Bottom-up and online populism in contemporary China: an understanding beyond the West

This thesis aims to address the lack of knowledge and research on the manifestation of populism in China, a country with a communist background, which remains largely unknown both to the general public and scholars outside of China. It seeks to bridge this gap by investigating populism in China within the broader context of global research on populist phenomena.

The findings reveal that Chinese populism is characterized by the simultaneous presence of communist populism and online bottom-up populism. This characteristic is deeply embedded in China's socio-cultural context influenced by communism, where the populist antagonism between "the people" and "the elite" mirrors the historical conflict between the proletariat and bourgeoisie. Additionally, this thesis introduces a novel perspective by examining populism as an online bottom-up phenomenon. It explores the identity of the people, their discursive power, the discursive logics underlying online bottom-up populist expression, and the weaponization of internet memes for populist visual protest and communication.

The central argument put forth throughout this thesis is that the coexistence of communist populism and online bottom-up populism serves a dual function: maintaining a balance between resistance and control, while also functioning as a "pressure valve" that allows for the release of internal pressures within China's "social volcano" through nuanced control mechanisms.

In summary, this thesis contributes to the understanding of populism in China, sheds light on the distinctive characteristics of Chinese populism, and provides insights into the complex dynamics between resistance, control, and the release of societal pressures within the Chinese context.