Giovanna Puppin | University of Genoa (original) (raw)

Giovanna Puppin

I am Associate Professor in Chinese Studies at the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, University of Genoa. I was previously working as a Lecturer in Media and Communication in the School of Media, Communication and Sociology, University of Leicester, where I was also Programme Director for the MA in Media and Advertising (2014-2020). Prior to that, I have been employed as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Westminster and as a Lecturer at Middlesex University (2013-2014). Before moving to the United Kingdom, I worked as an Adjunct Professor in Chinese language and Chinese studies at Ca' Foscari University Venice, where I was also a Postdoc (2009-2013).

My expertise are Chinese promotional culture (commercial and public service advertising), Chinese brands (in particular the "going-out" process and brand soft power), as well as country image (through the Beijing 2008 Olympics, Shanghai Expo 2010 and beyond). I am interested in media, popular and visual culture in contemporary China, especially in exploring issues related to representations, identity, power, and politics from a cultural studies' perspective.

I was previously the recipient of a one-year grant from Ca' Foscari University, Department of Asian and North African Studies, on the topic: "the Chinese Consumer Between Global Aspirations and Traditions" (October 2012-June 2013). I was also a Visiting Fellow at the CAMRI (Communication and Media Research Institute), School of Media, Arts & Design (MAD), University of Westminster, where I collaborated as the Seminar Leader for the MA course "Chinese Media and the Emerging World Order" (January-April 2013).

In 2011, I placed first in a competition for a six-month scholarship from MIUR (the Italian Ministry of Research) to be spent at the College of Advertising of the Communication University of China, Beijing.
Starting from 2009, when I obtained my PhD in Chinese Studies at the School of Language, Culture and Society of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice with a thesis entitled: “What’s in a Name? On China’s Search for ‘Public Service Advertising’ (gongyi guanggao 公益广告)”, I worked as a lecturer for the MA courses "Words, Images, Sounds from China", "Chinese Identity through Logos, Brands and Marketing", "Chinese II", at the Department of Asian and Mediterranean African Studies, Ca' Foscari University.

In previous years, I spent two years studying at the Faculty of Journalism of the People’s University of China (Beijing) and one semester at the Centre for the Study of Democracy of the University of Westminster (London), where I attended courses on Chinese communication and visual culture, and conducted extensive academic research on Chinese advertising.
Supervisors: Chris Berry, Fiorenzo Lafirenza, and Huang Shengmin

less

Uploads

Papers by Giovanna Puppin

In pubblicità la ripetizione è tutto? : il tormentone degli spot olimpici di Hengyuanxiang, 2012

University of Leicester, Jul 1, 2020

This article examines environmental public service announcements, or eco-PSAs, as increasingly cr... more This article examines environmental public service announcements, or eco-PSAs, as increasingly crucial yet under-investigated tools for environmental communication in mainland China. Following an overview of existing gaps in the literature on both visual and localized forms of environmental communication, it evaluates the birth, development and new trends of Chinese eco-PSAs. It then explains the process of data collection and the methodology employed, which is visual semiotic analysis. The corpus consists of seven print eco-PSAs, sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), that employ "Chinese elements" as the main creative strategy. Findings show that these eco-PSAs use a range of culturally loaded elements (from folk art and idioms to inanimate objects, from Chinese characters to animal symbols) as intertextual references or visual metaphors to promote awareness of animal protection, ecological protection and resource saving, as well as reinforcing national culture. This contribution opens up new directions in researching visual environmental communication in a global context and presents new empirical findings demonstrating that, in Chinese eco-PSAs, local culture still matters.

57 | 2021, 2021

This article investigates how China fantasised about itself and the Beijing 2008 Olympics through... more This article investigates how China fantasised about itself and the Beijing 2008 Olympics through the award-winning TV public service announcements (PSAs) of the Beijing Opera Series, with a focus on visibility. By drawing on theories of the spectacle, I perform a semiotic analysis of the most recurrent signs, organising them according to the main themes that emerge. The theatre stage – which represents the Olympic stage – is closely linked to China’s dream of owning the Games and its desire for global visibility. The performance includes the theatrical performance of the Beijing Opera and the performance of civilisation, which semiotically over-determines the Games. The protagonists include famous actors and roles of Beijing Opera (i.e. Dan, who is an anthropomorphic metaphor for China), as well as ordinary people, who are extraordinary for their high degree of civilisation. The spectators, especially through the intradiegetic presence of a Western male Other, validate the country’...

