Chinese Narratives and the Power of Propaganda: Storytelling and the State in 2008 after the Sichuan Quake

Abstract

This paper analyzes Chinese media such as posters,photographsand a poem in relation to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in order to understand the ideas behind Chinese propaganda and soft power. Using Althusser’s theory on ideological state apparatuses and Martin Jacques’ discussion of China as a civilizational state will help to underscore those ideas. The public relations success of Premier Wen Jiabao after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake was an important example of a disaster as political narrative with its roots connected to the idea of China itself. This rich narrative draws from China’s Confucian and Communist heritage for political stability.