The Cultural Politics of National Tragedies and Personal Sacrifice

ABSTRACT

While the rest of the world is still battling the latest wave of COVID-19 and implementing lockdown measures to combat the spread of the virus, China has been celebrating its ‘victory' over the pandemic since the end of February 2020, with Xinhua (2020) announcing a book praising the country's success in disease control to be published in six languages. COVID-themed news reports, award ceremonies, documentaries, and TV series singing the praises of ‘everyday heroes' in controlling the virus have become a daily occurrence in the Chinese media. [...]the glorification of ‘sacrificial' and ‘grateful' citizens in these stories tantalises human desires to encourage citizens' willing compliance with the Party-State's transformation of a national tragedy into its narrative of victory. Expressions of the Party's leadership role are loud and clear in each episode, be it through the authoritative voices of CCTV News broadcasting the national deployment of resources in supporting Wuhan, or the parade of trucks and buses shipping supplies into the city.