Play a role as a bridge link
Promote the common aspiration of the people
(11th May 2017)
State Administration of Press,Publication,Radio,Film and TV
To give full play to the role of radio, film, press and to strengthen the emotional ties with the people from the “Belt and Road” countries the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television (SAPPRFT) has carried out the “Silk Road Film & TV Bridge Project” and the “Silk Road Book Project” under the guidance of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China. Under the “Belt and Road” framework, the SAPPRFT also held activities such as the “2016-2017 China-Russia Media Communication Year” and the “2017 China-Central and East Europe Media Year.”
The “Silk Road Film & TV Bridge Project” centered on the “Belt and Road” is carried out by the SAPPRFT under the guidance of the Publicity Department. The project is aimed to promote the radio, film, and TV sector as a tie connecting with people from the “Belt and Road” countries. In the spirit of Silk Road, namely “peaceful cooperation, open and inclusiveness, mutual learning, mutual benefit and win-win,” the project has engaged in news reporting, film making, media activities, and industrial cooperation to tap into the resources and explore the essence of Chinese cultures as well as to enrich the cultural connotation of the “Belt and Road.” By suiting the majority’s need in terms of values, cultural spirit, and aesthetics in targeted countries, the project helped promote cultural communication and mutual learning between civilizations.
A. Silk Road Film & TV Bridge Project
The Film Bridge Project was officially launched in March 2014. For three years, the project has been covering news, creating fine works, and promoting production and translation of films through delicate planning and guidance to explore effective cooperation means and operation model with countries along the “Belt and Road.” Between 2014 and 2017, China’s radio and film sector has planned 766 programs under the Film Bridge Project, which is conducive to the promotion of emotional ties, communications, and cooperation with the “Belt and Road” countries. The details are as follows:
1. Promoting the Silk Road spirit and people’s emotional ties through news coverage. With delicate planning on the choice of subjects, the Silk Road spirit has profoundly elaborated and spread the Silk Road spirit. The “Belt and Road” is a major step that benefits people from China and countries along the “Belt and Road.” The Film Bridge Project has made coverage plans to enhance people’s understanding of the initiative. The China Central Television (CCTV) made documentary Silk Road Economic Belt, TV series “New Starting Point for Common Prosperity”, series coverage Flying through Thousands of Years to See the Silk Road, Me and the Belt and Road, and Win-win cooperation and People’s Emotional Ties. The TV series “New Starting Point for Common Prosperity” has drawn much attention from domestic and foreign media. Japanese Yomiuri Shinbun published an article on the program. China National Radio launched a “News Coverage Series of Radio Stations from ‘Belt and Road’ Countries” that includes 14 live broadcasts on Silk Road and web special “Belt and Road on the Move.” After aired on melted media platform, the programs were well-received, with several exclusive reports widely reposted. CCTV aired program “Silk Road, Beginning of Dream” consolidates material from its English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Russian channels. The program includes 120 episodes based on interviews conducted in 36 Chinese cities and 14 foreign countries. The program was also aired on La Cinq, French Polynesia Television, French Polynesia Tahiti Television, and the national televisions of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, etc.
2. Holding the Silk Road International Film Festival and BRICS Film Festival in an attempt to facilitate joint film production, film industry development, and Chinese cultures going out. Initiated in 2014, the Silk Road International Film Festival has been held for three times. This is China’s third comprehensive international film festival following another two of Shanghai and Beijing. The third Silk Road International Film Festival attracted 57 countries, marking a significant increase of its influence. The “2017 BRICS Film Festival” will be held in Chengdu in June. In time, 30 films from China, Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa will be on exhibition. The festival will include opening and closing ceremonies, film forums, and film screening.
3. Jointly produced fine works on the theme of Silk Road help promote mutual-learning between civilizations and cultural prosperity along the “Belt and Road.” China has currently signed joint film shooting agreements with 15 countries as well as joint TV series shooting agreements with New Zealand and the UK. In recent years, Chinese and foreign media have jointly delivered a number of works related to the subject of Silk Road, for example, Chinese-Indian venture Kung Fu Yoga, Chinese-Czech animation Panda and Little Mole, Chinese-Russian TV show The Clear Sky, Chinese-Britain documentary Confucius.
4. Strengthening the translation and production of Chinese films and shows to spread Chinese culture through localized translation. So far, under key film translation and dubbing programs, almost 300 Chinese films and shows have been translated into more than 20 languages including English, French, Russian, and Arabic. These works that took almost 10,000 hours to translate have been aired and well-received in over 70 countries across the world. The Arabic version of Romance of Four Parents was aired in Egypt during President Xi Jinping’s visit in January 2016. Data provided by Egyptian Radio and Television Union showed that the show’s rating reached 3.8%. Mongolian version of Beijing Youth and The Ordinary World became immediate hits after aired in Mongolia in 2016, as the shows’ theme songs can be frequently heard on the streets. In addition, TV columns such as “Chinese Theater”, “Chinese Time”, “Chinese Channel”, and “Chinese Farm” have also been promoted in over 60 countries such as Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Czech, Cambodia, Nepal, Romania, Ukraine, South Africa, Namibia, Egypt, and Serbia. The promotion yielded key results and helped promote the influence of Chinese films and cultures.
5. Promoting media brands to deepen communication and cooperation in radio, film, and TV industry. Activities such as “Our Region Our Song” between China and ASEAN as well as The Silk Road Line have enhanced mutual understanding and friendship between China and “Belt and Road” countries, and enhanced the ties between people. Communication mechanisms such as “Belt and Road Media Community” and “Silk Road News Cooperation Association” deepened media cooperation with countries along the “Belt and Road.”
6. Strengthening technological and industrial cooperation to promote connectivity of radio, film, and TV infrastructure. In recent years, China saw great progress in radio, film, and TV technologies and industry, which serves as conditions for industrial cooperation in media. For example, we are building DTMB networks in Laos and Cambodia. We are also promoting the “China Film Giant Screen” system together with the technique of its exclusive purpose master mask. In addition, export of content products to “Belt and Road” countries also saw significant growth.
B. Silk Road Book Project
The SAPPRFT carried out a series of key project including the Silk Road Book Project as part of the effort of implementing President Xi Jinping’s “Belt and Road” initiative. The project, aimed to improve book contents, witnessed the translation and release of a number of publications that are profound, artistic, and accessible. The project enhanced the “Belt and Road” countries’ recognition of Chinese cultures. It improved marketing access for Chinese publications and realized “point-to-point” promotion and multi-dimensional marketing, in a way to facilitate the recognition of Chinese books and expand Chinese cultures’ influence among Belt and Road countries. It also strengthened operation of localization and capital to promote cooperation with overseas publishing houses and created brands so as to give rise to a number of competent outgoing companies that will serve as strategic support overseas. The details are as follows:
1. Forming a preliminary catalogue for the Chinese books “going out” strategy. A number of books have been selected from the 200 books first included in the catalogue, with targeted measures applied in the publication and promotion of the books. The book project has supported 985 books on telling Chinese stories and expressing Chinese voices, including foreign language and multi-language publications in 40 languages that cover a majority of the languages of the Belt and Road countries. The publications are well-received among readers. For example, Arabic version of China Shock sold about 3,000 volumes overseas; Arabic version of Belt and Road: Opportunities and Challenges sold about 1,000 volumes overseas; Arabic version of Realizing the Chinese Dream: Leaders of Business Community in China sold over 1,000 sets overseas; key textbook of “Marxist theory research program” History of International Communist Movement was published in Russia, giving a detailed elaboration; Turkish version of The Three-body Problem sold over 3,000 volumes; Thai version of Nirvana in Fire received 40,000 USD copyright royalties. Agreements have been signed with 16 Belt and Road countries and regions on translating and publishing each other’s books that amount to 99. Among them, the Chinese-Indian Cultural Communication Encyclopedia witnessed the comprehensive deepening of China-India cultural exchange. Translation project of Chinese and Arabic classics presented 23 books including Chinese Road and Diary of Arab Horsewoman.
