Chapter 1: Governmentality Within and Through Reality
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UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) Governing through reality television in contemporary China The case of Hunan Satellite Television Nauta, A.P.M. Publication date 2021 Document Version Other version License Other Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Nauta, A. P. M. (2021). Governing through reality television in contemporary China: The case of Hunan Satellite Television. General rights It is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Disclaimer/Complaints regulations If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: https://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (https://dare.uva.nl) Download date:26 Sep 2021 Leonie Schmidt, Arnoud Arps, Yiu Fai Chow, Gladys Pak Lei Chong; thank you!! As Chapter 1 – Governmentality within and through well as the countless other colleagues, friends, and acquaintances with whom I discussed Chinese television (or other interesting things) at conferences and Reality TV in Contemporary China: the Case of elsewhere. Hunan STV Of course, this dissertation would never have been possible without the many people that helped me during my fieldwork. First and foremost is Li Yan, who helped me during so many interviews, always provided interesting insights, and 1.1 Introduction 5 managed to find the nicest restaurants in Changsha. Thank you to all the producers, 1.2 Hunan Television and the Calibration of Government in 7 directors, and all other (ex-) employees at Hunan Satellite TV in Changsha and Contemporary China elsewhere for sharing your thoughts and insights with me and allowing me to 1.3 Foucault in Changsha: Chinese Governmentalities and Reality 15 wander around production sets and join live shows. TV 1.4 Moral Schlock or Lessons for Better Living? Studying Reality 20 Last but not least, I would like to thank my family for their unrelenting Television support. Most of all to my wife Elaine; thank you for putting up with me, and for 1.5 Methodological Considerations: Struggling with 25 tolerating my grumpiness after frustrating hours of bad writing, as well as the long Contradictions and Access hours spent behind the computer screen. 1.6 Where To Go From Here: An Orientation 31 Islamabad, 25 January 2021 8 9 1.1 Introduction Turning on the television in your hotel room or home in China, zapping along the many channels, you would encounter lots of elements familiar from elsewhere: advertisements, product placements, and the usual genres: talk -and variety shows, reality programs and drama series. The stereotype that Chinese TV is dull and propagandistic has been left far behind. Nowadays, Chinese television is fully commercialized, and features programs that defy these stereotypes. In Angel loves beauty (天使爱美丽 [tianshi ai meili]), a reality show produced and broadcasted by Hunan Satellite Television (HSTV), the goriness of plastic surgery is displayed in full force. Another reality show, Wonderful friends (奇妙的朋友 [qimiaode pengyou]), features Chinese celebrities and their interaction with exotic animals, dressing monkeys and giving a pedicure to elephants. More conventional shows include localizations of well- known international formats such as The X-Factor, Wife Swap, Take Me Out, Big Brother, and Idols. In recent years, Korean formats such as Where are we going dad, I am a singer, Takes a real man, and Divas hit the road have become highly prevalent on Chinese television screens. When one zaps around Chinese TV channels, content-wise it does not seem any different from commercial entertainment broadcast practices elsewhere on the planet. Hunan Satellite Television (HSTV) has played an important part in this development. Revolutionizing Chinese television by focusing almost solely on entertainment television, HSTV took the television industry by surprise in the late 1990s. Its strategy involved borrowing heavily from foreign formats. Many of HSTV’s programs became highly popular, although regularly forming the target of vehement criticism by intellectuals for their irreverent cultural attitude and sheer focus on entertainment (Zhong 2010a). Its success resulted in topping the list of the most popular provincial television stations. HSTV showed that a focus on entertainment programming and reality TV was a highly successful (and rather cheap) way to compete in the national television market (Zhu 2012a). Other provincial stations soon followed in HSTV’s footsteps. Television in China thus moved far beyond the pure focus on political communication in the starting years of Chinese television in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Like all of China, it has come a 10 1.1 Introduction long way: it is a cliché to say that the socio-economic changes in the past decades have been enormous. Through it all, the Communist Party of China (CCP) has managed to Turning on the television in your hotel room or home in China, zapping along the stay in power and oversee the vast overhaul of the country. Nowadays, China many channels, you would encounter lots of elements familiar from elsewhere: combines an authoritarian system of government with socialist discourse and advertisements, product placements, and the usual genres: talk -and variety shows, capitalist practice—perhaps what Xi Jinping (and earlier Deng Xiaoping) termed as reality programs and drama series. The stereotype that Chinese TV is dull and ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics.’ In a similar way, despite the commercial propagandistic has been left far behind. Nowadays, Chinese television is fully outlook in advertisements as well as programming, the CCP still holds a tight reign commercialized, and features programs that defy these stereotypes. In Angel loves over television, and emphasizes its role for political communication—‘television with beauty (天使爱美丽 [tianshi ai meili]), a reality show produced and broadcasted by Chinese characteristics?’ Hunan Satellite Television (HSTV), the goriness of plastic surgery is displayed in full These considerations have led me to wonder how this works in practice: if the force. Another reality show, Wonderful friends (奇妙的朋友 [qimiaode pengyou]), features Chinese government still uses television for their own political purposes, then how? Chinese celebrities and their interaction with exotic animals, dressing monkeys and How can commercial imperatives (TV stations need to fend for their own revenues) giving a pedicure to elephants. More conventional shows include localizations of well- coexist with the state-ascribed propagandistic function of television? What known international formats such as The X-Factor, Wife Swap, Take Me Out, Big Brother, consequences does this have for production? And how do audiences react to it? If and Idols. In recent years, Korean formats such as Where are we going dad, I am a singer, television needs to accede to stringent political requirements, and simultaneously Takes a real man, and Divas hit the road have become highly prevalent on Chinese generate income by advertisements and product placements, which is dependent on television screens. When one zaps around Chinese TV channels, content-wise it does the eyeballs that programs manage to attract (i.e. satisfy audiences), then it seems that not seem any different from commercial entertainment broadcast practices elsewhere television makers need to navigate a social, political, economic, and cultural minefield. on the planet. It is to these questions that I turn in this dissertation. Based in the provincial capital of Hunan Satellite Television (HSTV) has played an important part in this Changsha, Hunan Satellite Television, the station that pioneered commercialization development. Revolutionizing Chinese television by focusing almost solely on and entertainment programming, thereby forms a highly relevant and interesting case entertainment television, HSTV took the television industry by surprise in the late study. By taking HSTV as a case study, I engage with my main research question: How 1990s. Its strategy involved borrowing heavily from foreign formats. Many of HSTV’s does governmentality work within and through Chinese reality television? How are political, programs became highly popular, although regularly forming the target of vehement economic, social, and cultural imperatives configured in the making and consumption of reality criticism by intellectuals for their irreverent cultural attitude and sheer focus on television? entertainment (Zhong 2010a). Its success resulted in topping the list of the most The term governmentality, developed by philosopher Michel Foucault, refers to popular provincial television stations. HSTV showed that a focus on entertainment the processes through which individuals shape and guide their own conduct—and programming and reality TV was a highly successful (and rather cheap) way to that of others—with certain aims and objectives in mind. It allows me to look beyond compete in the