National Image Management Begins at Home: Imagining the New Olympic Citizen

Jeroen De Kloet , Pak Lei Gladys Chong, Stefan Landsberger

    Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    10 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The Chinese government seized on the 2008 Olympic Games as an opportunity to present a new and vibrant China to both its citizenry and the world. This chapter examines how China used the Games as a moment to stress the “civilizational” value of Chinese culture to its people and, in tandem, to promote what are deemed good civilized manners among its citizenry. It was part and parcel of the government’s effort to showcase a better image of China. As Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan remarked, “We have to have a good Olympics, otherwise not only will our generation lose face, but also our ancestors.”1 In this chapter, we analyze the Chinese government’ s visual promotional materials (e.g., posters) and Olympic manuals for volunteers and taxi drivers to map out the different discourses on the civilized behavior expected of its people during the Games.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationSoft Power in China
    Subtitle of host publicationPublic Diplomacy through Communication
    EditorsJian Wang
    Place of PublicationNew York
    PublisherPalgrave Macmillan
    Pages117–133
    Number of pages17
    Edition1st
    ISBN (Electronic)9780230116375
    ISBN (Print)9780230108622, 9781349291373
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jan 2011

    Publication series

    NamePalgrave Macmillan Series in Global Public Diplomacy

    Scopus Subject Areas

    • Arts and Humanities(all)

    User-Defined Keywords

    • Migrant Worker
    • Olympic Game
    • Taxi Driver
    • Subway Station
    • Promotional Material

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