I'll answer this questions up front and center, it's propaganda. It's propaganda just barely entertaining enough to pass off as a television show. Imagine Saturday Night Live, if it were run by the government in a dystopian future and emphasized the musical guests over the sketches. In the run up to midnight this year, the gala included a 5 minute video about how great Xi Jinping is, finishing with a shot of China's aircraft carrier. In Chinese the sailors on the flight deck said listen to the party and we will win this. Though what the Hell they were talking about winning no one seems to know. So instead of seeing a ball drop and a million people celebrate, you get to watch an overweight politician who looks like a cat shake hands. But this is all most people know. At least the ones who haven't traveled abroad.
Many of the sketches feature famous Chinese comedians. Many ambassadors also make pre-recorded appearances wishing viewers, "Happy New Year," usually in English. After chatting with a friend and fellow English teacher over the weekend, I have come to the conclusion that the need for laowai approval is off-putting at best. The Spring Festival Gala certainly embodies this need. It seems the longer I live here the madder this self-imposed inferiority complex makes me. It troubled me that the ambassadors didn't use their native languages to wish viewers a happy new year, instead speaking English.
Apparently many Chinese agree with me. The South China Morning Post ran a story today about the response to the Gala on Weibo (Chinese Twitter). Weibo users riticized the shows preaching about corruption. Many people have told me that mocking the event on the social networking site has become something of a tradition in its own right. I imagine its similar to people making fun of the Oscars, Superbowl, or Dick Clark's New Year's Rocking Eve. However, no Chinese equivalent of "Left Shark" has appeared in the pop culture lexicon this year, at least not yet.
The Gala serves its purpose, giving us a reason to cluster around the television on a night best spent with family. Yes it's glitzy propaganda with low production values, but sometimes its okay for things to be entertaining for the wrong reasons. Where else can you see Beijing Opera and street dancing in uncomfortably close proximity. Most of the sketches no one laughed at in our house, but that isn't really why we were watching it.
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| Mr. Xi appeared in lots of stock images wearing Mao suits |
Many of the sketches feature famous Chinese comedians. Many ambassadors also make pre-recorded appearances wishing viewers, "Happy New Year," usually in English. After chatting with a friend and fellow English teacher over the weekend, I have come to the conclusion that the need for laowai approval is off-putting at best. The Spring Festival Gala certainly embodies this need. It seems the longer I live here the madder this self-imposed inferiority complex makes me. It troubled me that the ambassadors didn't use their native languages to wish viewers a happy new year, instead speaking English.
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| This year's mascot. There has been much debate about whether this year's animal in the Chinese Zodiac translates into sheep, ram, or goat |
The Gala serves its purpose, giving us a reason to cluster around the television on a night best spent with family. Yes it's glitzy propaganda with low production values, but sometimes its okay for things to be entertaining for the wrong reasons. Where else can you see Beijing Opera and street dancing in uncomfortably close proximity. Most of the sketches no one laughed at in our house, but that isn't really why we were watching it.
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