ABSTRACT
This chapter examines documentary-style television programmes about Chinese-foreign marriages in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) because they are more common and offer more detailed stories than other television programmes about intercultural marriage. It provides background information about the development of documentary film in the PRC and outlines the available sample of documentaries on Chinese-foreign marriage. These chiefly comprise documentaries of marriages between citizens of the PRC and citizens of Taiwan, which are commonly called 'cross-Strait marriages' in modern Chinese and marriages between Chinese citizens and foreign nationals from countries other than Taiwan. By examining documentary films about these two different types of Chinese-foreign marriages, the chapter shows how their claims to represent the private life-stories of 'ordinary people' also operate as a platform for the distribution of political messages regarding the success of China's economic and social development.
