How past-present-future interconnect in China: CDramas as a tool of cultural governance and the possibility of a ‘Chinese wave’ in the case of GenZ

This article aims to identify the discursive practices of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) cultural governance through the GenZ series (2023) and examine how transnational audiences perceive the series. In this context, two different research analysis techniques are used in a coordinated manner. Thematic discourse analysis is employed to reveal the series’ discourse themes, and the netnographic research technique is applied to discuss the compatibility of audience reviews with the series’ discourse. The research questions are as follows: How do the series’ themes reproduce the Chinese government’s cultural governance? How do audiences on global streaming platforms interpret the discourses of the ‘Chinese Dream’1 and ‘rejuvenation’ subtly embedded in GenZ, and do transnational audiences develop an interest and curiosity towards China? Can these two reactions be understood as the potential of Chinese television dramas (CDramas) to create a ‘China Wave?’ This study finds that the series’s discursive themes align with President Xi Jinping’s two ideological discourses and the CCP’s cultural governance goals. As can be seen, the series’ contribution to China’s cultural governance policy is evident. However, its role as a soft power tool is limited because while transnational audiences are interested in Chinese dramas, their focus differs from that of Chinese audiences, which in this series are more interested in traditional Chinese medicine as a cultural heritage. Artistic quality and idol culture are not enough for CDramas to create a ‘Chinese Wave’ among transnational audiences, the nature of the government’s cultural governance policy needs to change first.