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 space...