English-Language Media in China Development and Language Style 新闻传播学英语毕业论文.doc

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On the basis of extensive interviews among the chief executives of almost all the major English-language media in China, the paper first provides an overall review of the development of the English-language media (radio, magazine, news agency, newspaper, TV and internet) in mainland China, which also includes a case study of 21st Century, an English-learning weekly published in Beijing. The paper then turns to analyze the linguistic style and the use of English over the English-language media via a content analysis on the sampled news stories of China Daily from 1981 to 1999, first national English-language daily in the country. In the end, the paper makes an assessment on the English media in the nation in terms of their development patterns, ownership and investment, roles and functions as well as the written style of China English, as proposed by the two writers. Introduction Just like the English-language media in Hong Kong or in any other Chinese community in the world, the English-language media in mainland China have always been minority media in terms of circulation and influence in the Chinese society (Chan, 2000: 323). The marginal role of the English media in China is well demonstrated in the fact that China has, as of 1999, only one English TV channel (CCTV-4), one English radio service (part of China Radio International, CRI) and nine English dailies and weeklies and about ten English magazines (estimate based on personal communication), as compared with 352 Chinese TV stations, 299 Chinese radio stations (Zhao, 2000: 505-506) and 2038 Chinese newspapers (China Journalism Yearbook, 2000: 567). However, despite its marginal role, the existence of the English media in China can be traced back to 150 years ago when foreigners began to establish foreign language media inside China (Huang, 2001:23). Even after the North China Daily News (one of the most influential foreign-owned newspapers in Shanghai) left mainland China in 1951, Radio Peking (now CRI) continued its services in foreign languages including English (Huang, 2001:278) while English magazines such as Beijing Review and China Construct (now China Today) were published. English dailies and weeklies and the English TV channel did not emerge until after 1978 when China began to open up and took on a reform policy to modernize the nation, during which English-language media, like Chinese-language media, saw the fastest development since 1949 and grew more influential even though still limited. On the basis of extensive interviews among the chief executives of almost all the major English-language media in China, this paper first aims to provide an overall review of the development, basically after 1978, of the English-language media (radio, magazine, news agency, newspaper, TV and internet) in mainland China, which also includes a case study of 21st Century, an English-learning weekly. The paper then turns to analyze the linguistic style and the use of English over the English media via a content analysis on the sampled news stories of China Daily from 1981 to 1999, first national English-language daily in the country. In the end, the paper makes an assessment on the English media in China in terms of their development patterns, ownership and investment, roles and functions as well as the written style of China English, as proposed by the two writers. One English-language Media in China: Review For the sake of easy discussions on the development of the English-language media in China since 1978, the writers have divided their discussions on the English media in China in relevance with three traditional media and the new medium: internet. By dividing into Radio Era, Newspaper Era, Television Era and Symbiosis Era, the writers do not maintain that one medium can negate or overshadow other media. In fact, the division has been made simply to follow the sequence of radio- -newspaper-television-internet as they emerged in the international communication in China. In addition, even though it is extremely necessary, the writers do not make clear starting and ending points for each era because, first of all, it is difficult and even impossible for the two writers to do so, and secondly the writers assume all the English-language media in China have, in fact, played their respective and unique roles in the process of Chinas international communication. 1. Radio Era Although the international communication in China in this Era may be characterized by radio services, particularly the English Service, the English-language media can still include English magazines and even the English news release of Xinhua News Agency. It may include the media organizations both at the central level and at the regional level. 1.1 Radio Inaugurated on December 3, 1943, China Radio International (CRI, formerly Radio Beijing) has in fact been the major channel and the only international radio service available in China that targets foreign listeners all over the world, (Zhang Zhenhua, former director of CRI, personal communication, 2000), particularly when new China was blocked off from the outside since 1949 by foreign countries and later by such kind of campaigns as the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Now with a total daily programming of 192 hours in 43 languages with English and Chinese broadcast globally, CRI reaches about 240 million listeners 1 in more than 200 countries and regions through 10 transmitting stations in China and eight relay stations in Europe, Africa and the Americas. In terms of the number of languages used and broadcast hours, the volume of listeners letters and total transmission power, CRI ranks among the top in the world and is one of the most influential international broadcasters in the world. It is estimated that CRI enjoys more influence among the developing and underdeveloped countries (Zhang, 2001: CRI pamphlet). The CRIs English Service has always been one of its most important divisions which was founded on September 11, 1947 and now offers over 60 broadcast hours per day, with about 60 million overseas listeners from more than 100 countries and regions (Zhang,2001:website). The programs of the English Service are comprehensive, which focus on news, features and music programs, including popular programs such as Talk to the Minister, People in the know, Sports World, China Horizons, Voices from Other Lands, Life in China, Listeners' Garden and In the Spotlight. It is acknowledged that the CRI English Service is one of the world's most effective and convenient media to learn about China and that CRI's English Service has become