The Reincarnation of the Socialist Model Worker: Transforming Masculinities in Chinese Television Drama

The 2020s have seen a surge in television dramas featuring male protagonists who embody an idealized masculinity rooted in specialized knowledge and skills that serve the nationalist cause. This essay examines the televisual construction of a new archetype: the socialist model worker reimagined for the contemporary era. Taking You Are My Glory as a case study, it explores how youth idol dramas are increasingly co-opted into nation-building efforts. The declining appeal of entrepreneurial masculinity, the growing prominence of scientific professionals, and the recasting of celebrities as exemplary cultural workers underscore the rise of model worker masculinity. In turn, this emerging trope reveals the complex interplay between televisual narratives and their production contexts, shaped by state ideology, market forces, and traditional value systems.