Contradictions in China’s Domestic and International Communication:

1. Contradictions in China’s Domestic and International Communication: The Problem of China’s Global Image Dr. Jeanne Boden 21/06/2019

2. Research Chinese propaganda Research material: 2500 photographs, movies Period: 1993 – 2018 Locations: People’s Republic of China From Jilin to Xinjiang From Beijing to Tibet to Guangzhou From Shanghai to Chengdu Point of view: Sender Central discourse: 1 ‘truth’ + censorship

3. Research Chinese propaganda • Content: CCP’s changing ideology • Who is addressed • What is requested • Methods • Contradictions: national and international • China’s global image

4. Early 1990s

5. 1994 2004 Shanghai Pudong

6. 2003 “Long live Marxism, Leninism and Mao Zedong Thoughts”

7. Content: CCP’s changing ideology • Mao Zedong: Communist discourse, destroy 4 olds • Deng Xiaoping: Opening up • Jiang Zemin: ‘Capitalists’ into the CCP • Hu Jintao: Confucianism • Xi Jinping: Amalgam of ideologies • Communist • Confucian • Western democracy

8. Prosperity, Democracy, Civility, Harmony Freedom, Equality, Justice, Rule of LawPatriotism, Dedication, Honesty, Friendliness

9. Who is addressed • The People • Mao Zedong: farmers, workers, soldiers, CCP members • Deng Xiaoping: PRC, huaqiao/overseas • Today: all Chinese across the globe • Individual is never addressed as individual • Always part of nation/ family/ group • Majority and Minorities

10. One big united family

11. Minority Park Beijing: Minorities dancing for the Han Majority

12. What is asked • Patriot – Spirit for the nation • Raise your children for the nation • Defend the nation • To be civilized • Solidarity in society

13. What is “Chinese civilization” • To be civilized: • Being educated and moral • Being polite and well-mannered • Having the right spirit for the nation • “Chinese civilization” • Mao Zedong: destroy the “four olds” • Today: (Re)constructing ‘Ancient civilization’: rituals, heroes, architecture, … • 12 “Socialist core values” amalgam of ideologies

14. Conflating political and personal aspirations

15. Reversing a (Chinese) narrative 1980s River Elegy Heshang河殇 • Pro-western • End of China • Chinese culture is doomed to disappear 2013 Ocean Elegy Haishang 海殇 • Pro-China • End of the West • West is doomed to disappear

16. National Top down discourse | Bottom up dissent Xi Jinping App: Study the Great Nation (Photo: Reuters) Silencing dissent Xu Zhangrong Law professor at Tsinghua University

17. Contradictions National • Absence of civil society • Solidarity is asked • ‘Open China’ • Great Firewall

18. International “Global China” One Belt One Road Win – win Common goals Exchange … Opium War rhetoric Anti-western propaganda

19. Contradictions International • Win-win and ‘Open China’ • Rule of Law, democracy, equality, freedom (Why?) • Opium War rhetoric, anti-western propaganda • “Make the West serve China” • Censorship of what is unwanted • Explosion of chemical plants • Uyghur detentions • Hong Kong demonstrations • Dissident voices

20. China’s global image • It is not clear what China really stands for • Media across the globe report on what China hides • Positive image that China wants to establish is undermined