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| "New Heaven and Earth" (Shanghai Xintiandi) Photo Source: Chinatouristmaps.com |
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Popular Cultural Sites response
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| "New Heaven and Earth" (Shanghai Xintiandi) Photo Source: Chinatouristmaps.com |
Employing consumerism as the key word, the author, Bao Yaming, explores how it becomes the outcome of the combination of globalization and localization, and at the same time, leads to the change of ideology. In the beginning, by analyzing the slogan “bringing China into the world’s orbit”, the author state briefly the cultural dilemma caused by the opening-up (p.558). The “petty bourgeoisie” can be regarded as the representative of the young people in Shanghai (p.560). Therefore, the features of this class and their ideology is an important part of modern Chinese popular culture. Through the success of the popular newspaper, shanghai weekly, the author discusses how the traditional ideology changed into globalized trendy of consumerism.
ReplyDeleteIt is a common idea that with the rapid development of China’s economy, people got lost in the society of abundant material. It seems that for these people, the only way to obtain pleasure became consuming. Instead of criticizing the ones, especially young generation, being lack of spiritual support, this paper explores how their ideology is shaped by the contemporary economic and political situation. Although personally I don’t advocate the lifestyle that working hard to make money and consuming after work in fancy restraints, cafés, bars and shopping centers. This consuming centered lifestyle is getting more and more popular in big cities. Meanwhile it also causes many social problems like late marriage and not having children among the young generation. However, it is unfair to blame these so called “petty bourgeoisie” being materialistic and lack of social responsibility. Many of my friends are members of this group in Shanghai and Beijing. After graduation, working in a foreign enterprise or a joint venture enterprise, most of them they earn 3000-5000RMB a month. Spending 2000-3000RMB on rent and commuting, the only entertainment they are affordable and easy to access is hanging out with friends in a bar or restaurant. Sometimes I think their lifestyle is boring. All the pictures that they post on Wechat Moment (similar to facebook) is about what restaurant they went to or what movie they watched. It seems that it constitutes all their life after work. However, what ideology could they have living in the big city far away from hometown, earning the basic salary, surrounded by the people with the same ideology, even the mass media like newspaper and magazines are all about leisure places and the lifestyle of consuming? Along with the real immigrant workers, these white-collars support the prosperity of the big cities like Shanghai and Beijing.
I enjoyed reading your first hand experiences and insight on this social problem. I see a lot of parallels in life in America. It seems in this age of globalization that life is controlled by consumerism.
Deletegreat point!!!
DeleteI like how you linked the introduction of the Shanghai Weekly has led to the change in ideology and how China has become more of a consumer country.
DeleteIt is very interesting to read first hand experiences to globalization as well as localization. Thanks for that!
DeleteI like your analysis about many Chinese people got lost in the society of abundant material. I really agree with you that " especially young generation, being lack of spiritual support", and I think this is true in China today.
DeleteLike the others before me, I find your first hand experience a great addition to your point and really strengthens it. I agree that these people that don't make that much money and that they find entertainment in just hanging out with their friends at restaurants and I can see that it could be viewed as not very interesting.
DeleteI feel like the primary argument that the author is trying to make is the state of flux that contemporary Shanghai society finds itself in these days. More specifically, the author seems to be trying to show how China's entrance into the WTO, and its subsequent embrace of globalization is shaping the tastes, nature and formation of Shanghai's petty bourgeois class.This was shown in the paper by how the author described the struggle between the three main newspapers, and how they appealed to readers as well as attracted more readers through unique and varying market strategies and approaches.
ReplyDeleteI generally enjoyed this essay, particularly the part about the three competing newspapers and how they used various approaches to try to succeed, however one part of the essay that is a little bit confusing to me is the part of the essay where the author is discussing the concept of "glocality" While I clearly understand the concept in a theoretical sense, I do have a little bit of a problem understanding how it translates into practical terms. The way I understand it, glocal is merely the combination of a local city with global touches/infusions of international culture. Is this all that it is? I feel like in some ways, the glocality concept is not meant to be understood in concrete terms, rather it is only intended to be understood in a broad, sweeping context. So for me, that is one part of this essay that wasn't completely clear to me, but its overall a relatively minor point.
Your interpretation of glocality is very interesting. I interpreted it as globalization is so common in Shanghai's culture that it has translated into localization, or their norm.
DeleteI am not clear concept of glocality, when I finish reading this article, I think there are a lot of places, I could not fully understand
DeleteI find the petty bourgeoisie interesting. Their existence illustrates China's role in the global market. It's fascinating that they have local interests but a distinct taste for the foreign. The fact that they are very concerned with income shows a connection to Capitalism.
