‘Soft power’ is even more important during times of sharp words and military bluster, but the cultural appeal of American culture and ideas has waned in China.
Today, Chinese media opine on the “myth of American democracy” and extensively cover U.S. mass shootings, police violence, political polarization and public security problems.
By the mid-2000s, a generation of young Chinese had learned English from pirated copies of the U.S. show “Friends.” Rights activists like Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo looked up to the United States as a beacon of democracy.
The final nail was hammered in by the Trump administration,” said David Shambaugh, director of the China Policy Program at George Washington University, referring to the 2009 financial crisis.
Last year, Chinese film industry analysts declared the “era of Hollywood over” in China after domestic productions accounted for more than 80 percent of box office revenue.
Encapsulating this paradigm shift: The Central Perk coffee shop — an exact replica of the cafe in the U.S. television show “Friends,” down to its fuzzy orange couch and a barista named Gunther — on the sixth floor of a mall in Beijing closed in 2020.
One of the most popular shows in the country for years, “Friends” offered a glimpse of an American way of life that seemed to Du Xin, 45, who quit his job as an engineer to start the cafe, refreshingly open and full of possibility.
The original article contains 1,599 words, the summary contains 207 words. Saved 87%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Today, Chinese media opine on the “myth of American democracy” and extensively cover U.S. mass shootings, police violence, political polarization and public security problems.
By the mid-2000s, a generation of young Chinese had learned English from pirated copies of the U.S. show “Friends.” Rights activists like Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo looked up to the United States as a beacon of democracy.
The final nail was hammered in by the Trump administration,” said David Shambaugh, director of the China Policy Program at George Washington University, referring to the 2009 financial crisis.
Last year, Chinese film industry analysts declared the “era of Hollywood over” in China after domestic productions accounted for more than 80 percent of box office revenue.
Encapsulating this paradigm shift: The Central Perk coffee shop — an exact replica of the cafe in the U.S. television show “Friends,” down to its fuzzy orange couch and a barista named Gunther — on the sixth floor of a mall in Beijing closed in 2020.
One of the most popular shows in the country for years, “Friends” offered a glimpse of an American way of life that seemed to Du Xin, 45, who quit his job as an engineer to start the cafe, refreshingly open and full of possibility.
The original article contains 1,599 words, the summary contains 207 words. Saved 87%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!