Tutti cantano Yi Dai Yi Lu? La popolarizzazione del discorso politico sulla Nuova Via della Seta

The Belt and Road (BRI) Forum for International Cooperation, held in Beijing in May 2017, was the first event to gather official representatives from almost 60 countries in the name of China’s project to re-enliven the spirit of the ancient Silk Road. Before and during the Forum, music videos were released online, promoting the benefits that the BRI would bring to the many populations involved, reproducing keywords from the institutional discourse on the initiative. Institutionally-inspired music videos and cartoons have become growingly common in the Chinese cyberspace since 2013, with the aim to promote the CCP’s political message among younger citizens. Drawing on the analysis of the videos released in relation to the Belt and Road Forum, the contribution discusses the role of such products in the popularisation of the CCP’s political discourse towards national and international audiences.