Elliott: This is the first post of a series of new translations by C. Custer of the now ubiquitous ChinaGeeks. To paraphrase a famous leader, revolution is not a dinner party, not an essay, nor a painting, nor a piece of embroidery; it cannot be advanced softly, gradually, carefully, considerately, respectfully, politely, plainly and modestly…but only through incisive blogging, critical commentary, and sharp, selective translations of Chinese-language content. (OK, I added the last part, but that’s where Custer and we are fellow travelers).
The following is a translation of this blog post by Hong Huang. Hong Huang (sometimes spelled Hung Huang) is a magazine publisher and an extremely popular blogger on the Chinese internet. For more on her, readers can check out this post on Danwei.
Translation: China’s Soft Power Army
Zhang Ziyi on the January cover of iLook
In 2006, Professor Zhang Yiwu wrote in his article “How to Sell Chinese Culture” in New Weekly, “One Yao Ming, one Zhang Ziyi are more effective than ten thousand Confuciuses. “Jewel in the Palace” [a popular Korean drama] is a good example of Korea getting both high culture and low culture [into other countries].”
“Only if we emphasize Zhang Ziyi the way we emphasize Confucius does Chinese culture have a future.”
These sentences were quickly twisted by media-watchers into “Peking University Professor Says Confucius isn’t as Good as Zhang Ziyi” and “One Zhang Ziyi is Better Than 100 Confuciuses,” etc., then it was published on the internet, and poor Professor Zhang took quite a lashing online. It was so bad that even in this issue of our iLook Reader magazine, which is on soft power, Professor Zhang is still having to explain himself.
When I went online to look up information about the incident, I found a statistic saying that 99% of netizens were opposed to the statement ”One Zhang Ziyi is Better Than 100 Confuciuses.” In that case, it seems I really am one of the poor, deserving-of-abuse 1%.
First of all, as far as China is concerned, I think soft power and hard power are equally important. Secondly, we currently have hard power, but our soft power is very weak. In terms of manufacturing, we are a giant exporter, but in terms of culture, we are importers; we import 15 times more culture than we export. Third, we often talk about the great achievement of thousands-of-years-old Chinese culture, as if China today had no culture to speak of.
Put it this way, let’s look at the great “soft power armies” of other countries: France’s definitely wear Dior army uniforms, carry Louis Vuitton satchels, the army marches out with glittering Cartier emblems, and when they fire over a volley of red wine, China’s fashion industry definitely lines the streets to welcome them, as though they were looking upon excellent fashions. The most unwelcoming thing they might do is strip them and send the French home naked!
And if it’s America? There would be a column of Mickey Mouses, a column of Donald Ducks, and a column of Tom and Jerrys. There would be Transformers, Superman, Batman, and Spiderman; Chinese children under 16 would happily think it was a promotional activity for a toy store.
And then there’s the Chinese soft power army; if we go with what netizens want, then it’s a 2000-year-old rotten old man? If Confucius hadn’t once denounced the daughters of peasants, most Chinese wouldn’t know what “the Master” was talking about even if he spoke all day.
Soft power can’t open a bunch of schools, or bring thousand-year-old etiquette back to life, and speaking official jargon that no one can understand isn’t soft power, either.
Soft power should be an army of Zhang Ziyis, who wouldn’t exclaim upon seeing that! No matter who we attacked, no one would resist. Right? So don’t look down on those who are alive, or those who are smaller or prettier than you. Soft power is something that, when you see it once, you want to hand over your guns, can Confucius do that? Explain all you want, but you can’t explain [how that would work].
This month’s January 2010 issue of iLook has special meaning, as it will be published in Taiwan as well as on the Mainland. We are happy to announce that ours is the first copyrighted Mainland periodical to be published in Taiwan. The magazine [called Metro City in Taiwan, apparently] will hit newsstands in Taiwan on January 20th.
This counts as our contribution to China’s soft power, it’s also why we were absolutely sure we wanted Zhang Ziyi to be on the cover on both sides of the Strait. If it was Confucius instead, [prospects for the magazine] would have been hopeless, right?
Personally I’m of the opinion that revolution can be advanced only through me.
China blog readers: all your blog are belong to us.
all their blog…but there are over 9000!!!!!!!!
