Cosplay and Chinese Social Order: Tension and Compromise

Boyang Zhang

2025

Abstract

Cosplay, as a cultural phenomenon, is viewed as a tangible reflection of contemporary youth's desire to escape reality and explore unconventional ideas in the collectivist values championed by mainstream Confucianism. This article illustrates why Cosplay can coexist relatively harmoniously with the existing Chinese social order, despite the inherent tensions and conflicts between these two realms. By employing Foucault's theory of "docile bodies and power" alongside ethnographic field research, the author aims to reveal that the coexistence of Cosplay within the contemporary Chinese social system is facilitated by the fact that under the constraints of Confucian appearance politics and the personal identity conveyed through appearance, a dynamic relationship emerges between Cosplay and traditional social values. This relationship can establish a foundation for mutual compromise, despite underlying confrontations. By doing so, it reduces friction between the two sides to a manageable level while fulfilling the requirements of power dynamics and supervision.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Zhang B. (2025). Cosplay and Chinese Social Order: Tension and Compromise. In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Politics, Law, and Social Science - Volume 1: ICPLSS; ISBN 978-989-758-785-6, SciTePress, pages 118-131. DOI: 10.5220/0014298100004859

in Bibtex Style

@conference{icplss25,
author={Boyang Zhang},
title={Cosplay and Chinese Social Order: Tension and Compromise},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Politics, Law, and Social Science - Volume 1: ICPLSS},
year={2025},
pages={118-131},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0014298100004859},
isbn={978-989-758-785-6},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Politics, Law, and Social Science - Volume 1: ICPLSS
TI - Cosplay and Chinese Social Order: Tension and Compromise
SN - 978-989-758-785-6
AU - Zhang B.
PY - 2025
SP - 118
EP - 131
DO - 10.5220/0014298100004859
PB - SciTePress