Underscoring the historical formation of the phrase "zheng nengliang" and the convergence of multiple genealogies of cultural influences in the process, this thesis delves into the discursive formation and circulation of positive energy discourse within contemporary Chinese cultural politics. Chapter One recasts the positive energy discourse as a socio-cultural phenomenon rather than reducing it to an oversimplified political initiative by tracing three interwoven cultural forces shaping the dissemination of “positivity” in the late 2000s and the early 2010s. Attending to the role media technologies and media industries played in the process, I also highlight the contentious collaboration between the public, market, and state in constructing the phrase. Following the framework, Chapter Two probes the dynamic processes of re-adaptation and co-production of positivity and the “happy subject” ideals, emphasizing the continuities and discontinuities in the following decade. Scrutinizing six media spectacles and treating each as techno-social assemblages, I seek to sketch a comprehensive web of relationships, interactions, and negotiations in constructing post-socialist happy (and therefore, good) subjects, with the hope of contributing to the scholarly literature at the intersection of China studies, affect studies, and media studies.