Well played, sir…well played.
No, Confucianism doesn’t sell well internationally. But some things are worth more than just about exporting. The Chinese on the mainland have forgotten what the master has taught while the rest of the Chinese diaspora has co-existed and developed fine within our Neo-Confucian boundaries.
It’s really a true division in any nation, classical culture vs pop culture. There will always be people that are sided with one. But no culture would go and denounce its past in order to gain an advantage in the future. The Japanese didn’t, the Koreans didn’t and our brethren overseas didn’t.
I also disagree that “official jargon” such as Confucian classics can’t bring back thousand year old etiquette and can’t open new schools. The ability to understand “literary language” is not lost. Many people readily study it, those are the ones that appreciate their culture. The Jewish nation was able to bring back a dead language; It would be a our failure as a culture to not have our people understand more literally language and focus on more classical arts rather than just pop-culture.
Yeah, controversial opinion maybe, but I would find bringing “Confucianism” into everyday China life a HUGE step backwards for both social and political spheres.
You don’t have to deny that it was in our past, but frankly, it’s time to adapt and move on. A patriarchal hierarchy made half the population slaves to the other half for thousands of years, and makes it still hard for Japanese and Korean… and yes, Chinese (even if they did “forget what the master taught”) women to obtain equality even in modern times.
It seems like China’s problem is itself. It spent so much time trying to destroy itself, now people try to re-use the ancient? Hey, yeah it’s important to use and recognize your roots, but…. China’s jumping around like frogs on crack. France, US, etc didn’t develop their modern culture INTENTIONALLY by some type of government-sponsored think-tank or standing committee. It’s a product of their societies. China’s society has huge, huge, huge, huge issues. I think it’s going to be awfully hard for China to invent “new culture” while it’s so-called development only permits economic change and very small political/social change. I suspect that’s one reason the only safe thing to do is look back to something ancient, but in some senses it feels like someone is dragging up a corpse from the lake’s bottom. Sure, I like the ancient culture and I’m fascinated by chinese society… but it isn’t creating anything culturally new. On that note, China might get a few pop-, sex-symbols out on some magazine covers…. but so what? America, for example, already has plenty of asian looking people. They won’t get famous just because of their looks, it must be for something new. It’s just my take on it, I know lots of people would disagree.
“France, US, etc didn’t develop their modern culture INTENTIONALLY by some type of government-sponsored think-tank or standing committee.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minister_of_Culture_%28France%29
Donno about the US but France definitely has a government branch which is in charge with shaping its culture.
Confucius isn’t soft power because Confucius isn’t entertaining.
Soft power is obtained through entertainment. Entertainment industries are obtained through excess GDP (i.e. America/Japan). Excess GDP is obtained through development. Forcing people to acknowledge your culture only makes people reject it more.
Agree re entertainment and I don’t think the new movie will do much to change that.
I think in many respects, Sun Tzu has fared way better abroad than Confucius because publishers have successfully repurposed him as Trump-style business guru (http://www.philosophyblog.com.au/images/paris-hilton-reading-the-art-of-war-by-sun-tzu.jpg). The Chinese powers that be desperately need a new PR department if they’re going to successfully increase soft power.
I also expect 2010 will be the year that Sun Zoo outsells Sun Tzu.
Agreed. I don’t think confucius wants to sell itself. Confucism is a way of life and I don’t think confucius want to proselytize its belief onto others. Zhang ziyi is like a Chinese version of Oprah, but it doesn’t sell Chinese culture.
I’m skeptical as to how much these stars increase the “soft power” of China. Although Yao Ming and Zhang Ziyi are notable to many people outside of China, they are not really representative of Chinese culture, whose appeal as I understand form the basis of “soft power”. For example, Yao Ming is a celebrated Chinese basketball player in the NBA, so exposure would be filtered under the lens that American institution, followed by basketball, a sport dominated by and almost always identified with, United States. Similarly I am curious the proportion of non-Chinese people familiar with Zhang Ziyi that frames her with Chinese culture – high and low – vs. those that sees an exemplar of stereotyped exotic beauty from Asia, such as her role in Memoirs of a Geisha.