a popular choice of domestic listeners as well who want to keep informed with current affairs, learn English and enjoy music(Zhang, 2001:website). As more foreign tourists came to visit China in the early 1990s, regional English radio services also came into being. On October 1, 1992, Shanghai Calling, the first regional English Service, was officially launched by Shanghai Peoples Radio Station. At the beginning, Shanghai Calling broadcast for about 12 hours a day, focusing on the local news, weather, music and services for foreigners in the local area (Zhu, 1992: 2). In the same year, Radio Guangdong was started, appealing to the local audience in the Pearl Delta area in South China (Ranny Lei, vice head of International News Section of Guangdong TV Station, personal communication, June 11, 2001). On May 8, 2001, Beijing also started a three-hour English service known as Touch English, targeting Beijing listeners with local news and Chinese culture, information about easy life in Beijing. Touch English aimed to create a better language environment in the capital and to help raise the current 15 % English-speaking population to 30% by the year 2008, as part of the bidding effort for the 2008 Olympics (Sina website). However, except for Touch English which has just been started for the sake of the 2008 Olympics, other regional English radio services have been shrinking and are almost diminishing to non-existence. Shanghai Calling ceased broadcasting in 1998 and now only relays the English broadcasts of CRI (He Guangyu, deputy director of Editor-in-Chiefs Office, Shanghai Peoples Radio Station, personal communication, June 11, 2001). 1.2 Magazines Before 1981 when China Daily was launched, except for English radio services, the only other English media available in China are English magazines such as Beijing Review, China Today, China Pictorial and China Women, all sponsored by such Beijing-based organizations as China Foreign Language Publication Administration and All-China Womens Federation. The total circulation of all the magazines published by the China International Publishing Group is 100,000 copies both domestically and overseas (Jiang, 2001). Launched on March 5, 1958, Beijing Review started as the first multi-lingual news weekly in China, published in English, Japanese, French, German and Spanish. Since early 2001, the full-color English edition will be the only printed form of Beijing Review, with all other editions be published on the Internet (China Net Website). China Today is a monthly magazine published in five languages including English. The first issue of China Pictorial was published in 1950, and late Chairman Mao Zedong inscribed the title for the magazine. China Pictorial is also a monthly magazine and published in Chinese, English, French, German and Spanish. During the past 50 years, China Pictorial has mainly focused on changes in China through true-to-life pictures and stories (China Net website). Women of China, launched in 1956, is a comprehensive English all-color monthly on the life of Chinese women. In addition, local English magazines were published in big cities like Shanghai. Shanghai Today is a monthly that reports on the culture in Shanghai (Zhang Ciyun, editor-in-chief of Shanghai Daily, personal communication, June 11, 2001). Some specialized journals such as Chinese Medical Journal (English edition) are also available in China. They are normally published by associations of the kinds. For instance, China Medical Journal (English edition) is published by the Chinese Medical Association (Medical Journal website). 1.3 English Release of Xinhua News Agency Although it is not a medium directly targeting audience, the English news release of Xinhua News Agency also plays an important role in the international communication in China. The English news release of Xinhua News Agency started on September 1, 1944 with a staff of only three (Ju, 1994:12). Now the English news release has become a major information source for media institutions in China and in the world as well. It is estimated in 1999 that Xinhua now releases more than 260 news stories and two feature stories in English each day to about 1,000 news media in more than 100 countries (Guo, 2000: 54). The English release of Xinhua News Agency may be large enough for a news agency in a non-native country, but the news flow still can not be compared with the news agencies in English-speaking countries. Therefore, its influence is still limited to some degree (Yang Guoqiang, head of VIP News Section of Xinhua, personal communication, 2001). 2. Newspaper Era Before 1951, China had several influential English newspapers, most of them were located in Shanghai, such as North China Daily News, Celestial Empire and Shanghai Mercury. But during the next thirty years, the existence of English newspapers was virtually made impossible by continuous political campaigns, which basically isolated China from the rest of the world. In this sense, the launching of 12-page China Daily, the first national English daily, on June 1, 1981, means more than just an English-language newspaper. “It signifies that an open China is integrating itself with the world and therefore needs an English-language daily for effective and better international communication.” (ZHU Yinghuang, editor-in-chief of China Daily, personal communication, 2000). And the China Daily Group has, since its launching, become the most dominant newspaper in China. 2.1 China Daily Group As the first and only national English-language newspaper in China, China Daily started with the financial support from government. However, after 20 years, the Daily has now grown into the only financially independent English newspaper group with eight publications including China Daily, China Daily Hong Kong Edition, China Daily Web Edition, Business Weekly, Shanghai Star published in Shanghai, Beijing Weekend and Reports from China as well as the 21st Century, an English education weekly designed to promote the use of English and the understanding of world current affairs among those who are learning and speaking English (see Case Study). Its financial independence may have benefited from its editorial policy of being not only informative but also educational to its readers. With a distribution of 300,000 copies in 150 countries and regions every day, including 250,000 copies domestically, 35,000 in North America and Europe and 15,000 in Hong Kong, China Daily has surely become one of the most influential information sources in English in China and a center for learning English as well. It has so far become the most cited English-language media by foreign media in China and also one of the few English media in China that can influence