Table Of ContentChina Perspectives
DOCUMENTARIES AND
CHINA’S NATIONAL IMAGE
Chen Yi
Documentaries and China’s National
Image
Emphasizing the role of documentary in shaping a nation-state’s image,
demonstrating social development and promoting cultural exchanges, this
book examines the changes in China’s national image in documentaries at
home and abroad since 1949.
Based on theoretical frameworks of media sociology, political economy
of communication and cultural studies, the book traces the development of
Chinese documentary and discusses social transformation and cultural
representation embodied in documentaries related to China. It is revealed
how these works witness, reflect and interact with social transitions in all
aspects of a modernizing China, as well as how documentary production
struggles among and mediates between technology, market, ideology, social
forces and professionalism. In terms of future prospects of documentary in
an era when media convergence is burgeoning, the author explores feasible
paths to further promotion of cross-cultural communication and China’s
national image, by analyzing documentary aesthetics and representative
cases of documentary practice.
The title will appeal to scholars and students interested in culture and
communication, documentary, film, media and Chinese society.
Chen Yi is a professor at Soochow University, China. His research interests
are documentary, critical visual communication and media convergence.
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Documentaries and China’s National Image
Chen Yi
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Documentaries and China’s
National Image
Chen Yi
First published in English 2023
by Routledge
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and by Routledge
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business
© 2023 Chen Yi
Translated by Feng Lei, He Li, Shao Qinyu
The right of Chen Yi to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
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explanation without intent to infringe.
English Version by permission of China Renmin University Press.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-1-032-31433-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-31506-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-30972-7 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003309727
Typeset in Times New Roman
by MPS Limited, Dehradun
Contents
List of figures vi
List of tables viii
Introduction: The Dissemination of National Image
and the Function of Documentary Films 1
1 From “Illustrated China” to “Diverse China” 13
2 The Nation-State in Documentaries 36
3 Social Changes in Documentaries 71
4 “Cultivating People Morally and Intellectually” in the
Documentary 102
5 The Succession of Documentary Aesthetics 146
6 Typical Cases in China and Abroad 186
7 Conclusion: Thinking and Practicing against the
Background of Media Convergence 220
Postscript 234
Bibliography 236
Index 242
Figures
4.1 Frame diagram of the call of “nostalgic memory” 110
4.2 Exterior of Zeng Guofan’s former residence 112
4.3 Portrait of Zeng Guofan 112
4.4 Zeng Guofan Home Letters 112
4.5 Portrait of Yan Zhitui 113
4.6 Motto and Genealogy of The Yan Family 113
4.7 The ancient residence 113
4.8 Portrait of Zhu Bolu 114
4.9 Zhu Zi’s family motto 114
4.10 The gate of an Ancient stage in Ninghai, Zhejiang 114
4.11 Old photos of Tan family 115
4.12 Peking Opera 115
4.13 Old photos of Qian family 115
4.14 An ancestral hall 116
4.15 The White Pagoda 116
4.16 Xinye Village 116
6.1 A screenshot from the first part of the Olympic bid film.
The snowflakes are inlaid with “Magnificent Rivers and
Mountains” 202
6.2 A screenshot from the second part of the Olympic bid film.
A corner of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the
Temple of Heaven after snow. A corner of Beihai (North
Lake) Park after snow. Some people are doing alpine
skiing. A coach is taking several children to practice ice
dancing 203
6.3 A screenshot from the third part of the Olympic bid film. In
the evening in the Beijing metropolis, there are scenes of the
towering international trade building, flashing neon lights
and the endless flow of vehicles. The scene of the 2008
Beijing Summer Olympic Games: including, the flame is
burning in the National Stadium. A scene of the 2008
Beijing Summer Olympic Games: the flying Olympic flag
and the five-star red flag. A scene of the 2008 Beijing
Figures vii
Summer Olympic Games: the admission of the Chinese
team with Yao Ming holding the flag 204
6.4 A screenshot from the fourth part of the Olympic bid film.
Against the background of the full picture of the National
Stadium (Bird’s Nest) in the ice and snow, “Beijing 2022”
appears. Three‐dimensional simulation diagrams are used
to show the geographical location and competition venues
of Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou. Three‐dimensional
simulation diagrams are used to show Ice Hockey
competition venue. Three‐dimensional simulation diagrams
are used to show speed skating competition venue.
