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Celebrity Public Relations in China: Power, Politics and Pop Propaganda

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2025

Jian Xu Open the ORCID record for Jian Xu [Opens in a new window]  and
Ling Yang
Jian Xu
Affiliation:
School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
Ling Yang*
Affiliation:
School of Film, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
*
Corresponding author: Ling Yang; Email: lyang7273@126.com
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Abstract

The article uses the scandal surrounding Jackson Yee, a state-endorsed celebrity and household name in China, as a case study to critically examine how the “government–industry–fan–platform” alliance co-conducts what we call “collaborative celebrity PR” to rescue co-opted stars from scandal. We find that the relationship between the four agents is symbiotic but that the government plays the most important “arbitrator” role. We argue that the state-endorsed celebrities face an inherent dilemma of “power(lessness)” in which they have to dedicate more effort towards propaganda and behave in a moral and exemplary way to please the government to gain more political capital and power and minimize their own precarity. We also highlight the uncertainty and risks using celebrities in its pop propaganda can bring to the CCP: if a state-endorsed celebrity cannot be saved, the scandal can damage the legitimacy and reliability of the Party propaganda.

摘要

摘要

本文以流量明星易烊千玺考编事件为个案，批判性地审视了“政府-娱乐业-粉丝-平台”联盟如何共同实施我们所谓的“协作式名人公关”来挽救陷入负面舆论的被官方认可支持的名人。我们发现，联盟中的四个行动者虽然处于共生关系，但政府在这一过程中扮演着最重要的“仲裁者”角色。官方认可支持的名人身处一种“权力(无力)”的固有困境，他们必须更多地致力于宣传，更加谨言慎行，以便获得更多的政治资本和权力，减少不稳定性。政府利用名人所做的流行宣传是一个蕴含不确定性和风险的悖论。一旦官方认可支持的名人“塌房”，有可能损害宣传的合法性和可靠性。

Keywords

celebrity PRcelebrity scandalstate-endorsed celebritycelebrity powercelebrity politicspop propaganda名人公关名人负面新闻官方认可支持的名人名人权力名人政治流行宣传
Type
Research Article
Information
The China Quarterly , First View , pp. 1 - 16
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of SOAS University of London

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