China's cultural commodities project soft power globally
- By Wu Xia and Chen Junfeng
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Shanghai Daily, December 22, 2011
Myriad forms
The Chinese opera "Mulan" was staged in Austria's famed Vienna State Opera House in 2008, and was applauded for its poetic and picturesque performance, deeply affecting music, and the classical Chinese culture it conveys.
"Mulan" was described by Austrian media as a Chinese work of art that has for the first time knocked on the doors of the world's most famous opera house.
Vijay Upadhyaya, conductor of the Vienna Imperial Philharmonic Choir, said European culture in the past has influenced Asia and now "Mulan" brings Chinese culture to Europe.
In Mexico, the "Year of Chinese Culture" has been held during the Chinese National Day Holiday every year since 2009. Around 3,000 Mexicans flock to the Central Square in Mexico City for three consecutive days of events including table tennis, Tibetan, lion and dragon dance performances, and a Chinese traditional costume show. Many Mexicans say the China they see during the festivals are real and friendly.
In the African country of Tanzania, the Chinese television drama "The Good Days of the Daughter-in-law" was broadcast in Swahili last month by China Radio International.
For Tanzanians who had never watched Chinese TV dramas before, the Chinese people around them become easier to understand as they learned about Mao Doudou's family in the drama.
In China's close neighbor, South Korea, the Center for Chinese Culture in Seoul is dedicated to promoting authentic Chinese culture.
The center offers regular study courses on the Chinese zither (guqin) and er'hu, a two-stringed bowed instrument, and provides lectures on classical and modern Chinese culture. Those events have been welcomed by the Koreans, including government officials, judges, and CEOs who attended courses. Many courses were sold out quickly after they were announced online.
In the United States, a Chinese ethnic culture troupe American cities including Washington, DC, and New York. The performers stayed with host families and taught them Chinese folk songs and dances, and how to play musical instruments such as the guqin and pipe, or lute.
In the meantime, "years" of China, Chinese culture and language were launched in France, Russia, Spain, Australia and Italy.
Thousands of Chinese cultural events were held in those countries and brought an ancient, modern and colorful China to locals.
When a country is on the rise, it is usually expanding its global influence. As China becomes stronger, more and more foreigners want to learn about China through books, TV programs, travel and language study.
In this context, it was a timely decision to build a strong cultural nation and promote the creation of all types of literary and art works.
For Chinese culture to go global, it must first find a foothold inside China. Any cultural product that is not competitive inside the borders will not survive in other countries.
As President Hu Jintao said in a November speech to literary and art circles, writers and artists should adapt to the changing times and the demands of people's spiritual and cultural lives, and make the past serve the present.
They also must weed through the old to bring forth the new, base themselves in the rich soil of Chinese culture, and derive nourishment and new cultural chapters from the distant sources of traditional culture, Hu said.
For China's culture to go abroad, it must also cater to foreign needs. Designers of cultural products must study and investigate target countries thoroughly, learning the likes and dislikes of their people.
Han Mengtang, cultural counselor of the Chinese Embassy to Argentina, said it is difficult but not impossible for a Chinese cultural product to become a long-term consumer product for audiences from other cultural backgrounds.
Annual gala
For example, acrobatics and martial arts have become a hobby for many foreigners because those two cultural forms moved their hearts.
China is expecting its traditional new year, the Spring Festival, soon after the Western Christmas holiday. The Spring Festival Gala, produced by China Central Television, is a must-see for many Chinese people. The gala has been held for 28 years since its launch in 1983. The gala is attracting the attention of more and more foreigners.
The 2012 Spring Festival Gala is sure to become even more international. Reporters from the United Kingdom, Australia, Russia, and elsewhere who work in Beijing say they always watch the gala when they spend the Spring Festival in China.
From "becoming Chinese" through Christmas trees to "becoming international" by way of the Chinese Spring Festival Gala, China is witnessing a changing strategic path from economic growth to cultural influence. It is a bumpy but bright road ahead.
