specifically, Xiaokangwill laterfollowAh Ze (and Ah Gui) home from video arcade and willvandalizeAh Ze's motorcycle whileAh Ze and Ah

6When brother in the leaves the heplaces ofhis one morning, business in hand the cards the of stillAh sleeping Gui.

3:Ah the mirror of Figure Zeshattering father's Xiaokang's taxi.

4: shattered mirror. taxi FigureThe

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Guiare in a hotelroomtogether. is inthisscene,furthermore, we It that encounter film's the reference AIDS.Inadditionto stabbing to onlydirect the vehicle's tireswithhiscompass(presumably same one he used to the the cockroach the beginning thefilm)7 pouring and at of impale glue into the keyhole a (providing visualecho ofAhZe's own act of drilling through of of thekeyhole thepublic at telephones thebeginning thefilm), Xiaokang in the across also spray paints word"AIDS,"in English, largeyellowletters the motorcycle (figs.5, 6). The Taiwaneseauthorand critic Ta-wei(JiDawei) (who has writChi ten extensively queer issues)suggests on thatthisinscription be intercan desire. More pretedas an allusionto Xiaokang'srepressedhomoerotic Chi sees the inscription suggesting processof displaceas a specifically, "AIDS" to projectonto Ah Ze ment, whereby Xiaokangusesthe signifier hisown repressed homoerotic attraction Ah Ze: to the PerhapsXiaokangresents factthatAh Ze is sleepingwitha Ah or he and woman, perhaps iscursing Ze as homosexual, thereby the that and it dislikes, displacing onto taking identity he himself this of and active, therefigure theOther. Xiaokangisnotsexually forehe despisesthose who are and struggles rejectsex altoto He that he might become a homosexual, and gether. is terrified therefore first he attacks and then projects onto others, verbally themthe suspicion homosexuality. Dawei 1996:98) of (Ji Thisinterpretationquitesuggestive, is whenconsidered the in particularly context the moreexplicitly of homosexualrolethat Li Kangsheng's charwill acters go on to assumeinTsai'snext two films that (and itissignificant this the Chipublished essayin 1996,after releaseof bothVivel'amourand the documentary New Friends). the same time,however, readAt this My in Rebels because it value forthis particular scene ing has explanatory a specific causal relationship between the signifier "AIDS" presupposes and the context whichitappears.Thatisto say, in thisparticular reading the sexual relationship between Ah Ze and Ah foregrounds concurrent 7Tsai in notes aninterview this that useof compass very the was in the that deliberate, sense hefelt that earlier his television show, "Corners Earth," ofthe contained a "mistake" helater to that came - specifically, in a scene which regret onecharacter used (implausibly)his bare hands let air ofa to the out tire 2002: (Wen 220). motorcycle

5: the Figure Xiaokang spray-painting word "AIDS" Ah motorcycle. on Ze's

6: with Ze's FigureXiaokang Ah vandalized motorcycle. 75

Modern Chinese Literature and Culture

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of and sees the term "AIDS" as a quasi-transparent Gui# signifier a orientation desire. thesametime,however, was well or At it (homo)sexual was produced)that known(even during the early1990s,when the film HIVcould be transmitted, a of therewere actually number waysbywhich the homosexual contactbeingonlyone. Asa result, tropeofAIDScan also of or be seen, not as a unitary signifier male homosexuality homosexual of and ranas desire,but rather a morepolysmie figure the decentered individuals be brought domprocesses which unrelated) (potentially may by witheach other. to the popular(mis)understanding intocontact Contrary in of or marker a specific ofAIDSas an implicit lifestyle sexualorientation, HIV for terms, can insteadbe seen as a symbol thewaysinwhich practical are underdetermined the delocalized nexusesof identity necessarily by that of processes contagionand transference gave riseto them. in as scene is insufficient Insofar the "AIDS" inscription thevandalism of sexual desire,it mayinsteadbe interpreted as a signifier (repressed) a symbol contagion whichisto say, metaphor of a for moregenerally as are into with unrelated individuals brought contact the processes which by of of within context theanonymity the modern the one another metroporather than relating to lis. More specifically, directly Ah Ze's sexual relacan withAh Gui,Xiaokang's destruction AhZe's motorcycle be of tionship for use read as an act of retribution AhZe's earlier ofthesame motorcycle father. Under (withAh Guiintow) to attackthe taxidriven Xiaokang's by the withtheway inwhich that thislatter reading, word"AIDS" resonates encounterbetween Xiaokangand Ah Ze originalrandom,anonymous on leavesa lasting impression bothof theirlives. ElectricShadows is for Because Xiaokang'sattackon the motorcycle an act of retribution I return a of to Ah Ze's own earlier destruction the taxi'sside-view mirror, I suggest of scene. thatthatearlier moredetailedexamination thatearlier of on randomencounter the streets Taipeialso alludes,morespecifically, 76 Tsa i Ming-liang's Rebels of the Neon God

