Panda fandom

Mapping out these historical interactions between China and the West helps understand the emergence of panda fandom in China in the contemporary age, which Chapter 5 addresses through the interwoven movements among capitalism, Western–Chinese nations, and biopower. Chapter 5 tackles the panda’s role in these complex social and economic networks. Based on Foucault’s observation of biopower, I show that the underlying power patterns holding the panda fandom together can elevate giant pandas to the status of celebrities and even national symbols, but only by using the giant panda as a super-exploited means of production within panda fandom. Chapter 5 suggests that panda–fan intimacy in panda fandom should not be simplified as human beings’ natural attachment to the animal but rather understood as a relationship resulting from the current productive and social relations.