Course:ASIA319/2020/“cool”(酷)

酷 (cool), the Chinese character of cool.

Introduction

酷 (kù) is a Chinese slang today that is a loan word of the English word, “cool”, and it also has the same meaning where we most often use 酷 (kù), or cool,  to describe something, or someone, as hip or swell. In Chinese culture, 酷 (kù) directs to a certain characteristic which seems audaciously flamboyant, but emotionally restrained, which the general youthful public admires and approves of. 酷 (kù) has been strongly correlated with the popular culture of China today, yet it is the nationalistic campaign to say “entertainment cannot strengthen a nation (娱乐并不能让国家变得强大), which discourages China from trendy followings to strengthen the industrial and economic agenda of China.

酷 (kù) is a term which became popularized in China through the idealization and consumption of Western culture, in China’s post-Mao period, and it has become a way for the youthful generation of China to embrace their individualism throughout the years. Initially 酷 (kù) was introduced as “cool with a bit of cold” (潇洒中带点冷漠), to the Chinese people, yet it’s evolved to “full of individualism, not blindly following trends” (特立独行、充满个性). In the late 20th century. The latter sentence strongly reinforces the individualistic essence to which Chinese people want to embody in the 20th century. Today, this idea of 酷 (kù) is still mysterious in the sense that it exists outside of mainstream culture, because it has an "unspecified nature which allows it to be applied to a myriad of contexts” which also allows it to exist ongoingly throughout history; in other words, this meaning and referral of what’s 酷 (kù) has been molded and remolded throughout decades to allow its ongoing existence in history.

The genesis of 酷 (kù)

酷 (kù) is credited with the meaning of “cool”, or hip, because it is phonetically similar to the English slang term. In the context of post-modernism of globalization this English word made its way into the world of Chinese popular culture.

In the 1990s, the Chinese younger generation was under the influence of significant cultural and social changes, and their newly acquired individualism was encouraged to be prioritized through a new slang: 酷 (kù). At that time, these youngsters were living a drastically different life from the restraints of the Chinese society due to China's newly adopted policy of opening up and market reform, the Chinese youth began to embrace the outside world revolving around neo-liberalism and great opportunities for entrepreneurship. Most importantly, in 1978, people were told that "education for self improvement wasn’t immoral after all" (以提高个人素质的教育并非是不道德的).  This completely changed the way people thought about their own agenda: now they could express their individualism through 酷 (kù) behavior.

Essentially, their sense of 酷 (kù) individualism within the Chinese millennials was a drastic change that took conservative China to the liberating 80’s and 90’s. Their sense of 酷 (kù) individualism was spurred on by Western pop culture such as rock stars and rock music, which was part of the Western idealization and influence, prepared by consumerism then. In line with the 1980s' cool fashion, bright colored dress and Western-style sports shirts became popular in many parts of the world, including China, through Western influence. Moreover, local rock bands like Black Panther and Cui Jian mesmerized Chinese youth, which were modelled on Western rock music and founded on the Western individualistic dream.

Since 1994, universities and later, internet cafes all over the world, allowed youngsters to access the Internet. The development of globalization allowed young people in China to learn to use and popularize many new Western slangs, the typical of which was 酷 (kù). The term Chinese term 酷 (kù) was picked up by young Chinese youth to describe Western popular media and Western musicians like Bob Dylan and John Lennon. As the Chinese younger generation was gradually obsessed with the term 酷 (kù), it helped their individualism grow in the 1990s, which truly constituted a distinctive cultural change to the era.

(謝和弦) R-chord - "Cool (酷)"

This rock music video of (謝和弦) R-chord - "Cool (酷)" is exemplary of the sense of individualism and sense of "coolness" cherished by the Chinese millennials during the 1980s and 1990s. In this song, (謝和弦) R-chord begins with the line, "I've been working hard to come to terms with myself for having to fight against myself - to me, this is the coolest thing." which suggests his understanding of 酷 (kù).

Glossary of its explicit dictionary meanings

The term 酷 (pronounced kù) originally meant “cruel” or “ruthless” in the Chinese language. This meaning of 酷 (kù) had its roots in 165 BC, when Chao Cuo wrote "Countermeasures for the Talents", where he used 酷 (kù) to describe the cruel punishment of law. In addition, the radical of the word 酷 (kù) is 酉 (you), or wine, which means 酷 (kù) is related to wine. People started using 酷 (kù) in describing the strong fragrance of wine when Cao Zhi, an ancient poet from the State of Wei in the historical period of the Three Kingdoms used it in his work “七启” (qiqi).

