Understanding Chinese Public Relations

Public relations entered China in 1980s. The field has experienced evolutionary changes over the past three decades. However, little scholarly attention has been paid to this area of research. The present study thus offers a rich account of and a critical and cultural analysis of Chinese public relations education through the theoretical lens of the circuit of culture model. Qualitative in nature, the study is based on the interview results of 34 participants including public relations educators, practitioners, and students. The findings help identify a hybrid identity of Chinese public relations education, which is neither purely Chinese nor American but a combination of values from both countries and cultures. The findings also help update and enrich the existing literature on Chinese public relations education, respond to the timely call for diversifying public relations scholarship in the U.S., and complicate and modify the existing circuit of culture model.