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to the role played in those interpersonal relations electronic media. by in the incident whichAh Ze vandalizesthe taxi, Immediately preceding to Xiaokang'sfather suggests Xiaokangthattheygo watcha movietothe gether, notingthat when Xiaokangwas younger, two of them,towithXiaokang's would oftengo to the movies a family. as mother, gether It is precisely thisuncharacteristic at of moment intimacy, that however, AhZe ridesbyand smashes taxi'smirror, inthe process the and effectively shatters brief this moment cinematic of betweenfather son. and nostalgia Giventhe generalcentrality, previously as of discussed, Taipei'sWest Gate film district within Tsai'sfilm a whole,the taxiscene can also be as seen moreabstractly expressing nostalgia the cinematic as a for legacyof the WestGate District, even as the social and cultural of significance the district the was, during same periodin the early1990s,in the processof transformed. hisbookon thedistrict, Longyan In Ye stresses beingradically inparticular degreeto which the karaoke videoarcades, and other centers, forms electronic-media-based of entertainment increasingly are replacing cinema.Similarly, within the visionof cinemaas Rebels, father's nostalgic an opportunity family for bondingcomes to assume a different signifiare cance,because films to a largeextentreplacedbymediasuchas porn video games,and telephonedatingcenters, of whichsimilarly all videos, individuals evenas they the bring together, helpto transform waysinwhich humaninteraction imagined is and understood. The father's association film of withfamily is viewing intimacy ironicontrasted withthe adult videos frequently shown playingin the cally of Ah to withAhGui background thecheap hotelrooms which Ze retreats and Ah Bin(fig.7). Inthefirst suchscene,forinstance, Guiispassedout Ah drunk the bed, and the two youngmen use the eroticimageson the on television withAh Gui'sown eroticized intertogether bodyas figurative mediary againstwhichto asserttheirown male bonding(the scene includesa very whenAh Binsuggests thattheyrapethe moment, troubling Ah unconscious Gui,thoughAh Ze ultimately dissuadeshimfrom doing 7: Ze Ah watching a FigureAh and Bin film Ah passed on out porn with Gui the behind bed them. 77

Modern Chinese Literature and Culture

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when Ah Ze and Ah Gui sleep together the first for time,they so). Later, do so inthe flickering shadowsof the pornvideo playing the on similarly In the tinyhoteltelevision. bothcases,the eroticvideossuture alienated an even as theyconstitute between the threeyoungsters, relationships to of sense of detachment that continues ironicreminder the profound hauntall three. of and Thisdialectics intimacy alienationis perhapsbest represented These dating in the filmbythe figureof the telephone datingcenters. of a centersrepresent crucialpointof intersection the themesof spatial mediation.Describedbythe pun "nan and electronic/digital dislocation - literally, come in (to the datingcenter), and men lai dian, n lai dian" - theservice works having menpayto the womancallin(bytelephone) by thenreceive visit centerlai diana)wherethey the ( telephonecalls(lai dianb) for dian isshort dianhua, for from youngwomenlooking a date (thelatter The means"electricity"). couple maythenchat ortelephone,and literally fora while,and iftheyhitit off, theycan arrangeto meet.Ah Ze's girlThe Ah associatedwiththesedatingservices. charfriend, Gui,isexplicitly of for of actersketch AhGuiinthe published screenplay thefilm, instance, to these sortsof datingcentersin an attempt notesthat she frequents - although, inthis written thetwosexes text, dispelherboredom curiously, inverted: "women come in, and men call in" are, perhapsaccidentally, thereis a scene in whichAh Gui 1992: 71). In the filmitself, (Cai/Zhang rink from roller the callsup one ofthesecenters skating wheresheworks,8 on the phonewitha slightly oldermanwhomshe has and beginschatting watchesherfrom otherside the nevermet, whileXiaokangsilently clearly also ofthecounter furthermore, make (fig.8).9Thesesame datingcenters, in he on a significant impression Xiaokang.Early thefilm, ishandeda flyer discount one of these telephone-dating for a twenty percent promising with 8: Gui Figure Ah speaking the as dating telephone service,Xiaokang her behind. watches from 78 Tsa i Ming-liang's in he interest the ad at that centers. any Although does notdisplay visible time,the idea of the datingcenters appearsto have made an impression to concludes withhisown visit one such to on him, the pointthatthe film

