China’s Development of Tai Chi Diplomacy: A Collaborative Model

This article aims to enrich the evolving concept of public diplomacy and enhance our understanding of soft power by studying the case of China. Based on empirical data, it goes beyond the conventional focus of attention on state-centric public diplomacy efforts in China to discuss the more dynamic and vibrant proliferation of intersocietal linkages and global communities of Tai Chi as a result of collaboration between state and non-state actors. The authors argue that the collaborative model, made possible since economic reform by this convergence of interests, exists within China too. The extent of convergence is not fixed. It varies depending on actors’ priorities in different periods, leading to different degrees of input. The study thus adds to the current scholarship on the network model to encompass diverse political contexts.