Hollywood's power—going soft

Close your eyes. Think of the images that define America: burgers, shakes, coffee, the White House, the CIA, Tom Cruise, violence, the New York skyline, speeding cars.

- VANITA KOHLI-KHANDEKAR

Now think of China. Chances are, your mind conjures images of the Chinese army marching, cheap Kung Fu action, and possibly Chinese food.

As an economy, China is just $10 trillion short of the US. It is the second most populous country in the world and one of its biggest military powers. Yet, around the world, people have no idea—no imagery—of China. That's because very few stories come out of China. It has spent billions of dollars on period films or on state-funded propaganda tools like CCTV, but there is no clear sense of what China is about.

How do its people love, hate, fight, laugh, cry, or eat? What are its conflicts? What moves it?