8We her a see leafing through idly newspaper immediatelyto prior the this Although contents making call. out cannot of newspaper bemade the in film, screenplay the the specifies contains that newspaper the for advertisements precisely prominent these ofservices 66). sorts (scene 9Itisquite Ah that furthermore, likely, brother Gui Ah elder and Ze's (with of whom sleeps the she at beginning this of the had through sort film) met That apparently service. they dating knew other before barely each issuggestedthe by together sleeping her name fact heleaves his that card, when that next and the morning, Ah she to leaves building, has ask the Gui in Ah where Taipei are. Ze they

Rebels of the Neon God

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sits at center, althoughinthe end he merely inthe cubiclestaring silently the phone as it ringsrepeatedly, and he leaves withoutever answering (fig.9). of The datingcenters standas a powerful for metaphor the patterns structure filmas a the mediatedattachment and desirethat effectively of whole. The spatial specificity the dating center(diari* is ironically ) communication with decentered the flows electric of (c//anb) counterposed of the thatallowthewomento caNin.Itis precisely mediatedcontact the The datingcenteris possible. telephonecallsthatmakesT physical intimacy mediation. and for botha site of physical interaction a figure electronic last abortedvisit the datingcenterinthe film's scene illusto Xiaokang's withthe panothesedatingcenters together trates degreeto which the within whichtheyare embedded come to plyof electric technologies different individudeviceslinking function notonlymediatory as together the More generally, als, but also as objectsof desirein theirown right. of centercould also be seen as a symbol the delocalizedworldof dating which mediation within socialmobility electronic and theyare located a for but worldthatAh Ze and hiscompanions inhabit, thatXiaokang, the cenmostpart,can onlyobservefromoutside.These telephone-dating a processof media-based derealization or ters,therefore, symbolize use a deterritorialization borrow termthat Deleuze and Guattari in a (to a of somewhatrelatedcontext): dissolving preexisting spatialand social fromeach other,combined with a boundariesseparatingindividuals At is of remapping the waysinwhichhumaninteraction understood. the the of within context the film the sametime,however, itself, same dating othof a centers symbolize moment circular also return, together stitching thatXiaokangis the elementsand subplots.From flyer erwiseunrelated to to hisactualvisit the datingcenter of handedat the beginning thefilm, that a thesecenters at the end ofthefilm, provide counternarrative helps of this the to anchor workas a whole. Inotherwords, figure electronically standsin as mediatedanonymous encounter, foundinthe datingcenters, Modern Chinese Literature and Culture 79 at 9: staring FigureXiaokang silently in the the telephone telephone dating servicethe of film. at end the

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to moreovertconcern withXiaokang'sattempt sharpcontrast the film's to asserthisidentity and the intimate rewithin, against, quintessential^ lationsof hisnuclear family. Another of spatialconfinement derealization inthefilm and symbol can be found in the figureof the elevator(dianti)in Ah Ze's building, whichalwaysstopson the fourth flooreven thoughno one isthere.The film featuresnumerous scenes in whichAh Ze ridesin the elevatorand waits patiently the elevatordoors slide open and shuteach timethe as elevatorstops at the fourth floor.The elevatoris a perfect of symbol a of and and convergence spatialconfinement media-enabled mobility, this elevator's habitofstopping at particular peculiar automatically thefourth floorsignals ultimate the and potential misdirection these of contingency electric/electronic media.10 the association of Furthermore, technological the elevatorwiththemesof contingent contactand potentialmisdirection isfurther Ah supported a remark Gui makesto Ah Ze as theyride by the elevator togetherfor the first time at the beginningof the film Inthatparticular Ah Gui learns the elevator's of scene, (fig.10). "affinity" forthe fourth and remarks that it appears to be "haunted" (you floor, Ah reference ghosts to gui). Nearthe end of the film, Ze uses a similar a ("today I encountered ghost" [wo jintianyudao gui le]), when he informs Guithathe and Ah Binhad coincidentally gottena ridefrom Ah just the same taxi driver whom he and Ah Gui had anfather), (Xiaokang's their first ride geredduring motorcycle together. Thesetwo references ghostly to presence suggesta kindof haunting, an uncanny wherein figure the ghostfunctions a symbol the of as return, of fluidcontinuity between disparatespaces and conceptualrealms a return the repressed, of whichsutures otherwise unrelatedelementsor individuals within film. Ze's second reference ghostly the Ah to presence

