“Just like friends”: Chinese young adults’ interpretation of parent–child relationships on American TV shows

Abstract

The emergence of individualization in contemporary Chinese society has transformed parent–child dynamics. This article examines one frequently acknowledged, but rarely scrutinized, individualizing force in this process: the consumption of Western popular media. Based on 29 in-depth interviews with college students in Beijing in 2009–2010, I investigate how members of China's first only-child generation reflexively engaged American television shows to assess their own parent–child relationships during a pivotal time of social change in China. While watching US TV inspired a desire among respondents for the individualistic and democratic family dynamics featured on screen, many were critical of what they saw and came to appreciate Chinese family practices more. Beyond comparing their lived realities with specific narratives on US TV, respondents often extrapolated individual circumstances to broader social issues and cultural traditions. Thus, US TV presented new alternatives for family life that fostered a reflexive “social imagination” among young Chinese, allowing them a deeper understanding of personal experiences by situating them within a constellation of social institutions, economic systems, and cultural values. By analyzing viewers’ meaning-making of American television shows within a Chinese context, this article illuminates how parent–child relationships have been shaped by an interplay between local norms and global possibilities.