Contemporary China Research Articles

Vlogging as mediated mobility: Warm Experts 3.0 engaging in peer production and digital labor in the era of short videos

This article investigates the caregiving dynamics in the vlogs of Houniao vloggers on the Chinese short video platform Douyin. This article contextualizes the vlogging practices of these individuals within the sociocultural landscape of contemporary China, suggesting that vlogging acts as a medium for mediated mobility, enabling these vloggers to assume the role of ‘warm experts’. This study analyzes 50 tutorial videos produced by Chinese Houniao vloggers, revealing three interconnected themes: (1) the presence of digital care labor in the peer production of vlogs, (2) the necessity of relational labor to facilitate intragenerational connections, and (3) the complexities of managing visibility in an environment governed by platform algorithms. These findings depict Houniao vloggers as ‘ Warm Experts 3.0’, highlighting the potential of digital platforms to support active aging and promote inclusive societal engagement. Central to their role as warm experts, peer production emerges as a fundamental characteristic, underpinning the collaborative and community-focused nature of their digital interactions. Future research should explore the application of this prompted model across diverse communities, spanning both online and offline contexts.

Epistemological Flashpoints in China’s “Person-Making” Education with Reinvoked Cultural Discourses: Lideshuren as an Example

Abstract As an imprint and reinvigoration of Confucian culture, China foregrounds its 21st-century state-run education as to make national(istic) citizens, re-invoking lideshuren (establishing personhood by cultivating moral excellence) as its signature discourse beyond Western frameworks. Drawing upon Foucault’s thinking, this paper untangles China’s effort as being epistemologically vexed in three steps. First, I pick up Foucault’s interpellation on language, discourse, and episteme, evoking a possible language-episteme conflation and/or rupture which is crucial to understanding China’s lideshuren knowledge (re)production and translation within and across cultures. Second, I trace lideshuren to a Confucian prototype to make visible its possible historical-cultural murmurings along a correlative relationality episteme. This historical detour enables me to better problematize, in the third section, contemporary China’s re-mobilizing, trans-forming, and re-interpreting Confucian lideshuren discourses to both the Chinese and Western wor(l)d along a delimiting modern ‘trap of philology’. This historical-present epistemological comparison, albeit reductive, feeds into my analysis of China’s making of universal-national(istic) citizens at the nexus of nationalism and globalism. By focusing on China, this paper provides implications for comparing national educations as making universal individuals in a globalized age.

How Does Jade Dynasty Become a Big IP? Mapping Digital Media Ecology in Contemporary China

Abstract Jade Dynasty (Zhuxian) emerged as one of the pioneering and most celebrated online novels of the early 2000s in China. First serialized online in mainland China around 2002 and later published as a book series in Taiwan between 2003 and 2007, JD has been expansively adapted across various media forms, including video games (from 2007 to the present), TV dramas (2016), films (2019), and animation series (starting from 2022). Scholars acknowledge it as a pioneer in the transmedia adaptation of Chinese online novels, highlighting its significant IP (intellectual property) impact. In the realm of transmedia storytelling, scholars have pointed out different production modes, including media convergence, media mix, and “affective modules” regulated by digital platforms. Referring to the emphasis on media connections made in the studies of media mix and the issue of intermediality indicated in IP, this paper investigates the digital media ecology manifested in the transmedia system of the Jade Dynasty. By examining the online fantasy novel in the early 2000s, the video game in the mid-2000s, and the animation series in the 2020s, this study argues that each stage represents significant turning points in the contemporary Chinese digital media industry.

Effective practice of innovative leadership with constant changes in social and cultural norms in China

ABSTRACT Maintaining competitiveness is crucial for firms to survive with increasing global competition. One of the key elements for maintaining competitiveness is the development of innovative leadership. The dynamic business operations of firms require leadership capabilities in general, and innovative leadership capabilities in particular, for achieving long-term survivability. This research adopts a holistic approach to investigate multiple factors that influence firm innovation through the effective practice of innovative leadership with constant changes in social and cultural norms in China. We have based our research on observations of three case studies in China and in-depth interviews conducted with key informants. This study contributes to redefining innovative leaders and innovative leadership. We illustrate the contextual factors that influence the adoption and practices of innovative leadership. We also identify crucial aspects of the quality of leaders and the engagement between leaders and subordinates that determine the outcomes of implementing innovative leadership. These aspects influence firms’ innovative capabilities and the effective practice of innovative leadership in the transitional economy of contemporary China.

