THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

Department of Sociology
CCCH5017 People, Propaganda and Profit: Understanding Media in China
2023-2024 Second Semester

Tutor: Tutorial time and venue (online only):

Ros Ng, kageya@hku.hk Monday 0930 1030
Yuyao Liu, yyliu22@connect.hku.hk Tuesday 1630 1730
Wednesday 1030 1430
Instructor Dr. L. Cho, Lifcho@hku.hk Thursday 1130 1330 1430 1530

Tutorial presentation/facilitation/participation (25% present/facilitate discussion 15% participation).

Attendance with camera turned on and participation in online tutorials are mandatory. Student-led tutorials
allow presenters to demonstrate their keen understanding of keys issues within China’s media development in
collaboration with their peers. Discussion questions for each tutorial topic are provided below as a guide.
Student presenters will lead tutorials by critically evaluating developments and debates relating to their topic,
and present their findings through power point presentation, video clips, or any medium of their choice. At the
end of their 15-20 minutes presentation, presenters should prepare case studies or questions for further small
group discussion and debate. Presenters will be evaluated based on effectiveness in: (1) addressing the task, (2)
engaging with readings and integrating conceptual ideas with case examples, (3) clarity and depth of arguments,
(4) organization of presentation (5) delivery and mechanics such as clear citation of readings (6) audience
facilitation by generating active learning through student discussions, interactions and providing ample time
for questions and answer.

Students who are not leading the tutorial are expected to serve as respondents and will be assigned as: (1)
contributor gently challenge or ask questions for presenters to clarify, s/he may also consider providing other ideas
to facilitate the discussion; (2) general discussant: students who are neither presenter or contributor are still
expected to participate in the discussion at every tutorial.

Student presenters are required to upload their presentation (in PDF format only) on our course Moodle by 11
pm one day before their presentation date.

Date Tutorial Topic

Jan 29 Tutorial 1: Introduction

Jan 30 Part I: Introduce yourself to your classmates. Briefly explain why you are taking this class and
Jan 31 what you hope to learn from it.
Feb 01
Part II: Look through the tutorial topics and discussion questions listed below. In Tutorial 1, you
will sign up to lead one tutorial topic. Depending on the tutorial class size, you may need to lead
your topic with other classmates. As some of the tutorial topics may require reading Chinese, non-
Chinese speaking students are encouraged to pair up with a Chinese speaking student.

Part III: Read Tutorial 2 assignment instructions and come ready to share next week.

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Feb 05 Tutorial 2: Warming up: Tracking China’s Media and Culture
Feb 06 Choose one of the media sources on The China Project’s list of the essential English-language
Feb 07 websites, blogs, podcasts and Twitter feeds https://thechinaproject.com/2017/12/08/supchina-
Feb 08 sources-2017/ or follow one these recommended mainland Chinese media outlets:
https://gijn.org/stories/telling-real-news-from-propaganda-a-readers-guide-to-chinese-media/
to keep abreast of all the latest developments on China’s media and culture throughout this
semester.

Discussion questions: Introduce your chosen media source (e.g. who founded it, when was it
established, who is its targeted audience, what topics does it cover, why do you find the source
informative and credible, etc.) Most importantly, share with your tutorial mates: In what ways
does it confirm or challenge your perception of China’s media and/or culture?

Feb 12 Tutorial Suspension Period for the Lunar New Year: No Class
Feb 13 Recommended activity: Do some reading!
Feb 14
Feb 15

Feb 19 Tutorial 3: Making Sense of Media Theories

Feb 20 Discussion questions: Read Jowett, G. S., & O'Donnell, V. (2005) What is propaganda and how
Feb 21 does it differ from Persuasion? Provide a brief definition of propaganda in your own words. Give
Feb 22 some examples from your everyday experience of white, grey and black propaganda (in Hong
Kong or wherever you are from). In what ways is official propaganda necessary in China? How
has it evolved from the past to now? Use concrete examples to demonstrate your points.

Further readings:
Jowett, G. S., & O’Donnell, V. (2005). Chapter 1: What is propaganda and how does it differ from
Persuasion? In Propaganda & persuasion. Sage, 7-16; 44-48.
https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/11847_Chapter1.pdf
Repnikova, M., Fang, K. (2018). Authoritarian participatory persuasion 2.0: Netizens as thought
work collaborators in China. Journal of Contemporary China, 27(113), 763–779. https://www-
tandfonline-com.eproxy.lib.hku.hk/doi/pdf/10.1080/10670564.2018.1458063?needAccess=true
Liang, F., Chen, Y., & Zhao, F. (2021). The Platformization of Propaganda: How Xuexi Qiangguo
Expands Persuasion and Assesses Citizens in China. International Journal of Communication, 15,
20. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/16484

Feb 26 Tutorial 4: Investigative Journalism and Political Power in China

Feb 27 Discussion questions: Showcase a good investigative journalism TV programme or publication
Feb 28 (online news, magazine, newspaper, blog, etc.) in China (keep in mind some of your classmates do
Feb 29 not read or speak Chinese, so be sure to provide English translation). What kinds of investigative
topics do they cover? Who are their targets of criticism? Describe the kinds of strategies that helps
expand their investigative reporting. What limitations or restrictions do they face? Use recent
examples to illustrate your point.

