China Media Research - Vol.13, No.1

CMR 13(1)

Issue Vol. 13, No. 1 / January 2017


The State of News: Production, Consumption, and Transformation in the Era of Digital Media

Author(s): Shuhua Zhou

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[Shuhua Zhou. The State of News: Production, Consumption, and Transformation in the Era of Digital Media. China Media Research 2017; 13(1): 1-2]. 1

Are Online Versions of Newspapers Inferior Goods or Public Goods? Empirical Evidence from U.S. National and Local Markets

Author(s): Louisa Ha & Xiaoqun Zhang

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This study used a national representative sample in 2010 and a local market general population and college students sample in 2012 in the United States to examine the relationship between online and print newspaper readership and explore whether online newspapers are inferior goods. In addition, the attributes of both online and print newspapers were compared to further test if online newspapers are inferior to print newspapers in the local market. Both sets of data did not support the inferior good hypothesis, contradicting the findings of earlier research. The findings support the proposition of online newspapers as public goods. We also introduced the concept of parity news readers who are content with only limited access to online newspaper content. Newspaper executives are recommended to set different expectations for their print products and online including mobile version of their products to succeed in the digital era. [Louisa Ha & Xiaoqun Zhang. Are Online Versions of Newspapers Inferior Goods or Public Goods? Empirical Evidence from U.S. National and Local Markets. China Media Research 2017; 11(1): 3-19]. 2

The Social Economic Background and Working Conditions of Taiwan Journalists A Comparative Study of 1994, 2004 and 2014

Author(s): Ven-hwei Lo, Huei-Ling Liu, Ji Pan

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Three national surveys of working journalists were conducted in 1994, 2004 and 2014 to investigate their basic characteristics, education and training, and working conditions. Using multistage cluster sampling, the total completed sample sizes for the three surveys were 1,015 for 1994, 1,182 for 2004, and 1,505 for 2014. The results of the study revealed that journalists in Taiwan were better educated, more satisfied with their jobs, and more likely to be female in 2014 than in 1994 and 2004. The surveys also revealed that while Taiwanese journalists in 2014 tended to have less job autonomy, they were also less likely to stay with the same news organization the next five years. The comparative study provides insight on the shifts in basic characteristics, education and training, working conditions, and employment aspiration of working journalists over three transformative decades for Taiwan’s media and political environment. [Ven-hwei Lo, Huei-Ling Liu, Ji Pan. The Social Economic Background and Working Conditions of Taiwan Journalists A Comparative Study of 1994, 2004 and 2014. China Media Research 2017; 13(1): 20-28]. 3

To Trust or Not to Trust: Characteristic-based and Process-Based Trust

Author(s): Hongzhong Zhang, Xueying Zhang & Shuhua Zhou

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This study first explicates the concept of trust, beginning with the psychological root of trust and its implications before identifying three types of trust: characteristic-based trust, process-based trust, and institutional-based trust. Accordingly, we investigate two of these dimensional trusts to allow us to build profiles of media users who trust or distrust different media. In particular, process-based trust was investigated by using different measures of “media use.” A survey was conducted on a random sample of the general population in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. Results indicated that TV was still the most trusted medium, and media use frequency is a strong predictor of trust. Implications are discussed. [Hongzhong Zhang, Xueying Zhang & Shuhua Zhou. To Trust or Not to Trust: Characteristic-based and Process-Based Trust. China Media Research 2017; 13(1): 29- 41]. 4

Role Depictions of Women and Men in CCTV News Content

Author(s): Robert McKenzie & Kelly Lynch McKenzie

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China continues to rank low in gender equality, despite goals of the Communist Party to close the gap. This study analyzes the Chinese government's CCTV News - which is aimed at a foreign, English-speaking audience - to determine if women and men are being depicted equally. The study combines Social Role theory with Rhetorical Criticism to develop a content analysis methodology for revealing how the audience is likely to interpret the coverage of women and men in terms of gender equality. Three variables are assessed: Lower Status versus Higher Status, Leadership Positions versus Non-Leadership Positions, and Traditional Traits versus Emerging Traits. Though the study finds some gender equality across the variables, mostly the findings reveal pronounced gender inequality in CCTV News. Implications are suggested for how the audience - as a result of watching CCTV News - will be influenced to engage with Chinese people in international commerce and diplomacy. [Robert McKenzie & Kelly Lynch McKenzie. Role Depictions of Women and Men in CCTV News Content. China Media Research 2017; 13(1): 42-51]. 5

Testing Television Advertising and News Crawls with Competing Appeals: How Does an Aversive Crawl affect an Appetitive Commercial?

