Carnival in the birdcage: a study of the film and media industries' reforms in China after 1978 and its soft power

This dissertation is an investigation into the development of China’s cultural industry over the past 30 years. The study focuses on China’s film industry, through the frame of institutional theory. The study centers on three major research questions: 1) How has the Chinese government’s control over the film industry affected the industry’s commercial success and the Party’s own legitimacy? 2) With the increasing commercialization of media industries in general— and the film industry in particular— how can we explain the apparent lack of political liberalization? That is, why haven’t media producers and other cultural sector workers demanded democratic reforms? 3) How can we understand, within the framework of institutional theory, the stronghold of China’s authoritarian regime despite modest reforms? ❧ The findings of this study reveal that media reforms have enhanced the influence of political leaders over the industry’s development and audience tastes; such political influence has demanded that film content tow the Party line. Commercialized media outlets have remained vulnerable to state control, subject to intense regulation and bureaucracy throughout all aspects of production, distribution, and exhibition. ❧ Increasingly, private corporations (both domestic and foreign) are attempting to gain entrée into the Chinese film market. It is highly likely that, in the single-minded drive to maximize profits, private enterprise will continue to submit to SARFT regulations. Within this dynamic, there appears to be a space for media reform, though, arguably, it necessitates increasing political liberalization.