Politicizing, policizing and beyond neoliberalism: Understanding Chinese city branding from the case of Chongqing.

This study seeks to explain the Chinese conception of city branding. Given the intricate and multidisciplinary nature of city branding, the article aims to address a gap in the literature and provide a direction to a deeper understanding of city branding from the Chinese socialism context. Taking a case study approach, the article analyses a significant body of discussion resulting from in-depth interviews with branding experts and government officials in Chongqing, the case study city. The analysis focuses on the role of the government and reveals that city branding in China is influenced, and largely controlled, by the national government. The discussion of the agents of Chinese city branding, city branding as a government tool, and the tendency towards policization, which means that city branding is implemented as part of urban policy, contributes to the theoretical growth of current city branding beyond a neoliberal perspective. • This paper sheds light on the understanding of city branding from the novel angle of government management • Government departments initiate and oversee branding initiatives and facilitate cross-stakeholder cooperation. • How government departments effectively manage city branding by combining it with urban policy was investigated. • The importance of political influence in city branding is highlighted. • A review of city branding within socialist contexts guides city governments to participate in branding endeavors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]