中日友好與跨國想像:名人、政治、與流行文化的市場

The main points of the second year project lie in that the emergence of AKB48, the big female idol group and the development of its overseas division has to be considered in a Japanese and Chinese localized context. In Japan, AKB48 and its four sub-groups are the products as the result of “nationalistic consumption” by supporting national idols and expanding the local cultural economy. It targets at the low-cost consumption of young social media generation suffered from the the Japanese long-term economic recession. Although the Asian strategy of the producer of AKB48 emphasizes the exportation of its formula embedded in the Japanese ordour, it turns out to be in the collaborative form of franchise team. In the example of SNH48, it continuously undergoes the localized re-makings of “de-Japanization” and “China-ization”. In 2016, SNH48 even hybrids with the Korean wave that is popular in China and march forward to the inter-Asia path of “marketization”. As historically and politically there is intense mutual hatred between China and Japan, SNH48 team managed to establish a “political correct” image in order to cope with the political control and political ideology generated by powerful Chinese government. Besides, part of the localized expansion of SNH48’s fandom economy got together on “Zhihu”, a Chinese question-and-answer website which forms Internet community with elitist taste. This research discovers that several male elites who deal with the venture capital investment on SNH48 have played the role of cultural intermediary in Zhihu by explaining to Internet fans about their decision-making. It displays their expertise authority in terms of comprehending and participating the commercial operations of SNH48. Some young female elites confessed on Zhihu that they were considering to join SNH48. It reveals they were longing for dazzling youth and the fluid and displayable female bodies symbolized by SNH48 when they face the the pressure generated by China’s very competitive education and employment. This kind of feeling lack of femininity and autonomy has a complicated projection on SNH48 who is regarded as sexualized female bodies.