Author(s): Thomas Meade, Shuhua Zhou

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This paper employed self-report and the psychophysiological measures of facial EMG at the corrugator and zygomatic muscles to test how running a news crawl with a competing appeal under a television commercial affects feelings toward a brand. News crawls with stories employing either an appetitive appeal or an aversive appeal were run under a television commercial employing the opposite appeal in order to test how a competing appeal may affect the image of a brand. This study found that there were no differences between conditions for memory or physiological activity. However, participants reported a higher likelihood to continue watching a station if a news crawl were playing during commercials. This suggests that running a news crawl may be beneficial to advertisers. [Thomas Meade, Shuhua Zhou. Testing Television Advertising and News Crawls with Competing Appeals: How Does an Aversive Crawl affect an Appetitive Commercial?. China Media Research 2017; 13(1): 52-62]. 6

The Chinese Female Leadership Styles from the Perspectives of Trait and Transformational Theories

Author(s): Chin-Chung Chao

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The present study aims to explore the leadership styles and traits of prominent Chinese female leaders from the trait and transformational theoretical lenses. Through a textual analysis of eight Chinese female leaders included in the 100 most powerful woman in the world ranking by Forbes in 2015, the findings indicate a common use of the transformational leadership style by the Chinese female leaders. This research also reveals that it is important for Chinese female leaders to be visionary, humble, determined, and risk-taking. Moreover, the Chinese female leaders tend to use their successes in leadership to inspire and empower other women in elite leadership roles. The findings of the study help to understand female leadership styles, while also contributing to the knowledge of Chinese leadership. [Chin-Chung Chao. The Chinese Female Leadership Styles from the Perspectives of Trait and Transformational Theories. China Media Research 2017; 13(1): 63-73]. 7

Rhetorical Construction of the Ideal Chinese Leader in President Xi Jinping's Overseas Speeches

Author(s): Xing Lu

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During the years of 2014 and 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping conducted state visits to four western nations: France, Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom. In each of these visits, Xi delivered a speech that addressed the relationship between China and each respective country, outlining China’s economic plan for its future development and calling for peace and cooperation. This paper focuses particularly on the rhetorical construction of the Chinese supreme leader through rhetorical analyses of these speeches. Although his speeches speak of international relations, I argue that Xi’s rhetoric first and foremost constructs himself as China’s most ideal leader. Specifically, four rhetorical features in his speeches are identified and analyzed alongside Chinese expectations for ideal leaders. These expectations are: (1) presenting himself as well-learned and culturally refined; (2) presenting himself as a benevolent ruler through the slogan of the “Chinese dream”; (3) evoking nationalism for the Chinese and signaling cooperation with Western countries; and (4) having a sense of history and expressing gratitude. While the speeches demonstrate China’s desire to be recognized as an equal partner among major Western nations overseas, they mainly serve to legitimize Xi’s rule as a capable leader for the Chinese people at home. [Xing Lu. Rhetorical Construction of the Ideal Chinese Leader in President Xi Jinping's Overseas Speeches. China Media Research 2017; 13(1): 74-82]. 8

Implementing Entertainment-Education through TV Talk Shows in China: A Study of The Jin Xing Show

Author(s): Tao Fu & William A. Babcock

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Drawing upon Bandura’s social learning theory, entertainment-education (E-E) aims to bring changes to the audience’s attitudes, awareness, and behavior by attaining educational goals in the form of entertainment. After examining The Jin Xing Show, the researchers argue E-E in the form of TV talk shows could be a good avenue for disseminating messages regarding relationships, children’s education, and lifestyles, given China’s intensive censorship, political system and social transformation. The researchers found three strategies used in the Show: providing social modeling, building parasocial relations, and promoting self and collective efficacy. By using these strategies, E-E may help promote social advancement in a more acceptable, less authoritative way in China. [Tao Fu & William A. Babcock. Implementing Entertainment-Education through TV Talk Shows in China: A Study of The Jin Xing Show. China Media Research 2017; 11(1): 83-94]. 9

Sourcing InternationalNews: A Comparison of Five Western Countries’ Newspapers

Author(s): Guofeng Wang

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This study approaches news sources in western newspapers by comparing their use in the US, UK, Australia, France and Germany’s coverage on the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute from 2011 to 2013. The qualitative analysis of these sources reveals more similarities than differences concerning the balanced sources from disputing countries (China and Japan), news patterns, the salience of the U.S.sources and the dominance of elite sources, which may be reflective of the decisive role of the norm of journalism and their shared democratic values. The news frame analysis of the news coverage reveals news sources cannot determine news frame and its final form though they do influence the news. [Guofeng Wang. Sourcing International News: A Comparison of Five Western Countries’ Newspapers. China Media Research 2017; 13(1): 95-106]. 10


China Media Research - Vol. 12, No. 4

CMR 12(4)

Issue Vol. 12, No. 4 / October 2016



[Special Section]

Management, Leadership, and Rulership: A Chinese Perspective

Guest Editor: Tony Fang, Stockholm University


Introduction: A Chines Perspective of Management, Leadership, and Rulership

Author(s): Tony Fang

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[Tony Fang. Introduction: A Chines Perspective of Management, Leadership, and Rulership. China Media Research 2016; 12(4): 1-3]. 1

Six Aspects of Wangdao to Create Values: The Basic Mindset to Promote the Development of Human Civilization

