Fuji Lozada's Fieldnotes

Anthropologist at Davidson College

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Avatar craze in China

January 8, 2010 By Fuji

Avatar is not just big among anthropologists (since one was consulted to help make the Na’vi credible) or even New York Times columnist David Brooks, but also people in China. The Wall Street Journal reports:

Just days after the Jan. 4 premiere of Hollywood blockbuster Avatar in China, the box offices across the country had gone beyond 100 million yuan (around $14.7 million), thanks to the enthusiasm of huge number of Chinese movie fans.

Science fiction is very popular in China, as I wrote in an earlier article. But another WSJ article about how netizens’ talk about this record-setting movie reveals another reason for Avatar’s popularity – a lot of people in China see themselves as the Na’vi – very much like the people who are being evicted so that Chinese land developers can make lots of money with new construction. (Here is one popular example, in Chinese)

Note that people are flocking into the theaters to see this movie – for now, not even the best home theater set-up can replace the 3D IMAX technology. This bodes well for the hopes of the movie industry, who don’t profit as much from the sale of DVD’s (or nothing, due to pirated DVD’s).

Filed Under: Anthropology, China, Classes, Media


Eriberto P. Lozada Jr. is Associate Dean of Faculty, Professor of Anthropology and Environmental Studies, and Director of the Crosland Center for Teaching & Learning. He is a sociocultural anthropologist who has examined contemporary issues in Chinese society ranging from: religion and politics; food, popular culture and globalization; sports and society issues; and the cultural impact of science and technology. more...

Crosland Center for Teaching & Learning
Davidson College
Davidson, NC 28035 USA

office: Little Library 1005
tel. 704-894-2035
erlozada [at] davidson.edu

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