The Role Of Patriotism In Cross-Cultural Communication-Case Studies On "Porcelain Patriotism" And Nike’s Advertising Strategies In China

Senses of national cultural identity and pride have become the theme of culturaldevelopment in China with the development of economy and cultural rejuvenation.Pressured with “cultural intrusion” from other countries, some Chinese people areresisting buying foreign products, in order to show their patriotic passion and protectChinese culture from being affected by the western culture. In this circumstance,“patriotism” discourages cross-cultural communication. Nonetheless, such “patrioticcomplex” helps western businessmen make commercial profits in China. Therefore, tostudy the role of patriotism in cross-cultural communication is of profound meaning.Scholars both in China and abroad have done researches on patriotism. However,most studies by Chinese scholars confine to political significance and ideologicaleducation; whereas western researches on patriotism are fewer and usually done in aneutral manner. Based on these researches, this thesis studies from the perspective ofcross-cultural communication and explores the performances of patriotism incross-cultural commercial activities. Different from the static theoretical researches,this thesis applies a dynamic method—case study in achieving specific and objectiveresults. Moreover, the thesis utilizes a western theory, Elaboration Likelihood Model(ELM), to make the analyses thorough and convincing. Through case studies upon“porcelain patriotism” and Nike’s advertising strategies in China, the thesis finds outthat patriotism plays both positive and negative roles in cross-cultural communication.Making good use of its advantages while getting rid of its disadvantages is of greatimportance to improve China’s cultural communication with western culture.Using the example of the Chinese “patriotism”, the thesis examines thesuperiorities and shortcomings of the Chinese culture and the benefits of itsdevelopment. In the context of globalization, such analyses boost the mutualunderstanding of people from different cultural backgrounds, help reduce culturalconflicts and promote cross-cultural communication.