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I saw an interesting post on Reddit about China’s attempts to export Chinese culture: Besides Goods, What Can China Export to Maximize It’s Global Influence?
Check out the Reddit post for interesting discussion in the comment thread. Here is the content of the post:
I’ve worked for over a decade in China’s performing arts and visual art industries as a translator and consultant. I’ve watched as the Chinese government has wasted millions trying to export its culture. There are thousands of people involved in the effort, from a large part of the Ministry of Culture, to various other propaganda offices, and on to the many publishers, performing arts organizations and media producers who angle for funding from the Chinese government in the push to “send Chinese culture out into the world.”
I’ve become convinced that the main obstacle to increasing consumption of Chinese cultural products is the government and party’s insistence on being actively involved.
The Confucius Institutes, considered one of the most successful of China’s soft power initiatives, has been badly burned by this. The program, which helps to fund and staff Chinese language learning centers at schools around the world, was initially warmly welcomed, as demand for Chinese language programs was exploding, and CI would cover up to half of the costs.
The people who work at Hanban, the organization in charge of CI, always stress that their work is non-political, and that there are no strings attached, but these people are career bureaucrats, and their first priority is to please the party leadership. They send poorly trained, poorly paid teachers to schools around the world, and make them waste time teaching kids to sing, dance and paint Chinese-style, because Chinese leaders like to see foreigners drawing cute pandas. They clash with their partner schools, protesting when they host Chinese dissident lectures or cover controversial topics in other departments. They also grandstand a lot, expecting the schools to turn over heaven and earth in a show of gratitude when some Chinese leader shows up for an inspection. Now many schools in the West are reconsidering these partnerships or backing away from plans for future schools.
The publishing industry has jumped in line with the “sending Chinese culture out into the world” campaign 100%. In an effort to export more publication titles, the MoC and various publishing organizations have spent tons of money setting up official Chinese delegate zones in book fairs around the world. Publishers can receive grants and subsidies if they manage to sell enough titles internationally. But these must be applied for, and government meddling in the types of content to be offered means that these book fairs are full of repetitive titles, basically piles of glossy coffee table books of Great Wall photos and books about Chinese folk art. The way these grants are given means that the focus is on what the party wants foreigners to read, rather than what foreign readers actually want.
The film industry has been particularly hard to watch. The 1980s and 1990s saw many interesting, thoughtful films by China’s fifth generation directors. These films were moderately successful internationally, but never garnered an Oscar or a blockbuster theatrical release. Then, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a runaway success. In the years that followed, China’s film industry pumped millions into high-budget kung-fu flicks that aped this film’s style, ruining some of China’s most talented filmmakers such as Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige. Meanwhile, filmmakers who continued to make unique, interesting films, such as Jiang Wen, have been increasingly marginalized. A budding independent film scene has also been quashed in recent years as independent film festivals have been shut down across the country in favor of showcases of China’s most mainstream films, attended by Hollywood executives eager to get their next film approved for mainland release. Chinese independent films are a powerful force on the international film festival circuit, but you wouldn’t know it from reading the Chinese press.
In the performing arts, the major theaters around the world are being constantly rented out by Chinese groups to show Chinese opera, “ethnic Chinese-style symphony” and sanitized versions of folk dance by China’s minority ethnic groups. These shows rarely do any community outreach or education, and do little to extend their reach or cultivate their audience. Their main focus is on gathering local news headlines and clips to show to the MoC back home. Meanwhile, contemporary and folk-based performing arts groups operate on shoestring budgets, even as they win awards and audiences around the world.
If you haven’t figured out the theme yet, it’s that China isn’t just interested in increasing their international cultural output. They are also heavily invested in controlling that output. They don’t want you to fall in love with some indie rock band from Beijing. They want you to watch Peking Opera.
It has come to light in recent years that America’s Abstract Expressionists were often funded, unbeknownst to them, by the CIA as they toured Europe with their new groundbreaking art in the 1960s. Here, the CIA latched onto a trend that was already on the rise, and happened to fit with their goal as promoting America as a freewheeling capital of Western culture. The US government has also given support to Hollywood and other industries as they spread around the world. But in all of this, the US government was decidedly hands-off. They didn’t force a particular type of content, nor did they act to stymie the types of content and producers they didn’t like.
There’s a running joke that China is performing on the world’s stage, but it has its back to the audience. I think that applies perfectly to the cultural side of China’s soft power initiative.
Interesting thread.
These are just the symptoms of an authoritarian bureaucratic state. China, obviously, still has an issue with recognizing what is quality and cannot seem to relate to the developed western world’s desire for high quality products including cultural ones. In general, the Chinese are also blind to the evolution of culture and shun their homegrown contemporary arts for anything classical, which they deem to be superior. It incredibly difficult for them to get out of the 5000-years-of-history mindset.
And yet, China will attempt to imitate popular mainstream culture with a “close-enough” attitude and pump out piles of garbage. I recently went to see “Man in Macau 2” in theaters with my girlfriend because she heard it was good.
