Once lauded as “a storytelling medium that can…convey American ideals, including free expression itself, to foreign populations around the world,” the American film industry has largely abdicated its role in exporting Western values in hopes of catering to a Chinese market that’s now vanishing. The allure of a billion new moviegoers made kowtowing to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) censors seem like a savvy business move, and short-term paydays made selling out seem worth it. But as China has clamped down on market access once again, Hollywood’s ordeal now serves as a cautionary tale: China has a playbook for taking over industries, and yours could be next.
