PRC President Hu Jintao visits the USA

nameless said:

Nobody is obligated to cater to American interests for free.

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This was an advert to improve China's image in America. There's no point if you're going to communicate per standard Chinese propaganda lines.

But it is, your own words.

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You said:

Its also interesting that you claim to represent both all Americans and Europeans by posting some links that are critical of the ads

How does posting critical links show that I claim to represent all Americans and Europeans?

Of course if you want to believe Americans and Europeans would respond positively to this ad, feel free to believe that.

solarz said:

No, the purpose of the ad is to simply put human faces on China. So many Americans think of the Chinese as some borg-like collective, that it's worthwhile to remind them that the Chinese are people just like themselves.

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1. I've never heard Americans describe Chinese in that way, though I don't pretend to have spoken to all Americans. After all, America is a nation of many ethnic groups. There are many Americans of Chinese ancestory, and other Americans interact with them.
2. Showing pictures of smiling Chinese people doesn't change such a view, even if it was held.
3. I don't agree at all that was the purpose of the ad. China already has human faces - Americans know who Jackie Chan and Yao Ming are. They were trying to go beyond that in my view.

Though more sceptical people are pondering whether it's not just another domestic propaganda campaign to curry favour back home by showing that the gov is presenting a "strong" image of China abroad.

I was surprised by that add because I was actually expecting something to look like propaganda. Definitely they hired an American PR company to make it. I saw a South Korean ad about a month ago that was more the communist propaganda. It was a Korean woman holding hands throughout with a blonde American woman as they walked around the sites of South Korea. Quite odd.

I saw the ad here in America and almost to a man everyone thought it was a visit China ad. But in all honesty, you're average young (30 and under) American probably hasn't a clue about how poor China was in the not too distant past, so references to "Rich Chinese" is about as sensible as a "Rich New Zealanders" mention in a vacation ad.

As for the pics showing Hu, he looks very tied, I feel sorry for him looking so alone. Yeah, I know these pictorial moments are tedious, and Hu does show a bit of life every so often, but he just seems sad.

Mr T said:

This was an advert to improve China's image in America. There's no point if you're going to communicate per standard Chinese propaganda lines.

1. I've never heard Americans describe Chinese in that way, though I don't pretend to have spoken to all Americans. After all, America is a nation of many ethnic groups. There are many Americans of Chinese ancestory, and other Americans interact with them.
2. Showing pictures of smiling Chinese people doesn't change such a view, even if it was held.
3. I don't agree at all that was the purpose of the ad. China already has human faces - Americans know who Jackie Chan and Yao Ming are. They were trying to go beyond that in my view.

Though more sceptical people are pondering whether it's not just another domestic propaganda campaign to curry favour back home by showing that the gov is presenting a "strong" image of China abroad.

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There is, and has been for quite a while, a disconnect between what Americans (and many Westerners as well) think of as the Chinese People, and the Chinese State. What many don't realize, due to propaganda about Chinese dictatorship and authoritarianism, is that Chinese State policies affect the lives of Chinese People.

The very classic example is the RMB issue. Appreciating the RMB at the rate that US lawmakers demand would have disastrous, HUMAN, consequences in China (not to mention the US as well). Yet, this never seems to register with American voters and politicians.

While I can't claim to speak for the ad's creators, what I get from this ad is this message: "China is about people."

I don't think it's a coincidence that this ad showed NOTHING BUT PEOPLE.

Mr T said:

This was an advert to improve China's image in America. There's no point if you're going to communicate per standard Chinese propaganda lines.

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Thats the problem with prejudice and the exceptionalist view, showing people from the ordinary to successful is somehow constructed as a threat or is somehow standard propaganda. Such reactions are propaganda in themselves.

You said:

Its also interesting that you claim to represent both all Americans and Europeans by posting some links that are critical of the ads

How does posting critical links show that I claim to represent all Americans and Europeans?

Of course if you want to believe Americans and Europeans would respond positively to this ad, feel free to believe that.

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Again your opinion in your own words

But to Americans (or Europeans) it just smacks of cheesy propaganda.

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And I never said that I know how exactly they would respond.

solarz said:

While I can't claim to speak for the ad's creators, what I get from this ad is this message: "China is about people."

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solarz, no offence but you weren't the target audience - unless you go with the preaching to the choir view.

If I were an average American I would have taken away one of two messages.

1. If I couldn't see it clearly, "China has people". Response - wtf?
2. If I could see it clearly, "China is great - you should like us". Response - @*&$!!.

nameless said:

Thats the problem with prejudice and ethnocentric view, showing people from the ordinary to successful is somehow constructed as a threat or is somehow standard propaganda.

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You're still not listening. If you want to improve how you're seen in a country, you design your PR campaign so that it will be responded to well. You don't decide what people should like, you find out what they do like. I would be surprised if this was presented to focus groups before it went out.

Again your opinion in your own words

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So you're now not accusing me of being a know-it-all because I posted some critical links, but because I expressed an opinion on the attitudes of Americans and Europeans?

You know I wasn't saying "I can predict with 100% certainty that.........", I was expressing opinion on how it would be viewed based on my experiences.

And I never said that I know how exactly they would respond.

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Then I fail to see why you had such a problem with me expressing an opinion that it would be a negative response.

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Mr T said:

Then what was the point of them? To assert China's new found confidence in American's faces and say "you'd better like us 'cos we're so great"?

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What is the point of American(British, Japanese, Russian) propaganda? To assert American superpower and say if you don't like us and become us, you would perish in the recycle bin.

China is not the only nation that launches PR campaign in foreign nations. It is up to the people to decide and assess the relevance and values of these ads. Or are you trying to tell me that only China does this kind of propaganda?

What are you talking about?

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"I'm sure this would go down well in China or with Chinese people. But to Americans (or Europeans) it just smacks of cheesy propaganda."

PR and marketing campaigns are propaganda. Period.

It is not in your place to say what the Chinese people around the world would react to these ads. More importantly, if you think that all Chinese would be brainwashed by a PR campaign, then that is your subjective opinion. These ads are created by the Chinese government not the Chinese people, the Chinese people have nothing to do with CCP PR campaigns.

Mr T said:

solarz, no offence but you weren't the target audience - unless you go with the preaching to the choir view.

If I were an average American I would have taken one of two messages.

1. If I couldn't see it clearly, "China has people". Response - wtf?
2. If I could see it clearly, "China is great - you should like us". Response - @*&$!!.

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You're right, I'm not the target audience, but you know what? I don't have to be.

You see, you keep thinking of this as an "advertisement", meaning it's supposed to persuade you to like or buy something.

However, I see it as a greeting/introduction, in the sense of: "Hello Americans, we are the Chinese, and this is what the Chinese people are like."

It's not about "selling China".

solarz said:

There is, and has been for quite a while, a disconnect between what Americans (and many Westerners as well) think of as the Chinese People, and the Chinese State. What many don't realize, due to propaganda about Chinese dictatorship and authoritarianism, is that Chinese State policies affect the lives of Chinese People.

The very classic example is the RMB issue. Appreciating the RMB at the rate that US lawmakers demand would have disastrous, HUMAN, consequences in China (not to mention the US as well). Yet, this never seems to register with American voters and politicians.

....

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To expect Americans to know about every other nation in the world, let alone their policies and monetary policy, is asking too much. If a Bangladeshi doesn't know about Mexican Peso policy between Bangladesh and Mexico, should the Mexican be offended? Likewise people pushing for China's voice to be heard above the din of billions of other voices is unrealistic. To an American, China is just one nation among hundreds in the world, no better and no worse.