How Chinese exceptionalism is working its way into the box office

THE CHINESE government is bringing its plans to dominate the world stage to film, music and television. It may seem cheesy, but it’s also disturbing.

When it comes to films and music, China is going all-out on national pride.

LAST month, The People’s Daily announced the nation faced a historic opportunity.

The Chinese government’s flagship newspaper stressed that the world was amid a period of great change, in which a “new international order” was taking place with China at its forefront.

“The world needs China, as all humans are living in a community with a shared future,” the article said. “That creates broad strategic room for our efforts to uphold peace and development and gain an advantage.”

The Communist Party mouthpiece described China as “an important source and stabiliser for world economic growth”, adding that the nation’s development is “rarely seen”.

“We are fully aware of our responsibilities. We should resolutely support the core, faithfully follow the leader, use our courage and morale ... and make strides toward a brighter future.”

As it turns out, the government is going to great lengths to ensure the message gets across.

Some of the country’s films, TV shows and music in the country are now getting increasingly political, glorifying Chinese nationalism with patriotic plotlines and lyrics.

And there’s not much room for subtlety.

CHINA’S ENTERTAINMENT IS GETTING POLITICAL

You may have seen Wolf Warrior, a series of Rambo-style Chinese action films.

It tells the story of Chinese soldier Leng Feng, played by actor Wu Jing, who goes on special missions around the world.

The film went on to top the international box office, becoming the highest-grossing film in China of all time, and received praise among some of the country’s leading film critics.

In its plot, characters and dialogue, the movie emphasises the superiority of China. Even The movie’s official tagline makes no attempt to be subtle: “Anyone who offends China will be killed, no matter how far the target is.”

The final battle sees the protagonist facing off against villain Big Daddy, played by American actor Frank Grillo.

In this fight scene, Grillo tells Leng: “People like you will always be inferior to people like me. Get used to it.”

Leng kills him and responds: “That was f**king history.”

The film closes with an image of a Chinese passport, accompanied by the words: “Don’t give up if you run into danger abroad. Please remember, a strong motherland will always have your back!”

The film was praised for promoting patriotism in China.

The movie was not funded by the Communist Party of China, but the state media gave it a rave review.

The promotion of Chinese nationalism can also be seen in music and reality television, like with music show The Rap of China.

A hip-hop band from the country’s Sichuan province released a patriotic rap song, in English, all about the rise of China and how western perceptions of the nation are false.

The song, entitled This is China, includes lyrics like: “Regardless of all the prejudice in the past, today I wanna restore the impression you have on my country, China, which have been exactly fabricated by the media for a long time.”

It addresses some of the country’s social problems, before saying: “We are now leading the developing or poor and backward countries in technology, economy, science, and other aspects to make a better world.”

The song then goes on to attack the United States. “They will get US Dollar perks, the spy, the traitor, the liar, and the money making jerks.

“They are leading the public into another extreme and it worked, also it is shameful to talk about some politicians, because of their corruption and their malversation in bidding sessions.

“Their sexual pics and the prostitution scandals, are all as a disgrace to the country and its people.”

The song went viral when it was posted on China’s social media channels, and the show accumulated 1.3 billion views in just over a month.

Another rap song, The China Moving-on Spirit, features the lines: “Let the world hear clearly what China is saying, let the world know the great China Dream.”

SO WHAT’S CHINA PLAYING AT?

Doctor Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst in Defence Strategy and Capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, believes China is taking advantage of America’s perceived isolationism at the moment.

But he stresses the Communist Party’s actions here aren’t exactly new.

“I think they’re definitely exploiting that,” he told news.com.au. “But I think China started asserting itself well before Trump — as far as back as the mid-2000s, and certainly during the Obama period while he was focused on the Middle East.”

That said, he believes nationalistic films like Wolf Warrior II never would have been made a decade ago.

“But now China has a degree of confidence. It’s seeing the United States turning inward with Trump’s ‘America First’ approach, and they’re seeking to fill perceived vacuums.

“It’s really about asserting its rising power and influence, and what China believes to be its natural right.”

The films were conceived with a Chinese audience in mind, rather than as a way to intimidate the outside world.

“With Wolf Warrior 2, they’re sending a strong message to the Chinese people about nationalistic pride,” said Dr Davis.

It seems to have achieved its goal. Shortly after the film came out, The Australian reported that Sydney businessman Garry Zhou had organised a private screening for 350 viewers.

“People were very emotional,” Mr Zhou told the newspaper in September. “Some were crying.

“Because there was one part towards the end when they show the Chinese passport and it says if you are a Chinese citizen or Chinese passport holder it doesn’t matter what corner of the world you’re in your country is behind you, and a lot of people really resonated with that.”

Dr Davis believes China is now taking advantage of the fact that the United States is preoccupied with other issues.

“You have a situation, for example, where Russia launched a direct attack on the US political system in 2016 through influence operations and a desire to turn the American people against each other, and destabilise their confidence in democracy.

“What we have is the American media focused on the latest thing Trump said, and the latest scandal in Hollywood. American people have lost perspective and are turning inwards to a degree, and China is exploiting this.”

With America focused on Donald Trump and Russia, China is free to build its power unnoticed.

In itself there’s nothing wrong with China’s rising power, but Dr Davis stressed the country is not benevolent.

The real issue, he said, is that it remains an authoritarian state. “China is seeking to overturn the rules of international order. It’s against the principles western liberal democracies hold dear — free speech, free thought.”

Amid all this, Australia faces a tricky problem. We’re a security ally to the United States, but China is our largest trading partner.

“The more powerful China gets, the more challenging it is for us,” said Dr Davis. “I think we have to work hard to keep the Americans engaged and to build relations with Japan and India to counterbalance China’s rise.”

He said the most ideal situation would be a peaceful co-existence, in which China would rise while “respecting the rules of international order”.

This, however, is not a likely prospect.

[e-mail] | @gavindfernando