Doctoral Thesis
Chinese Cinema: Film Policy Since China’s Entry to the World Trade Organisation
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Murdoch University
2024
Abstract
This dissertation explores the evolution of Chinese film policies over the two decades since China's entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2001. The study describes how and why Chinese film policies have changed over time and how this has influenced the domestic film industry. Specifically, the thesis investigates the response of Chinese policymakers to the opportunities and challenges brought to the industry by WTO membership. Not only has this meant exposure of Chinese films to international audiences, critics and awards, but it has also increased competition from foreign films for market share in the growing Chinese domestic market. This has had substantial impacts across the value chain, from Chinese film production to exhibition.
The dissertation combines a quantitative corpus-based approach with qualitative Critical Discourse Analysis of 78 major policy documents collected from the State Council, the Ministry of Culture, and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. These are assessed according to guiding principles, production, distribution, exhibition, importation, exportation, penalties, and rewards. The analysis reveals that China’s policymakers have established a state-controlled socialist cultural market to counteract the influence of the WTO and have strengthened China’s soft power through state-led film production and trade. The former has been pursued via censorship, licensing, and state monopoly in distribution and exhibition, while the latter has involved relaxing controls in the production, co-production and co-exhibition, as well as streamlining licensing procedures, with the aim of forming a self-sustaining domestic film industry.
Details
- Title
- Chinese Cinema: Film Policy Since China’s Entry to the World Trade Organisation
- Authors/Creators
- Lei Sun
- Contributors
- Yingchi Chu (Supervisor)Howard Lee (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, School of Media and CommunicationSimon McKirdy (Supervisor) - Harry Butler InstituteDavid Cook (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, Harry Butler InstituteMichelle Picard (Supervisor) - Flinders University
- Awarding Institution
- Murdoch University; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Identifiers
- 991005709870107891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
- Resource Type
- Doctoral Thesis
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