The Influence of “Using the Temple Property for Schools” Movement on the Organization of Han Buddhist Monastic Education in Modern China

Under the influence of “Using the Temple Property for Schools”(UTPSs) movement, the monastic education of Han Buddhism 漢傳佛教僧教育 in modern China, as a whole, has gradually moved towards the mode of Buddhist colleges, through the establishment of the Buddhist Educational Affairs Public Office (BEAPO) 佛教學務公所, the Institution of Monastic Education (IME) 僧教育會, and the institution of Buddhist education 佛教教育機構 with international outlook and has become the prototype of the educational institution of Han Buddhism in contemporary China. The attempts to run schools during the period of the BEAPO at the late Qing Dynasty objectively stimulated the awakening of the consciousness of the Buddhist community to establish schools and to promote education 辦學興教 and became the precursor of the rise of the wave of monastic education after the Xinhai Revolution, especially since the 1920s. The goal of “uniting the national Buddhism” proposed by the BEAPO became the direction for the development of subsequent Buddhist organizations. The BEAPO also accumulated experiences for the construction of later Buddhist organizations and stimulated the awakening of the monks’ sense of subjectivity. The organizational structure and many ideas of the BEAPO were later inherited by the IME; most of the contents of the constitution of it were also inherited and improved by the IME. As a Buddhist organization, the BEAPO made positive efforts to reconcile the tensions between monks and laypeople under the context of UTPS at that time. After the Xinhai Revolution, the Han Buddhist community focused on interacting with secular society, and the practice of Buddhist education reflected the awakening of self-consciousness to “establish schools to promote education”. In terms of the school operation mode, the diversified curriculum and modernized academic system reflect the characteristic of a balance between internal and external studies. During this period, the establishment of Buddhist educational institutions with an international outlook provided a guarantee of talent for the path of the “universalization” of Han Buddhism, as well as provided continuity for the sustainable development of it. Under the influence of the two UTPS movements, the tortuous development of Han Buddhist monastic education in modern China is, in fact, the epitome of the situation of the whole Chinese Buddhism in modern society. At the same time, it also reflects the proactive adaptation of Chinese Buddhism, in modern times, to external pressures and its self-remodeling in the struggle for survival space.

A Girlfriend Gaze on Romantic Feelings: Coconstructing Postfeminist Selfhood on Douban

This article discusses how postfeminism plays into the exchange of romantic relationship advice between young women on the Chinese social media platform Douban. Employing Fairclough’s approach to critical discourse analysis, we elucidate how the process of giving and receiving romantic relationship advice facilitates the construction of a normative, postfeminist selfhood specific to China’s post-socialist transition. Under postfeminist aspirations for independence, self-empowerment, and personal success, this selfhood is constructed in social-mediated communication to offer an instrumentalist assessment of romantic relationships. In doing so, young Chinese women repudiate each other’s lovesickness, pathologizing romantic desires to achieve a false sense of emotional stability and mental strength. This gives rise to a girlfriend gaze on women’s emotional changes, establishing a self-/peer surveillance mechanism that regulates how members of the Douban community engage each other on the platform. While masked with a veneer of female empowerment and sisterly help, this mode of self-/peer surveillance not only perpetuates the stereotypical association of women with emotionality and irrationality but also marginalizes public discussions on structural gender inequalities, undermining collective efforts to challenge the patriarchal status quo. The research findings shed light on the functioning of neoliberal governance in contemporary China in the context of social-mediated communication.

