written by Chen Libing / translated by Gao Qianqian

Cooperation in Film and TV Enjoys Promising Prospects

written by Chen Libing / translated by Gao Qianqian

Pan-Beibu Gulf Cultural Transmission Cooperation & Innovation Seminar and Launching Ceremony of Films -- Legend of Ocean Passages & Meeting You

Culture is one of the priority areas for the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It constitutes an important part of the exchanges between China and ASEAN, which are becoming increasingly frequent. Bilateral relations have witnessed leaping development and are moving towards the field of film and TV.

21st Century Maritime Silk Road: New Element for Cooperation in Film and TV

“In the planet we live, a blue ribbon has witnessed the ebb and fl ow of history. It has connected the whole world, passed on friendship, born the responsibility of the time, and carried on the great dream.” -- The New Maritime Silk Road.

It is a Chinese-English bilingual TV program broadcast at CCTV-4 and Guangxi TV. It displays the past and present of the “Maritime Silk Road”, arousing wide concern and heated discussion at home and abroad.

Nevertheless, as the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road springs up, China, together with other countries along the Maritime Silk Road, is moving to the field of film and TV. TV dramas themed on the Maritime Silk Road emerge in large numbers.

On May 15, 2014, the launching ceremony of the TV series “Legend of Ocean Passages” was held in Nanning, China. Sponsored by the China Red Tourism International Investment Group, it is shot in six ASEAN countries. As a legendary epic, it is the first ever TV drama themed on the “Maritime Silk Road”, telling historical stories and cultural connotations of the Maritime Silk Road. On the first Silk Road International Film Festival held in Fuzhou on October 15, 2014, the Sil-Metropole Organisation Ltd. and Fuzhou Luyou Culture Company reached an agreement on a Maritime-Silk-Road-themed film, which would be shot in Fuzhou. And the full-sized “Zhenghe” ship used in the film will stay in Fuzhou forever.

Culture sets up a bridge for the exchange of minds, and serves as an inexhaustible force for economic development. Those Maritime-Silk-Road-themed TV dramas will not only give people a better understanding on the Maritime Silk Road, but also exhibit colossal business opportunities for China and other countries along the road to cooperate in fi lm and TV.

The ASEAN Countries Welcome China's Film & TV Agents

“The country is blessed for thousandsof years, and the Silk Road benefits hundreds of generations”. The Maritime Silk Road is an ancient seaway for China’s foreign trade. It has enjoyed a long history and brilliant civilization, as well as rich cultural resources.

Spanning over 2,000 years, the Maritime Silk Road is known to be the oldest maritime route. It has witnessed the development and changes of China and many other countries, known as the “Silk Road”, “Road of Ceramics” and “Road of Tea” in different times. Geologically, the Maritime Silk Road has traversed Southeast Asia, and connected Asia, Africa and Europe. Numerous historic heritages and legends have been left on this ancient route. Diff erent cultures have converged here, forming the diversified culture of the Maritime Silk Road.

If countries along the Maritime Silk Road could jointly tap into the precious historical cultural resources, and show their capabilities in film and TV program production, they would benefi t a lot.

Enterprises are not “fighting alone”. They receive the assistance from the government. At the 2014 “Silk Road Economic Belt Media Cooperation Forum”, assistant to China’s cultural minister Liu Yuzhu claimed, in recent years, in order to support the overall strategy of establishing the Silk Road Economic Belt, China’s Ministry of Culture is working with other related departments for the plan of building the Silk Road Culture Industrial Belt, which aims at promoting the coordinated development of cultural industries of all regions and countries by establishing and improving international cooperation mechanisms for cultural industries, so as to enhance cultural exchanges and trade contacts along the belt.

What is more worth mentioning is that the ten ASEAN countries have extended an olive branch to China’s film industry. At the ASEAN Cultural Week 2014 and ASEAN-China Film & TV Co-production and Tourism Forum, officials from Malaysia declared, apart from beautiful scenery, the Malaysian government grants 30% subsidy for shooting programs authorized by the government. And the envoy and consul of the Philippine Embassy in China introduced, except for the underground water world, verdant tropical jungle, paradiselike countryside and city scenes, the Philippine fi lm development committee would provide services for shooting permits, which are highly effi cient. They have reduced red tape and offer free equipment, transportation and shooting permits.

In the world today, economic globalization has become the mainstream of the world. And it has become a trend for China’s domestic films and TV dramas to be shot in foreign countries. Now, with rich resources and government assistance, film and TV industries of countries along the Maritime Silk Road, by taking the opportunity of building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, are expected to have a bright prospect.

Cross-national Co-production Might be the Trend

The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road covers 64 countries, which have different cultural preferences. In such a context, cross-national co-production might become the mainstream in film and TV industries of China and other countries along the Maritime Silk Road.

“The medium should better combine the diversified cultural elements, further tap into the profound civilization and cultural connotation of the ancient Silk Road, and cooperate in theme selection, program length and production etc. And crossnational co-production is an important way to handle cultural preference”, said Xue Jijun, president of China International Television Corporation.

This means that the cooperation in film and TV will move towards a higher and broader area, like breaking the language barriers and innovating contents so as to enhance mutual understanding.

With regard to this, Ma Runsheng president of China Radio, Film and TV Program Exchange Center, emphasized that, first, efforts must be made to increase the scope of cooperation in program dubbing; second, the degree of internationalization of program technology standards should be raised; third, cultivating a professional team for fi lm and TV program dubbing.

The Maritime Silk Road used to be an important seaway for goods circulation, personnel exchange, and cultural fusion of the East and West, exerting profound infl uence to the social development of China and other countries along the way. Entering the new era, the Maritime Silk Road will once again carry out the historical mission, that is, transferring economic development modes to develop cultural industries, spreading the cultures of different countries, as well as the idea of harmonious development and peaceful coexistence, enhancing mutual understanding among countries, and strengthening cultural identity of the Silk Road Economic Belt, so as to build a bridge that extends in all directions for fi lm and TV. In such a context, China and other countries along the way would enjoy a promising future in fi lm and TV cooperation.