"Se ríen de la crisis": Chinese Immigration as Economic Invasion in Spanish Film and Media

Abstract

The Chinese diaspora in Spain comprises one of the nation's largest and fastest growing ethnic minorities. Since the late 1990s, the Chinese immigrant population has increased by nearly 450%. Nevertheless, representations of the Chinese in Spanish film have been limited, compared to those of other immigrant groups, and many rely on divisive stereotypes. This article analyzes two filmic portrayals of the Chinese immigrant, in Tapas (2005) and the short film Ming (2008), together with news media coverage of the Chinese community in Spain. These texts reveal cultural and economic anxieties associated with the Chinese migrant, and with the success of Chinese entrepreneurs in Spain more specifically. Particularly since the onset of the 2008 economic crisis, the Chinese have regularly been portrayed in the news media as an economic competitor and as a potential threat to a distinctly Spanish way of life. By placing this examination of the Chinese in Spanish film and media in dialogue with critical race theory, this article considers the ways in which these representations respond to Spain's increasing cultural and ethnic diversity.