Under influence of Western culture and globalization, 酷 (kù) has taken the English meaning of ‘cool’. In old English, derived from “col”, it means “not warm” but not as severe as freezing cold. It also means a person who is “unperturbed and undemonstrative” (平静的、含蓄的）from the Germanic word “koluz”.

From 1825 in the United States, it has been adopted to describe “calmly audacious” (平静地大胆). Within the jazz circle during the 1940s, the saxophone player Lester Young started using the word “cool” as the hip slang we know today. The New Yorker furthered the breakout of “cool” to enter mainstream publications in 1948, when they reported, "The bebop people have a language of their own... Their expressions of approval include 'cool'!". In the same year, music critics started using “cool” to describe a newer, more relaxed type of jazz. For example, American music critics such as the Bridgeport Telegram, pronounced, "Hot jazz is dead. Long live cool jazz!"

The word “cool” was popularized by the white teenagers around 1952, when the Herald Press studied these teen slangs and reported, "to be 'cool' is the desire of every teenager."

The popularity of “cool” had fluctuated over the years, and then decreased in the 1960s before making a comeback in the 1970s with the help of “retro nostalgia”, led by the examples like Danny Zuko of Grease as role models of “cool”. Fast forward to this day, “cool” as describing something hip has become a permanent addition to slang terms used in common vernacular in today’s society. As the linguist Donna Jo Napoli argues, “cool” has its merits due to its “unspecified nature”, allowing it to be applied to various contexts, which strengthens its popularity to this day.

The trailer for Grease, a musical film featuring the characters Sandy Olsson and Danny Zuko, role models of "cool" for Chinese youth during the 1970s.

An elaboration of its variegated meanings, actual usages, and value-loaded implications

Implications and Usages of 酷 (kù)

Originated from the slang term “cool” in the United States , the concept of 酷 (kù) appeared in China when then China’s younger generation got acquainted with the concept of “cool” from the popular media including cinema, television, music and the Internet. The popularity of 酷 (kù) among Chinese youths at that time was correspondent to the trend of globalization, particularly when a new type of individualism in the younger generation developed along with China’s market economy.  However, the semantic meanings of 酷 (kù) in the Chinese society are quite different from its counterparts in the Western countries.  This is due to the linguistic fact that slangs are usually used in informal speeches and conversations, functioning as a generational identifier. The “cool” culture started in the American younger generation in the 1950s to express their vows to depart from the traditional values cherished by their predecessors. This was also true of the rebellious youth culture in the 1980’s China when China was embracing market economy and postmodernism under the influence of the Western counties. 酷 (kù) was a manifestation of the Chinese millennial youths’ individualism against their parents’ long-held collectivism embedded in various social and cultural contexts, typically shown in their pursuit of a romantic relationship and their proactive choice of their university major. Also, this individualism is demonstrated in their use of the slang term 酷 (kù) in a great variety of social interactions.

During the early 1980s, the term 酷 (kù) was not extensively used by the college students in China, but it was in wide use all over the university campuses across China in the late 1990s.  Many Chinese college students think that a 酷 (kù) person is an individual who behaves in a way that his true feelings are hidden.  酷 (kù) is mostly used to describe a demeanor or manner that shows one’s aloof quality.  Another very important attribute to 酷 (kù) is about an individual’s faddish dress and hairstyle. According to Robert Moore, there are three other most commonly used characteristics, including “independent, individualistic, strong-willed”, “competent”, and “friendly, easy-going attitudes”.

紅模仿 Moulin Rouge - Jay Chou

The current superstar Jay Chou is always famed as a music icon who has significantly influenced today's definition of 酷 (kù). His music often embodies the aforementioned characteristics of youth individualism as well as romantic relationships.

