ESSAY: THE CCTV DILEMMA: TO XI OR NOT TO XI?
It can't be easy, polishing the news to make Xi shine -Concocting the image of a strong, knowledgeable leader by sleight of hand -Too much? -Too little? -How to best manufacture a personality cult?
All of the examples of CCTV’s Xi coverage depicted below are taken from the Xinwen Lianbo evening news program of June 26, 2024. Many re-runs are included.
It’s just one day in the machinations of the media machine, just one cycle of brainwash, rinse and repeat, just one episode of TV propaganda designed to prop up the cult of the peerless visionary.
CCTV producers are under great pressure to show their great leader to be a uniquely brilliant, accomplished and inspirational visionary, a truly historical personage who has a plan for a New Era of shared global humanity and multilateralism, a man who is always right and never wrong, and even if and when he is wrong, he’s not wrong, because he’s above criticism, so he might as well be perfect.
The June 26 news opens with a diplomatic event:
Xi Jinping meets with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh
Xi Jinping stressed that China's adherence to comprehensively deepening reform and promoting Chinese-style modernization will bring new opportunities for the two sides.
ed. note (“met with” is a nice neutral term for the exchange of views between two unequals but when you look at the footage more closely, it looks more like a lecture than a conversation CCTV likes the shot of Vietnam’s Prime Minister humbly taking notes as China’s leader speaks. They like it enough to recycle it several times.
More generally, CCTV favors Xi in every shot. He’s the alpha and the omega, he gets the first word in, he talks the longest and often gets the last word, too.
Xi: “Building a strategically significant China-Vietnam community with a shared future is in line with the needs of the two countries' respective modernization construction and is conducive to maintaining regional peace and stability and promoting the development of the world socialist cause. China is willing to strengthen strategic guidance with Vietnam and focus on the overall goal of "six mores" and adhere to unity and friendship and firmly support each other and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and work together towards modernization and make greater contributions to world peace, stability, development and prosperity.”
Xi: The two sides should maintain high-level exchanges and jointly promote high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road"
The two sides should properly handle maritime issues, accelerate the promotion of joint development at sea, and jointly maintain regional peace and stability.”
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Pham: “Vietnam sincerely congratulates China on its all-round great achievements under the wise leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping, and positively evaluates China's important role as an engine and ballast stone for world economic growth. Vietnam hopes to learn from China's new theories, practices and achievements in governing the party and the country, and work with China to adhere to the socialist path and achieve common development. Thanks to the Chinese Party and Government for their valuable help in Vietnam's realization of national independence and national development. Vietnam supports China's position on the Taiwan issue and firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and regards deepening strategic mutual trust and practical cooperation between Vietnam and China and building a community with a shared future of strategic significance as the top priority and strategic choice of Vietnam's foreign policy, and will not be disrupted by external provocations and interference. The successful state visit of General Secretary Xi Jinping to Vietnam last year was a historical milestone in Vietnam-China relations.”
In other news,
1) Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the People's Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, recently wrote back to cadres and people of all ethnic groups in Jingning She Autonomous County, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province
2) Xi Jinping pointed out that reform and opening up is an important magic weapon for the cause of the Party and the people to catch up with the times. Xi Jinping has made major strategic arrangements for comprehensively deepening reform with great historical initiative, great political courage and a strong sense of responsibility
“Faced with numerous reform tasks and unprecedented reform pressure General Secretary Xi Jinping personally presided over more than 70 meetings of the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reform and the Central Committee for Comprehensively Deepening Reform pushing forward the comprehensive deepening of reform and creatively proposing the overall goal of comprehensively deepening reform…”
Got that? Don’t let the obtuse CCP word salad lead you astray. Look at the pictures! The next section, a lengthy one, is ostensibly about “comprehensively deepening reform” but it’s basically just one long glorious paean to Xi Jinping and stresses how all good in China accrues to him so what reform means is that he really needs to be given even more power so that he can reform the country even more.