ReplyDeleteThe competition between Shanghai newspapers interested me as well. It too exemplifies how China is becoming less and less Communist. Xin Tiandi and China's induction into the WTO further illustrate this point.
Whether China is truly Communist is really a complicated question. The main problem is what is the definition of Communist?
ReplyDeleteI do believe that any ideology of Communism has the factor of classlessness. In this sense, the answer to whether or not China is Communist is very simple.
DeleteBao Yaming discusses the dichotomy of globalization and localization and its impact on Chinese culture. He argues that the notion of “bringing China into the world’s orbit” and becoming globalized has led to a cultural identity crisis where the rapid consumption of foreign luxury items is seen as the only way to becoming modernized. This concept is illustrated in the petty bourgeoisie class who spend time and money they don’t have to chase the latest fads from Paris and New York. The petty bourgeoisie strive to appear cosmopolitan and worldly and “do everything in their power to distinguish themselves clearly from actual migrant laborers.” This fear of being lumped in with migrant laborers stems from cultural insecurity that is at the heart of China’s identity crisis. In the rush to become a part of the modern world, globalization became a substitute for modernization. It appeared as though Chinese culture was backward and the path to modernization was by adopting western styles through consumerism. Instead of creating a modern China by advancing the inherent culture, China adopted the styles and cultures of countries perceived as “modern.” A real-life illustration of this concept would be a petty bourgeoisie member, ethnically Chinese, covering themselves in a French brand that they spent months of saving to buy.
ReplyDeleteMy question after reading this article would be is consumerism really the only way to become globalized? It seems to be the only way Bao mentions and the only way petty bourgeoisie believe.
I think for now, globalization and localization cannot exist together in China
DeleteGreat how you explained China adopted the perception of what is "modern" and that consumerist mindset is what is driving the investments and the high risks high reward ideology in China.
DeleteI really like the question you raised about China seeing consumerism as the only way to become globalized. I hadn't considered that before.
DeleteThe paper by Bao explores China and how consumerism has changed China. With China opening up to other countries and joining the WTO, globalization and localization have created a new concept of consumerism in China. “The slogan ‘bringing China into the world’s orbit’ doubtlessly expresses a strong desire in China to initiate its own globalization process and to become a modern country accepted worldwide.” (557). The “Shanghai Weekly” was a newspaper that was cheap to buy and read by many Chinese. The paper was read by the “petty bourgeoisie” or middle class people who are greatly concerned with quality of life issues. These people have ‘global’ professional backgrounds in which they work with foreign enterprises or some may not have any experience with foreign enterprises but want to lead a life of an international lifestyle (560). Many “petty bourgeoisie” want to live this international lifestyle in which they use American cosmetics, fashions from Paris, London, and New York, watch Hollywood films, use high tech products like Motorola mobile phones, or eat American foods (560).
ReplyDeleteThe Shanghai Weekly is broken up into three parts: 1) is about city related matters such as fashion, eating, traveling, etc. 2) is mainly about sports, people, international news, economy, etc. 3) is about arts, entertainment, cartoons, music, films, books, and games. With many “petty bourgeoisie” reading the Shanghai weekly, this makes this group of people want to buy foreign luxurious objects. These people are spending money that they do not have or not enough to buy these luxurious materialistic objects. They want to live an international lifestyle. The Chinese people are trying to become modern by consuming materialistic objects that foreign countries have such as American foods or American/French fashions. This is how globalization and localization have created consumerism throughout China.
I like the way you categorized the article into three distinct categories, I didn't really think of it that way. Also, I agree with how globalization and localization have created consumerism. It has also, expanded China's ability to influence other cultures and societies.
DeleteI find it fascinating that foreign brands are so coveted in China. I don't really hear about any Chinese brands that are coveted like Coach and Prada. I know China is fairly new to the luxury market but I expect them to eventually create brands that are just as coveted as the foreign ones.
Deletewell, I think there are advantages and disadvatages for building these kind of places in China.
ReplyDeletefirst of all, China is a country that is developing, we really need places like this to bring our cities onto the next level. However, I have never been to Xin Tian Di, but when Chris told us that when he was there and everything was expensive, I rather we do not have these places, because compare to the salaries that normal Chinese people right now, we are not able to afford places like that, which means these places can only make the cities look better, but they will not affect the econoy in China in a good way, because nobody would spend 1/3 f their sallary in one day in these places.
on the contrary, it might leads something bad to happen. i think it might make the bury between rich people and poor people bigger. I am currently following a Chinese TV program, and I found out that in some places, people can not even find a charger for iphone in China.