Variegated meanings of kù (酷)

At present, 酷 (kù) with its variegated meanings is widely used in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, constantly developing, forming a significant cultural phenomenon. Media in mainland China have identified 酷 (kù)’s variegated meanings in the following eleven categories: indifferent and aloof; handsome, pretty and beautiful; stern and strict; graceful and elegant; fashionable and avant-grade; distinctive and unusable; alternative and weird; outstanding and excellent; superior and influential; to one’s heart’s content; particularly and extremely. There are also many combined words with 酷 (kù) used in different  parts of speech and different forms, such as extremely handsome (酷帅), be cool with your persona (酷出你的个性), coolest (酷毙), cruel flavor (酷味), cool boy (酷哥), play cool (玩酷), splurge on money to be cool (买酷), and so on.

We also find the word 酷 (kù) used in specific meanings such as “trend hunter” or “猎酷人”. These trend hunters look to discover the next new cool thing, whether that is popular clothing, music or products. At the same time 酷 (kù) is used in names of companies that are now giants in the technology industry; a few examples are 酷狗 (Cool Dog, a music hosting platform similar to Spotify from 2007), 优酷 (Superior and Cool, a YouTube/Netflix like film and video platform from 2006). At that time, it was cool to use the word everywhere and companies found it to be very catchy and memorable. In general, 酷 (kù) has become something everyone wants and tries to be. Similar to how cute (萌) is often the target for females, 酷 (kù) is the attractive quality in males.

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  Wang Yibo, a prominent Chinese actor often described as "酷" (cool).

We can see how 酷 (kù) means positivity and "trendy" in earlier company names, similarly in “trend hunters” who try to find the new 酷 (kù). Simultaneously, they are very different, as those who attempt to find the new cool believe in the mysteriousness and 酷 (kù)’s existence outside of the mainstream culture; while many others follow the new cool and kill the 酷 (kù) by bringing attention and awareness to the subject.

Evolution of 酷 (kù)'s meaning and its modern day difference to "cool"

When 酷 (kù) was first introduced to Chinese, it was often interpreted as roughly as “cool with a bit of cold” (潇洒中带点冷漠”). But since then the word has shifted as the new generation of youth now perceive 酷 (kù) less directed at its good qualities, but rather “full of individualism, not blindly following trends” (特立独行、充满个性). Previously semi-negative phrases such as cold, indifferent and proud (冷漠高傲) can be considered 酷 (kù) when used correctly. Artists such as Jay Chou and many others like Wang Yibo are considered 酷 (kù) because of their association with other prominent pop cultures and their extreme popularity.

Some also believe that 酷 (kù) often involves mysterious things that they themselves cannot do; this may be in part self deprecating, but this much more recent idea shows how versatile the concept is and how dependent it is on specific time periods as well as potential personal experiences. 酷 (kù) is still very much tied to its Western meaning and its specific usage will continue to change as a large part of what makes something 酷 (kù) as a large part of what makes something 酷 (kù) is its exclusion from mainstream culture. Once what is fashionable or trending becomes widely adopted, the new 酷 (kù) will have its new and unique meaning.

In contrast with the English word cool, 酷 (kù)’s current usage in spoken language is different despite the concept being interculturally desirable. Cool has evolved since the Chinese counterpart was coined, and cool is also more commonly used today compared to 酷 (kù). There are currently 5 major English definitions of cool, where as the Chinese counterpart 酷 (kù) lacks usage as an epithet as well as a state of being. Specifically this means 酷 (kù) is not used as a slang for affirmation; also it lacks meaning of the peace and serenity as an internal state. Hence sentences such as “I’m cool with that” as a positive confirmation or “keep your cool” which associates with self composure, cannot be expressed with 酷 (kù) in Chinese.

The positive spirit of 酷 (kù) in contemporary Chinese rap music

Jay Chou adopts the foreign musical form of rap music but many of his music works contain distinctive Chinese cultural elements, which definitely attract the attention of Chinese audiences and are favorable to the Chinese authorities. Chou’s Ku (酷) lies in that he is able to exhibit himself as a Chinese artist with conspicuous Chineseness embedded in a typical Western art form.  From his music works audiences can resonate with the traditional Chinese values he strongly advocates.  A good example is his famous “Nunchucks” in which his masculine and infectious performance integrated with Chinese traditional cultural values convey a typical Chinese manhood in humorous Chinese language. From the excerpts of lyrics below, people can truly perceive the unforgettable Chinese characteristics of Jay Zhou’s rap songs.

