How does China portray itself to its own people and to the outside world?

October 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China and its state propaganda machine. This evening, we will discuss how Chinese state propaganda has evolved over time, how Chinese citizens have responded to it, and how the emergence of a Digital China has reshaped the Chinese political and cultural landscape.

About the speakers
Ardi Bouwers is a Sinologist, university lecturer on China in the 21st century at the University of Amsterdam and the director of the consultancy China Circle, specialized in intercultural communication and media. She is the author of a book about communication between Chinese and Dutch people Cirkels en rechte lijnen (2016).

Florian Schneider is a professor of Modern China at Leiden University and director of LeidenAsiaCentre. His research interests include Chinese Media and Political Communication in China, among others. His most recent work focused on the political contents of mainland Chinese films and popular Chinese television series.

Manya Koetse is the founder of What’s on Weibo, a platform that bridges the gap between English-language and Chinese online media spheres. Her interests include nationalism, literature, popular culture, and gender issues. As a writer and public speaker, she focuses on the stories that connect and inspire us and has been recognized as a “bloglator.” Her work has appeared in The Guardian, BBC World, Business Insider, and more.

Qian Huang is a lecturer at the University of Groningen. She obtained her PhD at Erasmus University Rotterdam with her project ‘The Assemblage of Social Death: Mapping Digital Vigilantism in China’. Qian’s research interests and expertise include digital vigilantism, creative labour, and youth digital culture. In her research, she intersects media studies and surveillance studies through the lens of critical theories.

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