China’s film reward and penalty policy after its World Trade Organisation membership

Lei Sun; Jingya Zhu; Simon J. McKirdy; Yahan Mao

doi:10.1080/23311983.2026.2680369

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China’s film reward and penalty policy after its World Trade Organisation membership

Journal article

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China’s film reward and penalty policy after its World Trade Organisation membership

Lei Sun, Jingya Zhu, Simon J. McKirdy and Yahan Mao

Cogent arts & humanities, Vol.13(1), 2680369

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2026.2680369

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Abstract

China

Film policy

penalty

reward

social effects

socialist cultural market

Adopting a policy perspective, this study conducts a corpus-based critical discourse analysis of 39 national film policy documents (2001–2020) to examine how China’s film reward and penalty policies shape its industry. It explores how these policies linguistically and institutionally constructed a socialist cultural market in the post-WTO period. Drawing on the theoretical framework of the socialist cultural market, the research reveals the discursive relationship among state funding, cultural production, and global engagement. Findings show the reward system prioritises ‘social effects’—meaning ideological alignment with socialist values—to stimulate propaganda film production. Both domestic and international filmmakers must operate within a mandatory official approval framework, with penalties for non-compliance. While reinforcing ideological control, this system limits film diversity and lacks the discursive and policy tools needed to effectively support China’s global film ambitions, indicating that policy rhetoric belies a gap in implementation.

Details

Title: China’s film reward and penalty policy after its World Trade Organisation membership
Authors/Creators: Lei Sun - North China University of Science and Technology
Jingya Zhu - School of Advertising Art
Simon J. McKirdy - Murdoch University, Centre for Biosecurity and One Health
Yahan Mao - School of Visual Arts
Publication Details: Cogent arts & humanities, Vol.13(1), 2680369
Publisher: Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Number of pages: 19
Identifiers: 991005891652907891
Murdoch Affiliation: Centre for Biosecurity and One Health; Harry Butler Institute; Murdoch University; Global Engagement & Transnational Education
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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