This article examines the changes in behavioral norms in modern China and argues that the promotion of good manners and civilities constituted an important part of China’s nation-building project. By focusing on the reform of movie theater etiquette in the first half of the twentieth century and situating it in the context of China’s struggle to combat colonialist and racist discourse about the country, the article sheds new light on the New Life Movement and other state-sponsored national campaigns that were aimed at disciplining the Chinese people to conduct themselves in ways compatible with Western norms.
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