Chinese Cultural Discussions

solarz said:

Yup, pretty much they just keep repeating the current political slogan. A few years ago, it was Hu's "Three No's" or something like that.

The CPC loves their slogans. It makes me wonder if any of that actually resonates with the people or it's just something to please the political cadre. Really, the CPC's propaganda department is stuck in the 70's.

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Saying whether their department is stuck in the 70's probably depends not just on whether they have slogans or not, but also how it's marketed. Obama had that election slogan, "Hope/Change", and his team managed to make it viral. So while the propaganda department can't exactly say whatever, so long as whatever slogan they settle on is relevant, it's then down to how they spread the word.

So in this context, I kinda agree that repeatedly shouting it in the gala is probably a 70's tactic doomed to fail. I have no idea what a more modern tactic would be though. Bumper stickers? Internet ads?

Quoting Shakespeare's As you like it: "All the World is a Stage". Specifically, the interesting historical Chinese stage shows are the "Chinese Wayangs". One has to understand Mandarin or some Chinese dialects to appreciate these public entertainment road shows. The elderlies would appreciate them as they are linked to old Chinese culture & history. I believe there are only a few of these shows being performed now, as the new generation tend to like modern music & shows. A great pity, like a few long established cultures, the Chinese culture is very rich.

advill said:

Quoting Shakespeare's As you like it: "All the World is a Stage". Specifically, the interesting historical Chinese stage shows are the "Chinese Wayangs". One has to understand Mandarin or some Chinese dialects to appreciate these public entertainment road shows. The elderlies would appreciate them as they are linked to old Chinese culture & history. I believe there are only a few of these shows being performed now, as the new generation tend to like modern music & shows. A great pity, like a few long established cultures, the Chinese culture is very rich.

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The word "Wayang" is actually of Javanese origin but commonly understood by overseas Chinese population in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It just shows the fusion of cultures over time even for the Chinese.

kyanges said:

Saying whether their department is stuck in the 70's probably depends not just on whether they have slogans or not, but also how it's marketed. Obama had that election slogan, "Hope/Change", and his team managed to make it viral. So while the propaganda department can't exactly say whatever, so long as whatever slogan they settle on is relevant, it's then down to how they spread the word.

So in this context, I kinda agree that repeatedly shouting it in the gala is probably a 70's tactic doomed to fail. I have no idea what a more modern tactic would be though. Bumper stickers? Internet ads?

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I remember there was a conversation in this forum years ago about how the PLA had some height/weight requirement in promotions like parades that was criticized in the mainstream media as an example of how China fakes everything. Well if you look at US military recruitment ads they're doing the same thing, There's one specific look that they show-off. You don't see short people. You don't see anyone that isn't in ideal shape. You don't see anyone wearing glasses. Same thing.

The only difference is propaganda has not really gone through a constant evolution like it has in the West.

Chinese authorities tend to be behind the curve.

Some years ago, photoshops of govt officials were foisted by them to the media. How on earth could they not know that readers could not be fooled?
When the scandal of melamine in toothpaste scandal and pet food that were exported broke, the Commerce Minister instead of apologizing, angrily defended the quality of Chinese products. I think that was bad PR.
Do the authorities take into account the shame when the world's eyes are watching that developers blindly copy western architecture?

That's probably because the milk industry in China is new. They probably learned the industry from someone else.

I'm not sure how melamine is introduce into the baby milk formula process but there were tests of baby milk formula in the US that found traces of melamine even though there was no connection to China. Because of that revelation the FDA went from saying no amount of melamine was okay to small amounts was all right. So there's some general industry secret to why melamine is found in baby milk formula. Also the FDA has still found no linking to why pets are getting sick to Chinese pet food products. Where I live in the SF/Bay Area there was a local organic pet food maker where 2-3 dozen pets died after eating their treats.

There was a western article that I read which raised a good point. The Chinese propaganda department is primitive because it does not have an adversary. It does not need to defend itself from opposing propaganda, and thus has not evolved.

This is similar to the situation with Chinese TV ads 10-20 years ago. They were straightforward and unsophisticated. Some even involved the same 10 second message played 3 times in a row! This improved over time as the Chinese market became more competitive, but even today, Chinese ads still seem crude compared to western ads.

Send them to HK for practice!

solarz said:

Yup, pretty much they just keep repeating the current political slogan. A few years ago, it was Hu's "Three No's" or something like that.

