[Matthew Livers]

Reflecting on both of the videos it was very interesting to see how a gradual cultural change took place instead of a racial switch towards western culture. I really enjoyed looking at some of the fashion treads that were taking place (sunglasses in the club) to the opening of arcades that weren’t all that glorious. With this post one of the things I wanted to talk about was the movie industry and how the movies that are made in other countries are impacted by the Chinese markets. In a podcast from the Daily, titled “What the west got wrong about China,” the narrator pushes the question, “What was the last film that you saw where China was the villain or the bad guy?” There aren’t that many that come to mind right away and the reason for this is because of the influence China has on the entertainment world. China makes sure to not have itself portrayed negatively by not allowing movies that depict China badly into its country. This concept of why the movie industries want to not upset China is talked about with the release of the movie, World of War Craft and how it made almost four times the amount of money in China than it did in the United States.

 

[Matthew Livers]

The Hukou administrative system was very interesting to read about especially how it is very applicable to social/political developments in China today. Registering house holds for political gain makes total sense for a communist or authoritarian form of government. Chan refers to how the Hukou system in the past was mainly used to track down antigovernment elements. For a political system that is looking to monitor the behavior or ideas of its citizens, the Hukou system is ideal. There are several reasons as to why this administrative system would be helpful to the government of China today. With the influx of citizens from the rural areas of China seeking more work and migrating to the urban exterior of the country, this system would be very helpful. I also find it very interesting that China is taking the idea of the Hukou administrative system to a new technological level with monitoring the behavior of its citizens. The promotion of positive citizen behavior with various rewards by the Chinese government as well as the repercussions of negative behavior of citizens connects to the historical Hukou system of monitoring citizen’s movements and behaviors.

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