Publication Date
Fall 2025
Abstract
In 2018, just three days before the National People’s Congress abolished presidential term limits, Chinese citizens piled into sold-out theaters to watch Amazing China. This 90-minute documentary about China’s rejuvenation under President Xi Jinping has since become the country’s highest-earning documentary. However, reports failed to acknowledge that state-sponsored companies were the sole producers, reviewers, and marketers of the film. Moreover, Amazing China premiered during a time when accusations of Xi governing through a personality cult—a legitimacy technique based on a sole figure’s unique charisma and God-like qualities—“were intensifying rapidly.” Since taking office in March 2013, Xi Jinping’s presidency has been defined by his centralization of power within the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Originally supported by party elders who facilitated his rise to power, Xi quickly brought the military under his control and rooted out political rivals through his anti-corruption campaign. This centralization of power and use of propaganda, like Amazing China, has thereby led to widespread accusations of a cult of personality developing around Xi.
Recommended Citation
Gondek, Olivia
(2025)
"To Praise “Xi Dada”: Analyzing the Personality Cult of Xi Jinping,"
Araneum: Richmond Journal of American & Global Affairs: Vol. 3:
Iss.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/araneum/vol3/iss1/5