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| China Week was a milestone in efforts to hear what all kinds of Chinese people had to say |
The BBC's China Week focused on the rising superpower of the
21st century in a way that has never previously been attempted.
Programme makers reached parts of the country, listened to voices
and explored a range of subjects that are usually beyond the scope of
day-to-day programmes. The week was a milestone in efforts to hear
what all kinds of Chinese people have to say; to analyse developments
there; to take a global view of how China is perceived and to assess
the country's international impact.
Conceived as a bold attempt to report on the new global powerhouse
from within China itself and around the world, China Week spanned BBC
radio, television and new media services. 'Getting a diverse range of
voices from China became one of our main ambitions,' says Commissioning
Editor Ruxandra Obreja. 'China Week took more than 60 BBC journalists
and programme-makers to seven Chinese cities and many areas of
China that international broadcasters have never reported from before.'
They discovered how China's 'economic miracle' may have been built
upon cheap labour but the pace of development has brought new
wealth for the lucky winners. Social attitudes in rich urban areas have
changed in ways that would have been unimaginable a short time ago.
'You can see it in the neighbourhood where I live on the outskirts of
Beijing,' says BBC correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes. 'Two years ago
it was surrounded by corn fields. Now it's surrounded by huge new
building sites for luxury housing complexes – places with names like
Grand Hills, Riviera or, my personal favourite, Yosemite Park. Here China's
new rich can buy a fully packaged American lifestyle: five bedrooms, a real
log fire and, of course, an extra large garage for the 4x4.'
Among the highlights was a pioneering special edition of the interactive
discussion programme Talking Point, presented from Beijing by Robin
Lustig. Guests Lei Xiong, Director of the Chinese News Agency,
and Professor Xiguang Li of Tshinghua University answered email and
telephone questions from radio, television and online audiences around the
world and within China itself. They debated issues including economic
disparity, freedom of speech and HIV/Aids and health.
Flagship World Service programmes such as Newshour and The World
Today were broadcast from Beijing and Shanghai to explore economic
developments, discuss China's place in the world and meet celebrities.
China's impact on the global economy was examined in a five-part
documentary, China's World, and special editions of Global Business.
Initially a BBC World Service idea, the concept of the season was taken
up by BBC radio and television in the UK. Highlights included a first for
BBC1's Question Time – a special edition presented by David Dimbleby
from Hong Kong, which was also shown on BBC World and specially
edited for radio. For internet users, the 'Changing China' website was
set up to give extensive access to video and audio material and provide
an in depth guide in text and pictures.
China Week proved useful in gaining more access to China than has
previously been permitted by the authorities, although many restrictions
remain in place.
'The access we were given for the season showed the progress that
has been made,' says Lorna Ball, Head of Chinese Service. 'Nevertheless
it remains difficult for our people in Beijing to cover stories outside
Beijing or Shanghai because they first have to get permission to leave
those cities. Until now the authorities have only permitted three
resident BBC correspondents. Although attitudes are changing
sometimes we still have problems obtaining an official response to
stories that may be critical of China. But we got our first ministerial
interview this year.'
For BBC Chinese, the radio broadcasts which in Mandarin are still routinely
jammed in China, the aim is to increase audiences by forming partnerships
with Chinese radio stations. 'China's jamming of our short-wave signals and
blocking of our websites is a challenge requiring radical solutions,' says
Abbas Nasir, Acting Head of Asia and the Pacific Region. 'Our strategy is
to target the Chinese market with specially designed content both on
radio and online while maintaining our commitment to news and current
affairs coverage.'
The Chinese market is a priority for English language teaching programmes,
which include new 'FM-friendly' productions and are widely welcomed.
Twenty of the BBC's partner stations and websites took part in an
English language teaching summer school held in Tianjin in 2004.
Feature programmes are also fertile ground for joint ventures for the
Chinese Service. Several co-productions were made last year – among
them a series called Knife, Fork and Chopsticks, produced jointly with a
radio station in Chengdu, western China, which explored the differences
between eastern and western cuisine. The series concluded with a joint
live webcast of a colourful culinary event with chefs from the UK and
China demonstrating and discussing their craft.
The BBC's English language radio broadcasts are not jammed regularly
and BBC World television is available in guest houses and hotels. However
the continued blocking of BBC news websites (dubbed 'the great firewall
of China') makes access extremely difficult – though not impossible –
for China's 94 million internet users. 'People in China do access our
website,' says Lorna Ball. 'We get emails and a significant response for
our online forums from people in China so we know that people can
get round the blocking, but nevertheless it is still done. This accounts
for the fact that, although many Chinese speakers around the world
use the site, only a small proportion of our overall traffic comes from
inside China.'
Despite the continuing restrictions, it was a year when China moved up
the news agenda in the UK and all over the world. 'Coverage has
suddenly got much better,' says Lorna Ball. 'China is being mentioned as
a matter of course, not as something special. We are confident that this
process will continue and that we will have increasing access. We hope
that China will be more understanding of what it is we are trying to do
and the way in which we do it. We are optimistic that different parts of
the BBC, the Chinese Service included, will be increasingly successful in
forming partnerships and working with people in China.'
Reporting the reality of the new China to audiences throughout the
world remains a challenge but the success of China Week showed just
how much can now be achieved.
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A year in review |
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China |
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