So I think China should focus on making the poor areas better, then start thinking about building fancy places like Xin Tian Di.this is my opinion about Xin Tian Di.
On page 588, he states a question which is"since globalization and localization exist side by side in contempory China,will they come into conflict there?" he said the answer is not a simple yes or no. I think the answer is simple yes. they will come into conflict. like I said, I think we should try to get all the people in China onto a similar level, then think about globalization and localization.
I agree with what you were saying about the cities looking nicer, but them being unable to financially cover everything.
DeleteI agree with your view. I also think China should focus on going back to its roots and work from the ground up instead of trying to become modernized all at once to race with other leading countries. It would take time, but it would be more stable.
ReplyDeleteBao's argument is that globalization and consumerism influence other cultures globally. Shanghai uses their resources to expand what they acquire in other nation's societies. My question is how does this impact from Shanghai's imports change other societies view of Shanghai?
ReplyDeleteOne part of China's culture is their artistic ability, "a nationwide avant- garde movement was fomenting in the mid- 1980s for the first time in Chinese history" (Luo, 225). This movement like others in China, have had a big influence with how their society has been impacted by globalization. This quote is a great example of the time period when this movement was beginning to occur in China.
I found the article to be really interesting and more specifically how China is growing and developing as a country. Having taken Intro to Chinese Culture 1840 to Present, I learned a lot about China and the different eras and ‘cultural changes’ that it has gone through and this article is an interesting view point on the modernization of China now.
ReplyDeleteHaving such developing cities such as Xin Tian Di and the description of those people that live extravagantly I think has both pros and cons. China is developing and I think that it is important for such cities to exist for the country to modernize and develop. However, I see the con that there does need to be a focus on the poorer cities and not forget to aid those. In the article it talks about “petty bourgeoisie” that want to live modern international lifestyles and all the glitz and glamour. (pg. 559) But I think that China needs to get a firm control on the population and division in classes before wanting to build such glamour and modern cities.
I agree, the gap in the social classes is massive and it seems like the "petty bourgeoisie" are the focus when there are so many others that really need help not just to have the latest fashion, but to survive and grow.
DeleteI believe Bao does a great job in exploring how globalization and localization has led to the change in the mindset of Modern Day Chinese. He says that China wants to enter into the "orbit." When you think of this statement you can almost consider it an understatement because although a lot of Chinese consumerism has been imitated from Paris and New York in the early 1900's, it is easy to see that China's economy is becoming the center of the orbit at an alarming rate. I also think the author illustrates that China is rich as a country but many of the people cannot afford this lavish lifestyle. It really has changed the ideology where getting the nicer materialistic things in life is what is most important. I feel that is a lesser presence in Western culture although it is still heavily placed in the media because after the economic crash you see a dramatic shift from materialistic thinking to a more sentimental way of living. This really has you thinking about not only the economic perspective and how it has changed the thinking of social standards but also how this drastic and instant evolution is forcing the government to change its way of thinking. China is in a very unique position because the country is bearing many cultural and technological changes that no other nation is experiencing on that scale.
ReplyDeleteAi Wei Wei represents everything that the older traditions of Chinese Culture does not want to exist. Ai Wei Wei is not afraid to voice his opinions on social and political matters. For instance his view on the Beijing Olympics and how he publicly went against the work that he put into building and designing the stadium when he believed China's motive for hosting the Olympics was solely for propaganda. He also uses social media such as Twitter to further his beliefs on the social and political opinions he shares. This is becoming more present as people are becoming more individualized as technology allows people to rely more on themselves. Ai Wei Wei being a celebrity and highly revered reminds you of the old American heroes who were not afraid to be the voice of the minority. He is using his talents and fame to make social and political issues that are talked about in such a hushed voice to be heard. The article and the story if Ai Wei Wei are great examples of how localization is changing how material and social statuses are being portrayed in a higher degree and that the globalization of becoming more Westernized has led to great growth economically but has brought a lot more social concerns regarding the accessibility of the poor to achieve materialistic objects and how politics is being forced to reconsider their mindset on how some of their policies need to change to fit the rapid growth in China.
I think your opinion is very different from many others and it is interesting, especially for your analysis about Ai Weiwei.
DeleteI agree with what you said at the beginning, they do not seem to merely want to be in the "orbit", but they want to be the best.
