NYT: How China Is Rewriting Its Own Script
Note: this article was originally published in the New York Times
When was the last time you watched a movie with a Chinese villain?
If you can’t remember, that may not be too surprising. Take the 2012 remake of the Cold War drama “Red Dawn.” It depicted Chinese enemies invading an American town.
At least it did until the script was leaked and angered the Chinese state media.
In the end, MGM spent $1 million digitally erasing evidence of the Chinese Army, frame by frame, and substituting in North Koreans instead.
China wields enormous influence over how it is depicted in the movies Americans make and watch. It’s part of a broader push by the government to take control of its global narrative and present a friendlier, less menacing image of China to the world.