2. On the occasion of Chinese leaders’ visit to Belt and Road countries, cultural communication activities such as Chinese Book Month and seminars on Xi Jinping: The Governance of China in Egypt and Mongolia. Since 2013 China as main guest of honor attended international book fairs in seven countries including Turkey, India, Romania, and UAE. Various communication activities on publication at the book fairs helped the countries better understand China. Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) has seen growing attendance from Belt and Road countries. The 23rd BIBF invited 16 countries from Central and East Europe as the main guests of honor which sent 10 officials together with about 200 representatives from 69 publishing houses to attend the fair and other events such as China-Central and East Europe Publication Cooperation Forum. 35 Belt and Road countries including Kazakhstan and Russia also made presence. Romanian President Klaus Werner Iohannis sent congratulatory letter, saying “the Beijing International Book Fair is one of the world’s best-known book fair; it will not only strengthen China-Romania ties on culture and education, but also enhance their economic, trade, and diplomatic ties.”
3. Facilitating China International Press to open 16 new branches in Belt and Road countries, publishing China-related books in local language, spreading China’s values via localized method, and better serve local readers. Chinese Bookshelf program was carried out in Egypt, and the UAE, serving as new platforms for promoting Chinese publications in Belt and Road countries. Nishan House was set up in Thailand and Russia while Moscow Shansi Bo Book Store became a new platform for selling Russian version of Chinese books. Nepal and China Tibet Book Store and Ulaanbaatar Pigeon Tower Chain Store were also frequented by local readers.
4. The Special Book Award of China has been granted to 33 sinologists, translators, publishers, and writers from the Belt and Road countries including Egyptian young publisher Bai Xin (Ahmed Seyd) and Latvian sinologist Peteris Pildegovics, helping unite a number of famous people overseas who are understanding and friendly to China. The award helped develop a force which presents Chinese cultures to the world. It also helped many universally accessible books that represent China’s standard and reflect China’s civilization and times to enter social mainstream. A Project of Writing on China by Foreigners has been carried out to invite foreign writers to publish books on China-related themes. India and China, written by B. R. Deepak, Chinese professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, has been published.
5. Digital publication products such as Silk Road literature and Silk Road Academics has been developed, a digital release platform for Chinese books has been created, and a Arabic promotion platform for Chinese books has been established to facilitate the implementation of the digitalization of Chinese books. The purpose is to consolidate domestic digital publication resources and create influential modern Chinese digital publication products as well as a digital publishing mechanism to better serve oversea markets.
C. Media Communication Year
Activities such as “2016-2017 China-Russia Media Communication Year” and “2017 China-Central and East Europe Media Year” has stricken more than 200 deals in 10 fields including policy communication, mutual coverage, cooperation on events and production. By tapping into their high publicity, wide-ranging effect, and great influence, Chinese and foreign media outlets carried out various effective communication and cooperation. While reflecting China’s achievements in reform and development as well as Chinese people’s image, the activities also displayed the development in Russia and Central and East Europe, with reference to their unique cultural and economic features, together with the results of the cooperation between the three parties and the connection between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union.
The SAPPRFT will implement the essence and requirements of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, promoting the Silk Road spirit and people’s emotional ties. For the next steps, the SAPPRFT will start from reality and promote precision in action to pursue practical effect, making sure radio, film, and TV institutions will play their role of interpreting the Belt and Road initiative, implementing relevant policies, and spreading cultures. There are three priorities: first, keep strengthening news press communication and cooperation and timely brief on its results, so that the Belt and Road would be rooted in people’s heart; second, produce more fine works, encouraging international cooperation on film-making and book publication; third, deepen industrial cooperation, driving cooperation with Belt and Road countries, with cooperation platforms serving as guidance.