About
Connecting the creative and culture industries in China and the UK
连结中英两国文化创意产业的纽带
The China Media Centre is Europe’s only organisation specializing in the world’s largest media system. It was launched on 17 June 2005 by the BBC’s Jeremy Paxman and Sun Yusheng, Deputy President of China Central Television.
The China Media Centre has three main areas of activity.
First research, into various aspects of China’s media system.
Second, Knowledge Transfer. The Centre has managed briefings for Hunan Broadcasting, Shanghai Media Group, Shenzhen Television and other leading media organisations on management and ideas in the UK creative industries.
Third, public awareness of China. Aside from seminars in 11, Downing Street, and in Parliament the Centre manages a wide variety of public events.
中国传媒中心是欧洲唯一一个致力于中国传媒研究的学术机构。它成立于2005年，由英国广播公司（BBC）的头牌主播Jeremy Paxman和中央电视台副台长孙玉胜先生共同创立。
中国传媒中心主要组织三个方面的活动：
第一，学术研究。全方位，多角度的研究中国传媒系统。
第二，实务培训。三年来，中心多次为湖南广电集团，上海媒体集团，深圳广电集团及其它中国著名传媒机构提供节目制作和媒体管理课程，为其介绍英国创意产业的最新观点和操作系统。
第三，公益活动。中国传媒中心举办大型活动向英国各界人士介绍中国社会与文化发展。其中包括2006年在唐宁街11号财政大臣官邸举办的“评估中国”系列讲座和2007年2月至7月间的“英国议会中国专题听证会”。
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PRESENT POSITION
The China Media Centre was launched by BBC’s Jeremy Paxman and Sun Yusheng, Deputy President of China Central Television, on 17 June 2005.
It comprises a team of researchers, led by Professor Hugo de Burgh, Director of the China Media Centre with expertise in
- - Chinese media policy
- - Professionalism in media management
- - New media
- - Journalism in Chinese society and polity
- - Television programming and
- - Magazine publishing
- - Modern Chinese cultural change
and the Knowledge Transfer Manager, Alja Kranjec, with part-time paid admin and marketing backup from students.
Intimately involved in the Centre and its activities is Professor Colin Sparks, who, though not a China specialist is very knowledgeable about the Chinese media and has a high reputation in China. Increasingly involved is development economics specialist Professor Paul Reynolds.
The Centre’s activities to date include:
- Research and publication in academic conferences and journals
- Knowledge Transfer
- London-wide academic seminars on China
- Conferences and Seminars for leading UK decision-makers
- Presentations and networking events for visiting Chinese officials
- Events for MAD master and bachelor students from China, in London
- MAD alumni events in China
- Development of Third-party relationships
Original idea
The CMC was originally conceived of as a small centre of university research into Chinese media in the conventional, narrow, sense. It was to contribute to the RAE but also it was hoped that it might be able to earn enough money through ‘consultancy’ to become self sustaining. The Quintin Hogg Trust was prepared to fund it for 5 years.
Achievements to date
The CMC has been particularly successful in
(1) making its mark as a source of knowledge about China,
(2) managing the Westminster Hearings in Parliament
(3) attracting Knowledge Transfer contracts
(4) cooperating with Chinese institutions
The CMC is very well networked in the China policy world in the UK and the media scene in China.
Organisations with which we are working in China
- * Hunan Broadcasting, China (2 projects completed)
- * State Council Information Office (SCIO) (2 projects completed)
- * Shanghai Media Group (SMG) (1 project completed)
- * Southern Media Group (1 project completed)
- * FCO public diplomacy challenge fund (1 project completed)
- * Shenzhen Media Group (1 project completed)
- * China Central Television (CCTV) (prospect – Hugo de Burgh did a public lecture there for marketing purposes)
- * Communication University of China (CUC) where Colin Sparks is a Visiting Professor
- * Tsinghua University – Colin Sparks and Hugo de Burgh have honorary positions here. de Burgh is a visiting professor and spent three months at Tsinghua early 2007; he has just been appointed to the Advisory Board of Tsinghua, representing Western Europe.
- * Shandong University where Hugo de Burgh is a Visiting Professor and Geoffrey Davies a Visiting Lecturer
Research (Academic)
Individually, members of CMC (Lecturers, Post-Doctoral Fellows, PhD candidates) have interesting research projects and publication track records, which are contributing to the Research Unit’s score.
