This book is about how the representations of romantic love in
television reflect the change and the dilemma of the dominant values in
post-socialist Chinese mainstream culture. These values mainly center on
the impact of individualism, consumerism, capitalism, and neoliberalism,
often referred to as western culture, on the perception of romantic love
and self-realization in China.
The book focuses on how romantic love, which plays a vital role in
China's ideologically highly restricted social environment by empowering
people with individual choice, change, and social mobility, must
struggle and compromise with the reality, specifically the values and
problems emerging in a transitional China. The book also examines how
the representation of romantic love celebrates ideals-individual
freedom, passion, and gender equality-and promises changes based on
individual diligence and talent while simultaneously obstructing the
fulfillment of these ideals.