Chinese Discourses on Happiness, 2019

This chapter explores how happiness is constructed in a new category of public service announceme... more This chapter explores how happiness is constructed in a new category of public service announcements (PSAs), which are broadcast during the CCTV's Spring Festival Gala. It lays down the theoretical foundations of the relationship between advertising and happiness, drawing on Sara Ahmed’s Promise of Happiness (2010), before moving on to introducing the context of the production and broadcast of Gala PSAs. The following section comprises a critical interpretive analysis of a purposively selected case study: the TV PSA "Chopsticks" (Kuaizi pian筷子篇‎, 2014). The analysis reveals that families – including the “big family” of the Chinese nation – lie at the heart of each sequence, and constitute happiness associations. It is clear that chopsticks were chosen as the central multimodal metaphor of this PSA because of the link between them and an idea of Chineseness. Chopsticks not only transmit food, but also emotions, and, more importantly, they direct the viewers’ attention t...

JOMEC Journal, 2020

Despite advertising now being ubiquitous in China, the phenomenon is still considered to be relat... more Despite advertising now being ubiquitous in China, the phenomenon is still considered to be relatively new. It was officially reintroduced after the Maoist years, thanks to the economic reforms and opening-up policy initiated by Deng Xiaoping in 1979. Advertising has seen tremendous growth over the past 40 years and is now acknowledged as an indispensable tool in the country's economic expansion: it fuels domestic consumption and is the main source of income for the national media. In 2011, China became the second biggest advertising market in the world, but the Chinese authorities still have an ambivalent attitude towards it. Although advertising is a key creative industry in China and is strongly supported by the government, through dedicated plans and policies, it tends to be strictly aligned with the Party-State's political agenda and, as a result, it is heavily regulated and required to help with the construction of a socialist spiritual civilisation. This article provides the first comprehensive and up-to-date critical overview of the 40 years since the return of advertising in China, addressing its history, growth, recent trends and government regulation, as well as the development of its counterpart for the common good-public service advertising.

Journal of African Cultural Studies, 2017

This article explores how the image of China 'as engaged with Africa' is promoted within China, b... more This article explores how the image of China 'as engaged with Africa' is promoted within China, by looking at a State-sanctioned, Chinese-language media text targeting the domestic audience. It first proposes two paradigm shifts: in the direction adopted in investigating China's soft-power, and in the dimension considered in exploring China-Africa media interactions. After reviewing the relevant existing literature, it introduces African Chronicles (Feizhou jishi 非洲纪事), a TV documentary screened by CCTV-9 in 2011, and carries out a social semiotic analysis of the first episode, A Journey through Memory (Jiyi zhilü 记忆之旅). The analysis reveals that the storytelling of Prof. Ge, the protagonist, is instrumental in reminding the audience of the old rhetoric of the revolutionary years; it also serves the function of dismissing its adaptability to the contemporary postsocialist era, characterized by a less explicit political engagement and the prominence of economic interests. More importantly, this article illustrates that what unites China and Africa in this episode is the 'emotional bond', in its different variations, which has the power to stand the test of time and shorten both a physical and an emotional distance through what Ahmed calls a 'narrative of love' (The Cultural Politics of Emotion, 2004).

... On China's search for "Public Service Advertising" (gongyi guanggao). Authors:... more ... On China's search for "Public Service Advertising" (gongyi guanggao). Authors: Puppin, Giovanna. ???metadata.dc.contributor.advisor???: Lafirenza, Fiorenzo. ... metadata.dc.rights???: © GiovannaPuppin, 2009. ???metadata.dc.degree.name???: Studi orientali. ...

