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Time to push China's soft power
Source: Xinhua |
October 20, 2011, Thursday
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Print Edition
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THE 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China concluded its sixth plenary session in Beijing Tuesday, adopting guidelines to improve the nation's cultural power.
It was the first time in 15 years that CPC decision-makers focused on cultural issues in the Party's plenary session. After China's impressive economic achievements in the past three decades, the session is regarded by observers as a strong signal and impetus for the country to score higher in cultural fields.
China has surpassed Japan to become the world's second-largest economy. Even during the international financial crisis, the Chinese economy maintained steady growth. However, the CPC's decision-making body retains a strong sense of anxiety and consciousness of hardship about lagging behind many other nations in soft power.
A statement issued by the session on Tuesday said that as a support for national unity and a source of creativity, China's cultural industry will play a more critical part in the country's social development.
Culture is emerging as an important part of the country's comprehensive competitiveness in today's world, and China is shouldering a tougher task to protect "cultural security."
China's cultural industries are showing vigorous growth. The total box office of movies screened in China last year was 10 billion yuan (US$1.53 billion), 10 times that in 2002. The total output value of Chinese publishing was 1 trillion yuan in 2010, triple the amount in 2002.
But both the Chinese leadership and ordinary people do not regard the country as a cultural power.
15:1
Although China has become the world's largest producer of TV series, the ratio of imported productions and exported ones is 15:1. The American TV drama series "Friends," "Sex and the City" as well as Japanese and Korean dramas are often more popular among young Chinese than domestic series.
China is one of the main OEM (original equipment manufacturing) countries for Apple's iPhone and iPad, but many Chinese Apple fans query when a Chinese-version of Steve Jobs will emerge, given China's comparatively weak creativity in its cultural industry and electronics sector. By contrast, South Korea has taken a lead in exporting its culture and achieved an annual export value of more than US$100 million for TV series 10 years ago.
In 2009, the export value of South Korean Internet gaming products was 10 times of that of China, and movie export value was seven times that of China.
"Although the Chinese government has vowed to both develop material and spiritual progress for nearly 30 years, the need of material wealth is more pressing for Chinese people who have suffered poverty for a long time," said Feng Jicai, vice chairman of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. "That's why spiritual or cultural civilization is lagging behind."
The session's communique said that China will build a well-off society at a higher level by providing its people with not only ample material life, but also a healthy and rich cultural life.
The ambition to become a culture power shows the CPC's top leaders are facing up to the reality that some problems that cannot be solved by economic growth should be approached through "cultural construction, "said Meng Jian, vice dean of Journalism School of Fudan University. "If China's economic construction is to pursue common enrichment, the cultural construction aims at pursuing social consensus."
It was the first time in 15 years that CPC decision-makers focused on cultural issues in the Party's plenary session. After China's impressive economic achievements in the past three decades, the session is regarded by observers as a strong signal and impetus for the country to score higher in cultural fields.
China has surpassed Japan to become the world's second-largest economy. Even during the international financial crisis, the Chinese economy maintained steady growth. However, the CPC's decision-making body retains a strong sense of anxiety and consciousness of hardship about lagging behind many other nations in soft power.
A statement issued by the session on Tuesday said that as a support for national unity and a source of creativity, China's cultural industry will play a more critical part in the country's social development.
Culture is emerging as an important part of the country's comprehensive competitiveness in today's world, and China is shouldering a tougher task to protect "cultural security."
China's cultural industries are showing vigorous growth. The total box office of movies screened in China last year was 10 billion yuan (US$1.53 billion), 10 times that in 2002. The total output value of Chinese publishing was 1 trillion yuan in 2010, triple the amount in 2002.
But both the Chinese leadership and ordinary people do not regard the country as a cultural power.
15:1
Although China has become the world's largest producer of TV series, the ratio of imported productions and exported ones is 15:1. The American TV drama series "Friends," "Sex and the City" as well as Japanese and Korean dramas are often more popular among young Chinese than domestic series.
China is one of the main OEM (original equipment manufacturing) countries for Apple's iPhone and iPad, but many Chinese Apple fans query when a Chinese-version of Steve Jobs will emerge, given China's comparatively weak creativity in its cultural industry and electronics sector. By contrast, South Korea has taken a lead in exporting its culture and achieved an annual export value of more than US$100 million for TV series 10 years ago.
In 2009, the export value of South Korean Internet gaming products was 10 times of that of China, and movie export value was seven times that of China.
"Although the Chinese government has vowed to both develop material and spiritual progress for nearly 30 years, the need of material wealth is more pressing for Chinese people who have suffered poverty for a long time," said Feng Jicai, vice chairman of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. "That's why spiritual or cultural civilization is lagging behind."
The session's communique said that China will build a well-off society at a higher level by providing its people with not only ample material life, but also a healthy and rich cultural life.
The ambition to become a culture power shows the CPC's top leaders are facing up to the reality that some problems that cannot be solved by economic growth should be approached through "cultural construction, "said Meng Jian, vice dean of Journalism School of Fudan University. "If China's economic construction is to pursue common enrichment, the cultural construction aims at pursuing social consensus."
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