ABSTRACT
Narrative profluence is the key to understanding how national histories are linked to international mega events in Chinese nation branding. This chapter looks at how a linear narrative arc, enhanced by multiple periodicities, creates an upward profluence to launch the Shanghai World Expo 2010. It also looks at how a unified national consciousness emerges and acts as the agent of progress through metonyms. Mega events such as the Olympic Games and World Expos are often sought after by countries around the world as golden opportunities for nation branding or rebranding. While the Olympic Games are associated with athleticism, friendship, and solidarity, the World Expos are associated with human progress and technological advancement. The chapter examines how national significance is discursively constructed in a government-sponsored publication and how it, in turn, contributes to the branding of a new China.