Nunchunks

yán shāo diàn de yān wèi mí màn

岩  烧   店   的 烟  味  弥 漫  

The smell of smoke from the rock shop filled the air

gé bì shì guó shù guǎn

隔 壁 是  国  术  馆  

Next door is the national art museum

diàn lǐ miàn de mā ma sāng

店   里 面   的 妈 妈 桑  

Mom sang in the store

chá dào   yǒu sān duàn

茶  道    有  三  段  

There are three parts to the tea ceremony

jiāo quán jiǎo wǔ shù de láo bǎn

教   拳   脚   武 术  的 老  板  

The boss who teaches boxing

liàn tiě shā zhǎng   shuǎ yáng jiā qiāng

练   铁  沙  掌      耍   杨   家  枪    

Practice iron sand palm play Yang gun

yìng dǐ zi gōng fu zuì shàn cháng

硬   底 子 功   夫 最  擅   长    

Hard work is the best

hái huì jīn zhōng zhào tiě bù shān

还  会  金  钟    罩   铁  布 衫  

Also can admiralty jar iron cloth unlined upper garment

tā men ér zi wǒ xí guàn

他 们  儿 子 我 习 惯  

I'm used to their sons

cóng xiǎo jiù ěr rú mù rǎn

从   小   就  耳 濡 目 染  

From a young age

shén me dāo qiāng gēn gùn bàng

什   么 刀  枪    跟  棍  棒  

What knives, guns and sticks

wǒ dōu shuǎ de yǒu mó yǒu yàng

我 都  耍   的 有  模 有  样  

I'm a good sport

shén me bīng qì zuì xǐ huan

什   么 兵   器 最  喜 欢  

What weapons do you like best

shuāng jié gùn róu zhōng dài gāng

双     截  棍  柔  中    带  刚  

The double interceptor is soft but strong

xiǎng yào qù hé nán sōng shān

想    要  去 河 南  嵩   山  

I want to go to songshan mountain in henan province

xué shǎo lín gēn wǔ dāng

学  少   林  跟  武 当  

Learn shaolin and wudang

gān shén me

干  什   么

What to do

gān shén me

干  什   么

What to do

hū xī tǔ nà xīn zì zai

呼 吸 吐 纳 心  自 在  

Breathe in and out

gān shén me

干  什   么

What to do

gān shén me

干  什   么

What to do

qì chén dān tián shǒu xīn kāi

气 沉   丹  田   手   心  开  

The air sinks into the palm of the open

As an iconic pop music star, Chou has created his own conspicuous image as a “complex and paradoxical image for the new ’Gen Y’ generation”, a generation that eagerly displays their own unique characteristics, makes their voices heard and vents out their pains and struggles.  However, Jay Zhou sometimes looks and talks like a big brother which brings the audience close to him.  For example, his rap single “Listen to Mom” sings about the most important and touching feeling in our lives — our profound love for our mothers.  His music works touch upon some serious social issues, such as family violence.  CNN once commented on Jay Chou’s style, claiming “Chinese language media often refer to Jay Chou as the ‘small heavenly king’, but the Taiwan born pop idol is more down-to-earth than the many accolades he receives suggest, while Jay Zhou himself told CNN’s Talk Asia that "I think I tend to believe in myself. I don't know....maybe I was born to believe in myself rather than in others. That's why I like to complete my work on my own.”  He also said, "I think my music is quite different from the Western rap music culture. You won't find bad language in my music. I have this sense of responsibility to add an educational element in my music. That's why I would never write anything about suicide or whatever, because I think we all need the courage to deal with our lives.” His confidence helped himself to become an iconic pop star, “and fostered an image of being something of an anti-hero, neither boastful nor too brash.” At the same time, apparently his approachable, socially responsible style in his music works, rather than painful subjects and language, is what makes him the coolest rap singer.

China's hip hop music is on the rise as Asian music talents have been increasingly attracting global attention. The coolest Chinese rappers below have been a positive influence in defining Chinese culture and Chinese flavor in music in this new era.

•  Higher Brothers

 This rapper band has four male members --- Ma SiWei (马思唯), Ding Zheng (丁震), Yang Junyi (杨俊逸), and Xie Yujie (谢宇杰). It comes from Chengdu in southwest China. Their music works reflect China's rising urban youth culture, including "Made in China", "Bitch Don't Kill My Dab", "Black Cab" and "WeChat", etc.

