Douyin short videos and Chinese rural youth: interpreting platformed rural youth cultural production in a shifting rural policy context

Fang, Kun (2025) Douyin short videos and Chinese rural youth: interpreting platformed rural youth cultural production in a shifting rural policy context. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis explores the role of Douyin short videos in shaping the cultural production practices of Chinese rural youth within the broader context of shifting rural policies. Since 2018, China has intensified its focus on digital rural development, which, coinciding with the rise of short-video platforms such as Douyin, has provided rural youth with unprecedented opportunities for self-expression, economic advancement, and social engagement. Against this backdrop, this research investigates how rural youth producers (RYPs) create and disseminate digital content; how their cultural production is influenced by national policies and platform mechanisms; and how their engagement with Douyin shapes public perceptions of rural life.

The study employs a multi-method qualitative approach, combining digital ethnography, policy analysis, and semi-structured interviews with rural content producers. The findings reveal that rural short videos have transformed the representation of rural China, thereby shifting away from past stereotypes of marginalisation towards more empowered, digitally mediated narratives. However, this process is not solely driven by individual creators: rather, it is shaped by the interplay of state-led rural policies, platform governance, and the economic imperatives of digital labour. The research identifies three key dimensions in this dynamic: (1) the role of rural policies in shaping digital cultural production; (2) the evolving narrative strategies and themes in rural short videos; and (3) the challenges and opportunities faced by rural youth in the digital intermediation process.

By situating Douyin’s rural short-video culture within the broader framework of platformisation, digital intermediation, and state governance, this thesis contributes to contemporary discussions on digital labour, rural modernisation, and media regulation in China. It highlights how rural youth, despite structural constraints, are leveraging digital platforms to negotiate their identities, build new economic pathways, and engage in broader socio-political discourses. This research thus offers critical insights into the intersection of technology, policy, and youth culture, positioning rural short-video production as a key site of transformation in China’s digital rural landscape.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology; G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GT Manners and customs; H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts
• Supervisor's Name: Whitaker, Dr. Lynn and Selfe, Dr. Melanie
• Date of Award: 2025
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2025-85624
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 27 Nov 2025 15:24
• Last Modified: 27 Nov 2025 15:28
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.85624
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85624