Celebrity Culture in China

Celebrity Culture in China
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Celebrity Culture in China
Although celebrity culture has become popular in China, the Chinese government controls the content released by celebrities on the Internet. Celebrity advertising on the web and billboards in China’s cities is popular and people perceive it as a way of life. In particular, it significantly influences the social, economic, and political aspects of Chinese people. “Celebrity in China” by Louise Edwards and Elaine Jeffreys and “Truth, Good, and Beauty: The Politics of Celebrity in China” by Jonathan Sullivan and Seagh Kehoe are two primary readings that the author focuses on to show the adoption and expansion of celebrity culture in China. These readings discuss essential things about the celebrity culture in China, such as the emergence of celebrity culture in China, how it has affected Chinese people, how it was harnessed, and controlled by the Chinese government.
“Celebrity in China” by Louise Edwards and Elaine Jeffreys shows how celebrity culture in China incorporates the aspects of capitalist and international practices into local systems. The reading covers various fields that have been influenced by the Chinese celebrity culture, including political, literature, film, sports, and popular music (Edwards & Jeffreys, 2010). Edwards and Jeffreys reveal why the consumption and production of the celebrity culture have become a common phenomenon in China in recent decades. In particular, the authors define celebrity as the state of someone being famous or well-known by numerous individuals. Celebrity culture in China is a pervasive aspect of people’s everyday life. Indeed, it has flourished such that it reflects the societal consumption and production of goods and services in wealthy and industrialized nations. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has become the world’s most expanding cultural marketplace. For example, in the music talent TV show, Mongolian Cow Yoghurt Super Girl Contest, the winner in 2006 garnered 5 million message votes from the local and international Chinese individuals (Edwards & Jeffreys, 2010). The adoption of the market-based economy in China has significantly contributed to creating a celebrity culture based on individuals’ income levels, leading to the emergence of the consumer society. 
“Truth, Good, and Beauty: The Politics of Celebrity in China” by Jonathan Sullivan and Seagh Kehoe focuses on celebrity in China and how it has affected contemporary Chinese society and politics. In any Chinese city, billboards showing Chinese celebrities endorsing a specific lifestyle or products are common. Sullivan and Kehoe define celebrity as the sum of a person’s attributes, product and packaging, and life beyond one’s professional realm (Sullivan & Kehoe, 2019). Specifically, a celebrity persona is created by the consolidation of an individual’s real character, film roles, and public appearances that distinguish one from ordinary people. In contemporary China, celebrity images are found on private screens and public spaces. The visibility of different types of celebrities in the country portrays the maturation of a celebrity culture that nourishes the marketing or advertising-led business models available on the Internet and media system. Celebrities from distinctive aspects of life, such as music, film, and sports are recognized in the Chinese cultural, political, and social domains. Due to the increased capacity of Chinese celebrities in reaching a significant population and potentially affecting societal set standards, the industry that promotes and creates individual celebrities is controlled by the government (Sullivan & Kehoe, 2019). Celebrity in China has retained its moral component and ordinary individuals can achieve this status on the web. However, it remains a systematically exclusive and hierarchical category.
The authors in both readings approach the topic of celebrity culture in China differently. Edwards and Jeffreys depict that Chinese celebrity has led to the emergence of the consumer society. They say that media liberalization in the PRC, economic reforms, commercial advertising, and the growth of large-scale mass media industries have significantly contributed to the rise of celebrity culture in China (Edwards & Jeffreys, 2010). The less control of the dissemination of nonpolitical information and media systems made the Chinese TV stations more independent and competitive. In particular, the government requires state-subsidized magazines and newspapers to earn some of their revenues from private subscriptions. In that light, these TV stations started creating soft news, celebrity stories, and entertainment content to attract and maintain many advertisers and viewers. Additionally, the authors make it clear that the Chinese expanding commercial culture emphasizes advertisements and entertainment, creating celebrity-watching audiences. The most significant thing about this reading is that it covers three primary reco...