Emotion Work, Media Tradition, and National Discourse: A Chronological Study of China's Spring Festival Gala, 1983–2025

In 2002, Elizabeth J. Perry introduced the concept of "emotion work" and its role within the broader context of the Chinese Communist Party's triumph and governance. Building on this foundation, this thesis applies the "emotion work" framework to analyze the transformation of the Spring Festival Gala in relation to the evolution of Chinese politics since the post-Mao era. Through a combination of qualitative review of existing literature, detailed examination of the Gala's repositories from 1983 to 2025, and quantitative analysis of the program genres, this study argues that the Spring Festival Gala has evolved beyond mere entertainment to become a platform for the Party to project its political objectives, thereby functioning as a contemporary form of "emotion work."