The CPC loves their slogans. It makes me wonder if any of that actually resonates with the people or it's just something to please the political cadre. Really, the CPC's propaganda department is stuck in the 70's.

Click to expand...

BTW, I watched it over the internet - from CCTV's own website (live streaming)! This year's gala marks for the first time this is broadcast oversea - they even rented a New York's Time Square video billboard for this. Even CNN do a piece on this :


Behind the show that's bigger than the Super Bowl
By , CNN
Updated 0621 GMT (1421 HKT) February 19, 2015


Beijing, China (CNN)Hu Mingming lands spin-kicks and splits with ease, but her hands are shaking too much to tie a bow.

She is a student at the famous Henan Shaolin Martial Arts School. In recent years, their gravity-defying brand of kung fu has become a staple of the annual televised Lunar New Year Gala.




"Last year I watched my classmates perform on stage and I felt nervous for them. Now it is my turn," says Hu.

She has a right to be nervous.

The gala, a variety show broadcast on state television since 1983, is a cultural phenomenon and a key propaganda tool of the Chinese Communist Party.

It's also a ratings juggernaut.


Ratings anyone?
Combine the viewers of the Oscars, Emmys, American Idol finales and MTV Video Music Awards -- then throw in the Super Bowl ratings for good measure -- you are not even close.

Organizers like to say that more than 90% of Chinese families tune in. Last year, it drew more than 700 million viewers.



"There is a huge amount of pressure," says Zhang Hu, Hu's coach, who has also performed in the gala. "And each rehearsal is like an inspection."

Just days before the real deal and after months of practice, the producers are still cutting segments to fine tune the show to around 36 acts.

At Saturday's rehearsal, performers hustled backstage near studio doors manned by security guards in white gloves.

Chinese opera singers adjusted their elaborate headgear; 5-year-old acrobats swarmed around movie stars and a group of glamorous dancers posed for selfies.


Going Global
On the sidelines of the mayhem, the acrobats, crooners and pop starlets all had the same mantra for me: This year the gala is going global.

They are impressively on message.

In recent months, state broadcaster CCTV has touted business deals with YouTube, Google and Twitter to reach out to a global audience with coverage of this year's Gala.

Never mind that all of those websites are blacked out by Communist Party censors inside of China, provoking widespread ridicule by Chinese netizens.




"Different countries have different Internet regulations. It's not up to us," said Jing Chunhan, a spokesman for CCTV, adding that the Chinese have plenty of ways to watch inside China.

CCTV has even rented a video billboard in the heart of New York's Time Square to plug the show.

Some academics see it as an unusually overt push to win hearts and minds amongst the some fifty million Chinese in the diaspora.

"This aggressive push for Chinese soft power is new," says Tao Xie, a professor of International Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University. "The approach in the past used to be cautious and low profile."

Time for a nap?
For soft power to work, though, the gala needs to stay relevant. When it began more than three decades ago, there wasn't much else on offer for entertainment in China.

Now, even the heavily censored Chinese internet is stiff competition.



Hong Kong celebrates Lunar New Year 00:46
PLAY VIDEO
Last year, young Chinese started a meme online with photos of their relatives sleeping through the gala on the couch.

But watching the program is still a force of habit for many Chinese.

Xu Baoyu, a college senior at the University of Iowa, says she used to watch the show because it was "just there."

On Wednesday, she says she will be watching the gala on YouTube from her off campus apartment in Iowa City.

"The Spring Festival just doesn't feel complete without the gala," she told CNN by phone. "Although I do like to mock the show while my mom is watching in China."

CNN's Serena Dong and Shen Lu contributed to this report.



With heavy political overtone, it seems like the CPC is aggressively trying to reach out to the oversea Chinese diaspora. CNN even commented on this as "soft power".

Ultra said:

BTW, I watched it over the internet - from CCTV's own website (live streaming)! This year's gala marks for the first time this is broadcast oversea - they even rented a New York's Time Square video billboard for this. Even CNN do a piece on this :

Click to expand...

We watched it on Youtube, much more convenient than CCTV's site, IMO.

The decision to broadcast the Gala overseas is great, but I can't help but feel that it's because their domestic ratings have been dropping steadily...

Last year's Gala, directed by Feng Xiaogang and hosted by Zhang Guoli was much better, IMO. A lot less political commentary and a much more relaxed atmosphere.