IMAGINEERING PLACE the BRANDING of FIVE CHINESE MEGA-CITIES Emma Björner
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!! " #$ %&'#'()&& *+, -! (-./ -0 / '&') - - ! ! - 1 !- 1 1 - - 1 )- ! ) - - ! - ! - 2 3 )! 2 ! 1 ! ") ! 1 ! - ! - , - - 3 - 4 ) 5! - ! ) - - - 1- - - 1 ) ! - - - -- ) 1 ! -1 - ) ! 6 5- 3 ! )7 - - - 8 1 8 1 ! ) 7 3 2 ! 19 - 1 1 ! - -- - - ) %&'# :;; )!); < = : ! ::: '>'?>@ 7A@#?@'#B>@?&C# 7A@#?@'#B>@?&B> -'&B@' IMAGINEERING PLACE THE BRANDING OF FIVE CHINESE MEGA-CITIES Emma Björner Imagineering Place The Branding of Five Chinese Mega-Cities Emma Björner Abstract Cities, regions, nations and other places have in recent decades become active participants in the global competitive economy, and now operate in a global marketplace, competing with other places all over the world for investors, tourists, residents and workforce. As a result, places use marketing and brand- ing strategies and practices to gain reputation and competitive advantage. Chi- nese cities have, over the past decades, increasingly engaged in branding ac- tivities, and even taken the role of spearheads for China in its positioning in the global economy, seen for example in the organization of mega-events. The branding of Chinese cities nevertheless exhibits some differences compared with city branding in the West. The aim of this dissertation is to contribute to our knowledge of the internal-political aspects of place branding, using field studies of the imagery used in city branding practices in five Chinese mega- cities, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Chongqing. The fo- cus is on the images and language used in the cities’ branding, and on key political aspects involved in the branding of Chinese mega-cities. The theo- retical lens incorporates concepts tied to images, language, imaginaries, ide- ology and power, and the study relies on an ethnographic, multiple case study approach, including longitudinal fieldwork in China. The findings consist of rich illustrations of the branding of the five Chinese mega-cities, and include an analysis of similar imagery found in all five cities, grouped into economic, international, cultural, social and environmental imaginaries. This shows that city branding in Chinese mega-cities is focused on creating international and competitive cities, while also paying attention to the environment, culture and internal target groups such as residents. A central contribution of this disser- tation is the development of the concept ‘imagineering’, used in this study to conceptualize key political aspects of city branding in Chinese mega-cities. Imagineering contains three main elements, namely local adaptations of na- tional directives, policies, plans and concepts; a strong future orientation while also accentuating selected elements from the past; and a focus on local popu- lations with the creation of stability and harmony as a central goal. Imagineer- ing is also conceptualized as a policy instrument exercised by a powerful élite, closely intertwined with urban governance, and used to influence people, val- ues, places and, ultimately, city futures. Keywords: China, Chinese mega-cities, city branding, fieldwork, ideology, imagery, images, imaginaries, imagineering, language, multiple case study, place branding, power. Sammanfattning Städer, regioner, länder och andra platser har under de senaste decennierna blivit aktiva deltagare i den globala ekonomin, och befinner sig nu på en global marknad där de konkurrerar med andra platser runtom i världen – om investe- rare, turister, invånare och arbetskraft. Som en följd av detta använder platser marknadsföring och varumärkesbyggande för att öka sitt anseende och stärka sin konkurrenskraft. Kinesiska städer har under de senaste decennierna alltmer använt sig av stadsmarknadsföring och till och med intagit rollen som spjut- spetsar för Kina i landets positionering globalt, vilket blivit tydligt exempelvis vid stora evenemang. Kinesiska städers marknadsföring uppvisar dock en del skillnader jämfört med stadsmarknadsföring i en västerländsk kontext. Syftet med denna avhandling är att bidra till vår kunskap om de interna och politiska aspekterna av platsmarknadsföring, genom fältstudier av bildspråk som an- vänds i marknadsföringen av fem kinesiska megastäder, nämligen Peking, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu och Chongqing. Fokus är på bilder och språk som används i städernas marknadsföring samt på politiska aspekter som rör stadsmarknadsföringen i kinesiska megastäder. Den teoretiska linsen innehål- ler begrepp knutna till bilder, språk, ’imaginaries’, ideologi