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This article compares official statements on democracy and ordinary people's understandings of the term to examine whether government propaganda works to shape the democratic conceptions of the masses. The findings show that official narratives centered on 'good governance' have gradually been picked up by ordinary people over time. While the finding could be interpreted as solely the outcome of top-down state propaganda, the authors argue that the mechanism involves two-way communication whereby Chinese leaders have incorporated elements of traditional culture as well as the concerns of ordinary people into their narratives of democracy, leading to a convergence between the elite and the masses. This two-way process has allowed 'democracy with Chinese characteristics' to become a viable counterpoise to liberal democracy in China. (J Contemp China/GIGA)