Natura sublime, natura tossica: un caso studio sulla campagna di pubblicita sociale per la tutela... more Natura sublime, natura tossica: un caso studio sulla campagna di pubblicita sociale per la tutela ambientale Shanshui pian 山水篇 (Il paesaggio)

Annali di Ca'Foscari, 2021

This article investigates how China fantasised about itself and the Beijing 2008 Olympics through... more This article investigates how China fantasised about itself and the Beijing 2008 Olympics through the awardwinning TV public service announcements (PSAs) of the Beijing Opera Series, with a focus on visibility. By drawing on theories of the spectacle, I perform a semiotic analysis of the most recurrent signs, organising them according to the main themes that emerge. The theatre stage-which represents the Olympic stage-is closely linked to China's dream of owning the Games and its desire for global visibility. The performance includes the theatrical performance of Beijing Opera and the performance of civilisation, which semiotically over-determines the Games. The protagonists include famous actors and roles of Beijing Opera (i.e. Dan, who is an anthropomorphic metaphor for China), as well as ordinary people, who are extraordinary for their high degree of civilisation. The spectators, especially through the intradiegetic presence of a Western male Other, validate the country's performative success and confirm its achieved global visibility.

Sulla Via del Catai, 2019

This article examines the dynamics be- tween Chinese sport celebrities and (trans)nation- al iden... more This article examines the dynamics be- tween Chinese sport celebrities and (trans)nation- al identity, by taking Yao Ming as a case study. After reviewing Yao’s sport career and status of global icon, it focuses on his role as a testimoni- al in commercial advertising campaigns launched in the United States and/or China. The semiotic analysis illustrates that Yao’s basketball skills combined with his exemplary personality traits rendered him an extremely flexible and effective testimonial between the two shores of the Pacific.

China Media Research, 2020

JOMEC Journal, 2020

Despite advertising now being ubiquitous in China, the phenomenon is still considered to be relat... more Despite advertising now being ubiquitous in China, the phenomenon is still considered to be relatively new. It was officially reintroduced after the Maoist years, thanks to the economic reforms and opening-up policy initiated by Deng Xiaoping in 1979. Advertising has seen tremendous expansion over the past 40 years and is now acknowledged as an indispensable tool in the country’s economic growth: it fuels domestic consumption and is the main source of income for the national media. In 2011, China became the second biggest advertising market in the world, but the Chinese authorities still have an ambivalent attitude towards it. Although advertising is a key creative industry in China and is strongly supported by the government, through dedicated plans and policies, it tends to be strictly aligned with the Party-State’s political agenda and, as a result, it is heavily regulated and required to help with the construction of a socialist spiritual civilisation. This article provides the first comprehensive and up-to-date critical overview of the 40 years since the return of advertising in China, addressing its history, growth, recent trends and government regulation, as well as the development of its counterpart for the common good – public service advertising.

In pubblicità la ripetizione è tutto? : il tormentone degli spot olimpici di Hengyuanxiang, 2012

University of Leicester, Jul 1, 2020

57 | 2021, 2021

Chinese Discourses on Happiness, 2019

JOMEC Journal, 2020

Journal of African Cultural Studies, 2017

Annali di Ca'Foscari, 2021

This article investigates how China fantasised about itself and the Beijing 2008 Olympics through... more This article investigates how China fantasised about itself and the Beijing 2008 Olympics through the awardwinning TV public service announcements (PSAs) of the Beijing Opera Series, with a focus on visibility. By drawing on theories of the spectacle, I perform a semiotic analysis of the most recurrent signs, organising them according to the main themes that emerge. The theatre stage-which represents the Olympic stage-is closely linked to China's dream of owning the Games and its desire for global visibility. The performance includes the theatrical performance of Beijing Opera and the performance of civilisation, which semiotically over-determines the Games. The protagonists include famous actors and roles of Beijing Opera (i.e. Dan, who is an anthropomorphic metaphor for China), as well as ordinary people, who are extraordinary for their high degree of civilisation. The spectators, especially through the intradiegetic presence of a Western male Other, validate the country's performative success and confirm its achieved global visibility.

Sulla Via del Catai, 2019

China Media Research, 2020

JOMEC Journal, 2020

Despite advertising now being ubiquitous in China, the phenomenon is still considered to be relat... more Despite advertising now being ubiquitous in China, the phenomenon is still considered to be relatively new. It was officially reintroduced after the Maoist years, thanks to the economic reforms and opening-up policy initiated by Deng Xiaoping in 1979. Advertising has seen tremendous expansion over the past 40 years and is now acknowledged as an indispensable tool in the country’s economic growth: it fuels domestic consumption and is the main source of income for the national media. In 2011, China became the second biggest advertising market in the world, but the Chinese authorities still have an ambivalent attitude towards it. Although advertising is a key creative industry in China and is strongly supported by the government, through dedicated plans and policies, it tends to be strictly aligned with the Party-State’s political agenda and, as a result, it is heavily regulated and required to help with the construction of a socialist spiritual civilisation. This article provides the first comprehensive and up-to-date critical overview of the 40 years since the return of advertising in China, addressing its history, growth, recent trends and government regulation, as well as the development of its counterpart for the common good – public service advertising.