Securing privacy in the digital age: The quest for judicial protection of personal information

Personal information is a vital productive commodity in the digital economy, and its processing has seen unparalleled transformations in both breadth and depth. This article proposes to enhance the legal remedies for personal information rights in contemporary China. Research has revealed multiple practical challenges in China’s judicial practices, such as hesitance to prosecute owing to an absence of substantial legal foundation, improper distribution of the burden of proof, and inadequate integration of criminal-civil judicial safeguards for personal information. This paper advocates for China to elucidate the definition of personal information rights via legislation, enable the litigation of personal information infringement cases, and establish explicit criteria for their acceptance into judicial proceedings. Furthermore, China must develop an appropriate structure for distributing the burden of evidence. It must also use discretionary judgment to properly tackle the problems related to evaluating damages in instances of personal information violations.

More children, more “efficacy”: the relationship between fertility and self-efficacy among the post-80 s and post-90 s generations

Fertility punishment is a powerful interpretation of the low birth rate in contemporary China, but it is not consistent with the fact that the proportion of second children has been increasing year by year for some time. From the perspective of Bandura’s “Self-efficacy”, based on the post-80 s and post-90 s youth samples in the Psychology and Behavior Investigation of Chinese Residents 2021, this paper explores the quantitative relationship between the number of children and individual self-efficacy. The data indicates that: (1) Fertility is closely linked to self-efficacy, with young people who have two children exhibiting higher self-efficacy; (2) The quantitative relationship between the number of children and self-efficacy varies based on parental roles—men/fathers show almost no change in self-efficacy when moving from having no children to one child, but demonstrate a significant increase in self-efficacy when they have two children. In contrast, women/mothers experience the lowest self-efficacy when having one child, which only shows a significant improvement when they have two children. These findings provide a new perspective for theoretically explaining the current fertility situation and expand the application of self-efficacy. In terms of policy efforts, it is necessary to provide support for women’s one-child fertility, and to increase the publicity of the view of more children and more efficacy to resist the potential energy of low fertility that arises from the view of more children and more burdens.

The reflection of generation Z of leisure practices in Chinese audiovisual media: An analysis based on the YouTube platform

This study explores the reflection of Generation Z leisure culture in Chinese audiovisual media, with a focus on the YouTube platform. As China’s Generation Z becomes a key demographic in shaping digital and media consumption patterns, their leisure practices reflect a unique fusion of local and global influences. Through an analysis of content on YouTube, this research examines how audiovisual media portrays the leisure activities of Chinese Generation Z, including entertainment, social interaction, and self-expression. By investigating the cultural narratives and visual strategies used to engage this generation, the study reveals how YouTube serves as a platform for identity formation, a strong sense of national identity, and pride in Chinese traditional culture among Chinese Gen Z audiences. The findings contribute to understanding the broader impact of digital platforms on leisure habits and media discourse in contemporary China, highlighting the transformative role of audiovisual media in shaping youth culture. It also plays a significant cultural education function, enhancing the positive perception of Chinese culture on the international stage and elevating China's image.

Book review: The Minjian Avant-Garde: Art of the Crowd in Contemporary China by Chang Tan

Book review: <i>The Minjian Avant-Garde: Art of the Crowd in Contemporary China</i> by Chang Tan

Confucian cultural heritage, political ideology, and variable government performance in contemporary China

ABSTRACT This study explores the factors that affect Chinese political identity. Although the Chinese government claims that maintaining the traditional Confucian political heritage represented by the Great Harmony Society (大同社会) and common prosperity is its main source of political legitimacy, this study found that for the majority of Chinese people, their support for the Chinese government is not based on the government’s Confucian political heritage, but rather on the government’s National Accountability system and national-oriented ideology, For individuals, supporting the state is an unconditional moral requirement, even if the state’s performance is not good, so Chinese people have higher political satisfaction. This ideology encourages the state to restrain freedom of the people in the form of omnipotence, and is also responsible for meeting all the needs of the people. This study suggests that China’s thousands of years of centralized political tradition and the inertia of large government have made the people more accustomed to an omnipotent government. The governance of the Chinese government is also a model of external Confucianism and internal law(外儒内法), with Confucian political heritage as the surface propaganda, but the internal system is centralized.

