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9781586483944 English 1586483943 Few Westerners escape the images, expectations and misperceptions that lead us to see Asia as exotic, sensual, decadent, dangerous, and mysterious. Despite -- and because of -- centuries of East-West interaction, the stereotypes of Western literature, stage, and screen remain pervasive icons: the tea-pouring, submissive, sexually available geisha girl; the steely cold dragon lady dominatrix; as well as the portrayal of the Asian male as effeminate and asexual. These "Oriental" illusions color our relations and relationships in ways even well-respected professional "Asia hands" and scholars don't necessarily see. The Asian Mystique lays out a provocative challenge to see Asia and Asians as they really are, with unclouded, deeroticized eyes. It traces the origins of Western stereotypes in history and in Hollywood, examines the phenomenon of ‘yellow fever,' then goes on a reality tour of Asia's go-go bars, middle-class homes, college campuses, business districts, and corridors of power, providing intimate profiles of women's lives and vivid portraits of the human side of an Asia we usually mythologize too well to really understand. It strips away our misconceptions and stereotypes, revealing instead the fully dimensional human beings beyond our usual perceptions. The Asian Mystique is required reading for anyone with interest in or interaction with Asia or Asian-origin people, as well as any serious student or practicioner of East-West relations., Why are women of Asian origin so often depicted in Hollywood and Western literature as submissive, sexually available Geisha or demure China Dolls-or the converse, as Dragon Ladies or Dominatrix? Why are Asian men frequently portrayed as emasculated, asexual, and conquerable? What is the impact of these images on personal relationships, in business, in foreign policy, and on the broad scope of East-West relations and interactions? The Asian Mystique uncovers the origins of Western fantasies and fallacies in the sexually charged history of East-West contact. It examines the stereotypes of stage and screen, exploring the expectations they generate and why they persist; and it probes the phenomenon of "Yellow Peril" as well as "Yellow Fever" and the underlying social factors, including sex tourism, that fuel it and feed off it. From Japan to China to Vietnam to Indonesia-and nearly every country in between-The Asian Mystique takes us on a reality tour of Asia's go-go bars, business districts, and corridors of power. The real-life, human stories behind the images of servile Geisha, obliging Suzi Wong bar hostesses, devoted Japanese housewives, exotic Cathay girls, steely Martial Arts Mistresses, and ruthless Dragon Lady rulers provide vivid portraits of the human side of the region, and encourage a clearer understanding of an Asia unclouded by Mystique and misty-eyed myths of exotic difference. Book jacket.
9781586483944 English 1586483943 Few Westerners escape the images, expectations and misperceptions that lead us to see Asia as exotic, sensual, decadent, dangerous, and mysterious. Despite -- and because of -- centuries of East-West interaction, the stereotypes of Western literature, stage, and screen remain pervasive icons: the tea-pouring, submissive, sexually available geisha girl; the steely cold dragon lady dominatrix; as well as the portrayal of the Asian male as effeminate and asexual. These "Oriental" illusions color our relations and relationships in ways even well-respected professional "Asia hands" and scholars don't necessarily see. The Asian Mystique lays out a provocative challenge to see Asia and Asians as they really are, with unclouded, deeroticized eyes. It traces the origins of Western stereotypes in history and in Hollywood, examines the phenomenon of ‘yellow fever,' then goes on a reality tour of Asia's go-go bars, middle-class homes, college campuses, business districts, and corridors of power, providing intimate profiles of women's lives and vivid portraits of the human side of an Asia we usually mythologize too well to really understand. It strips away our misconceptions and stereotypes, revealing instead the fully dimensional human beings beyond our usual perceptions. The Asian Mystique is required reading for anyone with interest in or interaction with Asia or Asian-origin people, as well as any serious student or practicioner of East-West relations., Why are women of Asian origin so often depicted in Hollywood and Western literature as submissive, sexually available Geisha or demure China Dolls-or the converse, as Dragon Ladies or Dominatrix? Why are Asian men frequently portrayed as emasculated, asexual, and conquerable? What is the impact of these images on personal relationships, in business, in foreign policy, and on the broad scope of East-West relations and interactions? The Asian Mystique uncovers the origins of Western fantasies and fallacies in the sexually charged history of East-West contact. It examines the stereotypes of stage and screen, exploring the expectations they generate and why they persist; and it probes the phenomenon of "Yellow Peril" as well as "Yellow Fever" and the underlying social factors, including sex tourism, that fuel it and feed off it. From Japan to China to Vietnam to Indonesia-and nearly every country in between-The Asian Mystique takes us on a reality tour of Asia's go-go bars, business districts, and corridors of power. The real-life, human stories behind the images of servile Geisha, obliging Suzi Wong bar hostesses, devoted Japanese housewives, exotic Cathay girls, steely Martial Arts Mistresses, and ruthless Dragon Lady rulers provide vivid portraits of the human side of the region, and encourage a clearer understanding of an Asia unclouded by Mystique and misty-eyed myths of exotic difference. Book jacket.