Author(s): Stan Shih

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In this essay the author lays down the six aspects, i.e., direct vs. indirect, tangible vs. intangible, and present vs. future, of Wangdao, that aim to establish a more sustainable human society and civilization through creating new values, especially from the perspective of management in business organizations and enterprises. More specially, Wangdao is originated from Confucian thoughts with two key components: (1) to create social values, and (2) to balance the interests of stakeholders. The implementation of Wangdao is based on the author’s motto: “to challenge difficulties, to break through bottlenecks, and to create values.” [Stan Shih. Six Aspects of Wangdao to Create Values: The Basic Mindset to Promote the Development of Human Civilization. China Media Research 2016; 12(4): 4-6]. 2

Paradox Management Approach to Service: Empirical Study of Western Service Dynamics in China

Author(s): Ivana Beveridge & Johannes Kadura

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This paper assesses applicability of the Chinese paradox management model for the analysis of international service dynamics. We focus on the interaction between the paradoxes of cultural values and the paradoxes in service management, seeking new factors that could enhance service relationships between Western service providers and non-Western service clients. We present insights from the empirical research of Western service companies in China and their Chinese service clients, using qualitative and ethnographic research methods operationalized through participatory observations and in-depth interviews. Our ethnographic research empirically tested the framework of “eight pairs of paradoxical values” (Faure & Fang, 2008). Our findings suggest that paradox management approach to the analysis of cultural values can help understand and manage the inherent paradoxes in service operations. As a result, this approach can enhance service relationships for the mutual benefit of clients and service providers alike. We seek to demonstrate that the Chinese paradox management model could contribute to global theory building and management discourse. [Ivana Beveridge & Johannes Kadura. Paradox Management Approach to Service: Empirical Study of Western Service Dynamics in China. China Media Research 2016; 12(4): 7-17]. 3

Democratic Confucianism and Human Activism of Centrality, Mutuality/Co-creativity, and Competition in Transformational Holistics

Author(s): Victor Lux Tonn

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In light of holistics and with the framework of human activism embodying the dimensions of centrality, mutuality/co-creativity, and competition, this paper presents a non-capitalist and non-democratic approach to the general political system of the Chinese world in terms of structural and systemic transformations/iso-xystemism back and forth from the cultural basis to communications, to the economy, and then to the polity. In the grand top-down structures of the four systems of culture, communication, economy, and polity, there exhibit the characteristics of structural asymmetries in transformations between Hybrid System and System II, with the former comprising the latter as the non-central subsystem beside the central subsystem System I. With Renyi Hybrid Communication System as the socio-structural foundation, the modern Renyi Hybrid Economy-Polity is a distinctive proto-type economy-polity of the Chinese world by comprising the classical Jenyi Economy-Polity as the central subsystem and embracing systems of socialism/Legalism and democratic capitalism as two non-central subsystems. In the very long-term perspective, the large nation of the Chinese world is expected to evolve from a Renyi Hybrid Economy-Polity into a new renyi-freedom/zizhu system. This Renyi Hybrid Economy-Polity is not a version of state capitalism and democracy (i.e., modified System II Economy-Polity), but a system of democratic/capitalist Confucianism with strong elements of socialism. Nevertheless, in essence, this new hybrid system is consistent with the very spirits of democracy and capitalism. Moreover, as a concrete presentation of this Renyi Hybrid Polity, a three-dimensional polity as a representative model of democratic Confucianism is formulated. [Victor Lux Tonn. Democratic Confucianism and Human Activism of Centrality,Mutuality/Co-creativity, and Competition in Transformational Holistics. China Media Research 2016; 12(4): 18-36]. 4

Innovation and Copyright Protection in the USA and China: A Model for Cooperation

Author(s): Dexin Tian

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This paper introduces a model for the cooperation between the USA and China to resolve the recurrent disputes over their intellectual property rights (IPR). Employing the developmental and innovative model for innovation and the textual analysis of copyright laws as raw data, this study finds that a developing country like China tends to gradually update its IPR protection mechanism to meet the international standards and then encourage domestic innovation. With the implementation of IPR protection, innovation may first decrease but then will increase as the economy grows and the national technological capacity expands. Therefore, instead of pushing its one-size-fits-all IPR policies onto all other countries, the USA needs to adopt a stage-oriented strategy based on the developmental and innovative model to resolve its IPR issues with other countries including China. [Dexin Tian. Innovation and Copyright Protection in the USA and China: A Model for Cooperation. China Media Research 2016; 12(4): 37-49]. 5

The Application of Chinese Military Philosophy to Modern Political Leadership under Natural Disasters

Author(s): Pei-Ling Lee

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This paper explores the leadership characteristics suggested by Chinese military philosophical classics and uses them to analyze modern war-like circumstances, in particular natural disasters. The paper is divided into two sections. The first section identifies the leadership guidelines derived from Seven Military Classics. Then, these leadership insights suggested by Chinese military philosophy are applied to four cases of natural disaster in order to enhance the intercultural comparisons of governmental crisis management. The four cases are: (1) Jiji earthquake of the September, 1999, in Taiwan, (2) Hurricane Katrina that struck Louisiana in the United States in August, 2005, (3) the May 2008 Sichuan province earthquake in China, and (4) the 2011 Tohoku earthquake of March, 2011, in Japan. The related statements and actions by national leaders during the above disasters immediately after the natural disasters are analyzed to examine the leadership characteristics recommended by ancient Chinese military philosophy. [Pei-Ling Lee. The Application of Chinese Military Philosophy to Modern Political Leadership under Natural Disasters. China Media Research 2016; 12(4): 50-58]. 6

