Creating the Cult of Xi Jinping: The Chinese Dream as a Leader Symbol
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Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party has used publicly displayed propaganda art as a means of maintaining power. During the early years of the PRC, propaganda posters played a large role in establishing a cult of personality around Mao Zedong. Today’s propaganda art seeks primarily to garner popular support for President Xi Jinping’s “China Dream” campaign. The China Dream, popularized by Xi in 2012, is a nebulous concept that shares many of the materialistic components of the “American Dream,” but simultaneously—and more importantly—emphasizes the Chinese nation’s rejuvenation to a position of wealth and power. China Dream art deviates significantly from Mao era posters and ideology by heavily incorporating ancient Confucian concepts and images. The art focuses not on communist values, but on moralistic ones drawn from the teachings of Confucius that emphasize hierarchy and filial piety. This paper argues that China Dream art is being used not only to create a new source of legitimacy for the Communist Party, but also to establish a cult of personality around President Xi Jinping. As a result, China is transforming into a leader state where the relationship between Xi Jinping and the people is becoming a relationship between ruler and ruled.