In any case, before people get too enamored with the exciting idea of “soft power”, I think everyone should now that it isn’t at all clear such influences can ultimately sway actions and decisions that are beneficial to a nation on the international arena. Decisions at those levels are not determined by personal preferences or admiration, but by economic and geopolitical calculus.
I remember watching Memoirs of a Geisha, and maybe a year later I read some article that referred to the chinese who didnt like Zhang ziyi for playing the role because she was chinese. I had no idea she was Chinese; i just remembered that she looked like somebody I saw in a some Kungfu type movie once, which I also wouldnt have associated with China, per se. Well, now I know better, but at that time I didnt.
Don’t know how to break this to you, but Zhang Ziyi is actually very pretty — not merely a stereotype of whatever sort of beauty you want to backhandedly denigrate by sidewise imputations of racism.
Do you really believe we should all be non-racists by insisting on a stereotype of, instead, ugliness? Or is it okay not to bash, as example, Zhang Ziyi, in order to highmindedly pretend to be against racism, or whatever else it is the anti-beauty contingent is about?
I don’t think I’ve implied Zhang Ziyi is not pretty nor did I call anyone racist for only seeing her a beautiful Asian actress vs. beautiful Chinese actress. Since the former category is included the latter, it is merely different levels of classification based on familiarity. Chill~
Instead of “stereotypical” perhaps I should have used “typical”, if that helps at all.
The problem with your view is that it allows for absolutely NO exceptions to your view.
And — yes — it is racist, and supremacist, to insist that anyone who ISN’T Asian/Chinese who considers one or more (but certainly not all) Asian/Chinese women attractive, even beautiful, to be engaging in racist stereotyping. That view actually makes no sense, even while it is in fact racist.
And it is arrogantly possessive: have you ever asked Asian/Chinese women their view of your effort to control their lives as to whom they can and cannot have relationships — based, of course, on racism, and your own racist stereotypiing?
An issue raised by one of my previous teachers who taught at 浙大, was the lack of Chinese popular media which would appeal to her foreign students during Chinese classes.
I study the language using as much time as I can spare, however I can hardly bring myself to read Chinese magazines and newspapers or watch Chinese television or movies and don’t get me started on main stream music. I currently only learn the language for business shouldn’t be the case.
If more interesting media was available (think how many times you’ve seen a Friends DVD set in a Chinese book store for English learning) I think the popularity of Chinese as a language and the rate at which my Chinese improves would increase.
Any recommendations for Chinese rock or punk music, magazines, movies and books would be appreciated.
Cheers,
The styling makes her look more like Gao Yuanyuan, who is a superior actress. ZZY could not have brought the same intensity to GYY role in Nanjing.
China’s soft power will expand with a better framework for related “lifestyle” and creative businesses, such as entertainment and fashion.
At the mo, it’s somewhat limited to Shaolin monks and kungfu movie icons such as Bruce, Jet and Jackie.
Do you think people can intentionally create “soft power”? In some way this subject reminds me a little bit of Ford, which invests quite a bit of money doing product placements into Hollywood movies (I think they even have an office in Hollywood for this sole purpose). Psychologically, if Ford can put Mustangs into Hollywood movies, they’ll get seen. But, Mustangs don’t achieve “greatness” just because they get 2 minute placements in various movies. Brands are not built simply by being advertised everything, something must stand BEHIND that name. I think that “something”, whether rational or not, must really move/inspire/excitement people. Maybe it is being associated with something grand, break-through, hasn’t been done before, represents the feelings of an era, or something like that. Right now, I feel that lots of pretty women in movies isn’t necessarily going to build that countries “soft power” (although maybe it contributes) as much as it just builds that individuals status. Pretty women on magazines/movies must stand with something else. China, as a country, has got an awful reputation for so many things, so then we can’t really ignore the politics here. I tell another American (who never visited china) about China, they often think about: Students getting murdered by tanks, internet censorship (no facebook), nasty pollution issues, obsession with Mao, being Communist, etc etc etc. Pretty women in movies won’t provide enough of a counterbalance, I think.
what a non-sense! The recent scandals proved that Zhang Ziyi isnt what we think:
As exposed by person who are close to Ziyi Zhang on China webiste, she has been actually dumped by another producer – Wendy Murdoch because that she couldn’t keep her words to give her part of investment on time. Wendy finally ran out of patience. The split between Zhang and her rich boyfirend made the situation worse. Plus recent scandals have definitely hit Ziyi hard and damage her ‘perfect’ image.
