Lovely heteronormative families in a harmonious society? The docudrama representations of the human-pet relationship in contemporary China

Abstract

This study examines docudramatic representations of human-pet relationships in China, applying the conversational storytelling research method. The study takes Modern Furry Tale (MFT, 2021), a controversial docudrama streamed on the Tencent Video platform as its targeted case. The article argues that contemporary Chinese docudramas do not so much “document reality” as continue a “cinematic tradition” of presenting “selected reality” by showing an idealized view of the pets“ living conditions and their owners” family lives. Describing and constructing friendly and companionable pet-human relationships, these docudramas reinforce the dominant “positive energy” state ideology, propagandistic mainstream family values, and repressive gender ideologies.