Date of Award

2009

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Communication Studies

Keywords

Communication and the arts, Social sciences

Supervisor

Dr. James P. Winter

Supervisor

Dr. Jyotika Virdi

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

President Deng's promulgation of "taking bolder steps" in economic reform sanctioned the building a socialist market economy that led Chinese society to experience a sweeping change, while also becoming the site affected by U.S. - led cultural imperialism. In the new climate of social reform, mass media led the way in creating an awareness of commercial identity and branding. One interesting phenomenon in this development is the increasing number of cloned foreign entertainment shows that have seized the entire nation's attention, giving rise to a national cloning mania. To examine the cultural impact of cloned media shows, this paper focuses on one particular television series, Yearning for Love, in an attempt to scrutinize the typical capitalist ideological values inherent in the cloned media content and analyze their promotion through televisual presentation. The analysis demonstrates that cloned media shows feature the materialist and individualist elements of capitalist countries, especially the ones that are in tune with consumer culture. Meanwhile, Chinese traditional cultural values, originality and creativity are sidelined by capitalist ideology and the profit-driven pro-west media products promoting them.

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