ABSTRACT
Introduction In 2007, Li Ke’s novel A Story of Lala’s Promotion (Du Lala shengzhiji), became a bestseller among Chinese white-collar workers in joint ventures or foreignowned (Western) companies. The novel revolves around office politics, Western company culture, the white-collar lifestyle, the “strong woman” phenomenon and middle-class aesthetics. In order to decipher the embedded cultural codes of this book, this chapter undertakes a textual analysis of the plots of A Story of Lala’s Promotion and its TV and film adaptations, Go Lala Go!. In this transmedia study (from fiction to TV drama and film), this chapter examines three interrelated themes in the novel, the film and the TV serial. First, focusing on the influence of Western corporate culture on Chinese white-collar workers, the extensively followed norms of Western work culture are interpreted, and the acculturating process of Western culture over its Chinese counterpart is made clear. The chapter also asks how, on the platform provided by foreign companies and with the impact and training of Western corporate culture, intelligent and diligent young Chinese women aspire, struggle and realize their dreams in the workplace. Second, employing a feminist perspective, the analysis addresses the situation of contemporary Chinese professional women represented by the fiercely debated social phenomenon of “strong women,” and how they symbolize female independence and individualism. And third, through an analysis of the film and TV adaptations and a focus on white-collar females’ lifestyle and consumption habits, this chapter also highlights the modern-day Chinese pursuit of a middle-class identity and aesthetic that mirror the overwhelming consumerism of post-socialist China.