CCTV viewers know that cold openings are rare, and that Xi is best introduced with some scenic footage first. It’s usually a range of aerial vistas and birds in flight (someone at CCTV really likes birds) or communist headquarters and fluttering red flags, but today’s intro also includes ecstatic children.
Getting that tingly feeling yet?
Spot the Xi-mobile?
And here he is…
So famous, and yet…so honorable, well-behaved and humble!
Other times the big man is introduced with skylines and flaming forges, because this is a true socialist who knows how his steel is made.
The Great Hall, China’s nod to democracy, is also an apt intro shot for the dictator.
If Xi sez it, it’s the party line, and if it’s the line, a book will be born. Or at least a pamphlet or article to be widely distributed and studied carefully.
Red flags are the perfect introduction for Xi for the busy editor running out of ideas.
Jets, boats, bombs, rockets and other images of military prowess are also suitable warm-up shots to establish a strong lead-in to the unprepossessing leader of China.
Xi: “Over the past 10 years reforms have been fully connected and coupled constantly forming a "chemical reaction" of "1+1>2", and many fields have achieved historic changes, systematic reshaping, and overall reconstruction.”
(ed. note — Didn’t Orwell say something about 2+2 >4?)
Tingle, tingle. A historical personage is about to descend from the heavens….
The Xi-mobile carries its VIP passenger in bespoke comfort as he travels the realm.
Hi! Ho! For major events, Xi is trailed by the Seven Factotums of the Politburo. For more ordinary site visits, a small entourage of local officials walks in his wake.
If the grass is green and the rice growing tall, CCTV can tell you exactly why.
It was this big…
Xi: “We have overcome many difficulties and obstacles and have comprehensively deepened reform and expanded opening up to usher in a new era of great momentum. On the journey of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with the inexhaustible power of comprehensively deepening reform we will surely write a new chapter of Chinese-style modernization!”
Xi: “We must strengthen the Party’s centralized and unified leadership over the comprehensive deepening of reform…”
If commerce and industry are in blossom, can Xi be far behind?
CCTV: “Xi has written a new chapter of the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, providing a more complete institutional guarantee, a more solid material foundation, and a more proactive spiritual force for China's modernization.”
If China is making strident claims about sovereignty at sea, can Xi be far behind?
If the people can’t get enough of the latest rock star sighting, can Xi be far behind?
If China is making great leaps forward in science and industry, can Xi be far behind?
Xi: “The wind is strong, the sails are hoisted high, and the giant ship of China is moving forward towards the grand goal of becoming a strong and rejuvenated country!”
Giant ship, indeed!
General Secretary Xi Jinping has a profound insight into the laws of historical development
If minorities can be seen happily dancing in colorful outfits, can Xi be far behind?
If you see a stunning sunset over the Great Wall, can the Great Leader be far behind?
If CCTV shows a rainbow over surging waters, can Xi be far behind?
They get Xi. They are so lucky to be Chinese under the rule of so enlightened a leader.
Not only is today’s youth being inculcated with his profound vision, but his ideas are being written in stone, in keeping with the practice of emperors of old. For example, consider this gem of Xi thought:
“Green mountains are gold mountains and silver mountains”
It’s written in the fields…
And don’t forget the 12 commandments of the CCP with Xi as the core in which only prosperity is valued more than democracy.
Xi’s ideas can also readily be found in print in the many dozens of books he’s written, hundreds of important articles pumped out by state media and in official books compiling his speeches and ideas. Xi books abound, from the classroom to the local state-run bookstore.
Xi is the teacher of all teachers, the teacher of the century, the teacher for all time.
In other news, a People’s Daily commentary:
Courageously marching towards the grand goal of building a strong country in science and technology - On studying and implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches
Tune in tomorrow for the latest manifestations in the cult of Xi, the man that CCTV can’t seem to get enough of.
Zai jian!
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