Chinese media culture essay example

The public opinion in China is shaped by the influence of the media to a considerable extent. The control of the media has spread to the realm of politics in the nation and thus, the media sector possesses incredible power, being supported by over 2, 000 magazine and newspaper publications. Both these categories of print media fiercely compete for the attention of the public as well as the incentive of acquiring the lion’s share of a prized advertising market in the country. However, the state consistently monitors and reviews the policies of the media to gauge the extent of newspapers and magazines on the media field as well as on individual practitioners of media.
Print media is under attack from the new technology that has contributed to a significant increase in access to information . Newspapers are the earliest known forms of print media in China. Once used as a medium to spread reports to the public, the concept of newspapers started in the late 19th century. Due to the pictorial nature of the Mandarin script, the newspapers had to be arranged in unique formats. The concept of use of newspapers for purposes other than news led to the establishment of daily newspaper that dealt with several topics. The main types of newspapers in China in recent times include regional newspapers and administrative newspapers. The various newspaper publications in China differ on the basis of their size, their content as well as the frequency of their publication.
Newspapers in China are read by a considerable section of the population. But there are some papers that have earned popularity since they cater to specific demands of the readers. Instead of deep, thought-provoking, political news, these newspapers, referred to as popular press in China, deal with gossip, exciting newsbytes, scandalous tidbits that garner the attention of the Chinese public. The main form of Chinese popular press happens to be the tabloid.
The trend of tabloid papers in China began in the neoliberal phase i. e. after the year 1978, especially in the mid-1980s. The popularity of the trend skyrocketed after the year 1992. In general there are 5 separate categories of popular papers – the “ wangbao” or evening papers, the “ fazi lei” or “ Law and Order” kind, the “ zhoubao” or weekly news digests, the weekend editions or the “ zhoumo ban” and finally, the lifestyle and business papers.
The development of the popular press in China was a direct outcome of changing trends in the reading practices of the Chinese people. While reading in socialist China (1949 to the late 1970s) was a collective experience involving formal or informal group readings, during the post-1978 period or the neoliberal age in China, reading practices were altered to a considerable extent. The trend of newspaper reading boards emerged in urban neighbourhoods while individual subscriptions met with unprecedented success. The position of newspaper print media continues to be altered after the advent of the internet due to the rising demand for mobile-phone newspaper and online newspapers .
Magazines, on the other hand, have undergone great changes since their inception in the 19th century. These changes can be understood through an exploration of women’s magazines in China. In the late 19th century, pictorial magazines were common and were an important source of entertainment for urban city dwellers in the country. Lithographic printing methods were common and unusual materials like metal and stone was used during the process of publication.
Magazines in China are considered to be an integral part of the contemporary popular culture in the nation. Earlier, they were predominantly pictorial in nature and depicted important events in the country. Since the neoliberal 1970s, pictorial magazines occupied an important position in the field of print media since they appealed to the lives of the youth in China. The pictures in the magazines filled them with happiness and hope and reinforced their sense of sacrifice and service. The 1980s witnessed the rise of the “ progressive” magazines that were geared towards the interests of the new generation. The contemporary magazines published articles related to issues that the young people had to deal with on a regular basis. The inside content of the magazine contained reports on film, foreign literature, society and music. The emphasis was mainly on education since it was viewed as the means to ensure a hopeful future not just for China but for its citizens.
Magazines aimed at the demographic of women rose to prominence in the 1990s period. International publications such as Cosmopolitan, Elle, Metropolis etc. gradually increased in popularity. Instead of significant amount of text, they had greater number of pictures and so, their appeal extended beyond the educated sections of the population. Some magazine publications like Elle garnered a fan following among the educated, mature and wealthy women of the country. But the pictures of Western women that were published inside the women’s magazine were deemed to be “ overtly sexual” by the conservatives in China.
Slowly, the practice of including pictures and articles about Chinese women who were considered attractive to fairy beautiful by the urban Chinese customers increased in the country. Women’s magazines became a huge market since they dealt with stories regarding the difficulties and successes of the new women. The articles featured in the magazines empowered the women by teaching them the best ways to find a job, work toe-to-toe with a male boss and develop competent work skills.
Magazines are now sold and displayed in most public places in China. The most common varieties of magazine in the nation include sports, politics, business, lifestyle, gossip and translated Japanese comics .
In China, print media in modern times serve the function of transmission, transportation, circulation, translation and distribution. Digital magazines and newspapers are ideal for memory storage. The government has imposed various policies to keep the different forms of media in check such as re-centralization, privatization and de-centralization. Though these regulations limit the influence of media in the country, they protect the print medium from the looming threat of digitalization .

Works Cited

” 2 – Chinese Media Studies PDF.”
” 3 – Chinese Magazines PDF.”
” 3 – Chinese Newspapers PDF.”
UNESCO. ” The growth of media in China – and its impact on political and economic development in China.” 28 November 2008. International Media Support. 1 October 2013 .