Recent Trends in Mainland China`s Media: Political Implications of Commercialization

Abstract

This article reviews the findings of current literature on Chinese media. The central issue in this literature concerns the impact of the commercialization of Chinese media. This commercialization began in the early 1980s and accelerated after Deng Xiaoping`s 1992 ”Southern Tour.” Commercialization has stimulated some degree of diversification, the introduction of new media technologies, and some measure of globalization. While preliminary assessments indicated that each of these changes would challenge the Party`s control of the media, recent literature finds that the Party has managed to find relatively successful means of limiting or managing the impact of each of these trends. Despite this success in managing commercial media, however the relationship between the Party, citizens, and information is changing in ways that have fundamental implications for Chinese politics. The Party`s authority is increasingly indirect and diffuse. At least some citizens are gaining increasing access to information.