Mass Entertainment vs. Elite Culture

I've been thinking about this topic for a very long time, maybe since 2005 when the Super Girl singing contest was extremely popular in China. It's the Chinese version of American idol, by the way. I wasn't able to figure out the situation in China back then because that was the only time when China face such huge nationwide entertainment shift. Well, it's hard to say it was a shift, we should probably call it a shock. You could see everyone was talking about it and everyone feels emotional about it. Then, all of a sudden, many other TV channels started to copy this program model and there came a severe competition among the Chinese local TV stations.

Chinese version of "Take Me OUT" - Fei Cheng Wu Rao

Another TV show which is a Chinese version of "take me out" is taking on the trend now. 24 women stand on the stage and choose their perfect boyfriend. There has been some matching shows on Chinese television, but not like this one. It is branded with "new style" and has a very fast-pacing tempo. More interestingly, these women's comments on men are quite explicit, which is rare in Chinese TV shows.For those who know about Chinese, we don't really say bad things in the face of others, especially on TV. It turns out that people like to watch that and they enjoyed the highest viewing rate in China.

Both popular shows have faced regulation from the administration, which no doubt affected the viewer rate.We say Chinese media is censored or controlled by the government, which is not quite true in respect of their fund sources. In deed, back in the 1980s, Chinese media has already shifted from government fed to market driven. The government no longer provides direct funding to these media. They have to look for their profits from advertising and eventually from the audiences. But at the same time, Chinese media are still under political control of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television. Whenever there is "inappropriate" shows or contents, the SARFT releases a document or notice to criticize and stop the trend.

SARFT released an announcement for better management on these talent election shows and for matching shows later. By better management they mean more strict qualification processes and more rules on when to air the show and how long it should be, and things like that. I looked into the announcement and found out that the reason was quite simple: these shows contain some unhealthy elements that would hurt viewer's interests. I read it as a some kind of protection over the public.They think it is better just to ban these so called unhealthy appearing on TV. And for what?

Well, you can say that is for political purposes and many analysts have said that.The biggest lesson that the Chinese government has learned was that never let go of the mass media. They should have total control over these outlets and strangle the evil in the cradle. Or you can say from the good side, the government is trying to take care of the people, especially children.

Two years ago when I first came to the U.S. I had a TV without a cable attached. Before they stooped the signal I can still watch free satellite programs. I didn't know much about American shows, so I watched everything from Jerry Springer to Oprah. No one was telling me what to watch and I don't even have an American friend who can tell me which one is a good show. So sometimes I stay at home in the morning watching people fighting on the stage. Then I realize something.That is not healthy for me. I realized that myself because I think watching people fighting is neither entertaining nor meaningful. You probably have known this long time ago. But it took me a couple of week to realize that and I stopped watching it for good. But the show still continues and I believe some people just love it otherwise the show won't be on air.

Then it all came down to the same old word: freedom. But I don't want to talk about it in the political realm but entertainment. In China, television is not only the media for entertainment. In a lot of times, it is a means of education and propaganda since it is closely linked to the higher administration. What about the needs of the audiences? And at most of the times, public taste and the so called elite aesthetic standards are in contradict.These local TV stations have been trying to break the barriers over and over again because of the severe competition in broadcasting media. These TV channels are taking the risk of breaking the rules or exploiting the loophole in the regulation because of the economic consideration, which also reflects the public opinion.

Let's not just simply conclude it with having human rights or freedom in China. From the stand point of Chinese government, I think this is the time for them to reevaluate their strategy on entertainment regulation, especially when the needs of business and government are conflicting. In addition, this is the era of internet.Young Chinese are becoming the opinion leader in China. How to deal with them is probably the priority now.