Three‐dimensional simulation diagrams are used to show
high‐speed railway line and journey time between Beijing
Yanqing Zhangjiakou. There is fog on the high‐speed train
window, which reads Beijing 2022 and a smiling face
symbol. Three‐dimensional simulation diagrams are used
to show the intercity traffic conditions, supporting facilities
and surrounding environment between Beijing Yanqing
Zhangjiakou 206
6.5 A screenshot from the fifth part of the Olympic bid film. A
scene of the previous Winter Olympics: speed skaters in
the competition. An award in previous Winter Olympics
The integration of the smiling faces of athletes and
spectators in various countries. The logo of the Beijing
Winter Olympic Games and the five rings of the Olympic
Games in the white background 207
Tables
4.1 Title analysis of documentary “Family Tradition” 112
4.2 Analysis of fragments at the end of the documentary Family
Tradition 117
4.3 Local cultures in documentaries about homesickness 119
4.4 Ethics and morality in episodes of the documentary Tracing
Heritage (Season 1) 122
4.5 “Going Home” (excerpt) – Episode 1 of BBC documentary
“Chinese New Year” 126
4.6 Episode 1 of CCTV’s documentary Go Home for Chinese
New Year – How Long is the Way Home? (excerpt) 128
4.7 Presentation of “Chinese New Year’ dinner (Reunion
Dinner)” in the BBC documentary Chinese New Year 130
4.8 Presentation of “Chinese New Year dinner (Reunion
Dinner)” in the CCTV documentary Spring Festival 132
4.9 The Differences in the Presentations of Folk Activities in
Chinese and Foreign documentaries 134
5.1 An analysis of the perspective of “Early Years,” the
beginning of the first episode of the documentary Deng
Xiaoping 159
5.2 Classification, narrative perspective and narrative
characteristics of documentaries 160
6.1 Open-coding for the original data of nearly 1,000 comments 214
Introduction: The Dissemination of
National Image and the Function of
Documentary Films
Chilean documentary director Patricio Guzmán once said “if a country has
no documentary, it’s just like a family that has no photo album.”1 A doc-
umentary has cultural significance, communication function and historical
value that cannot be replaced by other types of films. On the journey to
further enhancing “cultural confidence” and realizing the “Chinese Dream,”
the documentary is an indispensable carrier to show China’s achievements
and to spread the Chinese civilization. It is one of the important links of the
country’s “soft power.”
As China is increasingly approaching the center of the world stage, she has
been deeply integrated with the world and has been interacting actively with
each other. How to share our Chinese stories well globally and how to spread
the Chinese voice well so that a genuine and stereophonic China image can be
shown to the world, is a new proposition proposed in the new era. At the 2018
National Conference on Publicity and Ideological Work, General Secretary
Xi Jinping made a profound exposition around the issues of which Chinese
stories to tell, how to tell them well and how to better exhibit China’s national
image. He then made clear requirements for the work.
There are historical reasons why Chinese people think highly of the
“national image.” In modern times, China’s international reputation was
tarnished as “a colossus with feet of clay” and the “sick man of East Asia,”
which was once admired as an “ancient civilization” by the western coun-
tries. The establishment of New China solved China’s problems of “being
beaten” and “suffering from starvation”; however, China has to face the
awkward situation of “being scolded” when contacting developed countries
due to “the Cold War” and the different ideologies. Since the 1950s, the
Chinese government has invited some foreign directors to film doc-
umentaries in China. And at the same time, the government also arranges
domestic documentaries to be shown overseas through the Chinese embas-
sies and consulates. Since the reform and opening up, with the normal-
ization of cultural exchanges between China and the other countries, the
interaction of documentaries between China and foreign countries has
presented a characteristic of multi-level participation of official institutions
(such as the China Intercontinental Communication Center), media (i.e.,
DOI: 10.4324/9781003309727-1
