This paper provides a historical review of the star system in China's Mainland's music industry from 1978 to 2012. It suggests that from 1978 to 1989, parW stars and semi-commercialized stars appeared in China's...This paper provides a historical review of the star system in China's Mainland's music industry from 1978 to 2012. It suggests that from 1978 to 1989, parW stars and semi-commercialized stars appeared in China's music industry; while commercialized stars blossomed from 1990 to 1999. From 2000 to 2012, the decline of party stars and commercialized stars contributed to the rise of talent show stars. This paper also argues that talent show stars first entered the music industry's star system as party stars and commercialized stars around 2005. Notably, it analyzes the power relationship that shapes the current star system and the meaning of stardom in Chinese popular culture. Party stars are largely a manifestation of state power that must occasionally negotiate with media power. Commercialized stars, as representatives of popular culture, primarily rely on media power but, to a certain degree, must also conform to state power. Talent show stars, however, after 2007 gradually stopped representing audience power alone and instead became results of negotiation and rehalancing of state power, media power, and audience power.展开更多
文摘This paper provides a historical review of the star system in China's Mainland's music industry from 1978 to 2012. It suggests that from 1978 to 1989, parW stars and semi-commercialized stars appeared in China's music industry; while commercialized stars blossomed from 1990 to 1999. From 2000 to 2012, the decline of party stars and commercialized stars contributed to the rise of talent show stars. This paper also argues that talent show stars first entered the music industry's star system as party stars and commercialized stars around 2005. Notably, it analyzes the power relationship that shapes the current star system and the meaning of stardom in Chinese popular culture. Party stars are largely a manifestation of state power that must occasionally negotiate with media power. Commercialized stars, as representatives of popular culture, primarily rely on media power but, to a certain degree, must also conform to state power. Talent show stars, however, after 2007 gradually stopped representing audience power alone and instead became results of negotiation and rehalancing of state power, media power, and audience power.