China Western Influence

Introduction China’s open door policy has not only brought in economic reforms but as well as cultural and social influences from the West. The United States has been one of the biggest role model for China in terms of developing into a first world country. China has acquired from the United States different skills for developing the economy, but along with the inflow of foreign knowledge also comes foreign cultural practices. The McDonald’s to Hollywood blockbusters, it is evident that China has opened up to American culture and mass media. In analyzing the influence of American culture in China, one must take into account the dramatic changes in Chinese television programs over the past decade. The Chinese reality television show Supergirl serves as an example of the American cultural influence and its impact on the Chinese youth. This paper argues that although reality television show such as Supergirl’s unconventional style and democratic voting system may pose a challenge to the Chinese Communist Party’s political position, there are nevertheless positive effects to the development of Chinese youth as well as the country on its way in becoming a globalized world power. Reality TV in China Reality television is a form of television program that is non-scripted and involves real people doing different activities on camera. The types of reality shows include game shows, talent search, makeovers, and etc. Although reality television has been around for more than fifty years, it peaked in popularity in the early 2000s. Two reality shows in the United States, American Idol and Survivor, sparked the interest in reality television from household to household. The shows’ popularity not only reached American households, but as well as people from all over the globe. China was not left behind along with other countries in creating spinoffs of the popular talent search reality show American Idol. China’s reality show in the past consisted mainly

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