Two Billion Eyes: The Story of China Central Television
“The definitive work on Chinese television . . . A pioneering picture of CCTV and its crucial role in the contemporary Chinese political economy” (Robert W. McChesney, author of Corporate Media and the Threat to Democracy).
 
As China navigates the murky waters of a “third way” with liberal economic policies under a strict political regime, the surprising battleground for China’s future emerges in the country’s highest rated television network—China Central Television, or CCTV.
 
With 16 internationally broadcast channels and over 1.2 billion viewers, CCTV is a powerhouse in conveying Chinese news and entertainment. The hybrid nature of the network has also transformed it into an unexpected site of discourse in a country that has little official space for negotiation. While CCTV programming is state sponsored—and censored—the popularity and profit of the station are determined by the people. And as the Chinese Communist Party seeks to exert its own voice on domestic and international affairs, the prospect of finding an amenable audience becomes increasingly paramount.
 
Through a series of interviews with a fascinating cast of power players including a director of a special topic program that incited the 1989 student movement, current and past presidents of CCTV, and producers at the frontline of the network’s rapidly evolving role in Chinese culture, celebrated media analyst Ying Zhu unlocks a doorway to political power that has long been shrouded in mystery.
 
“An indispensable guide to the Chinese media landscape.” —The New Inquiry
 
“Up until Two Billion Eyes, the view of Chinese media has often been limited . . . Ying Zhu expands the periphery of our vision.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
1110914520
Two Billion Eyes: The Story of China Central Television
“The definitive work on Chinese television . . . A pioneering picture of CCTV and its crucial role in the contemporary Chinese political economy” (Robert W. McChesney, author of Corporate Media and the Threat to Democracy).
 
As China navigates the murky waters of a “third way” with liberal economic policies under a strict political regime, the surprising battleground for China’s future emerges in the country’s highest rated television network—China Central Television, or CCTV.
 
With 16 internationally broadcast channels and over 1.2 billion viewers, CCTV is a powerhouse in conveying Chinese news and entertainment. The hybrid nature of the network has also transformed it into an unexpected site of discourse in a country that has little official space for negotiation. While CCTV programming is state sponsored—and censored—the popularity and profit of the station are determined by the people. And as the Chinese Communist Party seeks to exert its own voice on domestic and international affairs, the prospect of finding an amenable audience becomes increasingly paramount.
 
Through a series of interviews with a fascinating cast of power players including a director of a special topic program that incited the 1989 student movement, current and past presidents of CCTV, and producers at the frontline of the network’s rapidly evolving role in Chinese culture, celebrated media analyst Ying Zhu unlocks a doorway to political power that has long been shrouded in mystery.
 
“An indispensable guide to the Chinese media landscape.” —The New Inquiry
 
“Up until Two Billion Eyes, the view of Chinese media has often been limited . . . Ying Zhu expands the periphery of our vision.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
27.95 In Stock
Two Billion Eyes: The Story of China Central Television

Two Billion Eyes: The Story of China Central Television

by Ying Zhu
Two Billion Eyes: The Story of China Central Television

Two Billion Eyes: The Story of China Central Television

by Ying Zhu

Hardcover

$27.95 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Qualifies for Free Shipping
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

“The definitive work on Chinese television . . . A pioneering picture of CCTV and its crucial role in the contemporary Chinese political economy” (Robert W. McChesney, author of Corporate Media and the Threat to Democracy).
 
As China navigates the murky waters of a “third way” with liberal economic policies under a strict political regime, the surprising battleground for China’s future emerges in the country’s highest rated television network—China Central Television, or CCTV.
 
With 16 internationally broadcast channels and over 1.2 billion viewers, CCTV is a powerhouse in conveying Chinese news and entertainment. The hybrid nature of the network has also transformed it into an unexpected site of discourse in a country that has little official space for negotiation. While CCTV programming is state sponsored—and censored—the popularity and profit of the station are determined by the people. And as the Chinese Communist Party seeks to exert its own voice on domestic and international affairs, the prospect of finding an amenable audience becomes increasingly paramount.
 
Through a series of interviews with a fascinating cast of power players including a director of a special topic program that incited the 1989 student movement, current and past presidents of CCTV, and producers at the frontline of the network’s rapidly evolving role in Chinese culture, celebrated media analyst Ying Zhu unlocks a doorway to political power that has long been shrouded in mystery.
 
“An indispensable guide to the Chinese media landscape.” —The New Inquiry
 
“Up until Two Billion Eyes, the view of Chinese media has often been limited . . . Ying Zhu expands the periphery of our vision.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781595584649
Publisher: New Press, The
Publication date: 10/02/2012
Pages: 304
Product dimensions: 6.52(w) x 9.32(h) x 1.03(d)

About the Author

Ying Zhu is a professor of media culture at the City University of New York, College of Staten Island. The recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities, she is the author or editor of seven other books, including Television in Post-Reform China and Chinese Cinema During the Era of Reform, and a co-producer of current affairs documentary films, including Google vs. China and China: From Cartier to Confucius. She resides in New York.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

1 Television as Cultural Control in China 11

2 A view from the Top: Managing the Commercial Revolution at CCTV 28

3 Making the News 54

4 Delivering the News: Profiles of Three News Anchors 75

5 Rise of the Powerful Nations and the Finance and Economics Channel 104

6 Xia Jun and Chen Xiaoqing: Documentarians and Critics Alike 120

7 The Cultivated and the Vulgar: Game Shows and Lectures 143

8 "Going Out" Via CCTV-International 169

9 Challenging CCTV's Domestic Dominance: Hunan Satellite Television and Phoenix TV 196

10 Half the Sky and Women's Programming 219

11 The New Nationalism: Covering the 2008 Beijing Olympics 240

Conclusion: China Central Television and the Chinese Model 255

Notes 267

Index 279

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews