[ecrea] cfp CHINESE CULTURE ON THE WORLD STAGE

CHINESE CULTURE ON THE WORLD STAGE

AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ORGANISED BY THE CENTRE FOR MEDIA AND
COMMUNICATION RESEARCH, SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION, HONG KONG BAPTIST
UNIVERSITY



JOINTLY SPONSORED BY

THE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM, PEOPLE'S UNIVERSITY OF CHINA

THE CHINA MEDIA CENTRE, UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER



15-17 JUNE 2012



China is now the second largest economy in the world, but the international
impact of Chinese culture does not reflect that reality.  Compared even to
much smaller countries, Chinese films, music, television, books and other
media have only a small presence in the world.  Compared to the USA, still
by far the world's largest economy, China lags far behind in exporting its
culture to the world.

                The Chinese government has made a major effort to change
this situation.  Cinema films have made some inroads in the global market.
There are hundreds of Confucius Institutes around the world teaching Chinese
language and culture.  Two new international news channels have been
launched and China Radio International has expanded its services in an
attempt to challenge the hegemony of western views of world events.
English-language newspapers are published in Beijing, in the USA and in
Europe.

                Some other cultural producers, notably publishers and
broadcasters, are also trying to find a way into international markets
through the commercial route.   They are learning the most advanced
techniques, forming alliances with international producers and trying to use
their undoubted strength inside China as a platform for global success.

                This conference will consider the prospects for these routes
to international cultural influence.  There have been some very positive
results, but so far the success of both strategies has been uneven.  Some
films have found substantial markets but others have been less successful.
Confucius Institutes have been established in many countries, but in some
the number of people seriously studying Chinese language and culture remains
small.  The provision of international news, both broadcast and in print,
has not so far found a substantial audience in any of the key markets.  CNN
is still the dominant international news broadcaster and its main
challengers are still the BBC and Al Jazeera.  International commercial
success also remains limited.  The main audiences for exported Chinese TV
programmes, for example, are still to be found in the Chinese diaspora.
Even in East Asia, China lags behind Japan and Korea as a source of popular
cultural artefacts.

                The reasons for these successes and setbacks are not fully
understood, nor are the strategies that might lead to greater influence
generally accepted.  The organisers invite papers from interested scholars
in China and internationally that advance our understanding of these issues.
Our interests include, but are not limited to:

.           The diffusion of Chinese language and culture through education

.           Strategies for winning an audience for Chinese-produced
international news

.           International perceptions of China's "Going Out" strategy

.           The international audience for Chinese media

.           Strengths and weaknesses of Chinese creative industries in the
global market

The conference will take place in the School of Communication, Kowloon Tong,
Hong Kong SAR.  The working language will be English.  Some support with
accommodation and subsistence is available for paper presenters from the
mainland.



Please send abstracts (in English or Chinese) to Dr Kimmy Cheng
((comdconf /at/ hkbu.edu.hk); telephone +852-3411-7499) by 1st March 2012.
Decisions as to presentations will be sent by 15th March.



The organisers hope to be able to publish a book containing final versions
of the best papers presented at the conference.




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