CCTV FOLLIES 12.31 BROUGHT TO YOU BY MAOTAI
-Xinwen Lianbo is introduced by a Maotai commercial as CCTV's Maotai clock ticks down -A Maotai afficionado surnamed Xi gives a speech! -China is doing great under the influence -China&Russia forever!
The coiled dragon shown in majestic repose.
THE EMPEROR SPEAKS!
A series of august establishing shots, mostly along the imperial axis of Beijing, hint that a most distinguished, celestial and imperial presence is about to be introduced.
The highlight of Xi’s annual New Year speech for many is to see what new pictures he’s placed on the bookshelf of books that lines his gleaming Potemkin study.
There’s a picture of himself, and another picture of himself, and a picture of him with other people and another picture of himself. There’s an old family picture with wife Peng Liyuan and daughter Mingze. Information about the latter is tightly controlled and her countenance is never revealed to the press, but here it’s okay to show her as she’s just a baby in this shot.
“Greetings to you all! As energy rises after the Winter Solstice, we are about to bid farewell to the old year and usher in the new. From Beijing, I extend my best New Year wishes to each and every one of you! In 2023, we have continued to forge ahead with resolve and tenacity. We have gone through the test of winds and rains, have seen beautiful scenes unfolding on the way, and have made plenty real achievements. We will remember this year as one of hard work and perseverance. Going forward, we have full confidence in the future.”
Is it just me or is CCTV finally starting to cut Xi Jinping down to size?
Nah, looks like the personality cult is still in full force with Xi reigning supreme.
THE MESSAGE SHIFTS FROM “WE” TO “ME”
“While pursuing its development, China has also embraced the world and fulfilled its responsibility as a major country. We held the China-Central Asia Summit and the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, and hosted leaders from across the world at many diplomatic events held in China. I also paid visits to a number of countries, attended international conferences, and met many friends, both old and new. I shared China's vision and enhanced common understandings with them. No matter how the global landscape may evolve, peace and development remain the underlying trend, and only cooperation for mutual benefit can deliver.”
The desk in the Potemkin office is preternaturally clean, but Xi’s pencils are nicely sharpened and ready to be put to work when he writes his next book.
XI IS DEEPLY MOVED
“Along the way, we are bound to encounter headwinds. Some enterprises had a tough time. Some people had difficulty finding jobs and meeting basic needs. Some places were hit by floods, typhoons, earthquakes or other natural disasters. All these remain at the forefront of my mind. When I see people rising to the occasion, reaching out to each other in adversity, meeting challenges head-on and overcoming difficulties, I am deeply moved.”
The full text of Xi’s new year speech can be found here on this link to Xinhua.
Xi’s BFF from Russia gets his due, as BFFs always do. After the iconic New Year’s speech, the top news story is all about Putin and Xi exchanging love letters of eternal mutual loyalty and vowing closer integration of the two regimes in the new year and years to come.
It’s a feel good kind of day, and it would be inauspicious to dwell on the negative, so CCTV floods the zone with beautiful shots of beautiful China, before, during and after Xi’s speech, and closes the program with more scenic shots, accompanied by the irritating ear-worm tune of “I love you China”
As Xi modestly expounds on his own extraordinary accomplishments and those of the CCP, we are treated to some ravishing images of China, from the arid west to humid east, from the Yellow River to the Yangtze.
(And from Hong Kong to Taiwan.)
“We will continue to support Hong Kong and Macao in harnessing their distinctive strengths, better integrating themselves into China's overall development, and securing long-term prosperity and stability. China will surely be reunified, and all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”
Jets, ships, rockets and subs.
In closing, the close up in Xi’s so-called office in Zhongnanhai is followed by a zoom that jumps a kilometer to the east and concludes with a focus on Tiananmen Gate.
More good news yet to come (including a Cinderella carriage!)
People from all walks of life express their harmonious wishes for the new year.
Even on a bad news day, the good news from China is pretty good, and on high holidays such as this one, it’s near perfect. However, CCTV’s superstitions about showing China in a negative light on positive days does not apply to foreign countries because they are, well, not Chinese.
Today’s two foreign reports are both real downers.
The first is about Israel bombing Gaza, the second is about Ukraine bombing Belgorod in Russia.
The Gaza news shows gun-toting IDF troops, exposed tunnels, bombed out buildings and blurry “resistance” shots of Hamas firing at an IDF tank.
The Russia report on the “Ukraine situation” has an Orwellian twist. Instead of the usual macho missile shots, and Top Gun style Russian pilot shots, the report is gloomy. It puts Russia firmly in the victim category and portrays Ukraine as the cruel oppressor. The facts are not all in on the explosions in Belgorod, but the Kremlin and its Beijing partners see this as a chance to show the world that Russia is an innocent victim in all this. Striking Ukraine is not about invasion, it’s about self-defense!
The above news understandably leaves a bad taste in the mouth, even if Russia and China are best friends forever. It is New Year’s Eve in China, after all, so CCTV provides a much-need propaganda palette cleanser in the form of beautiful scenes from Fujian and rural Guangxi, set to the immortal tune, I love you China!
Happy New Year!
新年快乐!