Overview

Whether willingly or unwillingly, public celebrities are often the focus of discussion of moral matters and political causes, but how does this sort of celebrity culture function in a country such as China with a powerful central state? Contemporary Chinese Celebrities explores how in today’s China, celebrity figures embody, conflict with and engage with social, civil, moral and economic issues. Shenshen Cai examines the state’s governance of celebrity activism and the interplay between the propaganda machine and the stars. Analyzing examples of scandalous celebrities who act as activists in a moral domain which is tightly governed by the state, Cai also studies several sports stars who have emerged in recent years as political activists in China, and their open defiance of the Chinese political system that poses unprecedented challenge to the Party’s rule.

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9781350409460

Table of Contents

Reviews

Contemporary Chinese Celebrities is a theoretically informed and fine-grained study of celebrities in China today. Shenshen Cai deals with not just pop stars, sporting celebrities, and consumer influencers, but also with political activists, feminists, satirists, social commentators, environmental critics, and advocates for public health. In brief, this book deals with many of the most sensitive and controversial events that have taken place in China in recent years. This volume will be appreciated by anyone who wants to keep up to date with social and political trends in China. * Anne E. McLaren, University of Melbourne, Australia * This is the definitive book on Chinese celebrity today. With a rare mix of historical insight and sharp contemporary observation, Shenshen Cai shows how China’s celebrity culture emerges from ongoing dynamic interactions between politics, publics, moralities and markets. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand pop culture in today’s China. * Fran Martin, University of Melbourne, Australia *

Author Information

Shenshen Cai is Lecturer in Chinese Studies at Monash University, Australia. Cai is the author of State Propaganda in China’s Entertainment Industry (2016), Television Drama in Contemporary China: Political, Social and Cultural Phenomena (2016), and Contemporary Chinese Films and Celebrity Directors (2017).

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