ABSTRACT
In the context of global celebrity activism, this chapter focuses on celebrity mechanisms in China's public health realm. It examines the emergence of celebrity activism around health issues in the international arena and within the controversial and problematic state management of HIV/AIDS in China. Globally, celebrities have increasing political influence, and demonstrations of philanthropic spirit are almost a compulsory part of the celebrity's public image. The chapter then turns to the rise of 'HIV/AIDS heroes' in the People's Republic of China (PRC) where the co-production and consumption of what Lisa Ann Richey and Stefano Ponte call 'aid celebrities' now occurs. It focuses on one of China's AIDS heroes, the actor Pu Cunxin, drawing from over 300 articles written on Pu over the past five years, as well as from personal observation during fieldwork in China in 2003-2008, to explore the emergence and significance of his fame within its local context.