och makt, och stu- dien bygger på en flerfallsstudie som innefattar longitudinellt fältarbete i Kina. Resultaten består av innehållsrika beskrivningar av stadsmarknadsföringen i de fem kinesiska megastäderna, innehåller en analys av liknande bildspråk som återfunnits i städerna, och visar att stadsmarknadsföring i kinesiska me- gastäder är inriktad på att stärka städernas konkurrenskraft och skapa internat- ionella städer, medan den också är fokuserad på miljö, kultur och invånare. Ett centralt bidrag i avhandlingen är utvecklingen av begreppet ’imaginee- ring’, som används i denna studie för att teoretisera huvudsakliga politiska kännetecken för stadsmarknadsföring i kinesiska megastäder. Imagineering består av tre huvuddelar, nämligen en lokal anpassning av nationella direktiv, policys, planer och koncept; en tydlig framtidsinriktning kombinerad med en betoning på utvalda delar från det förflutna; samt fokus på invånare med skap- ande av stabilitet och harmoni som ett centralt mål. Imagineering konceptua- liseras också som ett politiskt instrument som utövas av en maktelit, är sam- manflätat med stadsförvaltning, och används för att påverka människor, vär- deringar, platser, och, inte minst, städers framtid. Nyckelord: Bilder, bildspråk, flerfallsstudie, fältarbete, ideologi, imaginaries, imagineering, Kina, kinesiska megastäder, makt, platsmarknadsföring, språk, stadsmarknadsföring. Contents 78C4H428I84HDCI74BDQ4 &GD1A4B0I8U8C6EA0241G0C38C6 8B0C3G4H40G27FP4HI8DCH 8HH4GI0I8DCDPIA8C4 &A0241G0C38C6I74DGT0C3EG02I824 DC24EIP0A34Q4ADEB4CID5EA0241G0C38C6 &A0241G0C38C65GDB02DBBPC820I8DCE4GHE42I8Q4 %PAI8EA438B4CH8DCHD5EA0241G0C38C6 &DA8I820AC0IPG4D5EA0241G0C38C6 2DC24EIP0A5G0B4RDG@ &A0248B064GT &A0248B068C0G84H $34DAD6T0C3EDR4GD5EA024 '4H40G2734H86C0C3B4I7D3DAD6T '4H40G270EEGD0270C3H4A42I8DCD520H4H !84A3IG8EH0C330I02DAA42I8DC 0I00C0ATH8H %4I7D3DAD6820AG45A42I8DCH )7478C4H42DCI4SI $34DAD6820AEDR4G0C3EDA8I820AC0GG0I8Q4H "AD10A8U8C6455DGIH0C33DB4HI82270AA4C64H '45DGB6DQ4GC0C240C3I74& )741G0C38C6D558Q478C4H4B46028I84H 4898C6)7424CIG4D5EDA8I820AEDR4G (70C6708)74C4SI64C4G0I8DC6AD10A28IT (74CU74C)74E8DC44G8C6B86G0I8DC28IT 74C63P#DB4D5I74E0C300C34C68C4D5I74R4HI 7DC6F8C6(DAQ8C68B10A0C242G40I8C6EGDHE4G8IT $B068C0G84H0IEA0T 2DCDB828B068C0GT $CI4GC0I8DC0A8B068C0GT PAIPG0A8B068C0GT (D280A8B068C0GT 2DAD6820A8B068C0GT $B068C0G84H0C3834DAD6T $B068C44G8C6EA024 $B068C0I8DC0C34C68C44G8C6 )7G444A4B4CIHD58B068C44G8C6 8IT1G0C38C60H0EDA82T8CHIGPB4CI (PBB8C6PE (PBB0G8U8C6I74HIP3T DCIG81PI8DC !8C0AG45A42I8DCH '454G4C24H EE4C3824H Acknowledgements The past five years as a PhD student have been an incredible journey! I have been able to pursue a study in an area of my own choice and interest, for which I feel very privileged. During these years, I have not only learned things that are represented in this study, however, but gained insights into many parts of academia, which has been interesting and rewarding. I have met many people along the way, and am very grateful for all the feedback, advice and support I have received from supervisors, colleagues, respondents, friends and family! First and foremost, I would like to express my since gratitude to my supervi- sors, P.O. Berg, Ali Yakhlef and Xiucheng Fan. Thank you, P.O., for opening the door to academia for me, and for believing in me. With your positive and proactive style, your long experience from academia and your ability to see holistic patterns, you have helped me immensely, to develop my research and myself as a researcher. Thank you, Ali, for all your support, for reading my work with attention to detail and for all the good discussions which I have learnt much from. Thank you, Fan, for your continuous encouragement, for great discussions and for providing valuable insights into the Chinese context. I am also very grateful to discussants at my milestone seminars, who have read my work carefully and provided valuable and constructive critique which has helped me to improve my research and this thesis. My sincere thankfulness goes to Mihalis Kavaratzis, Jacob Östberg, Patrick L’Espoir Decosta, Susanna Molander, Massimo Giovanardi and Can Seng Ooi. A large part of this dissertation is based on fieldwork in China, which would not have been possible without funding. A big thank you to Forum for Asian Studies, for the funding of fieldwork in China, and for making the China Sym- posium 2012 and the book that came out of it, possible. I also appreciate a grant received by Stockholm University and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, which allowed me to carry out fieldwork in Beijing and Chengdu in 2012. Moreover,