As citizens of the 21st century, we are all living in a time with constant entertainment, media, and globalization of the likes that mankind has never seen before. This creates a pop culture playing field that is larger than ever and demands attention for more different types of creations than ever. Elements such as images, attitudes, and perspectives accumulate to create current pop culture. Pop culture creates a common understanding of how people understand what is currently popular and allows peers to understand the current attitudes of society easily. With this comes great importance. Pop culture gives the outsider a glimpse into what it is like to be currently living in that environment. There is more that goes into pop culture today than ever, and in the country of China, understanding pop culture is essential to understanding what it is like to live there and how people interact.

Currently, in China, there are multiple different types of media the feed into pop culture. Of the most important are music and movies. Music, often times, can be political, as we can see in America through artists such as Kendrick Lamar. The same goes for Chinese music. Often time, the political climate can be represented by music, barring censorship. For example, in 1989, during the week of the Tiananmen Square massacre, the song “nothing to my name” by Cui Jian became a rallying cry for the protestors. The lyrics were relatable and the song represented the feelings of distress that were shared by the protestors. The song was sung by protesters and became known as an anthem for the protests. Taken out of context, the song is just a song; however, if the song is analyzed through its use within the protest, it takes on a whole meaning, one that includes both historical and political importance. This is an example of how pop culture can create or change attitudes of a population.

The movie is another type of media that can have an impact on a society. One specific movie that we watched in class is very important to the existence of pop culture: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. This movie is a compilation of current attitudes and expressions that have been existing in China for decades. When a director such as Ang Lee decides to make a movie, it is a daunting task. He knows that it is possible that millions of people will watch the movie and be influenced by it. It is important to pick and choose how you want to influence people, and Lee decided to this through a couple of statements. To start off, the importance of Karate and the fighting scenes are emphasized in the movie. This brought the roots of Chinese fighting to the forefront allowing the viewer to understand the importance of an art that has been important to their culture for decades. Different types of fighting are depicted within the movie, which influenced future filmmakers as well. Further, themes such as the importance of women in society are exaggerated in the movie, adding to the political climate of modern China.

Video games also have an interaction with pop culture in society. Video games are vastly popular in China. Video games such as street fighter and Pokemon have over millions of players. Whether they want to or not, they play a large part in the pop culture of the country. Different sounds within video games create a sonic pop culture. Images and animation within the video game create a visual pop culture and set the precedent for future games. The storylines of the video games also impact the minds of the players. All of these factors added together to create their own pop culture which has evolved from the past and will continue to evolve into the future.

All of these types of media have crossed into the borders of other countries as well. Now that we are living in the digital age, it is easier than ever for pop culture to be spread through the internet. Now, countries all over the world can partake in Chinese pop culture, whether it be watching their movies, listening to their music, or playing their video games. This gives an extra importance to the pop culture of a county, because its influence not only expands throughout its national borders but to the rest of the world as well. The more global the world becomes, the less pop culture will be localized. Right now, we are in the midst of the mixing of pop cultures through the internet, yet they are still separated. It is possible that in the future with an easier means of communication and better global forums that there will simply be one or two pop culture climates in the world.