Rhetorical affects in China’s digital consumer culture: an affective–reflective approach to the Yuhui Dong phenomenon

Abstract This study contextualizes the Affective–Reflective Theory ( ART ) to analyze the melodrama pertinent to Yuhui Dong, a salesman from Dongfangzhenxuan ( East Buy ). The fiery contention between the fledgling commonalty epitomized by Yuhui Dong and the underlying capitals reified by Dongxu Sun (then-CEO of East Buy ) and Minhong Yu (CEO of New Oriental Education & Technology Group , the parent company of East Buy ) molded the rhetorical situation within Chinese consumption cyberspace. With the generic implementation of guanxi GRX , ART helps to expound the rhetorical circulation of affect in this public hotspot through a dual-phased lens – automatic association and reflective evaluation. This study forays into dissecting emotional capitalism and digital fandom, ultimately rendering the China-specific affect unique to the media communication and consumer culture in the digital sphere.