10 figurethe This of elevator also comes assumecrucial to a significance inlater such The and, films as River most memorably,Guimei's Yang cabaret in elevator in sequencesthe The Hole.

10: Ze Ah in Ze's Fig. Ah and Gui Ah as it unsolicited onthe elevator, stops fourth floor.

frames sexual relationship the withAh Gui,whichhad opened withthe first suchallusion(namely, their first discussion the "haunted"elof very thisreference implicitly also the evator).Atthe same time, acknowledges 80 Tsai Ming-liang's Rebels of the Neon God

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withthe taxithatsame morning degreeto whichthe randomencounter continuesto haunt Ah Zefsexistence (in the sense that it resultsin and to Xiaokang'sattackon his motorcycle, it is presumably repairhis that boardsthat,in turn, motorcycle Ah Ze stealsthe video game circuit lead to hisviolent to the prior taking "haunted"taxi beatingimmediately Ah themeof haunting onlylinks Ze with not at the end of the film). The but characterizes bothXiaokangand hisfather, furthermore Xiaokang's of as discussion the film's own relationship withhisfather, the following of thematization Nezha illustrates. "Nezha Was Here" The Chinesetitleof Rebelsof the Neon God is "QingshaonianNezha." term means "youth,"and "Nezha" is a polysmie literally Qingshaonian in mostof which thatassumesa rangeof interrelated meanings the film, resonatewith,althoughare not precisely equivalentto, the meaningof equivalencebetween AIDS "youth."Likethe questionof the ostensible of the and homosexuality however, juxtaposition the discussed, previously title and Nezha inthefilm's does notfunction terms qingshaonian (youth) of affirmation equivalencebetweenthe two terms, as a straightforward and notionof identity intoquestionthe very but rather implicitly brings equivalence. term the about Taipeiyouth, morespecific Rebelsis clearly Although threetimesin the work,and is used somewhat "Nezha" occursprecisely whenXiaokang's to reference Nezhaoccurs each differently time.Thefirst and a mother goes to visit fortune-teller, istoldthatherson isthe reincar-

Buddhist Nezha" (Nezhasan taizi a legendary nationof "thethird ): prince explainin their JiangDong and Zhang Jinghan deitywho, as the critics is volumeto the film, reputed to introductions the companion respective and it and returned to hisfather, cuthisown to have "slicedhisown flesh this 1 it bone and returned to hismother" (Cai/Zhang992: 6, 19). Although ideal of feedingone's the Confucian appear to resemble gesturemight

Modern Chinese Literature and Culture

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as of withone's own flesh an ultimate expression filial Jiang parents piety# bothstress thatinthe Nezha legend,thisgesture and Zhang'sdiscussions bondsbetweenparentand of "returning" fleshdoes notstrengthen the erases them (just as the act of returning giftto the a child,but rather can that would original giver erasethebondsofsocialindebtedness thegift be the bodilyconnecnormally expectedto create). In literally severing him tionslinking to hisparents, Nezhathuscomesto standforthe potential autonomy and alienationof youth. WhenXiaokang'smother returns and pointsout that home,she tells her husbandabout the divination, Nezha was said to have hated hisfather, Jing, Li morethan anyoneelse, further to is Li. noting herhusbandthathe,coincidentally,also surnamed The mother then concludes, that thisparallelmighthelp to ominously, explain why Xiaokang and his fatherhave such a poor relationship. overhears thisconversation fromthe bathroom, Xiaokang,meanwhile, and thenemergesand beginsdancingerratically the hallway, in pretendof has however, ingto be possessedbythespirit Nezha(fig.11). Hisfather, little forthissilly and promptly itbyhurling a charade, patience interrupts ricebowl at the wall above Xiaokang's head (scene31). the violentoutburst haltsXiaokang's Although father's temporarily Nezha impersonation, does not end it entirely. spectral it The of figure Nezha makesan uncanny return laterin the film, the scene in which in As XiaokangvandalizesAh Ze's motorcycle. alreadynoted,in additionto the writing word "AIDS"on the scooter, Xiaokanguses redspray paintto scrawl"Nezha was here"(Nezhazai ci) on thesidewalknextto it(fig.12). The nextmorning, a Xiaokangwatchesfrom hotelroomwindowas AhZe discovers damage,and thenhopsexcitedly and downon hisbed,in the up a way visually reminiscent his earlierspasticNezha dance (fig. 13). of Xiaokangfinally stops,onlyafterhavingbumpedhishead on the ceiling resonates withthe earlier scene inwhichhis (which, furthermore, visually Nezha impersonation broken bythe ricebowlshattering is off againstthe wall right over hishead). In bothof these cases,the reverse cannibalism

