Disciplining Desiring Subjects through the Remodeling of Masculinity: A Case Study of a Chinese Reality Dating Show

If You Are the One, the most watched dating show in China, caused a heated public debate following its debut in 2010, resulting in two government notices being issued regarding the regulation of dating shows. Using textual and intertextual analysis of the show and the public debate surrounding it, t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Modern China Vol. 43; no. 1; pp. 95 - 120
Main Author: Chen, Siyu
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.01.2017
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ISSN:0097-7004, 1552-6836
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:If You Are the One, the most watched dating show in China, caused a heated public debate following its debut in 2010, resulting in two government notices being issued regarding the regulation of dating shows. Using textual and intertextual analysis of the show and the public debate surrounding it, this article scrutinizes the transformation, following government regulation, of the construction of masculinity on the show. Drawing on Lisa Rofel's narrative of "desiring China" and Robert P. Weller's concept of "responsive authoritarianism," this article shows how the tension between the market logic of the Chinese media and their political ownership is played out through the negotiation and mobilization of the meaning of gender. This article therefore also sheds light on larger political, economic, and sociocultural configurations in contemporary China.
ISSN:0097-7004
1552-6836
DOI:10.1177/0097700416648278