Blog Week 6 - Winnie Chen

“Branding a Rising China: An Analysis of Beijing’s National Image Management in the Age of China’s Rise” by Sheng Ding discusses the growing contributions of China in the overall global economy, geopolitics, and national interests of other countries. However, in the past years, China has faced multiple issues in recreating its image, including riots during the 2008 Olympics, Taiwan’s driving independence from China, and natural disasters. Therefore, China’s strategy in developing its national aesthetic is through Beijing’s international relations with other countries, because only then can China act as an aggressive challenger when faced with danger using policies and Beijing’s strong commitment to cultural diplomacy. This strategy allows China to revive its popular nationalism and promote a kind of image that doesn’t tamper its credibility as a country. One notable example of Beijing’s strategy is through the Beijing Olympics, which China heavily uses broadcast on the international stage to display to the world what is and is not the “real China,” whether or not it is true. As the 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing, now is the good time for China to reproduce their national image, and thus it can be argued that the Olympics is China’s current national aesthetic. Through commercialization and broadcasting, China can show to the entire world its recent achievements in producing a new China. On the other hand, how China attempts to recreate itself may actually be of harm to its citizens. For example, many Chinese activists are currently imprisoned as to prevent riots, bringing into the dark that there are still many issues to be addressed in China’s economy. What China’s image and national aesthetic becomes in the future will be decided upon after 2022 when the Olympics are over. 

Question: Are there any materialistic benefits for China to export their country’s image internationally?

Works Cited

Ding, Sheng. "Branding a Rising China: An Analysis of Beijing’s National Image Management in the Age of China’s Rise." Journal of Asian And African Studies (2011): 293-306. Web.

Image: http://mole.my/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Beijing-winter-olympics-2022-1.jpg