11: his Figure Xiaokang performing Nezha as parents in watch dance, his the background.

82 Tsa i Ming- Hang's Rebels of the Neon God

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12: words "Nezha here," Xiaokang scrawledthe was which has on pavement Figure The Ah vandalized behind Ze's motorcycle. associatedwiththe Nezha'srelationship withhisfather as (insofar Nezha# in the legend,does not consumehisfather's but rather flesh, defiantly returns ownflesh hisfather) his to becomesan ironic of symbol Xiaokang's - insofar hisattempts ambivalent with as highly relationship hisownfather to asserthisindependence from father paralleledbythe degreeto his are whichhe appearsto have vicariously in incorporated, the scene withAh of taxi. Ze, the desiredvengeanceforthe earlierdestruction hisfather's Seen inthisway,thejuxtaposition Nezha and AIDS inthe vandalism of of AhZe's motorcycle the networks contagionlinking of symbolizes invisible otherwise unrelated individuals to standinforhisfa(allowingXiaokang and thencoincidentally him ther, bringing intocontactwithAh Ze). The third and finalmention Nezha occursnearthe end, when Ah of Biniscarrying Ze on hisscooter, promises Ah and "Someotherday,I'll him, take you to go worshipNezha (bai Nezha)." In context, thisremark apto in pearsto refer Ah Bin'sand Ah Ze's investment the fluidand somewhat anarchic social worldthat theyinhabit, althoughit also resonates with it ironically the themesof displacedvengeanceas alreadydescribed: Modern Chinese Literature and Culture 83

a 13: Figure Xiaokang performing varianthis of Nezha after dance, Ah the watchingZediscover vandalized motorcycle.

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of is precisely vandalism the motorcycle that Xiaokang'sNezha-inspired makes it necessary Ah Bin,in thisscene,to carry Ze on his own for Ah motorcycle. Thefigure Nezha isexplicitly of associatedwiththe Buddhist deity by that name, and as such connotesboth youthand the Oedipal violence a end innocence. semantic This thatultimately brings symbolic to youthful of is reinforced an assooverdetermination "Nezha" inthefilm further by the official titleof the film, Rebelsof the ciationsuggestedby English the English titlewas added afterthe Chinesetitle Neon God. Although was decided upon, it nevertheless out homophonic suggestively brings in itself.11 phrase"Neon The thatare arguably resonances present thefilm of characGod" can be seen as a clever rereading "Nezha,"inthatthefirst it becomesa ter in the binmemayalso be pronounced "nai," whereby for term the elementneon (thoughin for homophone the Chinese precise as the transliterated phonetically practice, term"neon light"is typically and the secondcharacter, functions moregenerally "zha," nihongdeng), in deification. homophonic This as a suffix parallelism the film suggesting betweenNezha and "neon god" suggests the idolization and reification media production the themeof mediatedinterperand of bothabstract sonal contact thatpervades film. the The "neon" in "Neon God" suggests that in advertisements are increasingly the neon-lighted ubiquitous Taipei, flowsof both commodities and capital togetherwiththe transnational thatthose lights symbolize. This semantic overdetermination "Nezha,"moreover, of reinforces the of Xiaokang's linkage degreeto whichthe figure Nezha,and particularly comesto function between Nezha and the themeof ghostly possession, and as of within film a tropeformoreabstract the processes transference in One ofthe moststriking instances the film thissortof of displacement. Ah can displacement be found in the scene immediately following Ze's to reference having"seen a ghost."Inthisscene,Ah Ze is takingcare of Ah Bin,who has been badly beaten following theirtheftof the video 84 Tsai Ming-liang's Rebels of the Neon God

