Description: "Whether willingly or unwillingly, public celebrities are often the focus of discussion of moral matters and political causes, but how does this sort of celebrity culture function in a country such as China with a powerful central state? Celebrity Activism and Governance in Contemporary China explores how in today's China, celebrity figures embody, conflict with and engage with social, civil, moral and economic issues. Shenshen Cai examines the state's governance of celebrity activism and the interplay between the propaganda machine and the stars"--
Brief description: Shenshen Cai is Lecturer in Chinese Studies at Monash University, Australia. Cai is the author of State Propaganda in China's Entertainment Industry (2016), Television Drama in Contemporary China: Political, Social and Cultural Phenomena (2016), and Contemporary Chinese Films and Celebrity Directors (2017).
Review Quotes:
"Contemporary Chinese Celebrities is a theoretically informed and fine-grained study of celebrities in China today. Shenshen Cai deals with not just pop stars, sporting celebrities, and consumer influencers, but also with political activists, feminists, satirists, social commentators, environmental critics, and advocates for public health. In brief, this book deals with many of the most sensitive and controversial events that have taken place in China in recent years. This volume will be appreciated by anyone who wants to keep up to date with social and political trends in China." --Anne E. McLaren, University of Melbourne, Australia
"This is the definitive book on Chinese celebrity today. With a rare mix of historical insight and sharp contemporary observation, Shenshen Cai shows how China's celebrity culture emerges from ongoing dynamic interactions between politics, publics, moralities and markets. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand pop culture in today's China." --Fran Martin, University of Melbourne, Australia "Cai Shenshen has made a sustained contribution to the study of celebrity in China and Contemporary Chinese Celebrities is further evidence of why we should be mindful of it." --The China Quarterly