The Unseen and Positive Stereotypes: Portrayals of Older Adults in 100 Popular Chinese Films (2000

Abstract

This study investigates the portrayal and age-related stereotypes of older adult characters in popular Chinese films. Content analysis of 100 films (2000–2024) yielded 305 older adult characters. Findings show older adults remain underrepresented, with a pronounced gender imbalance favoring older males. Contrary to prior research, positive portrayals predominate; over 90% of characters showed positive stereotypes like Tidy, Experienced, Face-conscious, and Polite. Tidy was the most frequent positive stereotype, while Despondent was the most common negative one, differing from Western stereotypes of The Perfect Grandparents and Shrew/Curmudgeon. Gender differences occurred in positive stereotypes: older men were more often Experienced and Hard-working, whereas older women were more likely Noncompetitive and The Perfect Grandparent. Negative stereotypes showed no gender differences. These findings contribute to understanding the evolving media construction of ageing in contemporary popular Chinese films and hold important implications for future research on age stereotypes and the cultural politics of media representation.

Keywords

age stereotypes ageism films portrayals of older adults Chinese old characters

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The Unseen and Positive Stereotypes: Portrayals of Older Adults in 100 Popular Chinese Films (2000–2024)

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