11 Tsai not up Although did come with title the official title, English itisthe used the in film's international itmay distribution. Furthermore,also that attempt to benoted any between differentiate rigorously text the and some "original" of film additions or its subsequent modifications isfrequently quite - and this we problematic in context last remember the that entire may of film, third the aspreviously noted, written added atthe and on was Xu of producer, Ligong. urgingTsai's

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boards.Ah Binisshownlying AhZe's bed, beneatha large on game circuit woman who is removing undershirt 14), her posterof an attractive (fig. and hisonlyrequestto Ah Ze isthathe help himto finda woman.When Ah Gui comesto visit Ze, Ah Ze basically Ah ignoresher,but beforeshe a a leaves,he requeststhat she give his invalidfriend hug. After slight she embracesAh Bin,with hesitation, accedes to his requestand gently the sexyposterstillpartially visibleinthe background (fig.15). Then,in a Ah Ze finally moment vicarious of investment, appearsto befascinating the two of themtogether, and then kissesher come aroused watching when she is done. passionately Inthisscene,we are presented witha figurative inversion the proof cesses of displacement that we observedearlierin the first hotel room scene.Whereasinthe earlier scene,itwas Ah Gui'sunconscious bodythat as for functioned a symbolic intermediary the male bondingbetweenAh Ze and Ah Bin(fig.7), inthisscene,it is Ah Bin'sown incapacitated body as for thatcomesto function a belatedstimulus AhZe's and Ah Gui's(hetdesire(fig.15). Inbothcases,furthermore, eroticized the media eroerotic) videos inthe hotelroomand the eroticposter images(the pornographic inAhZe's room)constitute so much in not own objectsof investment their as external sitesof displacedprojection. right in Theconjunction sexualviolenceand libidinal of displacement these two scenesbrings backto thethemesof haunting contagion us and thatI havestressed this The bondsbetween throughout essay. socialand libidinal the maincharacters neverself-sufficient, rather are but theyare invisibly of relations displacement of groundedin a variety morefluidunderlying In and transference. thissense,the juxtaposedreferences AIDS and to to Nezha inXiaokang's vandalism AhZe's motorcycle onlysuggest of not the of (Nezha) and of contagion(AIDS),but also parallelthematics haunting of homo(Taiwanness, ironically challengethe fiction localizedidentities that otherwise Rather appearto presume. sexuality) thesesameterms might thana modelof identity on location("Nezha is/was premised determinate Modern Chinese Literature and Culture 85

14: poster the of half-naked Figure The woman Ah bedroom. in Ze's

15: Gui the Figure Ah hugging badlybeaten Bin. Ah

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individual identities and here"),Tsai'sfilmsuggeststhat the characters' social relations can be thoughtof moreeffectively the products a as of series displacements transferences, of and for complex symbolized, instance, desires. bythe flowsof media imagesand libidinal Coda I concludethisdiscussion spatiality, of in and signification, identity Tsai's to worksbyreturning myopeningdiscussion Tsai's1995 documentary, of In Tsaiagreed to disguisethe identity his of MyNew Friends. thatwork, in recognition the sensitive of natureoftheir situation of and informants, the topicstheywould be discussing, hidingtheirfaces and altering by withthe prospect filming "talkingheads" theirvoices.Confronted of a withno recognizable heads,Tsaidecidedto lenda personal documentary touchto theworkbytaking unusualstep(forhim)ofallowing the himself to appear on cameraas he conducted interviews, effectively the thus subhis informants muchof (in stituting own face forthoseof hisanonymous the footage,the camera is positionedbehindthe shoulderof the intereither standsor sitsinfront, the viewee,and TsaiMing-liang facing camera as he speaksto the unseeninterlocutor). self-exposure particuThis is that Tsai Ming-liang repeatedly has noted his larly striking, considering withappearingonscreen.It is quite significant it is prediscomfort that in of thathe makesthe deliberate decicisely thismostsensitive hisworks sionto insert himself thefilm, into hisinformants' effectively substituting anxieties about publicexposurewithhisown.12 Tsai's use of his own face as a displaced mirror those of his for reinforces documentary's the interviewees moregeneralconcern dis(as cussedat the beginning thisessay)withexploring ways in which of the identities on sexual,orother)are notso much (geographic, grounded speloci cific the of spatialor symbolic as theyare effectively products more delocalized processes mediatedand displacedidentifications. both of In Tsai's1995 documentary his 1994 film, and the trope of AIDS therefore,