•  Vava

 Vava, whose Chinese name is Mao Yanqi (毛衍七), is among the most influential female rappers from Ya'an, Sichuan Province, China. Based on her own life experience, Vava frankly talks in her songs about the hardship of growing up in a single-mother family and the need for China to have its own cultural characteristics to confront cultural assimilation today. Her first album "21" includes "My new Swag" which was employed by the famous film “Crazy Rich Asians”.

• Dizzy Dizzo

 Dizzy Dizzo, aka Dominique Choo, is a female Australian-Taiwanese rapper. Her positive attitude can be felt in her latest single which says, "You must believe in yourself and be brave enough to be what you want to be."

• Kris Wu

 Kris Wu, with the Chinese name Wu Yifan(吴亦凡), is a Canadian-Chinese rapper. His 2017 single "Deserve It", with the US rapper Travis Scott was No.4 on Billboard US' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart.

 The following excerpts from the English version of Higher Brothers’ “Made in China” are excellent illustrations of currently popular Chinese rappers’ upbeat spirit of Ku酷，which parallels the cool style of China’s super star Jay Zhou.  Their music works are exemplary of contemporary China’s youthful and tenacious pursuit of building a harmonious and prosperous society.  From all these rappers’ rap songs, people cannot perceive eccentric or sick moans characteristic of some pop music works and this is the precise representation of the strongest voice of today’s China and the essence of the genuine spirit of Ku酷。

 [Verse 4: Psy.P]

She lie, she lie, she lie, don’t be surprised by that

Girl, girl, girl why you gotta go?

I was Li Bai in a past life, my lyrics are so great

So you don't think it’s strange waking me up at 12?

The beat is the icing on the cake, we’re so young

We aren’t monks reading scriptures, we won’t have a change of heart

Mahjong set on the table, a jar of hot sauce

So spicy foreigners can’t handle it, their mouths start to burn

What’s up, numbingly spicy, I’m back in my Chinatown

Four arms and a dancing lion head, it’s time to light the artillery

You could have never guessed, I freaked you out and we stay on this topic

Higher style is sick, we can do anything, everything in your house is made in China

[Verse 5: Melo]

Yin and yang, feng shui, made in China

From tai chi to I Ching, made in China

The Great Wall, made in China

From Qinshihuang to the Forbidden City, made in China

You don’t really know me

No time to rest

Hidden in my drawer

In the palm of my hand

I welcome you to the nation that makes magic from 5,000 years of culture

Made in China will amaze you

I’m trapped, nobody save me

[Hook: MaSiWei]

My chains, new gold watch, made in China

We play ping pong ball, made in China

Buy designer shit for my bitch, made in China

Yeah Higher Brothers' black cab, made in China

She said she didn’t love me

She said she didn’t love me

She said she didn’t love me

She lied, she lied

She all made in China

She all made in China

She all made in China

She lied, she lied

Negative Implications of 酷 (kù)

Guo Ji Ming’s popular film Tiny Times, grossed $43 million its first week, beating “Man of Steel” from Hollywood. The film has been widely admired among the Chinese youth, specifically its sense of coolness that was embodied in the film. This sense of coolness was exemplified through materialism, shown through the fashionable and trendy clothes, to the luxurious settings of where the characters lived in. This valuing of materialistic things are a reflection of the consumerist culture in China, where by owning some luxury goods, allows someone to feel cool. Moreover, this consumption culture also denotes social identity. For example Gu Li, the wealthiest girl in tiny times, lives luxuriously by often donning fancy clothes. She is the embodiment of confidence, because her wealth has bought her materialistic goods allowing her to feel cool in following trendy fashions. By watching this show, audiences are given an example where buying into trendy materialism is what makes someone cool.

Quite a few critics find the coolness of materialism posed by Tiny Times very controversial. Mr. Chen says the youth these days measure everything by money, that Consumer culture is what is valuable to them. He asserts that the ideologies he was brought up with in China focused on the meaning of life, and that these ideologies were more important. Mr. Chen’s comment implicits that the materialistic culture romanticized by Tiny Times is too superficial to be meaningful and profound.