Effects of the Hukou system on the geographies of young people in contemporary urban China

ABSTRACT The Chinese institution for population registration is called the hukou system. It divides residents into local and non-local hukou holders concerning geographical mobility. Within Chinese society, young people often move away from their birthplace and subsequently become non-local hukou holders in the destinations. The hukou system has become a barrier to the access of young people to urban rights, placing them in a peripheral position in society. To understand the often-overlooked geographies of young people in China, the article examines how the hukou system undermines young people’s right to the city. Subsequently, the invisible politics of young people in China is discussed, based on a scoping review that approaches the issue through three themes: young people’s tactics in their mobilities; housing inequality and residential segregation; and young people’s aspirations for the future. Combining authoritarianism and neoliberalism, the hukou system controls the distribution of city rights, and thus regulates the flows of young people. Such regulation constitutes a transitional regime that shapes the life trajectories of Chinese youths. Therefore, the article recommends hearing the voices of Chinese young people in the field of Children’s Geographies, and thus enabling their voices to influence future reforms of hukou policies.

An Analysis of the Development of Sex Education in China

In contemporary China, despite growing awareness and attention to sexual education issues, the promotion and popularization of comprehensive sexual education remain hindered by deeply ingrained conservative attitudes that have persisted for millennia. These attitudes have led to sub-optimal outcomes, including limited access to accurate information and resources, which can negatively impact public health and social development. This study examines the historical development and current state of sexual education in China, as well as the various challenges that hinder its advancement, through an analysis of regionally gathered data. The study highlights the regional disparities in sexual education across China. Urban areas tend to have more progressive attitudes and better access to resources than rural regions, where conservative views and limited infrastructure can further restrict the dissemination of vital information. These disparities underscore the need for tailored approaches that address the specific needs of different communities. To overcome these challenges and optimize promotional efforts, the study suggests several key strategies, including formulating relevant policies by the government, managing relevant courses in schools, and parents’ understanding of related knowledge. By implementing these strategies, it is hoped that promoting and popularizing sexual education in China will lead to improved health outcomes, greater gender equality, and a more informed society overall.

Reciprocal Relationships Between Parental Involvement and Academic Performance in Early Adolescence: A Two-Year Longitudinal Study in China.

Previous literature has focused on the overall influence of parental involvement on adolescents' academic performance, while less attention has been accorded to the reciprocal relationships between different forms of parental involvement and academic performance across gender. The present study examined the reciprocal associations between different forms of parental involvement and adolescents' academic performance using nationally representative data. A total of 9449 Chinese adolescents (47.82% girls, Mage = 13.21, SD = 0.65, 91.20% Han Ethnicity) have participated in the two-year and two-wave longitudinal study. Cross-lagged model results indicated reciprocal associations between parent-reported involvement and academic performance. Autonomy-supportive parental involvement in Grade 7 was positively associated with better academic performance in Grade 8, while behavioral control was negatively associated with later academic performance. Parental socialization practices vary by adolescent's gender. Compared with girls, boys experienced increased parental behavioral control in response to better academic performance. The findings reflect the persistence of stereotypical gender expectations and gender socialization in contemporary China.

The Relationship Between Corporate ESG Disclosure and the Chinese-style Modernization

Against the backdrop of contemporary Chinese-style modernization, the state has placed increasing demands on enterprises to adhere to the principles of Environmental (E), Social (S), and Governance (G). Consequently, enterprises will face more challenges and transformations. This paper employs a multi-case study method, focusing on the sample data of Wahaha Group and Ant Group. Based on Wahaha Group's 2020 Social Responsibility Report and Ant Group's 2022 Sustainable Development Report, the paper analyzes the impact and role of corporate ESG disclosure on Chinese-style modernization from the perspectives of people-oriented, shared prosperity, and green development. The paper argues that Wahaha Group and Ant Group fully embody the new development concept of "coordination, greenness, and sharing" in their disclosure of ESG information, which has a close relationship with "Chinese-style modernization" and holds significant importance in contemporary China.