Chinese Discourses on Happiness, 2018

This chapter explores how happiness is constructed in a new category of public service announceme... more This chapter explores how happiness is constructed in a new category of public service announcements (PSAs), which are broadcast during the CCTV's Spring Festival Gala. It lays down the theoretical foundations of the relationship between advertising and happiness, drawing on Sara Ahmed’s Promise of Happiness (2010), before moving on to introducing the context of the production and broadcast of Gala PSAs. The following section comprises a critical interpretive analysis of a purposively selected case study: the TV PSA "Chopsticks" (Kuaizi pian 筷子篇, 2014). The analysis reveals that families – including the “big family” of the Chinese nation – lie at the heart of each sequence, and constitute happiness associations. It is clear that chopsticks were chosen as the central multimodal metaphor of this PSA because of the link between them and an idea of Chineseness. Chopsticks not only transmit food, but also emotions, and, more importantly, they direct the viewers’ attention to the State-sanctioned values and behaviours that promise happiness. Ultimately, this chapter argues that this PSA promotes a culturally and ethnically specific "happiness with a Chinese taste" (xingfu Zhongguo wei 幸福中国味).

Despite its ubiquity as the main tool to promote the so-called ‘consumer revolution’ in contempor... more Despite its ubiquity as the main tool to promote the so-called
‘consumer revolution’ in contemporary mainland China, commercial advertising has not always been welcomed by the Chinese authorities. On the contrary, following a short and intense development in the 1920s and 1930s, its growth was abruptly interrupted by the ascent of Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The reintroduction of advertising began
in 1979, in concomitance with the process of reform and opening up initiated by Deng Xiaoping and the publication of the famous article ‘Restoring the good name of advertising’ by Ding Yunpeng (1979). Undoubtedly, the Chinese authorities had to find a set of rhetorical strategies in order to legitimize the ‘unexpected’ return of a phenomenon that not long before was accused of being ‘the Bible of capitalism’. In order to show substantial adherence to
Marxism and its critical position towards advertising, Chinese official sources of that time recalled the necessity of developing socialist advertising or even socialist advertising with Chinese characteristics. These requirements had to be met by the academics and operators of the ‘new’ Chinese advertising
industry, but soon turned out to be too ambiguous and contradictory, and this coveted phenomenon ended up being very difficult to put into practice. The efforts carried out in the 1980s and 1990s have not come to an end though, and China continues to struggle to find its own advertising form even today.
Rather than focusing on the recent consumer expenditure boom in
contemporary China, this chapter concentrates on the ‘collateral effects’ of the country’s growing consumerism, shedding light on the ongoing ambivalence of the Chinese authorities towards advertising, by adopting a diachronic perspective and by making extensive use of Chinese-language sources. First, this chapter goes back in history to provide an overview of the origins, rise, and decline of advertising in China before 1979 and takes account of key elements in the political, economic, and societal context.
Second, it describes the uneasy return of advertising in China after the Maoist era and stresses the ideological implications; more specifically, an in-depth analysis of the key concepts of socialist advertising and socialist advertising with Chinese characteristics will be carried out. Third, this chapter identifies and investigates some contemporary trends in China’s advertising culture – namely, the emphasis on creativity and the need for an advertising with Chinese elements – which spread following China’s outwardlooking policy, its entrance into the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and its emergence on the global scene. The conclusions drawn at the end of this chapter argue that the new call for creative advertising with Chinese elements can be understood as a continuation of the campaign aimed at
differentiating Chinese (socialist) advertising from Western (capitalist) advertising – or to keep a ‘Chinese way’ of advertising – which started some decades ago. This ‘new’ advertising has its own distinctive rationality, characteristics, and aims, and is explicitly being promoted through the use of a more modern and less political terminology.