Maintain the Flesh-and-Blood Ties with the People: Xi Jinping’s Rhetoric on Mass Line

Author(s): Shaorong Huang

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With accumulative achievements of 35 years of reform and opening up, China has created huge wealth and has become a booming economy which is the second biggest in the world. However, Chinese people, as well as their leaders, are facing quite a few serious problems including a widespread unease about mounting income disparities, the environmental pollution, and the rampant cadre corruption. It is obvious that more and more Party leaders and government officials are alienating themselves off from the masses, and that the traditional flesh-and-blood ties between the Chinese Communist Party and the broad masses are at risk. In order to regain people’s trust and to save the Party, the central leadership headed by Xi Jinping tries to revive Mao Zedong’s mass line so as to rebuild the Party’s legitimacy among the people. Xi sees the mass line as the lifeline of the Party and the basic line of work. He wants his Party to focus on the need to serve the people, to be down-to-earth in work, to uphold integrity in office, and to guard against the “four forms of decadence” (formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance). This paper analyzes Xi Jinping’s rhetoric on the mass-line educational campaign of the Party from June 2013 to October 2014. [Shaorong Huang. Maintain the Flesh-and-Blood Ties with the People: Xi Jinping’s Rhetoric on Mass Line. China Media Research 2016; 12(4): 59-67]. 7

Understanding China through Understanding Volvo Cars: The Case of Volvo Cars in Swedish Media - A Research Note

Author(s): Dina Chimenson & Tony Fang

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In this research note, through an examination of how Geely’s acquisition of Volvo Cars in 2010 was reported in Swedish media during the media-intensive years of 2009-2014, we show that the mainstream Western media can make mistakes when it comes to the scenario analysis of the vision, ability and future outcome of China’s outbound direct investments (ODIs). We discuss how China and the West can understand each other better through cross-cultural interaction, adaptation and learning. Future research as well as managerial implications from both Chinese and Western perspectives are also discussed. [Dina Chimenson & Tony Fang. Understanding China through Understanding Volvo Cars: The Case of Volvo Cars in Swedish Media - A Research Note. China Media Research 2016; 12(4): 68-74]. 8

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The Impact of Cultural Cringe on Consumer Behavior in China

Author(s): Yue Hu & Guo-Ming Chen

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China’s market with a huge demand and limited supply has been attracting international companies since 1976. This study examines the impact of cultural cringe on consumer behavior in the P.R. China by using Nike and L-Ning, representing a Western and a Chinese sports brand respectively, as examples of the comparison. An online questionnaire survey with 36 questions is conducted in a comprehensive college in the P.R. China. Participants are 314 students from different majors. Results show that the increase of cultural cringe leads to the increasing likelihood of buying Nike’s products. Limitations of the study and the direction for future research are also discussed. [Yue Hu & Guo-Ming Chen. The Impact of Cultural Cringe on Consumer Behavior in China. China Media Research 2016; 12(4): 75-84]. 9

A Dialogue on Traditional Medicine: East Meets West

Author(s): Adam Roth & Hongxia Zhang

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This dialogue, between Adam David Roth (an international historian and theorist of rhetoric and Western medicine) and Hongxia Zhang (a Chinese scholar who works on traditional Chinese medicine), reveals striking parallels between Traditional Western Medicine (TWM) rooted in ancient Greece and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Commonalities and differences between traditional Eastern and Western philosophies of the body and approaches to healing are discussed in this dialogue. The discussion includes how, and in what ways, traditional healing practices and their attendant philosophies of health have changed over the centuries. As the dialogue unfolds and the questions emerge, readers will discover that the connections between Eastern and Western medicines may be greater than you might imagine them to be. [Adam Roth & Hongxia Zhang. A Dialogue on Traditional Medicine: East Meets West. China Media Research 2016; 12(4): 85-92]. 10

Theoretical Perspectives on Culture and Communication: An Asiacentric Bibliography

Author(s): Yoshitaka Miike

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The purpose of this Asiacentric bibliography as well as its three predecessors published in China Media Research (Miike & Chen, 2006; Miike, 2009, 2011) is to inform scholars and students of theoretical advances in Asian communication research. The present fourth bibliography locates over 280 items on indigenous insights into Asian cultures and communication. These publications, which were not included in the previous three bibliographies, appeared in a wide range of scholarly journals and books within and outside the communication discipline during the 1959-2016 period. It is hoped that this Asiacentric bibliography will provide an impetus for more international and intercultural exchanges in the Asian region. Asian researchers who are prone to direct their attention only to communication scholarship in their own respective countries, Western Europe, and North America should bear in mind Rhoads Murphey’s wise counsel: “The fruitfulness of the tree of learning is a function both of the number of branches and of their organic unity and interaction” (“Presidential Address: Toward the Complete Asianist,” Journal of Asian Studies, November 1988, Vol. 47, No. 4, p. 754). [Yoshitaka Miike. Theoretical Perspectives on Culture and Communication: An Asiacentric Bibliography. China Media Research 2016; 12(4): 93-104]. 11