12 inaddition Furthermore, toTsai's in the appearance video, New My Friends features also a second ofcinematic moment reversal, becauseisnone it other Tsai's than alter favorite and cinematic actor his in Li who ego, Kangsheng, steps as asTsai the cinematographerhimself Whereas conducts interviews. the several Tsai's assign a of films Li homoerotic inMy Friends , role, New these are roles implicitly reversed, Li behind with himself standing the camera filming ina displaced and Tsai homoerotic Tsai, role. therefore, becomes object Li's the of while cinematographic gaze, the inherent ofthat limits illustrating itself. gaze

86 Tsai Ming-liang 's Rebels of the Neon God

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resonateswitha moregeneral concernin each workwitha processof issuesof delocaland formation thatforegrounds identification identity this ized circulation displacedprojection. and Furthermore, lattermetaof and of phorical reading thesignificance AIDSinTsai'sdocumentary film is also reinforced a moreliteral by readingof the etiologyand social ima AIDS represents system, pactof the disease.Atthe levelof the immune between bodily to crisis recognition, endemicfailure differentiate of an At whichisto say,betweenselfand other. tissueand foreign pathogens, this of it the same time,however, is precisely crisis recognition that,at a facilitated increasing the sociallevel,has ironically moreabstract visibility the 1980sand of the gay rights during groups,inTaiwanand elsewhere, and of 1990s.I wouldarguethatthefigure AIDSinboththe documentary and withotherkey thefilm together tropesofwater, contagion, various - symbolizes destabilization fixed, of localizedidenmedia the electronic of witha moreradicalunderstanding identificaand tity, itsreplacement of in tiongroundedprecisely delocalizedprocesses mediatedattachment.

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Glossary Ah Gui Ah Bin Ah Ze bai bai Nezha ChenZhaorong diandong diandongyoulechang dianhua dianti dianying jie Fangnaiting Hou Hsiao-hsien (Hou Xiaoxian) Ke Yizheng lai diana lai dianb LiKangsheng LuXiaoiin MiaoTian Nezhasan taizi Nan lai dian,n lai dian Tsai Ming-liang Mingliang) (Cai Wan Ren Wang Nianci Wenhuadaxue wo jintian yudaogui le Ximending Xiaokang Xu Ligong Yang Dechang(EdwardYang) yougui Zhonghua Wf ' IS mm S85 575? tqj IE 5 ^S lUSOjE^-? . SC

/J'0

88

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Bibliography Cai Mingliang 1992. and SfiiBSS[Tsai Ming-liang] ZhangJinghan Nezha i^ilFE (Rebels of the Neon God). Taipei: Qingshaonian Yuanliu. Ji Dawei [Chi Ta-wei]. 1996. "Wo kan gu wo zai: chengzhang (I see, yu dianying shenfenrentong"SSttStiE: I Youshi therefore am: films development of and identity recognition). 510 95-105. wenyi (June): Jiao Xiongping HSP [PeggyChiao] and Cai Mingliang 1997.Heliu (The river). Ming-liang]. Taipei:Huangguan. [Tsai

Olivier and Danile Rivire. 1999. TsaMingJean-Pierre, Rehm, Joyard, Editions voir. Dis Liang.Paris: Wen TianxiangH ^ . 2002. Guangying dingge: Cai Mingliangde IS /A xinling changyu7tef?Af: BE f (Patternsof lightand shadow:Cai Mingliang's 2002. terrain). Taipei:Hengxing, psychological Ye Longyan shi - 1997. TaibeiXimending dianying 1896-1997ib filmhistory: 1896-1997).Taipei: (Taipei WestgateDistrict Wenjianhui. Filmsand television shows Tsai Ming-liang Mingliang] Xiao hai (Child).1991. . [Cai . Lixiang qanqingxian SfilftJfSttiSS emotionalthreadof de (The beautiful 1991. fragrance). . Qingshaonian Nezha . Woxinrenshi pengyou de . HeliuJnfK river). 1997. (The . Dong M (The hole). 1998. . Nineibian dian ji (Whattimeis itthere?).2001. Dt(Rebelsofthe NeonGod). 1992. 1995. (Mynew friends) . Aiging wansui5(Vivel'amour).1994.

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