Introduction to Chinese Popular Culture (3cr)

Objectives (course unit)

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to popular culture in contemporary China, exploring its emergence across cinema, music, television, and social media creator culture. Participants will explore how popular culture intersects with gender, class, national identity, and political power within the Chinese context. Additionally, the course will examine Chinese popular culture as a part of cultural flows within East Asia. By the end of this course, participants will be familiar with the various forms of popular culture, the factors driving its rapid evolution, and the platformization of cultural production in China. They will also become familiar with primary sources and academic resources related to China's popular culture, facilitating ongoing engagement and learning beyond the course.

Content (course unit)

The course consists of five thematic modules 1. History and Legacies 2. Film 3. Television 4. Music 5. Platformisation of cultural production

Assessment scale

0-5

Learning materials

The core materials consist of short (20 min) recorded lectures and slide decks that are prepared by leading European experts on China. In addition, the versatile learning materials include timelines, infographics, podcasts and open access online materials. Learners will also get acquainted with central sources of information about China, including selected Chinese webpages.

Further information

REGISTRATION Students from the University of Turku, and the other member universities of the Finnish University Network for Asian Studies can register for this course through the Peppi or Sisu systems. This course is on-going until the end of the 2026. In the study system, please enroll in the course period during which you intend to complete the course. Credits will be registered after the end of each course period. STARTING THE COURSE You may begin the course independently at any time – no separate invitation from the teacher is required. To access the course site, go to https://digicampus.fi and search for the course by name. Log in using Haka Login and the username provided by your university. No course password is required. The development of the course is funded by the EU-project “ReConnect China” and it’s executed by the Centre for East Asian Studies (CEAS) of the University of Turku. The course is offered through the Finnish University Network for Asian Studies https://asianet.fi/.