Another example of 酷 (kù) in Chinese popular media is in Angie Chai’s 2018 remake of the drama Meteor Garden. Just as Gu Li from Tiny Times embodied the idea of 酷 (kù) by flaunting her wealth and material goods, the F4 group and especially the most popular student Daoming Si, in Meteor Garden present a vision of coolness through the idolization of wealth and materialism. For instance, Daoming Si impresses female students with expensive clothing and luxury cars, while students who do not possess this item are seen to praise and look up to him. Moreover, the cool upper class students are often portrayed as rude and are even cruel towards other students. For example, Daoming Si destroys Shancai’s sneakers, and onlookers merely laugh and applaud his actions. Aside from bullying, the F4 do not allow others into their inner circle, often mocking and mistreating those outside of their friend group. In these ways, Meteor Garden demonstrates the way in which 酷 (kù) students such as the F4 are distinguished from others; through their wealth and elitist attitudes, exposing the negative aspects of coolness, and the notion of 酷 (kù).

酷 (kù) in modern China, can also be related to bad habits like drug use. For example in the 80s and 90s, the emergence of Chinese local rock bands were linked to marijuana use and other drugs, because this habit was seen as cool in Western rockers. In this example, the Chinese popular culture is seen to be copying what is cool and hip from the west, so their association of 酷 (kù) with drug use comes from Western influence.

Social, cultural, and political problems

Largely consequential to the word’s origins, 酷 (kù) is often associated with Western trends and pop culture when used in China. It is often thought that China is not 酷 (kù) enough for the Western audience, because its culture does not have the same “sex appeal” and is not commonly known in Western society. The Chinese public and occasionally the Chinese 50 Cent Party use 酷 (kù) discuss the current weaknesses in Chinese pop culture. Comparisons are often made between China's own products and other Asian culture phenomena such as Japanese animation and K-pop which have large audiences across many countries.

A few popular views on this issue nowadays are centered around what is 酷 (kù). The prominent meanings used in some popular articles seem to be closer to the approval and admiration of said the subject. Discussions on Chinese mainstream culture can never escape the traditional viewpoints such as "Chinese people don't need popular culture" (中国人不需要流行文化) , paying utmost attention to national industrialization and economic growth. After all, it is in PRC’s interest to control and promote a work-centered society with beliefs such as "entertainment cannot strengthen a nation" (娱乐并不能让国家变得强大). Additionally, since Chinese pop culture is often viewed as a prominent cultural media as mentioned, rejecting Chinese pop culture can be seen as the lack of confidence. China’s recent economic boom has made it a major force in the international scene, while its other cultural aspects that take more time to develop often lagged behind its rapid industrialization.

Conclusion

Originally used as a term for describing cruelty in reference to harsh punishments in 165 BC, "cool" was transformed into an expression of "酷 (kù)" as we know it today. Nowadays when Chinese youth use 酷 (kù), they picture a “flamboyant youthful rock star”, whose individualistic characteristics become the limelight of their personality. Using 酷 (kù), they also imagine a self-assured and “emotionally restrained” person. Both of these characteristics associated with 酷 (kù) (being flamboyant and emotionally restrained) are considered positive attributes of China’s youth culture in the 1990s. Just as the term “cool” is known as something hip and swell in the Western world, the term 酷 (kù) has also taken on meaning in China as something the speaker approves of and admires.

In this way, 酷 (kù) has evolved from a term denoting cruelty or coldness, to a slang term referring to something cool or hip. This transformation also reflects the popular culture shifts that occurred in China over the past decades. Initially interpreted as “cool with a bit of cold” (“潇洒中带点冷漠”), 酷 (kù) began to be used to refer to “full of individualism, not blindly following trends” (“特立独行、充满个性”) in the late 20th century. The shift in its definition parallels that of the dominant ideology amongst the young people in China at the time when the individualism of Chinese millennial youth was sparked by Western pop culture, and reinforced by the consumerism promoted by Western cultures.  The positive and negative sides are evident in contemporary Chinese pop culture. Furthermore, the transmission of cool culture from the Western countries to China has been impacted both the youth culture and the commercial consumption culture in China. As one of the hottest cultural terms and one of the most popular slangs across China, 酷 (kù) has stimulated the interest and inspiration of business capitalists, and the conception of 酷 (kù) has been commodified and industrialized. From this, we can see the immense effects of an iconic cultural term in a modern age. Ultimately, 酷 (kù) is not only a slang term used in reference to “coolness”, but a symbolic expression of the ideological shifts in Chinese popular culture.

Reference