Today, the term diasporano longer refers exclusively to the dispersal of Jewish people who were forced to leave their homeland after losing their place of residence. It now broadly encompasses all individuals who have left the foundations of their liv...
Today, the term diasporano longer refers exclusively to the dispersal of Jewish people who were forced to leave their homeland after losing their place of residence. It now broadly encompasses all individuals who have left the foundations of their lives behind. Furthermore, unlike in the past, the concept of diaspora is not confined to ethnic dispersion. Diaspora is categorized into social and political diaspora as well as personal diaspora. Social and political diaspora manifests as collective and structural patterns shaped by social and political issues, while personal diaspora unfolds on an individual level through migration, travel, studying abroad, or adoption.
As a filmmaker of Korean-Chinese descent, Zhang Lu develops his works primarily around the Korean-Chinese community. He raises historical and social issues by portraying the lives of those who, after the first wave of Korean-Chinese diaspora, were left as "others" in their new environments. This exploration not only delves into the identity of Korean-Chinese people, including Zhang himself, but also seeks to reveal their existence as autonomous and existential subjects. Zhang’s films examine the issues arising from the Korean-Chinese diaspora from various perspectives, situating them within the relationships between South Korea, China, and North Korea. The themes of Korean-Chinese diaspora, identity, and broader concerns regarding the Korean ethnic community serve as central driving forces in his narratives.
This paper focuses on Zhang Lu’s works Gyeongju, Ode to the Goose, and Fukuoka, collectively referred to as the "Urban Trilogy," which evoke themes of the Korean-Chinese diaspora. While Zhang has actively addressed issues surrounding Korean-Chinese people and North Korean defectors in other films such as Grain in Ear, Dooman River, and Border, the Urban Trilogy holds particular significance as it marks a departure from his earlier works, beginning with Gyeongju. Zhang’s pre-Gyeongju films, produced in China, were primarily centered on the internal perspectives of the Korean-Chinese community. In contrast, his post-Gyeongju films embrace external perspectives on Korean-Chinese identity, broadening their thematic and narrative scope. Through this shift, Zhang’s films addressing diaspora have acquired a more expansive and inclusive viewpoint, reflecting a significant evolution in his cinematic exploration of identity and displacement.