Abstract
The sensational success of a Chinese reality music talent show, Super Girls Voice (SGV), in 2005 not only crowned many unknown Chinese girls/women with the hail of celebrity overnight, but also caused hot debates on many subjects including whether the show triggered cultural, even political democracy in China. 10 years have passed and China is in another heyday of reality music talent shows. However, the picture differs from before. For instance, not everybody can take part in it anymore. And the state television China Central Television (CCTV) joined the competition for market share. It actually became a competitive player of reality by claiming to find the best original and creative Chinese musicians whose voices CCTV previously avoided or oppressed. In this thesis, I will examine one CCTV show, The Song of China (SOC), in order to examine what the norms of good Chinese music and musicians are in the context of reality music talent shows. My work will hopefully give you some insights into the characteristics and the wider social and political influences of such reality music talent shows in the post-SGV era. I carried out a content analysis with support of theories such as media ritual, ritualization and social norms on SOC s first season. Media rituals and ritualization became powerful tools to unfold: how SOC appeared to stand in for the credible place of presenting and evaluating real, original and creative music and musicians; how SOC repetitively reproduced the distinction between media (CCTV) and ordinary people (musicians) and naturalized the power of the media (CCTV); how the Chinese musicians and audience of the program can be governed through the program. Furthermore, through the rituals and ritualization, norms of good Chinese music/musicians were transmitted. In short, good Chinese music should be creative in a way that combines Chinese elements with western music style; and good Chinese musicians/people should possess many particular virtues, they respect authority, and consider themselves as the successors of the Chinese cultural heritage and as contributors to the globalization of China s popular culture. These norms, in return, reinforced the power of CCTV. Through the prism of SOC, we can see how recent Chinese reality music shows, instead of empowering common people, has become a new place where the authorities, CCTV, and the state leave their marks.