China pushing propaganda through hip-hop
The Chinese economy hasn’t been growing like it used to, with a turbulent 2015 for the country’s stock market.
But despite the economic slowdown, China would like you to think otherwise, says Marketplace’s China Correspondent Rob Schmitz. Its latest tool to push a rose-tinted outlook: communist hip-hop propaganda, also known as rapaganda.
CCTV, China’s biggest state broadcaster, recently launched a cartoon extolling a political committee — the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms — headed by China’s President Xi Jinping,
A snippet of the song’s lyrics, translated into English:
Gotta eye the reform group in 2015 / [It] pushes economic development and a wealthier society / [It] improves [government] services / [Must] streamline the administration and delegate power to lower levels / [Must] believe in the government/ Let hands that should not move stay unmoved, let the market rule …
However optimistic China may want to appear, 2016 is looking to be a rough year for the country.
“This year is not going to be easy for China,” Schmitz said. “We’re going to see more defaults from state-owned companies in the heavy industry sector, and that’ll mean more unemployment, too.”
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