Export of mass culture as a weak element of China's soft power

Author(s):  D.A. Tarasova, no, no, National research Nizhny Novgorod state University, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, daria.tarasovaZ@yandex.ru

Issue:  Volume 46, № 1

Rubric:  Topical issues of political science

Annotation:  Recently, the concept of «soft power» has become increasingly important in world political practice in general, and in China's foreign policy course in particular, with export of mass culture as an influential part of its methods. The article considers the prerequisites of the recent Chinese appeal to the soft power tools and the main factors that motivate the PRC to use the methods of national branding in an effort to create the positive image of country. The emphasis in the article is made on the export of mass culture and the key problems that prevent the Chinese mass culture from challenging the US and Japan as theworld leaders in this field. Among the reasons, the author marks out some excess of the cultural market and the fact that, in comparison with other actors, China's was one of the last to start producing the cultural export content. The censorship and excessive state control over cultural actors are considered in detail as well as notable features of Chinese society that negative affect the further development of cultural expansion.

Keywords:  soft power, China, foreign policy's influence, national branding, export of mass culture, geo-political influence, cultural industry, censorship.

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