China Media Research - Vol. 12, No. 3

CMR 12(3)

Issue Vol. 12, No. 3 / July 2016


On the Common Sense of Communication and the Communication of Common Sense

Author(s): Hamid Mowlana

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This article sheds light on the works of Thomas Reid (1710-1796), a Scottish philosopher and the founder of the School of Common Sense, and proposes a common sense approach to communication. By common sense, Reid meant a power of the human mind that judges what beliefs are true and the body of common beliefs commonly accepted as true. The article therefore addresses two challenging aspects of our communication inquiry, namely, the common sense of communication and the communication of common sense. If we apply the conceptual framework of Reid’s philosophy of common sense to the realm of communication, we may be able to liberate ourselves from the deterministic world of communication technologies that have diverted much of our attention from the mainstream of human interaction. The struggle in the 21st century will be not on economic growth and technological progress but on social distribution and the restructuring of the public authorities. Hence, it is imperative for us to use our common sense to confront the will to transgress and build on a new meaning of community. The present article points out that, despite such an imperative, the notion of common sense is often missing in our disciplinary discourse on communication and society. [Hamid Mowlana. On the Common Sense of Communication and the Communication of Common Sense. China Media Research 2016; 12(3): 1-6]. 1

A Rhetorical Analysis of Chinese WeChat Messages among Midlife Adults

Author(s): Mei Zhang

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The Internet has developed rapidly in China in the past decade. Despite WeChat’s immense popularity and media coverage, few scholars have studied the new social medium’s communicative functions among midlife adults. This paper examines the ways in which WeChat provides new means of communication, bringing Chinese in China and abroad together in an unprecedented way. Specifically, the paper analyzes the online discussions in four alumni groups and posts by 27 group members. The research finds four recurring themes: promoting status, sharing memories, forwarding information, and organizing activities. Such a study calls for conceptualizations of Chinese social media use and reveals the declining efficacy of official rhetoric in China’s new era of mobile technologies. [Mei Zhang. A Rhetorical Analysis of Chinese WeChat Messages among Midlife Adults. China Media Research 2016; 12(3):7-16]. 2

When the Honeymoon is Over: A US American’s Adaptation to Life in China

Author(s): Priscilla L. Young

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“I’m my own experiment,” I laughingly tell people about my life in China. In this auto-ethnographic paper I report on my first 2 1/2 years of adaptation in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province where I work as a lecturer and ad hoc intercultural advisor for international students at an internationalized Chinese university graduate school. Juxtaposing my feelings as the one living the experience and my thoughts as the one observing myself, I will share the joy and despair of starting a new life in a culture completely different from my own. Experiences and insights are discussed in concert with the literature on intercultural communication, adaptation, and competence. [Priscilla L. Young. When the Honeymoon is Over: A US American’s Adaptation to Life in China. China Media Research 2016; 12(3): 17-26]. 3

Lin Yutang and Cross-cultural Transmission of Culture as Social Critique

Author(s): Timothy Huson

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With China's move to center stage, Chinese culture offers a potential for cross-cultural critique of the general moral and spiritual malaise of the West: value relativism, power-based justice, and identity politics based on self-interest. This was already envisioned in the 1930s, as Lin Yutang pursued a social and cultural critique of the modern world by appealing to and transmitting - as a moral education reminiscent of the Greek concept of paideia - traditional Chinese spiritual culture: education as inner enlightenment to the universal values of humanity and justice and the highest cultural achievement of a sense of detachment from life's illusions, with the resulting tolerance, understanding and compassion towards others, towards oneself, and towards nature. In both form and content, Lin's transmission is akin to Martin Heidegger's critique of the modern West in appeal to classical Greece, both drawing on an inner thought and wary of fashionable intellectual trends. [Timothy Huson. Lin Yutang and Cross-cultural Transmission of Culture as Social Critique. China Media Research 2016; 12(3): 27-43]. 4

Articulation, Poiesis, Occupy Wall Street, and Human Freedom

Author(s): Peter Zhang

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This essay uses Stuart Hall’s 1985 interview with Lawrence Grossberg as the starting point to explore the rich senses of “articulation.” It traces out a theoretical trajectory that links together such seminal thinkers as Kenneth Burke, Michel de Certeau, Mikhail Bakhtin, Paul Virilio, Michel Foucault, and Gilles Deleuze. The aim is to illuminate the poietic nature of “articulation.” A thoroughgoing understanding of articulation, as the essay points out, does not stop at the discursive level. It has a social dimension as well. To be more precise, it bridges the discursive and the social. As such, the essay promotes the fusion of discursive poiesis, social poiesis, and autopoiesis. A secondary motive is to poeticize theory building, construct a theoretical “smooth space,” and generate the sensation of freedom. The essay is performative in nature, in the sense that the style embodies and enacts the ethos. In making the case, the essay uses Occupy Wall Street as a “failed” example of social poiesis, affirmatively critiques the movement through the lenses of Deleuzean ethics and Bourbon Street jazz, and assesses the value of the movement as “failed” social poiesis in a coda. Overall, the essay offers a strong defense of articulation by equating it with Deleuzean rhizomatics and promoting it as the praxis of freedom. The essay also cautions against bad encounters, which make for pseudo-articulations. [Peter Zhang. Articulation, Poiesis, Occupy Wall Street, and Human Freedom. China Media Research 2016; 12(3): 44-54]. 5

