Since the 1970s, China has been producing films with the same Communist themes and propaganda, even though their film industry has changed dramatically. Their daily television shows have also embraced this trend. The second Sino-Japanese War is shown in both films and televisions quite frequently, because it left such a bad taste in China’s mouth. The state of China prohibits content that “incites ethnic hatred,” however according to Southern Weekly, there were more than 70 anti-Japanese television series screened in 2012. Moreover, there are 48 television series being shot simultaneously in their version of Hollywood (Hengdian World Studios) right now. It is interesting to note, how hatred for Japan is booming their entertainment industry, whereas many other countries entertain their citizens on domestic issues.
According to a July 2013 Pew research report, “90 percent of Chinese people have an unfavorable view of Japan.” Aside from television and cinema, there is an abundant amount anti-Japan virulence on websites. The facts that are mentioned on all media forms typically involve the Chinese military; as Beijing will spend $148 billion on its military this year, up from $139 billion in 2013. Beyond the Chinese promoting such hatred for their neighbor Japan, the political and military tension between two countries in such close proximity provokes a serious question of war.
I thought that Japan has not possessed a military post-WWII… Also, it is interesting that even though China is slowly moving away from Communism that they still promote such propaganda.
This is an obvious example of propaganda and we can look at this and easily say that this is bad. Much of the dislike for the Japanese was most likely bred from war as well as a general rivalry toward Japan. It is the dislike that stems from propaganda that seems sad and unjust. But when I look at the US and our media today, almost everything that we are shown is propaganda. It makes me re-evaluate my current feeling and beliefs toward things.
War makes good TV, doesn’t it? – when I was growing up there were multiple shows based on World War II, many of which treated the enemy as evil and so deserving the punishment we gave them. That’s made more complicated by the CCP’s self-depiction as the heroes of the war. I don’t know who the KMT are depicted, my hunch is they’re not depicted at all, but during the war that was a source of frustration as parts of the KMT forces were more interested in fighting the communists than in going after the Japanese.
We have to be chary of inferring public opinion from internet stories where he who shouts loudest may be heard, and from TV shows that may not have much viewership and/or which viewers may take as fiction and propaganda.
Finally, while this may hint at a base for a future Chinese demagogue, how if at all does it tie in to the economy? Xi’s newish government has dropped the boycott of Japanese cars of last year, and my educated guess is that this purported hate is not reflected in sales of Japanese products, or in challenges of Japanese firms in recruiting workers, or even in students studying the Japanese language…