Visual Political Communication in Popular Chinese Television Series China Studies Edited by Glen Dudbridge Frank Pieke VOLUME 22 The titles published in this series are listed at www.brill.nl/chs Visual Political Communication in Popular Chinese Television Series By Florian Schneider LEIDEN • BOSTON 2012 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Schneider, Florian. Visual political communication in popular Chinese television series / by Florian Schneider. p. cm. — (China studies, ISSN 1570–1344 ; v. 22) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-22148-2 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-22149-9 (e-book) 1. Television programs—China. 2. Television and politics—China. 3. Television broadcasting policy—China. I. Dudbridge, Glen. II. Pieke, Frank N. III. Title. PN1992.3.C6S36 2012 384.55’320951—dc23 2012016721 ISSN 1570-1344 ISBN 978 90 04 22148 2 (hardback) ISBN 978 90 04 22149 9 (e-book) Copyright 2012 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. 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CONTENTS List of Tables and Illustrations ........................................................ ix Acknowledgements ............................................................................ xi Chapter One Introduction: Cultural Governance and Chinese TV Drama Series ............................................................ 1 Chinese TV Content between Liberalisation and Control ..... 3 Regulating TV Content to Regulate Chinese Society— An Issue of Cultural Governance ........................................... 6 Researching Popular TV Series—A Semiotic Approach to Visual Discourse ........................................................................ 10 Structure of This Book ................................................................. 17 PART ONE POLITICAL DISCOURSE IN POPULAR TV SERIES Chapter Two The State and Its Officials in TV Dramas ......... 23 Emperor Wu—The Benevolent Ruler ........................................ 23 The Commissioner and His Superior—Devoted CCP Officials and Government Leaders ......................................... 33 Professional Bureaucrats and Effective State Administration 41 Chapter Three Securing the State: Law Enforcement and Military Action ............................................................................... 53 Human Trafficking and Loitering: Public Security as Comical Plot Complication ..................................................... 54 Strong Men and Their War Against Crime .............................. 62 Securing the Homeland Through Warfare ............................... 72 Chapter Four Justifying the State: Political Legitimacy and Accountability ................................................................................ 81 Wholeheartedly Serving the People ........................................... 82 The Perfect Hero and Model Worker ........................................ 94 The Masses Are Watching ........................................................... 96 Constructing the General Public ................................................ 100 vi contents PART TWO THE FACTORS OF DISCOURSE PRODUCTION Chapter Five Creating the Political Discourses of TV Dramas ..................................................................................... 107 Chinese Production Companies ................................................. 108 Risks and Moral Hazards in China’s Drama Market .............. 110 Investors and Their Motives ........................................................ 112 Creatives at Work—Planning and Producing a TV Drama Series ........................................................................................... 114 Selling the Drama—Marketing and Distribution in the Chinese TV Drama Market ..................................................... 124 The Buyers: TV Stations and Their Motives ............................. 127 The Forces of Production ............................................................ 129 Chapter Six The Chinese Television Drama Audience ............ 131 Constructing the Audience: The Chinese Audience Measurement System ............................................................... 132 Finding an Audience: Who Watches TV Dramas in China? 137 Addressing the Audience: Broadcasting Conventions and Viewing Habits .......................................................................... 140 Likes and Dislikes: The Genres that Audiences Watch .......... 145 TV as a Public Sphere? The Role of Audience Feedback ....... 148 Chapter Seven Government Regulations and Censorship Mechanisms .................................................................................... 155 Effectiveness of Media Governing Mechanisms ...................... 155 State Institutions Involved in Television Censorship ............. 158 The Party’s Propaganda System .................................................. 160 Legal and Administrative Censorship Tools ............................ 164 Money Rules—The Financial Side of Censorship ................... 167 Anacondas in Chandeliers—Uncertainty as a Governance Mechanism ................................................................................. 171 A New Snake Nesting in the Chandelier? The Power of Persuasion .................................................................................. 176 Chapter Eight Chinese Perceptions of Television’s Function and Influence ................................................................................. 179 Media Content’s Impact on Viewers ......................................... 180 Possible Effects of Harmful Content .......................................... 182 contents vii Risk Groups .................................................................................... 187 Justifications of Censorship and Government Control in China ........................................................................................... 189 Putting Censorship Advocacy into Perspective ....................... 191 The Didactical Functions of TV ................................................. 194 Making Successful Dramas .......................................................... 195 The Psychological and Social Relevance of TV Drama .......... 199 Chapter Nine Conclusion: Chinese TV Discourses and the Factors of Their Production ........................................................ 205 Homogeneity in Drama Discourses and the Didactics of TV Entertainment ..................................................................... 205 Visuality, Emotions, and the Construction of Imagined Community ................................................................................ 208 The Ruptures in TV Drama Discourses .................................... 211 The Factors of Drama Production ............................................. 213 The Effectiveness of Cultural Governance ................................ 218 Glossary of Technical Terms ........................................................... 225 Bibliography ........................................................................................ 229 Appendix ............................................................................................. 243 Appendix 1a: Methodological Notes—Analysing TV Drama Content ...................................................................................... 243 Appendix 1b: Methodological Notes—Interview Analysis ... 253 Appendix 2: Central Members of the Production Team and Their Functions ........................................................................ 257 Appendix 3: Directors ................................................................. 259 Appendix 4: Positive Viewer Feedback as Presented by CUC Researchers ...................................................................... 260 Appendix 5: Negative Viewer Feedback as Presented by CUC Researchers ...................................................................... 265 Appendix 6: Main Functions of the SARFT (国家广电总局主要职能) ...................................................... 266 Appendix 7: SARFT Organisational Structure and Main Jurisdictions .............................................................................. 269 Appendix 8: 2004 SARFT Censorship Regulation Decree No. 40 ......................................................................................... 276 Index .................................................................................................... 291 LIST OF TABLES AND ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1: Thirteen Years of Hardship for the Ruler .................... 26 Figure 2: Shot Frequency and Dynamics Leading Up to Zhang Qian Kneeling ................................................................................ 26 Figure 3: The Paternal Ruler Caring for his Subordinates ......... 28 Figure 4: The Ruler As a Man of the People ...............................