The Environment: once problem of the rich, now part of the marketing strategy? A case-study on China's environmental communication

In the last ten years, the media-coverage of environmental-related news in China has been increasing substantially. By reading the news, we are struck by the importance that the Chinese Government is placing in the building of an eco-friendly image of China through the issue of specific environmental legislation and the launch of many public ‘green’ projects. The purpose of the present study is to conduct a quantitative and qualitative analysis on environmental communication in China. However, as media in China are mostly very strictly controlled by the Government and do often convey Government oriented messages, the study will include mixed sources, such as personal communications delivered by public officers and corporate communication. The Chongming island eco-friendly project is promoted by Shanghai Municipal Government and Shanghai Urban Planning Administration and is claimed to completely re-shape Chongming into an environmentally friendly island by 2020, by using all the most updated techniques. The aim is to create a ‘sustainable dream town’, with convention centres, resorts and natural reserves where people will have the opportunity to experience how it is to live in good terms with nature. Through the analysis of the re-shaping of Chongming island, the paper will show how private and governmental partners are seizing the opportunity to conduct ‘green’ marketing in China and discuss implications of the ‘green’ marketing strategy. Furthermore, the paper will analyse the concepts of ‘nature’ and ‘environment’ as they are portrayed and interpreted in contemporary China.