Lingdao, the Chinese word for leadership, is rarely used to denote acts of social persuasion that occur outside of contexts of formal rank or status. However, the ubiquity of informal leadership in China raises a number of practical and theoretical questions.

Based on an analysis of selected Chinese cinematic works depicting settings of educational practice and policy, the book explores how "Western" understandings of leadership emerge from these texts to form discursive media for social change. It also offers a new understanding of lingdao and leadership; how they represent a natural human desire, regardless of formal rank or position, to mobilize collective will, change minds, and achieve social change.

The book will be of interest to professional scholars and graduate students of Chinese culture, educational leadership, mass media, and popular culture.