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The following article is based on the results of a pilot study I made for a research project on China Central Television's Spring Festival Gala within the research program 'Media and Globalization in contemporary China.
Television broadcasting in China and a new form of entertainment
Television broadcasting in China started in 1958 with the founding of die TV station Beijing Television. Television became die mouthpiece (houshe meaning 'throat and tongue') of die Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a new medium for political propaganda and education. During the 1970s most provinces started their own television stations, but the impact of television was limited before the reform era, since few could afford to buy a television set. In 1978, Beij ing Television was renamed China Central Television (CCTV). This party-state controlled national television company became the major propaganda tool for promoting the CCP policy to modernize China through economic, political, social and cultural reforms.
In 1979, advertising on television was allowed. Thereby CCTV promoted the reform policies, while participating in the market economy by starting to make profits. The television set became the most wanted consumer item. Through the transformation of China since 1978, television has become the most influential mass medium in China, with more than a billion regular viewers in the 21st century. Today CCTV broadcasts 16 open national channels, as well as 11 pay-channels and 28 webchannels. In addition, there are about 300 TV stations at provincial and municipal levels; some broadcast several channels.
In 1983, CCTV created a new television format, the Spring Festival Gala (chunjie wanhui). The Gala is broadcast live from CCTVs studios in Beijing between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. on the Chinese New Year's Eve (in January or February, according to the traditional Chinese calendar). Provincial television stations also relay the Gala. CCTV claims that between 80-90% of the population view the Spring Festival Gala. The Gala was a huge success in the 1980s, when television entertainment was still scarce, but now, with many other channels and amusement options at hand, young urban people are less interested.
Today, the Gala might have over a billion viewers, since it is also relayed by satellite to many other countries and broadcast live on the Internet. During that one evening, CCTV...