Further readings:
Konow-Lund, M., Pan, L., & Gardell, E. K. O. (2024). How COVID-19 Affected the Practice of
Investigative Journalism in Norway and China. Hybrid Investigative Journalism, 137.
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-41939-3_9
Wang, H. & Fan J. (2021). China and the Digital Era. In Investigative journalism (pp. 125-
136)(3rd ed.). De Burgh, H., & Bradshaw, P. (eds.) London New York Routledge.
http://find.lib.hku.hk/record=HKU_IZ51633635410003414
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 Xu, N., & Gutsche Jr, R. E. (2021). Going Offline”: Social Media, Source Verification, and
Chinese Investigative Journalism During “Information Overload. Journalism Practice, 15(8),
1146-1162. http://www.robertgutschejr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Going-Offline-Social-
Media-Source-Verification-and-Chinese-Investigative-Journalism-During-Information-Overload-
1.pdf

Mar 04 Reading Week: No Class

Mar 05 Midterm project due Wed 11:00 pm Mar 6
Mar 06
Mar 07

Mar 11 Tutorial 5: Amusing the Masses: the Growth of Popular Entertainment

Mar 12 Discussion questions: Entertainment programmes such as variety shows, reality shows, (idol)
Mar 13 drama serials, etc, have been denounced as ‘vulgar’ by both Party-state and cultural elitists. From
Mar 14 time to time, government regulators impose restrictions on such programming. More recently, the
maximum number of drama serial episodes were limited to 40. Find a recent entertainment show,
and discuss: what are the controversies surrounding this show? What restrictions have been placed
on the show since its inception? How has the show adapted itself for survival? Demonstrate how
the show has become a site of contestation for different political and social forces. Be sure to show
clips of the show (providing English translation) for illustration.

Further readings:
Guo, S. (2017). When dating shows encounter state censors: a case study of If You Are the One.
Media, Culture & Society, 39(4), 487-503. https://doi-
org.eproxy.lib.hku.hk/10.1177/0163443716648492
Meng, B. (2018). The Cultural Politics of the Entertainment Media. In The Politics of Chinese
Media (pp. 91–125). Palgrave Macmillan US. https://doi-org.eproxy.lib.hku.hk/10.1057/978-1-
137-46214-5_4
Xu, J & Yang, L (2021) Governing entertainment celebrities in China: practices, policies, and
politics (2005–2020). Celebrity Studies, 12(2), 202-218.
https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2021.1912109

Mar 18 Tutorial 6: Internet and the Rise of Online Public Opinion

Mar 19 Discussion questions: Cite examples of how Chinese netizens used music, derivative cuts,
Mar 20 secondary dubbings, art or parody on the internet to express social criticism. At the same time,
Mar 21 how does the Internet become a platform for netizens to express nationalistic sentiment? Examine
how the Party-state play a part in shaping and or managing online public opinion and analyse their
implications. Support your argument with recent examples.

Further Readings:
Fandom and nationalism
https://thechinaproject.com/2021/09/09/idol-worship-and-fan-culture-in-china-explained/
Fang, K., & Repnikova, M. (2018). Demystifying “Little Pink”: The creation and evolution of a
gendered label for nationalistic activists in China. New Media & Society, 20(6), 2162-2185.
https://doi-org.eproxy.lib.hku.hk/10.1177/1461444817731923
Han, R. (2015). Defending the authoritarian regime online: China's “voluntary fifty-cent army”.
The China Quarterly, 224, 1006-1025.
http://dx.doi.org.eproxy.lib.hku.hk/10.1017/S0305741015001216
Wu, X., & Fitzgerald, R. (2021). ‘Hidden in plain sight’: Expressing political criticism on Chinese
social media. Discourse Studies, 23(3), 365-385. https://doi-
org.eproxy.lib.hku.hk/10.1177/1461445620916365
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Mar 25 Tutorial 7: Citizen Journalism and Alternative Coverage
Mar 26 Discussion questions: What is citizen journalism? What roles have mainland Chinese citizen
Mar 27 journalists played in recent social events? Use a case study of a recent social event to demonstrate
Mar 28 your points. What are the future growth and limitations of citizen journalism in China?