Diffusion of Competing Media Frames in Social Movement: A Case of “Anti-Retirement Package Bill Event” in Macau

Author(s): Xu Min

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Political communication area evolves dramatically as the new media empowers the mass to be involved in and has a great influence on politics. The political actors’ positions in the network opinion event can become pervasive in the public discourse through influencing media frame by manipulations of symbols. As the media functions as the information channel, the competing media frames flow through the media platform. Based on the data collected from “The Wise” and Facebook, the study took “The Anti-Retirement Package Bill Event” in Macau as the case. Taking time effect into consideration and examining online media and offline media channels, the research measured media news from three different media systems with the frame factors constructed by the PCA (Principal Component Analysis) technology. The result showed that the media frames changed across different stages in the network opinion event. Pro-government media balanced their position between the image of maintaining justice and the “mouthpiece” of the government. The frames of the social movement organization media always kept opposite position, but more neutral at the end when the “Anti-bill” side won. The commercial media behaved steadily in the whole process. These three competing media frames were adopted together to reflect and influence “Anti-Retirement Package Bill Event” procedure. Besides, the frame of social movement organization media had a significant correlation with that of their online audience. [Xu Min. Diffusion of Competing Media Frames in Social Movement: A Case of “Anti-Retirement Package Bill Event” in Macau. China Media Research 2016; 12(3):55-73]. 6

World’s impact on the Taiwanese media system

Author(s): Robert Rajczyk

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The Republic of China is a unique subject of scientific research. Taiwan appears as an interesting object of political science and masscommunication research due to its exceptional position in international political affairs. From the politological point of view the whole constitutional system requires analysis because of its impact on the media system. The latter is functioning as a separate entity and is quite unique in the world. There would be acomprehensive analysis of the Taiwanese media system and its impact on global media. The research shall reveal the potential of this media system and its interconnection with the image of Taiwan in the world’s media content. The main aim of the research is to set up the Taiwanese media system’s impact on the global media system and to depict the image of the Republic of China in global media’s content. [Robert Rajczyk. World’s impact on the Taiwanese media system. China Media Research 2016; 12(3):74-80]. 7

When Consumption Becomes All-Consuming in China: The Relationship Between Stickiness and Internet Addiction

Author(s): Constance C. Milbourne, Jeffrey S. Wilkinson

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Global Internet use continues to rise as do efforts to reach and hold onto online consumers. Stickiness is a positive indicator of website effectiveness reflecting time spent on the site. But published reports suggest that there are increasing numbers of people with various types and forms of Internet addiction. Public health experts warn that excessive web use and time spent online can have negative repercussions, but the relationship between consumer marketing stickiness and online addiction is not clear. A convenience sample in China is surveyed on web behaviors, time spent online, and possible Internet addiction. Results indicate a link between relative frequency engaging in online behaviors and Internet addiction. The more sticky the web becomes, the higher the self-report of behaviors associated with Internet addiction. Implications and recommendations for marketers and health experts are presented. [Constance C. Milbourne. When Consumption Becomes All-Consuming in China: The Relationship Between Stickiness and Internet Addiction. China Media Research 2016; 12(3):81- 88]. 8

The Mediated Communities: Testing Media Effects on the Construction of National Identity, National Pride, and Global Identity in China, Brazil, India, South Africa, and the US

Author(s): Qingjiang (Q. J.) Yao, Carrol Haggard

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This study is an empirical test of the theory that media consumption contributes to the construction of national identity, using the Brazil, China, India, South Africa and the US as examples. With data of those nations collected through the fifth wave of the World Values Survey, the study confirms the positive relationship of mass media consumption with national and global identities. It also reveals that national identity does not lessen global identity. Religion’s relationships with the constriction of national identity, national pride, and global identity are complex and discussed. Global identity is positively associated with postmaterialism, which is prevalent among the younger generation. [Qingjiang (Q. J.) Yao & Carrol Haggard. The Mediated Communities: Testing Media Effects on the Construction of National Identity, National Pride, and Global Identity in China, Brazil, India,South Africa, and the US. China Media Research 2016; 12(3):89- 98]. 9

The Impact of Identity Style on Internet Usage Motives of Chinese Netizens

Author(s): Kai Zhang & Guo-Ming Chen

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The rapid development of the Internet in China has influenced every aspect of Chinese netizens’ life. Because computer-mediated communication (CMC), especially the Internet, has become a significant means of interpersonal communication, it is high time to more systematically explore the impact of CMC in Chinese society. This paper attempts to explore the influence of identity style on Internet usage motives of Chinese netizens. Survey results show significant relationships between two dimensions of identity style and some Internet usage motives. Limitations and future directions are also discussed. [Kai Zhang & Guo-Ming Chen. The Impact of Identity Style on Internet Usage Motives of Chinese Netizens. China Media Research 2016; 12(3): 99-106]. 10