Contemporary Chinese vocational interest scale in the digital age: development and validation

Holland’s Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional (RIASEC) model has been widely used for career counseling, vocational assessment, and educational choice. However, vocational interest types can be affected by culture, and the fourth industrial revolution has led to the emergence of many new occupations, rendering many occupational titles and work tasks in Holland’s RIASEC model outdated. The present study proposed nine interest types in contemporary China: Artistic (A), Natural (N), Enterprising (E), Conventional (C), Technological (T), Investigative (I), Powerful (P), Social (S), and Operational (O), and developed a vocational interest scale with nine subscales. We generated items by drawing from a literature review, occupational categories, and expert reviews, used exploratory factor analysis (EFA, N = 628, Mage = 12.75 years; 47% girls) to reduce the number of items, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA, N = 627, Mage = 12.76 years; 48% girls) to validate the factor structure. This study clarified vocational interest types in contemporary China, developed and validated a vocational interest scale for the digital age, and provided a measurement tool for educational choice and career counseling.

The Frontiers and Future Landscape of Research and Education on Value Rationality in Contemporary China

The importance of conducting in-depth research and education on value rationality in the new era is increasingly recognized. Therefore, it is essential to systematically grasp the themes, frontiers, and trends of research in this field, organizing the knowledge system to provide references for future studies. This necessitates clarifying the research achievements of scholars from different disciplines and institutions. Using the CiteSpace visualization analysis method, we can analyze, summarize, and synthesize research networks, hotspots, and knowledge structures, thereby forming a direction for advancing research. Through literature review methods and knowledge graph software analysis, it is believed that value rationality and instrumental rationality represent the rational attitudes individuals adopt when contemplating issues and putting them into practice. They are merely methods and should not be subjected to excessive value judgments. The relationship between value rationality and instrumental rationality is a focal point of societal concern, involving complex interdisciplinary issues with significant theoretical value and practical implications. In the future, the academic community needs to strengthen research collaboration, enhance the expansion of value rationality in various social practice fields, and conduct empirical studies to build consensus for the construction of Chinese society.

Research on the Construction of the English Course System "Understanding Contemporary China"

Against the backdrop of globalization, China's development and transformation have attracted widespread attention. To help Chinese students better understand and communicate the social, cultural, and economic development of contemporary China in an international context, constructing the English course series "Understanding Contemporary China" holds significant importance. This study, based on the principles of cross-cultural adaptability, multidimensional content selection, and interactive and practical teaching, proposes a course design plan that covers reading, writing, translation, and public speaking. By exploring the course implementation path, the study presents specific strategies for integrating teaching materials, building faculty teams, and innovating teaching models. This research provides theoretical support and practical guidance for improving the cross-cultural communication skills of Chinese students and promoting the construction of Chinese studies curricula in international exchanges.

Religion, secularism, and postsecularism in Chinese internet literature

Abstract Internet literature emerged in China in the 1990s and became commercialized in the early 2000s, with readers paying an access fee, which is split between literary platforms and their contracted writers, to access popular novels. While the most popular genre is fantasy, a type of imaginative literature devoted to invoking magic beyond the limits of empirical reality and scientific rationality, the primary source of magic for Chinese fantasy is traditional Chinese cosmology and its concrete applications in everyday practices. These ideas and practices, the onto-epistemic-practical foundation of Chinese religion before the twentieth century, were considered superstitious and targeted for elimination in modernizing and secularization processes. However, they have not only survived but taken up a new life in fantasy novels, which depict them as the antecedents of, alternatives to, or more advanced forms than modern scientific endeavors at engineering natural environments and enhancing human bodies. This is why I see online fantasy literature as a palimpsest bearing the traces of Chinese religion, Chinese secularism, and the social conditions of contemporary China. In bearing such traces, this literature exemplifies the postsecular.

From Revolution to Revival: Religious Policy in Contemporary China and Albania

From Revolution to Revival: Religious Policy in Contemporary China and Albania