Journal | Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie orientale
Journal issue | 57 | 2021
Research Article | China’s ‘CivilOlympic’ Performances and (Re)gained Global Visibility
China’s ‘CivilOlympic’ Performances and (Re)gained Global Visibility
- Giovanna Puppin - Università di Genova, Italia - email
Abstract
This article investigates how China fantasised about itself and the Beijing 2008 Olympics through the award-winning TV public service announcements (PSAs) of the Beijing Opera Series, with a focus on visibility. By drawing on theories of the spectacle, I perform a semiotic analysis of the most recurrent signs, organising them according to the main themes that emerge. The theatre stage – which represents the Olympic stage – is closely linked to China’s dream of owning the Games and its desire for global visibility. The performance includes the theatrical performance of the Beijing Opera and the performance of civilisation, which semiotically over-determines the Games. The protagonists include famous actors and roles of Beijing Opera (i.e. Dan, who is an anthropomorphic metaphor for China), as well as ordinary people, who are extraordinary for their high degree of civilisation. The spectators, especially through the intradiegetic presence of a Western male Other, validate the country’s performative success and confirm its achieved global visibility.
Submitted: Feb. 4, 2021 | Accepted: June 11, 2021 | Published June 30, 2021 | Language: en
Keywords China’s national image • Public service advertising • Civilisation • Beijing 2008 • Olympic spectacle • Global visibility • Brand China
Copyright © 2021 Giovanna Puppin. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/AnnOr/2385-3042/2021/01/018
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| DC Field | Value |
|---|---|
|
dc.identifier |
ECF_article_5514 |
|
dc.title |
China’s ‘CivilOlympic’ Performances and (Re)gained Global Visibility. Fantasising about a New Brand China through Olympic Public Service Announcements |
|
dc.contributor.author |
Puppin Giovanna |
|
dc.publisher |
Edizioni Ca’ Foscari - Digital Publishing, Fondazione Università Ca’ Foscari |
|
dc.type |
Research Article |
|
dc.language.iso |
en |
|
dc.identifier.uri |
http://edizionicafoscari.it/en/edizioni4/riviste/annali-di-ca-foscari-serie-orientale/2021/1/chinas-civilolympic-performances-and-regained-glob/ |
|
dc.description.abstract |
This article investigates how China fantasised about itself and the Beijing 2008 Olympics through the award-winning TV public service announcements (PSAs) of the Beijing Opera Series, with a focus on visibility. By drawing on theories of the spectacle, I perform a semiotic analysis of the most recurrent signs, organising them according to the main themes that emerge. The theatre stage – which represents the Olympic stage – is closely linked to China’s dream of owning the Games and its desire for global visibility. The performance includes the theatrical performance of the Beijing Opera and the performance of civilisation, which semiotically over-determines the Games. The protagonists include famous actors and roles of Beijing Opera (i.e. Dan, who is an anthropomorphic metaphor for China), as well as ordinary people, who are extraordinary for their high degree of civilisation. The spectators, especially through the intradiegetic presence of a Western male Other, validate the country’s performative success and confirm its achieved global visibility. |
|
dc.relation.ispartof |
Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie orientale |
|
dc.relation.ispartof |
Vol. 57 | June 2021 |
|
dc.issued |
2021-06-30 |
|
dc.dateAccepted |
2021-06-11 |
|
dc.dateSubmitted |
2021-02-04 |
|
dc.identifier.issn |
|
|
dc.identifier.eissn |
2385-3042 |
|
dc.rights |
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License |
|
dc.rights.uri |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
|
dc.identifier.doi |
10.30687/AnnOr/2385-3042/2021/01/018 |
|
dc.peer-review |
yes |
|
dc.subject |
Beijing 2008 |
|
dc.subject |
Beijing 2008 |
|
dc.subject |
Brand China |
|
dc.subject |
Brand China |
|
dc.subject |
China’s national image |
|
dc.subject |
China’s national image |
|
dc.subject |
Civilisation |
|
dc.subject |
Civilisation |
|
dc.subject |
Global visibility |
|
dc.subject |
Global visibility |
|
dc.subject |
Olympic spectacle |
|
dc.subject |
Olympic spectacle |
|
dc.subject |
Public service advertising |
|
dc.subject |
Public service advertising |
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