乐鱼 体育

On July 1, thousands of Communist Party youth members flooded Chang'an Avenue, at the heart of the nation鈥檚 capital, singing songs like 鈥淲ithout the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China鈥� to serenade Chinese President Xi Jinping. The highly televised tribute marked the beginning of the Chinese government鈥檚 centenary celebration and projected a youthful image of the Communist Party (CCP). Yet, despite this powerful display of patriotism, the reality of Party efforts to advance youth engagement through media  is much more complicated.

The CCP鈥檚 hundredth anniversary celebrations sought to reaffirm the Party鈥檚 vital role in China鈥檚 future. For such a forward-looking vision, youth engagement is essential. Of the 4.7 million new Party members accepted this year, more than . An emphasis has been placed on as the country remains ensnared in a high-tech competition with the US. But, as Xi makes an effort to indoctrinate a new generation of supporters, the Party鈥檚 anniversary media blitz raises questions of the CCP鈥檚 long-term stability.

Beginning with the 70th anniversary of the People鈥� Republic of China in 2019, patriotic films and TV shows have become , employing popular genres and 鈥渟tar power鈥� in order to garner widespread appeal. In preparation for the CCP鈥檚 100th anniversary, the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) China鈥檚 Entertainment industry to an impressive slate of commemorative content that would highlight the Party鈥檚 history and its role in economic reforms. Tencent Pictures鈥� 1921 (Huang Jianxin), the centenary鈥檚 flagship film, features a star-studded cast of popular young actors, including Wang Renjun, Huang Xuan and Zhu Yilong as three of the CCP鈥檚 founders Mao Zedong, Li Dazhao and Zhou Enlai. Poverty alleviation dramas, a TV genre popularized to recognize Xi鈥檚 鈥渧ictory鈥� in a campaign to eradicate extreme poverty, have also been outfitted with teen idols and incorporate aspects of romance and comedy that are aimed at a younger fan base. The National Children's Evening Party to Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China, a special Children鈥檚 Day event that simultaneously premiered across all major stations and streaming platforms, that even the nation鈥檚 youngest patriots can appreciate. Speaking at the Party History Study and Education Mobilization Conference in February 2021, Xi expressed his hope for such Party history-themed works to 鈥�.鈥�

The Chinese authorities can dictate the type of content that is made, however, tensions between commercial film markets and actual consumer interests remain. Chinese film regulators ordered every cinema to screen and promote films celebrating the Party鈥檚 history and accomplishments, with more than required to screen five such films a week. Local film authorities were further instructed to provide CCP commemorative films with favorable scheduling and, if necessary, offer promotional discounts to ensure a large audience.

Contradictions inherent to the idea of Party 鈥渂lockbusters'' highlight how China鈥檚 youth present a tough audience. Even after endorsement from the Chinese film regulators and a state-sanctioned premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival, the commemorative film 1921 was publicly scorned for making a mockery of the CCP鈥檚 history and its founders. Patriotic netizens questioned the film鈥檚 faithfulness to Party values for assigning social media icons, boyband superstars, and other beneficiaries of an enterprise culture to play some of China鈥檚 greatest communist heroes. They launched a campaign, 鈥�#Boycott1921,鈥� attracting millions of viewers. Viewers also reported the film to the Cyberspace Administration of China for the 鈥渄efamation of martyrs and heroes,鈥� an act that was made criminal in 2018. Before either of these movements could gain traction, however, . Herein lies the larger existential threat to the Party鈥檚 legitimacy. As Xi attempts to shore up support for the regime, China鈥檚 youth recognized inconsistencies between Party principles and propaganda.

鈥淩ed鈥� content is struggling to find an audience. After 1921 grossed $13 million on July 1, a relatively poor performance compared to past tent pole films, especially given the arranged lack of competition, viewer ratings on Douban sank so low that the ratings function had to be shut off. Other tribute films fared far worse. The Pioneer (Xu Zhanxiong), which recounts the life of CCP founder Li Dazhao, grossed little more than $2.5 million in China on its opening day, with audience attendance averaging below 3%. Though some filmgoers share that they were moved to tears by these Party origin stories, many report being unimpressed.

Ultimately, despite its efforts to advance content in the service of the CCP鈥檚 100th anniversary, the Party faces the same challenges it always has in the promotion of media to advance political interests. Audiences - particularly youth audiences - have commercial tastes that don鈥檛 always align with the 鈥渞ed gene.鈥� And the reliance on Chinese stars who emerge from China鈥檚 commercial media industry, while popular, fails to align with the Party鈥檚 ideological message. As China鈥檚 young people know, commanding a performance and finding a willing audience are two very different things.