China Media Research - CMR Vol.12, No.2

CMR 12(2)

Issue Vol. 12, No. 2 / April 2016


[Special Section]
Social Memory, Media and Nation Building in Greater China

Guest Editor: Chiaoning Su, Temple University


Introduction: Mediated Memory and Nation Building in Greater China

Author(s): Chiaoning Su

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[Chiaoning Su. Introduction: Mediated Memory and Nation Building in Greater China. China Media Research 2016; 12(2): 1-3]. 1

Rhetorically Re-configuring China’s Past and Present through Nostalgia: Chinese Media Coverage of the 50th Anniversary of The Red Detachment of Women

Author(s): Michelle Murray Yang

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This study examines social memory of the Cultural Revolution as well as contemporary state nationalism within China by rhetorically analyzing Chinese media coverage of the 50thanniversary of the ballet The Red Detachment of Women, or RDW. I argue journalists characterized the ballet as a metaphor for the CCP. By privileging nostalgia and praising the ballet as a distinctly Chinese achievement, media outlets depicted RDW as a cultural achievement and attributed it to the CCP. Emphasizing nostalgic views ofthe Party and claiming RDW transcended the politics of the Cultural Revolution through its artistic innovation, news coverage purified the ballet’s social memory and distanced the CCP from this devastating time period. Although media coverage distilled social memory of the Cultural Revolution into an innocuous form, I contend that such nostalgic remembrances obscure troubling parallels between the nationalism propagated during the Cultural Revolution and contemporary state nationalism in China. [MichelleMurray Yang. Rhetorically Re-configuring China’s Past and Present through Nostalgia: Chinese Media Coverage of the 50th Anniversary of The Red Detachment of Women. China Media Research 2016; 12(2): 4-14]. 2 Keywords:state nationalism, social memory, Cultural Revolution, yang ban xi, The Red Detachment of Women

Disasters, Corruption, Propaganda and Spin

Author(s): Kay Hearn

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In Peoples Republic of China (PRC) there is a shift from information control and suppression to information management, marked by public relations spin. The internet has played a role in this shift and has given the central government in Beijing a window on the activities of provincial governments, enabling authorities in Beijing to reinforce central authority over politics. This paper looks at several case studies of the reporting and management of several incidents where the internet was used by private citizens to air their views or concerns. The examples used illustrate how the internet can be viewed as both liberating and a tool of repression and serve as practical illustrations of the ways in which the management of the internet is used to maintain the authority of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP). [Kay Hearn. Disasters, Corruption, Propaganda and Spin. China Media Research 2016; 12(2): 15-22]. 3

Selling the Past: Korea and China’s Nation-Branding to Host Winter Olympic Games

Author(s): Ju Oak Kim

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This study examines how nations have employed bidding presentations for global sporting events during the past decade as an opportunity for nation branding. A comparative analysis of the bidding presentations for the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympic Games has unveiled the ways in which two East Asian nations--Korea and China--reshaped their past narratives to highlight their suitability for hosting this global event. Both nations emphasized their previous experience in hosting mega-sporting events and dramatized the success stories of legendary Olympic champions and worldwide sports stars to command credibility from the international community. However, differences were identified in the ways each country shaped its past: whereas Korea embellished its economic growth by recalling its dismal past, China described how it would re-live past glories. This East Asian case study concludes that nations construct powerful and positive national images through the dramatization of their past in the international sports community. [Ju Oak Kim. Selling the Past: Korea and China’s Nation-Branding to Host Winter Olympic Games. China Media Research 2016; 12(2): 23-29]. 4

‘My Country, the Land Where My Blood is Spilled’: Oral History of Chinese-language Media Professionals in Malaysia

Author(s): WU, Mei, YE, Lin

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This paper includes oral testimony of four Chinese-language media professionals in Malaysia. Their stories, which started from the 1940s, exhibit how Chinese-language media workers have adapted themselves in Malaysia and rooted themselves deeply in society. Several identity-related themes are discovered: 1) my country, mnation; 2) I love the Chinese language and have enjoyed it all my life; 3) I’m proud and believe we are respected. Against the backdrop of globalization, the new-generation of Chinese Malaysians has developed a more open-minded self-identity. [WU, Mei. ‘My Country, the Land Where My Blood is Spilled’:Oral History of Chinese-language Media Professionals in Malaysia. China Media Research 2016; 12(2): 30-41]. 5

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Proverbs as a Mirror of Culture: American and Chinese Values Contrasted

Author(s): Xiangyang Zhang

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As an important part of language, proverbs and culture are closely interrelated. They serve as a “window” through which one can observe and perceive the basic elements of a culture, of which values are an integral one. Because proverbs often reflect and describe common human experiences and the law of nature, they are thus universal, the same message can be discovered in proverbs in different cultures. Meanwhile, they are also specific. There exist numerous proverbs that each culture uses to teach lessons that are unique to that particular culture. In other words, differing values may be expressed in proverbs of different cultures. This paper attempts to examine American and Chinese values through specific proverbs in each culture so as to better reveal some of the discrepancies between the two value systems. This contrastive study, with a slew of proverbs to buttress the discussion, is carried out in the following aspects: 1) individualism versus collectivism, 2) different concepts of privacy, and 3) different views toward time, which are believed to influence intercultural communication greatly. It is hoped that the study will help facilitate intercultural communication and ensure sustainability in this age of globalization. [Xiangyang Zhang. Proverbs as a Mirror of Culture: American and Chinese Values Contrasted. China Media Research 2016; 12(2): 42-51]. 6

