China’s PR Machine
I’ve been watching my fair share of NBC’s coverage of the Olympics these past two weeks (and I’m toting around some serious luggage under both eyes as a result). As impressive as the athletic competitions have been to watch, equally amazing to me has been the obvious coaching that China did before allowing athletes and others to be interviewed by US media.
In Mary Carillo’s interview with Han Meilin, the artist who created the official Beijing Games’ logo and mascots, dubbed the Fuwa for “good luck dolls,” the artist was asked about his imprisonment during China’s “Cultural Revolution.” His response blew me away, though I’m sure it was exactly as expected by Chinese officials. Mr. Han said that that his time in prison helped “focus” him. Talk about the ultimate spin – and the ultimate talking point apparently.
Earlier last week, Boston Globe sports columnist Bob Ryancommented about the hardship Chinese table tennis team member Chen Qi overcame to compete in Beijing. When asked about his internment at a work camp (after reacting angrily during a match in 2005) Chen commented, “Working in the fields was a good reeducation process for me.”
PR can be a valuable, strategic tool for sure. But it’s discouraging to see it misused – in this case to message an artist and an athlete so they minimize oppression. You can view an online gallery of Mr. Han’s work here.
Do you a link to that interview? I’ve been trying to find it on NBC’s web site, but am not having much luck.
Thanks
Hi Gary,
I searched high and low for Mary’s interview of Han Meilin and came up dry. The interview aired middle of last week – I believe on Wednesday. It’s possible NBC is not uploading all the feature segments and is focusing their online video on the competitions. I did come across this Wall Street Journal article about Han Meilin and the Olympic mascots that you might find of interest: http://tinyurl.com/6rnde3
If you find Mary’s interview, please share it with us.
Thanks!
Laura
There is an article on ESPN.com (http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3542649) that offers some additional examples of the length the Chinese government went for appearance sake. It really amazes me. I was actually in China in May and spent a couple of days in Beijing. Entire blocks of buildings were painted on the outside so they would look better, but the insides of the buildings remained in horrible condition. There were also times when the television screen would just go black because of censorship. It is a very rigorous and expensive process to be the host country of the Olympics. You almost have to wonder why “they” went through all the trouble if there is so much “they” want to hide from the rest of the world.
Great comment Caroline, and thanks for sharing the ESPN story. So cool you were there this spring!
I bet China breathed a big sigh of relief as the games wound up yesterday and the 1000+ credentialed journalists and camera crews got back on planes this morning.
Laura
Interesting article… I don’t think it’s just athletes that are being trained what to say and what not to say.. the focus might have been on athletes during the Olympics, but I think every Chinese person is being trained the same way..for every situation where a foreigner asks them anything that might reflect negatively on China.. Thanks for sharing