China Grooms Celebrities to Help Spread Patriotism
- Communist Party looks to blunt growing international criticism
- Nationalism risks backfiring if not properly controlled
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For Linda Li, supporting her favorite boy band entails more than just buying music and attending concerts: She’s also regularly posting nationalist pro-China slogans on social media.
The 19-year-old student is a mega-fan of the Chinese pop sensation TFBOYS, which in 2015 had a member attend a conference of “excellent youth” organized by the Communist Youth League -- a party organization that has produced top leaders like former President Hu Jintao. Since then the band regularly attends party events, gets featured in state-run media and released a pop remake of the anthem “We are the Heirs of Communism” that includes a cameo from basketball star Yao Ming.