Contradictions in China’s Domestic and International Communication: The Problem of China’s Global Image Dr. Jeanne Boden 21/06/2019
Research Chinese propaganda Research material: 2500 photographs, movies Period: 1993 – 2018 Locations: People’s Republic of China From Jilin to Xinjiang From Beijing to Tibet to Guangzhou From Shanghai to Chengdu Point of view: Sender Central discourse: 1 ‘truth’ + censorship
Research Chinese propaganda Content: CCP’s changing ideology Who is addressed What is requested Methods Contradictions: national and international China’s global image
Early 1990s
1994 2004 Shanghai Pudong
2003 “Long live Marxism, Leninism and Mao Zedong Thoughts”
Content: CCP’s changing ideology Mao Zedong: Communist discourse, destroy 4 olds Deng Xiaoping: Opening up Jiang Zemin: ‘Capitalists’ into the CCP Hu Jintao: Confucianism Xi Jinping: Amalgam of ideologies Communist Confucian Western democracy
Prosperity, Democracy, Civility, Harmony Freedom, Equality, Justice, Rule of Law Patriotism, Dedication, Honesty, Friendliness
Who is addressed The People Mao Zedong: farmers, workers, soldiers, CCP members Deng Xiaoping: PRC, huaqiao/overseas Today: all Chinese across the globe Individual is never addressed as individual Always part of nation/ family/ group Majority and Minorities
One big united family
Minority Park Beijing: Minorities dancing for the Han Majority
What is asked Patriot – Spirit for the nation Raise your children for the nation Defend the nation To be civilized Solidarity in society
What is “Chinese civilization” To be civilized: Being educated and moral Being polite and well-mannered Having the right spirit for the nation “Chinese civilization” Mao Zedong: destroy the “four olds” Today: (Re)constructing ‘Ancient civilization’: rituals, heroes, architecture, … 12 “Socialist core values” amalgam of ideologies
Conflating political and personal aspirations
Reversing a (Chinese) narrative River Elegy Heshang 河殇 Pro-western End of China Chinese culture is doomed to disappear 2013 Ocean Elegy Haishang 海殇 Pro-China End of the West West is doomed to disappear
National Top down discourse | Bottom up dissent Xi Jinping App: Study the Great Nation (Photo: Reuters) Silencing dissent Xu Zhangrong Law professor at Tsinghua University
Contradictions National Absence of civil society Solidarity is asked ‘Open China’ Great Firewall
International “Global China” One Belt One Road Win – win Common goals Exchange … Opium War rhetoric Anti-western propaganda
Contradictions International Win-win and ‘Open China’ Rule of Law, democracy, equality, freedom (Why?) Opium War rhetoric, anti-western propaganda “Make the West serve China” Censorship of what is unwanted Explosion of chemical plants Uyghur detentions Hong Kong demonstrations Dissident voices
China’s global image It is not clear what China really stands for Media across the globe report on what China hides Positive image that China wants to establish is undermined