The course introduces students to contemporary Chinese media. It explores the development of Chinese media in terms of production, regulation, distribution and audience practices, in order to understand the evolving relations between the state, the market, and society as manifested in China’s news and entertainment industries. The first half of the course focuses on how journalistic practices have been impacted by the changing political economy of Chinese media. The second half examines China’s celebrity culture, using it as a crucial lens to examine contemporary Chinese media.