Abstract
As the Chinese Party-state ramps up the revivification of chuantong wenhua, or traditional culture, really « Confucianism » as an ethical formation, I consider several structuring forms across temporalities (Model Person, filiality, and above all hosting) through a TV talk show called All Fathers and Mothers Under Heaven. In classic ancestral ritual, it is always the Son who « hosts », standing as the zhuren in the center, even as the ideology of imperial patriarchy holds the Father as dominant. The TV talk show reverses this structure : the filial son is the guest, while the state’s surrogate hosts the show. Yet the Party-state’s entire current project hopes to empower its « Sons » (and daughters, its « children ») as individually strong, entrepreneurial citizens of the xxist century new China. Hence the dilemma of the government : empowering its citizenry just enough, while not giving away too much of its own clout. How different is Chinese hosting’s machinery for inferring inclusion and obligation different from Mediterranean stranger-hospitality ? And the final question of this essay : is the media empire of which this show is an example not the closest heir to the functioning of the imperium’s old ritual cult of making the realm visible ?
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
