In pursuit of soft power

When I went to Beijing this past summer, I made a vow to myself that I would immerse myself in China’s media. I would read only Chinese magazines and books, listen to purely Chinese music and watch Chinese television exclusively. By the last weeks, though, I found myself binge-watching "Game of Thrones" (2011 - present) -- at least it had Chinese subtitles -- and listening to my favorite indie artists while working out. I had submitted because I craved some semblance of home, and this was the closest I could get (the somewhat authentic brick-oven pizza place shut down halfway through my visit). But the other reason was simply that there was not enough quality media out there.

China seeks soft power, which Joseph Nye defines as “the ability of a country to persuade others to do what it wants without force or coercion.” This often comes down to its ability to impress and inspire imitation. At the very least, it means some positive press. China wants to be a trend-setter, with more likes on its profile picture or more followers on Twitter. The government has poured money into Confucius Institutes, the Beijing Olympics and the Shanghai Expo for exactly this reason. While the Olympic song “Beijing Welcomes You” became popular among American and Chinese audiences alike, we are far from a world that closely follows Chinese media.

Of course, China is not entirely without influence. It has much more soft power across Latin America and Africa, garnered through its economic aid to those regions, than it does in Europe and the United States. Attracting the interest of Westerners is much more difficult; it requires infiltrating their TV screens and earbuds.

The cultural medium that has garnered the greatest following in the West, ironically, is that of dissident artists, the most prominent of whom is Ai Weiwei. The artist, known for shattering Han Dynasty vases, is not exactly the figure with which China hopes to capture the world’s attention. As Nye, who coined the term “soft power,” writes, “The best propaganda is not propaganda.” Ai Weiwei’s work is about truth and struggle; this is what attracts attention. With his contributions to the iconic Bird’s Nest, his Netflix documentary and exhibitions worldwide, many are watching for his next step. We have yet to see a world where American college students dance to Chinese music at frat parties or European teenagers find themselves addicted to Chinese series. This may be because of the devaluation of art in the education system. After all, Chinese students must choose between humanities and sciences when they enter high school, and it is mostly the students with high grades that choose sciences. What puts China ahead economically may be exactly what baffles it in the realm of soft power. Another reason for China’s struggle in the realm of cultural influence is that China’s communist regime stifles freedom of speech and, along with it, creativity. It is no surprise, then, that the most popular Chinese media comes in the form of rebellion.