The re-imagined West in Chinese television
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Qing Cao
Abstract
This chapter examines television portrayals of the West in contemporary China, focusing on an emerging non-victimistic media discourse on modern Western history. The analysis is contextualized within the wider sociopolitical dynamics of a rising nationalism and increased space for negotiation among the different groupings of Chinese elites. The chapter falls into three parts. The first investigates the discursive features of a television documentary text that constructs a fresh, positive image of the West. The second discusses critiques of the series from the perspectives of a liberal, pro-market right and anti-capitalist new left. The third part extends the analysis to the social context of the mainstream pragmatic nationalism that has risen to prominence in recent decades. The chapter concludes with a discussion on tensions within differing views of the West, and a critical assessment of the fresh, non-moralistic account of the Western road to modernity.
Abstract
This chapter examines television portrayals of the West in contemporary China, focusing on an emerging non-victimistic media discourse on modern Western history. The analysis is contextualized within the wider sociopolitical dynamics of a rising nationalism and increased space for negotiation among the different groupings of Chinese elites. The chapter falls into three parts. The first investigates the discursive features of a television documentary text that constructs a fresh, positive image of the West. The second discusses critiques of the series from the perspectives of a liberal, pro-market right and anti-capitalist new left. The third part extends the analysis to the social context of the mainstream pragmatic nationalism that has risen to prominence in recent decades. The chapter concludes with a discussion on tensions within differing views of the West, and a critical assessment of the fresh, non-moralistic account of the Western road to modernity.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Reflections on discourse and critique in China and the West 1
- The discursive construction of the social stratification order in reforming China 19
- Institutional language as power in contemporary China 39
- A cultural political economy of transnational knowledge brands 57
- Discursive production of teaching quality assessment report 85
- Discursive construction of Chinese foreign policy 105
- The re-imagined West in Chinese television 127
-
Book review
- Tian, Hailong. Discourse Studies: Categories, Perspectives and Methodologies 145
- Index 149
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Reflections on discourse and critique in China and the West 1
- The discursive construction of the social stratification order in reforming China 19
- Institutional language as power in contemporary China 39
- A cultural political economy of transnational knowledge brands 57
- Discursive production of teaching quality assessment report 85
- Discursive construction of Chinese foreign policy 105
- The re-imagined West in Chinese television 127
-
Book review
- Tian, Hailong. Discourse Studies: Categories, Perspectives and Methodologies 145
- Index 149
