Historical Narratives and Sentimental Education: A Study of China’s TV Drama since the 1980s

Principle Investigator：Chih-ming Wang

This project aims to understand how Chinese TV drama implement its pedagogical function, and how producers of TV drama negotiate with the censorship of the Party-State. If TV drama since the 1980s was a vehicle for expressing people’s desire, shaping the relationship between people and capital, then the TV drama since 2008 seems to carry a stronger mandate of the state in educating the people, particularly in terms of following the right historical narrative and channeling the correct sentiment. Thus, how to understand the transformation of Chinese TV drama, particularly in terms of its negotiations with censorship and market demands, could help us better access and assess the people’s sentiment and deliberation of their own fate in the era of China’s Rise.