This weekend, Chinese state media outlet People’s Daily posted a new propaganda video for the People’s Republic of China, titled “This Is Me, the People’s Republic of China” (“这就是我, 中华人民共和国”).
The online video was announced using the hashtag “PRC National Image Online Promo Video” (#国家形象网宣片PRC#) and soon received thousands of comments.
The 2.5-minute video shows various scenes, featuring China’s historical landmarks, nature scenes, rocket launches, pandas, and people-centered scenes, including Olympic successes.
A female voice-over says in English:
“This is me.
Ancient, and profound.
This is also me.
Young, and open.”
“This is me.
Prosperous and enterprising.
This is also me.
Friendly and peace-loving.”
“This was me before.
[Showing dry pieces of lad and men in mao suits]
Impoverished and weak.
This is me too.
With a dream in my heart,
[Showing rocket launch]
I never stopped trying.”
“I own a vast territory.
But not an inch shall be lost.”
“I have more than 1.4 billion people.
And I care about each of them.”
“I hold the firm belief that hard work begets miracles,
strength comes from unity.”
“I know that it’s the people who always have my back,
and give me confidence.”
“I am fully aware that humanity is a whole.
And the Earth is home to us all. “
“I look forward to joining hands with countries all over the world.
To meet the challenges and share the opportunities. “
[English-language female voice-over changes into Xi Jinping’s voice in Chinese]
“With the persistent efforts of one generation after another, we have taken China to where it is today. “
“Today, we must press on courageously,
to make tomorrow’s China a better place.”
[English-language female voice-over returns:]
“I am.. the People’s Republic of China.”
The new video comes after a series of propaganda videos over the past years, although it differs in various ways.
Its tone is somewhat similar to a public service TV ad by the Chinese Communist Party titled “Who Am I,” which was aired in 2016. That video, created in celebration of the 95th anniversary of the Party, also had a first-person narrator voice-over, and included texts such as:
“I am the one who is working earliest. I am the one who leaves last. I am the one who does the least for myself.”
It ends with the sentence: “I am the Chinese Communist Party. I will be with you forever.”
This time, the video is not about the Party per se but represents the entire nation instead, incorporating Party ideology. It also uses English to convey its message (using Chinese subtitles), although it seems to be mainly meant for domestic viewers. The use of English underlines the growing importance of China in the world today, and the emphasis on “PRC” in homefront propaganda is also uncommon.
Although the video was widely praised on Chinese social media, it also received criticism.
Some people did not appreciate the way of marketing China as ‘PRC,’ wanting to stick to Chinese characters instead.
Others said they did not like how the video suggested China was “impoverished and weak” before, stressing China’s ancient history and suggesting that it is unreasonable to take a tiny episode of China’s long history and portray the entire country as previously being “poor.”
Then there are those who say the producers are “old-fashioned” and not in sync with times, as they, for example, showed people on skateboards to convey the meaning of China being “young.”
Some people also thought the English voice-over could use some improvements in terms of pronunciation and language.
Neverthless, many commenters also simply like the video, give it their thumbs up, and place a little heart next to the “PRC” text.
Watch the video on Youtube here.
By Manya Koetse
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