Professional Briefings
The CMC has carried out a number of highly profitable professional training courses for senior members of Chinese government and media organisations:
Foreign & Commonwealth Office - Public Diplomacy Challenge Fund project
Organised by the CMC in conjunction with the FCO and Tsinghua University. Paid for by the FCO
- 5 workshops held around China
- Attended by journalists, senior press and propaganda officers from a wide range of Chinese central and local government organisations and the Beijing Olympics Committee
- UK journalists were also involved, including: Jonathan Watts the Guardian’s Beijing correspondent; and Nick Mackie the BBC correspondent based in Chongqing
- A group of 10 senior Chinese officials was also attending a course in London
State Council Information Office
- The State Council of the People’s Republic of China is the highest executive organ of State power, as well as the highest organ of State administration
- CMC was asked to deliver high level briefings on UK Government media relations to senior members of the SCIO staff in London to learn about how the British government deals with the media
- Visited senior UK media handlers, Downing Street and the BBC
Hunan Broadcasting
- Professional training courses covering creativity and innovation in television
- 2 held in the UK
Southern Media Group (TVS)
- Professional training course for journalists and TV broadcasters
- Covering new trends in documentary making in Britain
Shanghai Media Group (SMG)
- Creativity and Innovation in Television: A Special Short Course for the Shanghai Media Group
Events
The Centre runs a large number of events
The Centre runs seminars:
- * Academic seminars in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 (some were organised jointly with the Centre of Chinese Studies, SOAS) All held in Regent Street and open to postgraduates of any college or university
- * ‘The China Impact Seminars’, March-April 2005, in the Carlton Club
- * 11, Downing Street seminars (produced content for the ‘Valuing China’ Smith Institute Seminars, held in the home of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 2005 & 2006
- * Westminster Hearings, 2007. See appendix for datasheet publicising the events
- * Modernisation, Modernity & the Media in China- in June 2006
- * Half-day CMC seminar – “Chinese Media & Society”- in November 2005, speakers included Professor Guo Zhenzhi from Tsinghua University and Dr. Cao Qing from Liverpool John Moores University.
- * “Opportunities and Obstacles for Foreign Media in China” and “Media and Culture Industry Changesin the Age of Pre-and Post- Party Congress”, Dr Hu Zhengrong, December 2007
Third party relationships
The Centre has developed relationships with the following organizations and individuals:
- * McKinsey & Co. – knowledge partner for the Westminster Hearings
- * Great Britain China Centre – Katie Lee (Director)
- * Ben Chapman MP – Chair, All Party Parliamentary Group on China
- * Peter Luff MP – Chair, Trade and Industry Select Committee
- * Chinese Embassy
- * Smith Institute – Director Wilf Stevenson is, like Hugo de Burgh, a former colleague of the present Prime Minister.
- * Chatham House & Strategic China Ltd. (Kerry Brown)
- de Burgh appointed an honorary fellow of the influential 48 Group in 2007
- Good contacts with various members, including Chairman of the 48 Group, Stephen Perry
PLAN
CMC is about to be expanded with new posts and scope. The original premises upon which the CMC was founded are that
1. The University has a media school justifiably claiming to be a leader of both research and professional formation for journalism in particular and the media generally
2. The University of Westminster has longstanding connections with Chinese media institutions
3. The media are enormously important elements of the Chinese political establishment and, as such, provide opportunities for understanding Chinese society and its decision makers
These premises still hold good. But we should now extend our appreciation to the new ways in which Westminster’s particularities may be turned to good account in the relations between China and the UK.
We will expand the concept of media to include the culture and creative industries, in which our parent School, Media, Arts & Design is a leading educator.
China is already promoting these industries nationwide and seeking knowledge abroad; all major cities have, or are developing, policies aimed at driving the culture and creative industries by
- · Changing education
- · Building infrastructure
- · Seeking international experience
- · Realizing economic value of culture
- · Encouraging creativity and innovation
- · Funding research projects
- · Providing think tanks.
Furthermore, China’s leading universities, Tsinghua and Peking, with both of which CMC has good connections, have centres focusing on the culture and creative industries.
Over several years, UK Government has put resources into the ‘economicisation’ of these industries and stressed their value to London in particular; emphasized the benefits of trade and cultural relations with China to the UK, and London especially.
The Australian government has funded Queensland University of technology to act as the conduit between the sector in China and Australia, an investment which has both yielded worthwhile academic product and led to the establishment of business joint ventures and increased cultural contacts.
In this climate, and given that the China Media Centre is located within the School of Media, Arts and Design, it is logical to extend our interests into this sector, rather than restrict ourselves to a narrow and conventional understanding of ‘Media’.
Already we have colleagues in other areas of the School and the University who either already are working in the sector with China, or could and would easily do so, with CMC help. Their specialisms include:
- · Photography
- · Recorded music
- · Animation
- · Media management
- · Journalism
- · PR
- · IT (esp video games)
- · Intellectual property
- · Fashion
- · Other areas with potential
- · Architecture
- · Film
- · Advertising
- · Magazine publishing
The University is currently considering how best to build upon the successes of the CMC to invest in its expansion into these fields in order to ensure continuing achievement.
Biographies of current staff
Director, CMC; Professor of Journalism
Worked as a Television Journalist for 15 years; 10 years as a media academic before joining the University in 2004. Aside from academic books on journalism and Chinese media, he has published a commercial book, China Friend or Foe? and will in 2009 publish a book on the future of our country in ‘the age of China’.
Alja Kranjec
Knowledge Transfer Manager, China Media Centre
B.Sc. (Hons) in Japanology and a B.Sc. (Hons) Sinology. Scholarship from the Japanese Government. Translator in Slovenia and worked on 16th Biennial Conference of the European Association of Chinese Studies 2006. Actively involved in management of the Westminster Hearings. Manages courses for visiting Chinese officials and major contracts with partner organisations, providing support for research projects, courses events carried out by the CMC, including management of casual staff members, coordinating translation and other research-related activities; keeping accounts. Devising work plans.
Dr Zeng Rong
Responsible for maintaining contacts with Chinese institutions