Ziyi Zhang has been drawn into a big scandal related donation of 2008 China earthquark at the moment in China. She organized and host a fund-raising party during Cannes movie festival. They have raised US$1,000,000 as she told China media. The donators included Roberta Armani (senior manager from Armani), Tamara Mellon (JImmy Choo boss), Guy (Madonna’s agent), Eric Mika, Thierry Fremaux (Founder of Cannes festival), Christian Jeune, Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele (Chopard CEO)…
After almost two years, this large of amount donation seems disappear mysteriously. Zhang claimed couple of days ago through her official website “most of (above) donators only did an oral promise at the moment. It has been difficult for me to chase those money! But I will continue making effort to get all money”.
Her statement was not so convincing, because there was a picture on the scene clearly showed cash and check were made into the donation box. Some of reporters contacted China red cross and other related official organizations of Sichuan post-disaster reconstruction. Nowhere confirmed that they have received the donation from Ziyi Zhang. Up to now, Ziyi hasn’t showed any evidence to the public where she transferred the money to…
Care to SUBSTANTIATE ANY of that?
At very least, cite to your Hong Kong tabloid sources.
Otherwise, Zhang Ziyi has filed suit alleging defamation along the very lines you assert. I doubt a lawyer would be willing to file such a suit if it were not based upon fact, because there are negative consequences for doing so. And in this instance the negative consequences would also redound to Ziyi.
Last but not least: we all know that Ziyi is a punching bag for various factions — Chinese because she portrayed a Japanese; Japanese because she’s Chinese but portrayed a Japanese. Those who out of jealousy tear down anyone more successful than they.
What is most remarkable about all those who bash her is that they seem completely unable to distinguish between rumor and fantasy, on one hand, and on the other, truth. There is no concern for the sources of the smears; or for whether they are true; that they are hateful is sufficient “reason” to repeat them.
And those who do so come off as being children who have yet to mature psychologically and intellectually to the point of being able to distinguish between fantasy — and how they want it to be — and fact — and how it actually is.
I couldn’t agree with you more here, J.
@fashionbug | How about a list of links other than — as J claims — HK boulevard press to substantiate all of this poison-tipped slander? Moreover, what’s your objective in supplying it in order to inject and project an unneeded, unwanted dose of negativism into the thread? Poorly-conceived argument, @fashionbug. This is just bad form…
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/1035556/1/.html
firstly, i used to like her a lot until now, even though I am not sure if she is most of talented actresses from Asia. But she is a hard worker, ambitious, independent and beautiful woman. Now, I don’t know. Too many evidences dug out by internet denizens are convincing, and shock me a lot. She told the media, for example, her Ziyi Foundation had raised total 1 million USD for earthquake victims in May 2008 including half million from her foundraising party during Cannes movie festival. She said she brought them back to China (i saw video before). But someone found USA IRS form 2008 of Ziyi Zhang Foundation had only more than $45,000 transaction in the account. And the foundation registered in July 2008 and expired in May 2009. So far, she and her team still failed to show any evidence of any transfer of those pledges made to any charity organizations in China.
I am not here to bash her as said by J that I am completely unable to distinguish between rumor and fantasy. I am here because she can’t explain too many facts related to her found raising for Sichuan Earthquake, at least by far. I am here because I am disappointed, someone could take advantage of a national disaster that more than 600,000 miserable victims died, especially so many children. How could a human being did that to bring up a fame for her own benefit?
Anyway, its been more than 10 days. Her agent said to newspaper they will publish pledge account details today. But by far, day has gone by, we haven’t heard anything from them. Anyway, hopefully truth will come out soon.
If she has lost her decency by the fame and gain. I am not sure she is one who can represent Chinese and Chinese culture. By the way, according source, iLook sales dropped because of the Cover Girl – Ziyi Zhang.
Her agent just made a public statement yesterday. It is full of holes everywhere, but you should go check it out.
After all that has transpired and the negative publicity on Zhang, I think Hong Huang shall regret speaking out on behalf of Ziyi.
Actually, Zhang Ziyi never had a perfect image in China. There are always some rumours around her and some with pictures. Many chinese dislike her.
