Since
Mr. Xi Jinping was
elected as the General Secretary of the Communist Party and the Head of the
Military Commission, the world has been musing about the possibilities of
Chinese reform under his presidency. Some people speculated on connections of
his visit to Iowa in 1985 and his fondness of Hollywood films to his possible
liberal stance; while others, who understand the inner workings of Chinese
politics, suspected no huge transformation would take place in the foreseeable
future as President Xi himself is not the only decision maker.
Now we hear the first slogan of President
Xi—“Chinese dream.” Every Chinese leader has one or two slogans that work as a
representation of his policies and a guideline for the public. For example,
former President Hu Jintao has his famous “harmonious society” as a slogan, and
Deng Xiaoping used “reform and opening up” to lead Chinese economic reform
since late 1970s. President Xi first mentioned the “Chinese dream” during a
speech at the National Museum in November 2012. The speech was given for the
exhibition called “Road to Revival.” As with previous slogans put forward by
Mr. Xi’s predecessors, this term is widely “studied” in the whole nation. Performing
arts is using the slogan to make shows and education in schools is tailoring
the materials and activities to fit the dream. But what is this dream about?
As an article published on May 4th by the Economist pointed out, the “Chinese dream” is an opaque term
compared to previous slogans. It is unique because it “seems designed to
inspire rather than inform.”[1]
At first, using the word “dream” as a national guideline seems a bit
sentimental. After all, Chinese do not need to be emotionally motivated for
voting purposes. However, if you take the recent challenges in air pollution,
food security, and corruption in China into consideration, it is quite obvious
that re-boosting the confidence among the Chinese public in the Communist Party
is a matter of great urgency. A
sensational slogan might do the trick. Internationally, this slogan pictures a dichotomous
relationship between China and the United States, not militarily, but
ideologically.
The “Chinese dream” parallels with the “American
dream,” which defined by James Truslow Adams as “[a society where] life should
be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each
according to ability or achievement."[2]
It visions the ultimate establishment of “a modern socialist state with Chinese
characteristics.”[3]
Besides aiming at the completion of building a Xiaokang society (the well-off
society), the Chinese version underlines the uniqueness of China characterized
by her humiliating history and solidarity of the people, according to President
Xi. By injecting the touch of humanity and softness into Chinese anticipations
of the future, the “Chinese dream” tries to deliver a message that we
(including Chinese, Americans, and others) are similar dream seekers. But
Chinese obviously have a different view than the one with so-called Western
values. The American dream is about
valuing individual dreams, while the Chinese dream is about building the
nation.
We are the same yet we are different. How does this
message translate into Chinese nation branding and public diplomacy? It may not
be the intention of the Chinese government to communicate their dream to the
international community, but it will eventually become one of the pillars
defining Chinese public diplomacy activities overseas since it guides the
internal functionings. Moreover, it is indeed the most “borderless” slogan when
comparing it to ones given by previous Chinese political leaders. For example,
former President Jiang Zemin’s “Three Represents” was arcane without knowing
the Chinese political background; former President Hu Jintao’s
“scientific-development outlook” was basically concerned with domestic
development. This time, the “Chinese dream” can be viewed as an overarching
theme for communication purposes, both internally and externally.
Is it a good slogan for Chinese nation branding?
The answer is mixed. On the one hand, foreign publics may not need extra
knowledge to understand that China is looking forward. On the other hand, the
“Chinese dream” represents a determination that China will eventually become a
strong nation again. This is at least the backdrop of it, if not the core
message it tries to deliver. The Chinese revival is easily seen as a threat to
China’s neighbors, though many explanations were given externally to clarify
that the “Chinese dream” does not equal to going back to the “tributary
system.” The question of whether China has the intention or capability to place
threats to other countries is not a consideration here, but misconceptions
followed by the slogan should be addressed. If “Chinese dream” needs additional
annotations so that other countries do not miscomprehend China, then it is at
least not a self-explanatory vehicle carrying China’s image. Former President
Hu’s slogan “harmonious society” is a comparatively better one for external
communication as it contains a straightforward message and is inspired by
Confucius thinking. The task for the new leadership is to twist the connection
between strength and threat to common prosperity.
Additionally, the “Chinese dream” is an attempt to
break the dominance of universal values. According to Dr. Wang Yiwei, the
“Chinese dream” is not China’s dream. It emphasizes the Chinese people.[4]
This is highly questionable because in articles and public speeches from
officials, the “Chinese dream” has always been about Chinese as a nation not as
individuals. President Xi mentioned the Chinese dream with the revival of
Chinese civilization, which is composed by Chinese people and the end point is
still the whole nation. In this sense, no matter it is a “China’s dream” or
“Chinese dream,” the slogan is exclusive. “Harmonious world,” on the other
hand, has a global horizon and cuts to the point.
It is also not a good idea to echo the “American
dream” since it has ready taken roots in people’s minds. The “American dream”
is an immigration dream about acceptance and freedom. The Chinese version
obviously has a totally different story. In terms of nation branding, isn’t it
better to create one unique term that better represents the Chinese nation?
“Chinese dream” provides neither a clear branding
externally nor an efficient guide internally. Domestically, Chinese people have
been given freedom to define their individual dreams following this big theme
of “Chinese dream.” Academics like Dr. Wang have been writing to explain
misunderstandings of the “Chinese dream,” but Chinese themselves need
information more specific than that. Unlike previous slogans mainly pointing
out the direction of material productions, the “Chinese dream” still lacks
definition. The vagueness of this slogan can only be read as a calling for patriotism,
although the underlying message is calling for confidence in the Party.
The effectiveness of this internal propaganda
remains to be seen. It may fulfill the need of Chinese public who have lost
ideological faith in the Party. It may also completely disconnect with reality
and become an irony. The outlook all depends on how the new leadership defines
this dream. Its broadness can do both good and bad. It can be wide enough to
include any individual vision. It can also be too spread and lack focus.
Externally, the core meaning of national revival attached to the “Chinese
dream” may still be considered as a threat, although the human element of it
can create opportunities to bridge people.
While potentially effective for mobilizing the
Chinese public, this slogan is not efficient for Chinese nation branding. The
slogan may hold the nation together for a common goal—revival of Chinese
nation, but when its impacts spills over to the international arena, a “Chinese
dream” may not be what people would expect from China. How can you define a nebulous
dream when everyone has his/her interpretations? President Xi and his team need
to either make more efforts to clarify the dream’s contents or replace the
slogan by a new one.
[1] “Chasing the Chinese dream,” The Economist,
May 4th, 2013, 24.
[2] "What is
the American Dream?" Library of Congress,
accessed May 6, 2013,
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/american-dream/students/thedream.html.
[3] President Xi Jinping’s speech at the National Museum, full transcript in
Chinese: http://jwjc.tzsz.net/s/4/t/45/52/ae/info21166.htm.
[4]
Wang Yiwei, “Debunking ten
misconceptions of the ideal of the Chinese dream,” Global Times, http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/774320.shtml#.UYhkRyugknU.
