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1. Should places in Asia follow Western policies and practices around copyright and
intellectual property to develop, support and sustain creativity there? Why or why
not?

In the 19th century, the West established a policy foundation for maximizing wealth-
generating potential of creativity. The policy focus on copyright, patent and
trademark. Therefore, the minimum standards for copyright or IP protection for the
WTO(World Trade Organisation) are published. It seems like copyright is a form of
racism, it is because most Asian cultures have no history of commercially exploiting
ideas. I argue that in some parts of Asia there is unnecessary to follow Western
policies on copyright, especially in China, this is because copying enhances creativity.
The Chinese term for shanzhai refers to a culture based on imitation and copying that
seeks to rebel against authority, fight social injustice, and build a set of norms parallel
to those of the government. By increasing consumer choice at a lower price,
shanzhai can break the monopoly held by producers who produce more expensive
products, and it is an economic tool to resist the abuse of corporate and government
power (Page 2019). Moreover, producers do not rely solely on copying; they create
based on copy. An example of this is the artwork produced in Shenzhen's Dafen Art
Village. Producers in the village copy the works of world-famous artists through
standardized quantities of production, such as the fake Van Goghs and fake Mona
Lisas that are spred throughout the streets of Dafen. This small village's oil painting
industry trade reached $430 million in 2010, accounting for one-third of the global
market for commodity oil paintings (Art Radar 2012). Painters and workers develop
their style in the process of copying, even changing the details and tones of their
paintings to keep the individuality of their work based on the needs and preferences
of their clients (Kloet & Chow 2016, p. 238-239). It proves the creativity in the
process of copycat art making.

And collaborative production based on this copying of imitation or providing scale

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production, capitalising on cultural proximity and value, and adding within the region
has led to a more dynamic creative industry in China, which is progressive innovation
( Keane 2006). The famous Chinese dating show If You Are The One (fei cheng wu
rao) is based on the British show Take Me Out and the Australian show Taken Out,
where 24 single women are matched with single men by turning out the lights and
lighting them up. The show has even attracted interest from overseas audiences,
with special shows in 11 countries and broadcast in Australia and Malaysia. Unlike
Taken Out, which focuses on audience interaction and showcasing the male body, If
You Are The One focuses more on socioeconomic issues between men and women,
such as property distribution and gender equality (Li 2014). Although copied from
overseas shows, the show has been adapted to meet the needs of the Chinese
audience, focusing on the collision of young men's and women's ideas of love. The
show's popularity is a demonstration of the creative potential developed on its
replication. These two examples illustrate that China has special means of
reproduction to stimulate creativity and thus develop the Chinese economic market.
This further illustrates that Western policies and the maintenance of copyright are
less applicable in China, limiting the development of China's creative industries and
economy.

2. How do we de-Westernise academic knowledge about media in the Asia-Pacific?

As academics and researchers, what strategies can we implement to achieve this
and why should we do it?

The term Asia-Pacific is a constructed notion, it creates in language by powerful

national and geopolitical entities. The idea of Asia-Pacific has the power to challenge
the dominance of Euramerian values and aesthetics. De-Westernizing media studies
acknowledge that the west is no longer the leader in the future, and it is necessary to
reposition scholarship and local knowledge that has traditionally been located at the
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"periphery" (Waisbord & Mellado 2014). In this case, Asian referencing is a means of
de-westernising. As scholars and researchers, we need to overcome historical
animosities and tensions between Asian neighbours, compare the media across
different societies in Asia and explore similar but different social conditions and
world views instead of borrowing the west ideas. In addition, we produce knowledge
of the media in Asia and express concepts in Asian languages. We can promote inter-
Asian referencing by advancing the connections and diversity of East Asian media
cultures. It can make concepts and theories that originate from Asian experiences
relevant across geographies and share similar but different experiences. This is the
kind of cultural mixing and adaptation that occurs in East Asian popular culture.

An example of inter-Asian referencing is the remaking of successful TV series and

movies in East Asia. Scarlet Hear, a pioneer of the time slip genre in Asian television,
it produced in China and become popular in whole Asia. The show has been
translated into different languages and shown in Japan, Thailand and Korea. The plot
tells the story of a modern Chinese girl who travels to ancient China thousands of
years ago to fall in love with a prince. Because of its similar ancient setting, Korea
remade it as Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, and changed the story to fit the
Korean Goryeo period history. In addition, the story was changed to be more
idolatrous to fit the preferences of Korean youth (Song & Yan 2016). This example
demonstrates that we can develop local media culture using Asian languages, similar
but different world views, and references to other East Asian ideas. East Asian media
and cultural connections promote this sense of cultural resonance in the region's
people's encounters with their cultural neighbours, a shared but different experience
of constructing local modernity (Iwabuchi 2013). Moreover, inter-Asian referencing
has become a vital part of the daily entertainment of people consuming media
culture. People consume dramas, movies, and popular music from other Asian
regions to help them reflect on their own lives and societies in the light of other East
Asian modernities. Media forms with national characteristics through media-cultural
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interaction and localization are what we as researchers should promote.

Reference list

Art Radar 2012, Dafen Art Village, Part I: From Copy to Creative in Shenzhen? http://
artradarjournal.com/2012/02/29/dafen-art-village-part-i-from-copy-to-creative-in-she
nzen/.

Iwabuchi, K 2013, ‘De-westernisation, inter-Asian referencing and beyond’, Europea

n Journal of Cultural Studies, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 44–57.

Keane, M 2006, From Made in China to Created in China, International Journal of C

ultural Studies.

Kloet, J & Chow, Y 2016, Shanzhai Culture, Dafen Art, and Copyrights from: Routled
ge Handbook of East Asian Popular Culture Routledge

Li, L 2014, ‘If You Are the One: Dating shows and feminist politics in contemporary
China’, International Journal of Cultural Studies, vol. 18, no. 5, pp. 519–535.

Page, L 2019, GOODBYE, SHANZHAI: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS AND

THE END OF COPYCAT CHINA.

Song, X & Yan, S 2016, 韩国翻拍内地剧引关注 步步惊心还是步步为营？, medi

a.people.com.cn, People Daily, viewed 17 October 2022, <http://media.people.com.cn
/n1/2016/0909/c40606-28702461.html>.

Waisbord, S & Mellado, C 2014, ‘De-westernizing Communication Studies: A Reasse

ssment’, Communication Theory, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 361–372.