Red Carpet: Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy

Hollywood has dominated the entertainment industry. The movies have also helped to spread American culture throughout the world. China liked that idea. They sought to copy the model. At first China would pair with US media. Hollywood films were shown in China. 

China requires films to be "approved" for display in China. The approval requirements are not document. However, Hollywood learned what would allow a movie to be approved and adapted movies to succeed in China. Nudity is a no go, as is pro-Tibet or anti-China content. Movies should also generally show authorities in a good light and not have ghosts. Hollywood studios have taken these to heart and "self-censored" their films to appeal to China. 

Most movie studios are large multi-national companies. This leaves them susceptible to the whims of the Chinese. A movie offensive to the Chinese could result in repercussions for the company even if the movie is never screened in China. Companies do not want to risk their blockbusters and thus are unlikely to greenlight movies that portray China negatively. (Something similar happened in Germany before World War II)

Hollywood studios need the proper balance to appeal to China. Pandering too much will turn off the Chinese audience. A movie like Transformers with built in appeal and Chinese strengths works much better than a western version of China in Mulan. Kung Fu Panda also did great, while Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon did not.

China's next goal is to be a producer. China has produced significant movies in house such as Wandering Earth. However, these are rarely very popular outside of China. Another goal is to arouse patriotism in China. This has been succeeding. It is just not spreading. China continues to encourage the local industry, but is also cautious to prevent them from overpaying for glamor.

China is going down a path that America had gone down a century ago. Will they come to dominate media like they have other industries?