Deconstruction of Chinese Masculinity, Adaptation of Hong Kong Gangster Films, and Political Criticism in Television Series The Knockout

This study examines how the popular Chinese television series The Knockout crystallises political significance by mobilising intertextuality and deconstruction of masculinity. It argues that, The Knockout adapts the narratives and aesthetics of space, building, and natural scene in the Hong Kong gangster films to depict the crisis and precariousness of masculinity and thereby convey the criticism of China’s modernity and state authority. This research contributes to the under-researched field of alternative masculinities on Chinese screen and sheds light on how the Chinese television series struggles to negotiate the strict censorship. Also, it foregrounds the intertextual impact of Hong Kong genre cinema on contemporary Chinese television and the inter-regional adaptation on East-Asian screen.