Watching that was like having someone vomit on me for 2 hours. Come on Chow Yun Fat! I had so much respect for you in the Corruptor!
Additionally this:
Typical example of China trying to mimic a western concept (the Flashmob), and miss the mark completely. It’s supposed to seem like something spontaneous, surprising and be entertaining for passersby, not something obviously staged with costumes, lipsynced?, and a confusing display of lack of coordination and nationalism in a foreign language.
I’m being a little harsh, because it’s mostly just straight up ignorance, but it’s frustrating when beautiful contemporary Chinese culture does exist, but goes unrecognized or is purposely stifled.
The Confucius Institute saying it’s not political is a good example of the larger problem here: everything in China is political and chief among its toolset are lies and manipulation.
These are just the symptoms of an authoritarian bureaucratic state.
I think that may be an oversimplified answer. A lot of the pioneers of modern Chinese culture (authors, artists, Nobel Prize winners, etc) have become internationally notable not just in spite of the state but because of it. It could be argued that the most prolific art is created under conditions of, or responding to perceived oppression, from George Orwell to Banksy. Aiweiwei has an exhibition on Alcatraz right now (less than a mile from where I am) and it’s about freedom and oppression, as you would expect.
China, obviously, still has an issue with recognizing what is quality and cannot seem to relate to the developed western world’s desire for high quality products including cultural ones. In general, the Chinese are also blind to the evolution of culture and shun their homegrown contemporary arts for anything classical, which they deem to be superior. It incredibly difficult for them to get out of the 5000-years-of-history mindset. And yet, China will attempt to imitate popular mainstream culture with a “close-enough” attitude and pump out piles of garbage.
I had lunch with someone yesterday (a 50-year old San Franciscan) who was raving to me about a 1+1 Android phone that he got recently, made and shipped from China. I had never heard of this phone before this week, but multiple people have mentioned it to me here. Xiaomi as well. I know these are phones and arguably not really cultural objects, but it is striking to see people go far out of their way to get Chinese alternatives to American products which most people get without thinking. Maybe this just means that China is just particularly great at making cell phones.
I recently went to see “Man in Macau 2″ in theaters with my girlfriend because she heard it was good. Watching that was like having someone vomit on me for 2 hours. Come on Chow Yun Fat! I had so much respect for you in the Corruptor!
Hahahaha. Let the Bullets Fly was great but otherwise he hasn’t made any good movies in 15 years. More like 25+ to get back to his best movies IMO (Hard Boiled, The Killer, A Better Tomorrow). Seeing a Chinese movie in the theater is taking a massive risk. 99.9% chance you are wasting your time and money. I think you know this and you are a good boyfriend for saying “Okay baby, let’s go see Man in Macau 2.”
I am a bit afraid that the original article provides to certain extent ‘biased’ view.
Probably the most clearly it’s visible from the part about movies. I am from Europe and many Europeans were in the past quite proud of the fact that Europe produces ‘artistic, high values’ movies in comparison to American Hollywood production ‘trash’.
Well, not anymore … The audience for these movies was smaller and smaller and finally European movie production tries to catch up with Hollywood mainstream.
What I want to say that there will be always people who will want to see so called ‘high value’ movie but the absolute majority of the population prefers something what is similar to current Hollywood production mainstream.
Coming then to the topic of Confucius Institute so I think they are doing pretty good job (I personally spent a year studying in one of them in my country). But I would dare to say that there can be quite a misunderstanding about their function. I assume they have following two main functions:
a) Teach Chinese to interested candidates – these people do not really need anyone to advertise them the Chinese culture as they are apparently interested in China, its language, history and culture whatever it means (to this group belong the university students of Chinese language as well as private students – and it’s not coincidence that majority of CI in the world are somehow connected with Chinese studies at different universities)
b) Spread Chinese culture among the vast audience – for this CI is using different methods (teaching Chinese in bigger classes where the chance to learn the Chinese language is practically zero but the people will get a unique experience; organizing the classes related to one of ‘traditional’ Chinese art etc.)
Blaming them for being political is of course possible because they certainly are but in the same way are political all other by government financed missions of any other country. As all these institutions are set up, financed, supervised and evaluated by politicians so they are of course highly political irrespective of if we talk about US (or any EU country) cultural or trade mission or about Chinese Confucius Institute.
When considering how different the China culture is in comparison to European one (and for the sake of this article I believe that huge simplification of neglecting individual EU countries culture differences and calling them all ‘European culture’ is justified by the big difference between each and every EU country and China culture) so I do not think China is doing that bad.
When I compare my country compatriots knowledge about India, Brazil or Korea with their knowledge about China so the difference is huge! China is apparently doing quite a good job in advertising and promoting own culture.
Mentioning this I of course do not want to say that there is no way for improving of its effort and achieving better ‘ROI’ (return of investment).
Nevertheless as many articles on many expat pages show it’s quite difficult for many ‘Westerners’ living in China to fully understand and/or accept the current China culture. Considering that these people have some ties towards China and the first hand experience living in the country so it may then give a hint of difficulties which any organization or institute will face when describing the China culture and situation to people who never went to China.
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