The Role of Institutional Trust in Country-of-Origin Effect: A Comparative Study of Two Milk Powder Contamination Incidents

Author(s): Qing Huang

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Drawing upon two milk powder contamination incidents caused by Yili (a Chinese dairy corporation) and Fonterra (a New Zealand dairy corporation), this study proposes to understand country-of-origin effect in terms of people’s trust in the institutions of a country. Institutions as rules are implemented by actors, and institutional trust is accordingly defined as people’s trust in rule implementation by the dairy industry and government agencies in a country. Relevant social media posts were selected for analysis. Content analysis shows that people’s trust in Yili was significantly lower than that in Fonterra, indicating that country-of-origin effect did exist. Thematic analysis demonstrates China dairy industry’s unethical behaviors and Chinese government agencies’ ineffective regulation, implying people’s distrust in rule implementation in China. By contrast, thematic analysis denotes New Zealand dairy industry’s ethical behaviors and New Zealand government agencies’ effective regulation, suggesting people’s trust in rule implementation in New Zealand. Given that the focal corporation is related to the dairy industry and government agencies through the rule, the difference in people’s trust in rule implementation between two countries explains the gap between their trust in Yili and Fonterra. Suggestions for rebuilding institutional trust in China are discussed. [Qing Huang. The Role of Institutional Trust in Country-of-Origin Effect: A Comparative Study of Two Milk Powder Contamination Incidents. China Media Research 2016; 12(2): 52-62]. 7

Patterns of Cultural Awareness of Rural Development among the Local Audience: A Study of Selected Local Media

Author(s): Muhammad Kabir Yusuf

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Information is central to all forms of human activity. No matter the field; there is the need for exchange of information to ensure completion of task. Inefficiency will be the results, where this exchange of information is slow or there is a break down. For this reason, information is regarded as vital resources that need to be properly developed, because it has boomerang effect on society. Consequently, a society that has poor communication and information infrastructure perpetually lags behind others that hard efficient information infrastructure (Moemeka 1985). Rural radio helps to achieved development in the rural areas, as issues of development are aired to audience in the form of various programs and individual are exposes to happenings in and aroundtheir society, through listening to these program communication serves as the basic element of interaction and information sharing in life. Communication creates pool of ideas, strengthens the feeling of togetherness, the exchange of messages and translates through thoughts, into action. Radio communication educates on new issues inherent in the society. For example, issues on politics, business, current affairs e.t.c, are aired to create awareness. Radio serves as an agent of social mobilization; people are moved to delivering a certain goal, based on their awareness of their rights and responsibilities to the society. Thus this study examines the place of Harmony Fm Idofian, Ilorin, Kwara State in rural development. [Muhammad Kabir Yusuf. Patterns of Cultural Awareness of Rural Development among the Local Audience: A Study of Selected Local Media. China Media Research 2016; 12(2): 63-75]. 8

Online Social Connection: Exploring International Students’ Use of New Media in Their Adaptation Process

Author(s): Ran Ju, Moyi Jia

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This study provided empirical evidence of the significant relationship between social media usage and international students’ cross-cultural adaptation. Considering their increasing attendance at American universities, Chinese students in the U.S. are the focus of the current study. Using the Cross-Cultural Adaptation Model (CCAM, Kim, 2005) as the theoretical frame, this study revealed the communication patterns (face-to-face, as well as social media communication and the other online forms of communication) for cultural adaptation of students based on data collected through surveys (n=102) and diaries (n=88). Survey results suggested that face-to-face communication and social media communication, but not general other forms of online communication, were positively related to students’ cultural adaption levels. Diary-based data provided more detailed information on the specific activities happening in these three media contexts. Based on these findings, some implications on how to help international students’ cultural adaptation process were offered. [Ran Ju, Moyi Jia, Mirit Shoham. Online Social Connection: Exploring International Students’ Use of New Media in Their Adaptation Process. China Media Research 2016; 12(2): 76-89]. 9

Activism in China: Power and Confrontation Strategies in a Chinese Village

Author(s): Yang Cheng

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Corresponding to the activism research in the critical public relations field, this study explores the case that occurred in Wukan, a confrontation crisis that was triggered by land rights and compensation disputes in contemporary China. A total of 1,002 news coverage and 2,424 public comments via micro-blogs are examined through the theoretical lenses of activism, power, and public relations strategies. Findings illustrate the power dynamics between the government and activists, successfully identify activists’ confrontation strategies and measure the effectiveness. Data show that the more compromised the confrontation strategies are, the more neutral media tone and public attitudes are. Theoretical and contextual implications derived from the findings in modern Chinese society are elaborated. [Yang Cheng. Activism in China: Power and Confrontation Strategies in a Chinese Village. China Media Research 2016; 12(2): 90-104]. 10