DeleteIn Bao Yaming’s article, the main point is the globalized and localized consumerism. The author’s argument in this paper is to “analyze how consumerism miraculously combines globalization with localization, and how consumerism successfully substitutes for traditional ideology and subsequently enhances the globalized tendency of consumerism to become a new ideology closely related to local life.” (Bao, p.559) The article begins with describing China’s globalization process, from the government propaganda slogan “bringing China into the world’s orbit” through public mass media to China’s entrance into the WTP in 2001; Beijing host the 26th Olympic Games in 2008 and Shanghai host the World Exposition in 2010. The globalization tendency not only influences China’s economics, politics and sociology, but also affects Chinese cultural identity. Nowadays, China has also persisted in its own localization characteristics, but the localization lives also influenced by the globalization.
ReplyDeleteAn interested and important thing about the globalized and localized consumerism is the appearance of Western styled leisure and entertainment, such as the bar, café, western restaurant, press media and cinema. And I think the globalization influenced localization is very important to many aspects of China’s development. Another interested thing I found in this article is “For China, the “world” in this slogan is a source of alienation. Strangely enough, this “world” neither includes China nor refers to the rest of the world. Instead, the term refers only to Western countries and to Westernized developed countries.” (Bao Yaming, p.558) I never thought about this before I read this article, but I think this point is true in China. For most Chinese people, the “world” means the Western developed countries.
I agree that while it is important for China's development to be influenced by Western ideas, but I also think that having that old world charm brings a lot to the table as well.
DeleteI think it is a good point you brought up about China considering "the world" to be only western countries. It's like the reverse of being ethnocentric. It reminds me of how in Latin American countries lighter skinned people are revered and put on television.
DeleteIt is very interesting that "the world" is referred to as the Western culture and ideals in this article. And it makes me wonder if more than just China sees it that way, that most globalization is influenced by the west which makes the rest of the countries refer to these places as "the world'".
DeleteI think that the author tries to help the reader understand the subtle differences between the the world's view of consumerism and China's view of consumerism, with the world being more Westernized cultures rather than just the world. This is very interesting to me because the author tries to portray China as a cut off entity, which up until recently, it was. The way that China has finally started allowing exports and imports has helped China become a top international competitor in sales, marketing and technology. I like the idea of "bringing China into the World's orbit" (Bao 558). I think that is it long over due and helping China to be global is a very important idea as well as something that must be done.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that we made some of the same points in our posts. China's consumer market is growing and growing with the help of westernizing their culture.
DeleteI think the main argument of this essay is that the WTO is a huge external power that influences China greatly. This has indirectly led to China’s globalization, which in turn helped create the petty bourgeois. This new class of people is a sign of China’s advancement into the WTO.
ReplyDeleteThis weeks reading reminds me a lot of Guo Jingming. I know their target audience and methods are very different but I see a strong connection between the two. Guo Jingming writes about rich people doing luxurious things and living like everyone else wishes they could. To me it seems like Shanghai Weekly seems to sort of echo him. While Guo Jingming is disliked for his approach to the subject matter, Shanghai Weekly uses similar tactics as Guo Jingming and gets away with it. The newspaper caters to an audience that enjoys entertainment and leisure meaning that they are rich enough to afford such pursuits or they are just living vicariously. I find it very interesting that I am starting to see a connection between lots of our class topics and how they all seem to relate to China entering into the WTO.
I agree with your point of view, WTO does indeed lead China enter a new field. At the same time, promote the economic development of China.
DeleteBao yaming describes the culture characteristics of Shanghai. At the same time, he hopes will China culture and world culture together. At page 558, it shows that “ultimately, the slogan announces that china has completely internalized a western perspective on the prospect of the world. In this article, the author discusses the competition between the media, at the same time, he also told us that the Shanghai small bourgeois state.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I really want to specific understanding of the globalization. I can understand the cultural characteristics he mentioned in this paper in Shanghai, but I can't be associated with these and other countries culture together. I think he does not very good understand of the concept of globalization.
After reading the article the best way to summarize it is from the author himself. Consumerism is a hot topic in China and seeing how it has affected the country as a whole seems rather interesting.
ReplyDelete“I will try to explore the relationship between consumerism and contemporary Shanghai urban culture: how consumerism miraculously combines globalization and localization, successfully taking the place of the dominant ideology, and subsequently enhances the globalized tendency or trend of consumerism to be a new ideology closely related to local life.” –Yaming Bao
My question (or critique) is about the fact that Bao seems to think that consumerism is the only way to become globalized and to me this seems to be a bit of a bold statement.
This article was very interesting. I like how it mentioned the differences and similarities between consumerism inside and outside of China. It explained that China is steadily growing economically and becoming a bigger and more modernized competitor in the consumer's world. Since westernizing their culture, China has become more and more economically advanced and is continuing to as well.
ReplyDelete