The re-imagined West in Chinese Television: a Case Study of the CCTV Documentary Series the Rise of the Great Powers

Cao, Qing

Abstract

This paper 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 paper 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 paper 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.

Citation

Cao, Q. (2010). The re-imagined West in Chinese Television: a Case Study of the CCTV Documentary Series the Rise of the Great Powers. Journal of Language and Politics, 9(4), 615-633. https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.9.4.08cao

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: 2010
• Deposit Date: Oct 3, 2012
• Journal: Journal of Language and Politics
• Print ISSN: 1569-2159
• Electronic ISSN: 1569-9862
• Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 615-633
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.9.4.08cao
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1502849