Longing for the Rural: Situating Countryside Lifestyle Media in China's Rural Revitalization Project

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract: In China’s entertainment industry, the countryside lifestyle genre is among the most popular and lucrative media styles, as seen through success of variety-show Back to the Field (xiangwang de shenghuo) and online creators like Li Ziqi. Using Back to the Field as a representative, this thesis examines how this genre became popular and how it has continued influencing media production in contemporary China. Two factors emerge. First, China’s rapid urbanization from Open and Reform up to the mid-2010s created a trend of stressed, unhealthy, and spiritually hollow citizens who needed a form of escape. Countryside lifestyle media presented an alternative with its pastoral images and relaxed pace. After attracting an audience base, countryside lifestyle media was able to maintain relevance through the second factor: opportune timing. As the genre rose in popularity, the Chinese government simultaneously intensified their promotion of the rural revitalization policy. Since countryside lifestyle media could share the goals of this policy with popular masses, it became a useful tool in the rural revitalization process. Creators and producers were thus able to receive funding and commendation from state administrative bodies, allowing the genre to persist in popular media spheres.

Author	On, Alice
Degree granting institution	Stanford University, Stanford Global Studies, Center for East Asian Studies
Thesis advisor	Lee, Haiyan

Subject	Stanford Global Studies
Subject	East Asian Studies
Subject	China
Subject	Rural Revitalization
Subject	Variety Television
Subject	We-media
Subject	Livestreaming
Subject	Countryside
Subject	Rural
Subject	Chinese Entertainment Industry
Genre	Text
Genre	Thesis

DOI	https://doi.org/10.25740/jy340nh6852, https://doi.org/10.25740/jy340nh6852
Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/jy340nh6852

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License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC).

Preferred citation: On, A. (2024). Longing for the Rural: Situating Countryside Lifestyle Media in China's Rural Revitalization Project. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at https://purl.stanford.edu/jy340nh6852. https://doi.org/10.25740/jy340nh6852.

Stanford Center for East Asian Studies Thesis Collection

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