BTW, many many chinese don’t agree with the author.
Got to love Huang Hong, she seems to have fully gone off and went totally batshyte crazy with this article. Silly girl – to unleash a T&A campaign, you need T&A, the very thing that P.R. China is becoming short of supply of and very much trying harder to cover up.
As for the question of religion – which seems to be the idea that the powers to be in Beijing are trying to latch on to – there are a great and many folks from the Cultral Revolution, post 80s, post 90s generations that they have completely failed to take into consideration.
So… in the last few years, we have seen nationalism, religion, and T&A thrown into the mix in trying to “hold the center” – with mixed results. Here is an idea – ask the folks in P.R. China what it means to be P.R. Chinese, and work from there – instead of trying to issue fiats from Beijing.
The problem with Zhang ZiYi is that other than looking good she is vain and incompetent.
I remember reading Times Magazine a while ago and she was asked who she thinks should be the person of the year. Of all of the people she chose Giorgio Armani. That’s just lame.
It’s a very strange and militarist way of thinking which makes actresses and cartoon characters into “armies” and “soldiers” who march, fire volleys, attack and presumably capture territory and inflict casualties on the “enemy”. Did this learned professor ever consider that Hollywood and Louis Vuitton etc aren’t actually in business to create “soft power” for any country, they are just trying to make money by selling stuff that people want to buy. China’s cultural industries will succeed if they are allowed to do the same. Trying to enlist them as agents of state power will only ensure their mediocrity.
It is a matter of context Peter. Consider the reaction from the Soviet Press about how the Washington Post broke the Watergate Scandal – they just could not conceive that foreign media operated differently from themselves.
Apart form the fact that this article is hugely eccentric views on Confucius which I do not agree with, I think some people (eg. @Elaine) are confusing average Chinese following Confucian ideals with the promotion of Confucius as an instrument of Chinese Soft Power. These are two entirely separate issues.
Also, people like Zhang Ziyi can maybe contribute more to China’s Soft Power than Confucius because:
a) Eye Candy (duh!), hence more appealing, especially to the youth – looks sell.
b) Confucius doesn’t have a physical image; he has only teachings and ideas, which may not appeal to some.
c) Westerners don’t give a damn about any country’s ‘culture’ but their own
For example, Ashwariya Rai and Bollywood may have done more for India’s Soft Power than Gandhi. And Hollywood actresses and Hollywood do more for US Soft Power than Lincoln or Washington.
– Maitreya
Oh – given how Gandhi was an influence on Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement… I would say that Rai (much like Ziyi) comes in a very distant second on that comparsion.
You’re right. But that was many years ago.
I don’t think that the YOUNG generation in the US cares more about Gandhi than Ashwariya Rai. Even some NRI’s children whom I know are the same because they have not received such education. But they can easily come to know through the media etc. about actresses and such other things.
However, it seems that the PRC is hell bent on dominating the ‘soft power market’ if I can call it that!
Oh, you would be surprised at the influence that Gandhi/Mr. King have spawned – even in today’s kids – it all depends on who has taken up the gauntlet to continue the cause – and if they are in the news. World wide, the closest I can think was Nelson Mandela.
As far as the powers to be in Beijing trying to copy the efforts of these men… sorry, does not compute – given that founder of the party was Mao.
People in China can wear blue jeans and drink coca cola and still be as anti-American as they come. I’m not sure that Zhang Ziyi can do anything for China’s influence, no matter how popular she is.
There’s a diff between making a pledge to donate and actually donating it.
So I would give ZZY the benefit of doubt that she is, yes, really having to chase “donors” to fulfil their commitments.
Wealthy people earn cheap “face” by pledging at big functions and there’s peer pressure to out-do each other with charity.
But ponying up the actual cash is the tough bit. Once I had to threaten the secretary of a wellknown woman that if she did not pay and pick up what she had promised, I would come physically to her office to get her cheque.
It was a bluff, but it worked. Dis DonorGate thing is threatening to engulf a number of other mainland stars.
But ZZY is not stupid in naming Giorgio Armani. She endorses GA for a fee, so was just fulfilling her contract.
Hi, and thank you for the helpful information. Keep me posted through email when you have new postings.
Thank you
Cheers from cloudy Vancouver, Canada
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