Further Readings:
How #MeToo China Inspired a User-Generated Model of Investigative Journalism. Global
Investigative Journalism Network By Ying Chan | September 18, 2018
https://gijn.org/2018/09/18/how-metoo-china-inspired-a-user-generated-model-of-investigative-
journalism/
Luo, Y., & Harrison, T. M. (2019). How citizen journalists impact the agendas of traditional
media and the government policymaking process in China. Global Media and China, 4(1), 72-93.
HKUL online access: https://doi.org/10.1177/2059436419835771
Wu, Y., & Wall, M. (2019). Prosumers in a digital multiverse: An investigation of how WeChat is
affecting Chinese citizen journalism. Global Media and China, 4(1), 36–51.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2059436419835441

Apr 01 No Tutorials but LECTURE will be held as schedule.

Apr 02 * No Tutorials this week but remember to attend lecture as usual
Apr 03
Apr 04

Apr 08 Tutorial 8: From Social to Commerce

Apr 09 Discussion questions: How does the internet (especially with the mobile internet platforms)
Apr 10 facilitate commercial activities in China in recent years? Illustrate with examples, and discuss the
Apr 11 ways that individuals and companies are involved in these activities, impacts of such a
development, and how the government play a role in the process.

Further Readings:
In Rural Sichuan, Poverty and Profit Are Just a Click Apart. By Ji Guanxu, Sixth Tone, 22 Jan
2022. https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1009512/in-rural-sichuan%2C-poverty-and-profit-are-just-
a-click-apart
In Taobao Villages, Merchants Say They’re Struggling with Livestreaming. By Wu Peiyue, Sixth
Tone, 10 Feb 2022. https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1009636/in-taobao-villages%2C-merchants-
say-theyre-struggling-with-livestreaming
Cunningham, S., Craig, D., Lv, J. (2019). China’s livestreaming industry: platforms, politics, and
precarity. International journal of cultural studies, 2019-11, Vol.22 (6), p.719-736.
https://doi-org.eproxy.lib.hku.hk/10.1177%2F1367877919834942
Xu, L., & Zhang, H. (2022). The game of popularity: The earnings system and labor control in the
live streaming industry. Chinese Journal of Sociology, 8(2), 187–209. https://doi-
org.eproxy.lib.hku.hk/10.1177/2057150X221090328

Apr 15 Tutorial 9: Capturing Social Change on Film

Apr 16 Discussion questions: What is meant by ‘independent cinema’ in China? What are some different
Apr 17 patterns of independent filmmaking in China? In what ways has independent cinema function as a
Apr 18 form of public criticism in China and in our rapidly globalized world? What are some continued
constraints? How the filmmakers try to overcome the limitations? Discuss with examples (the
films!) and make sure English subtitles are provided.

Further Readings:
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 Premiering in Your Inbox: China’s New Indie Doc Sensation. By Fu Beimeng, Sixth Tone, 4 May
2020. https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1005595/premiering-in-your-inbox-chinas-new-indie-doc-
sensation
FIRST Film Festival is a Mecca for China’s Indie Film Buffs. By Wang Ruije. RADII. 15 Jul
2022. https://radii.co/article/first-film-festival-is-a-mecca-for-china's-indie-film-buffs
Parry, R. (2019). Ongoing Digitisation and Independent Chinese Documentary: A Field Report
from Beijing 2015-2016. In Boredom, Shanzhai, and Digitisation in the Time of Creative
China (pp. 299–306). Amsterdam University Press.
https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/24328/1005803.pdf?sequence=1#page=3
00
Wu, L. (2022). From Chinese independent cinema to art cinema: Convergence and divergence.
Asian Cinema, 33(1), 3–19. https://doi-org.eproxy.lib.hku.hk/10.1386/ac_00044_1

Apr 22 Tutorial 10: Art, Media, and Politics in Transition

Apr 23 Discussion questions: How are art, the art market and politics closely interconnected in the
Apr 24 Chinese context? Describe the opportunities and challenges confronting artists in the post-reform
Apr 25 period. What does it take for a mainland Chinese artist to succeed in the global marketplace? What
are the roles of other agents (e.g. the government, art collectors and sellers, etc) in the process of
making contemporary Chinese art globalized? Try to use some case studies to illustrate your
argument.

Further Readings:
Foster, N. (2019). The Art Market and Politics: The Case of the Sigg Collection. Journal for
Art Market Studies, 3(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.23690/jams.v3i1.85
Mapping Chinese Art 1972-2012: Selections from the M+ Collection
https://sigg.mplus.org.hk/
Wang, M. (2019). Power, capital, and artistic freedom: contemporary Chinese art communities
and the city, Cultural Studies, 33(4), 657-689. https://doi-
org.eproxy.lib.hku.hk/10.1080/09502386.2018.1497675
Wang, J. (2021). Folk culture China in the China Pavilion, Venice Biennale: repositioning
“Chineseness” in contemporary art discourse. Journal of Visual Art Practice, 20(1-2), 81–96.
https://www-tandfonline-
com.eproxy.lib.hku.hk/doi/pdf/10.1080/14702029.2021.1921484?needAccess=true