Hanfu as therapeutic governance in neo/non-liberal China: a multimodal discourse analysis of Hanfu videos on Bilibili

Abstract Drawing on the concepts of therapeutic governance and neo/non-liberal China, this study examines the discourse of Hanfu, which is the modern incarnation of traditional Chinese clothing styles of various ancient dynasties, as manifested in popular videos shared on Bilibili, a Chinese video-sharing site. Using multimodal discourse analysis, we found nine codes that fell into three categories: self-expression (aesthetic, cultured, and confident), traditional culture (genuine, long-established, and original), and identity boundaries (vs. capital, vs. Western modernity, and vs. Asian neighbors). In addition, we showed that the Hanfu videos mobilized traditional Chinese culture as a resource to buttress neoliberal self-expression and state-sanctioned meanings of identity. We argue that the discursive construction of Hanfu simultaneously cultivates individuals’ positive affects and solidifies the state’s legitimacy as a mode of governance in contemporary Chinese society. The findings of this study showed that to understand contemporary China, aspects of popular culture, such as Hanfu, should be situated in the broader mode of governance in Chinese society, which includes consumption, ideology, and most importantly, personal affect.