(Continued From Yesterday)
New Media Workshop at China Centre for International Communication Development
The Myanmar Media delegation went to the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration’s headquarters (also called China Centre for International Communication Development (CCICD)) in Beijing on the morning of 24 April. It was established 70 years ago, shortly after the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949. The CFLPA has been exerting a continuous and genuine effort to build bridges for the world to understand China and its culture better. Their primary responsibility is to disseminate China’s stories and cultures to the world. Since 1978, they have used a variety of images in magazines to vividly show the Chinese rural community, culture, and development around the globe. Following China President Xi’s visits to other countries, the CFLPA met foreign counterparts for media cooperation.
The 2024 China-Myanmar New Media Workshop was held at the CCICD. Yin Jie, deputy editor-in-chief of the CCICD, made an opening remark after welcoming the Myanmar media delegation. That is the second time that the CCICD has held a media workshop with Myanmar media representatives since 2019. China and Myanmar share borders and water. China and Myanmar vow to deepen ties in various fields. I hope this workshop will bring you good insight and reap fruitful results.
With the development of artificial intelligence, new media emerged, and we have come to look into matters of media ecology, which perceives media as a structure in which society and culture evolve. Technology, modes of information, and communication play a crucial role in this process.
Kywe Kywe Htike, deputy director of MITV, expressed her appreciation for the invitation to attend the New Media workshop. We visited the Temple of Heaven and gained knowledge the previous day. During our evening visits to Tencent and Kwai, we witnessed China’s advanced technology. The media exchange between the two countries has deepened for years. We have many challenges in transforming into new media. I believe we will apply knowledge from this engaging and impactful New Media workshop in a practical setting in our country. We will share a good message of China to deepen the ties of the two countries, she said.
Afterwards, we studied how short videos can portray our stories from different angles with the use of advanced technology. At present, short videos, documentary videos, and vlogs have become popular trends in New Media and attract more attention with their visual and exciting characteristics.
Cao Huaru, the producer of the International Development Centre, introduced a studio that was founded in 2014, highlighting their documentary filming, a platform to build relations with foreign media outlets and agencies. After founding a studio for a decade, they have more than 200 documentaries and short videos that were shown on CNN, BBC, etc. She presented some documentaries such as Seeing the Future and My Own Experience of China, New Era, New Image, and Sino-foreign joint creative projects and how they make efforts to reflect a good understanding of China’s stories worldwide. The videos cover China’s breakthroughs in science and technology, which imply a new age of Eastern science, a first glimpse of China (shown on Discovery), the life of students in remote areas during the COVID-19 pandemic amid lack of teachers, lightning up Ali, the Guardians of the Pandas (the Chronicle of Fubao’s Birth) and two other videos related to music cooperation. It is essential to show foreign perspectives beyond our views in the short videos to reveal China’s stories to the world, she highlighted.
Another video depicting the struggles of rural students in the shortage of teachers during the pandemic presented the hopes and dreams of the children from their points of view. In filming the documentary, in cooperation with foreign directors, they described how children viewed a situation to attract the viewers. Through this short video, we could learn the importance of technology and development in education. Another short video showed how an England vlogger saw a myriad of changes in Chinese culture after experiencing them as interns in various job industries, such as dragon dance, arts and crafts, farming, AI training, beach waste management, etc.
The documentary of an Engineer’s diary entitled Lightning Up Ali narrates traditional lifestyles and culture in some Tibetan regions in response to modernization. Their mission involves constructing formidable power in the highlands with unpredictable snowstorms. Their dedication to success, eco-friendly plan, setting the equipment and building infrastructure in far-flung areas can be remarkably seen.
The video presenting the Chronicle of Fubao’s birth attracted many viewers worldwide as it portrayed the same feelings for Fubao and cooperation despite the language and cultural differences between China and South Korea. The video became viral on social media platforms. It also promoted friendship between China and South Korea through panda diplomacy.
When we review short videos, it is eye-catching and interesting. Brief clips are trendy in the digital age. The use of AI or VR can appeal to more viewers. From traditional long documentary videos to short videos from the perspective of an individual, it would earn more trust and understanding from the viewers. I hope this exchange will bring about cooperation with Myanmar media and new insights for the viewers to China, she concluded.
The Myanmar media delegation also took the documentary photos at China Review Studio after a series of discussions with New Media.
On the afternoon of 24 April, Peng YiXuan, China Daily’s bilingual reporter, shared how she presented news in the form of new Media under Xiao Peng’s personal Vlog. She elaborated the production process of her Vlogs with innovative background scenes, “See What Xi Sees”, “Breeze from Eurasia”, and “Let Me See Your World” to attract more young people. She exchanged ideas about vlogging and creating content in the areas of politics, society, and culture. She made fun and creative videos yet focused on knowledge and politics. China Daily’s reporter Peng and Myanmar media representatives exchanged ideas regarding the priority of content. They raised questions about whether they will follow trends or create insightful and meaningful content. It is resolute that physical appearance cannot draw people’s interest for a long time. As far as she’s concerned, knowledgeable content will make a big fan with a fun and interesting setting. She showed vlogs related to her daily life and actual footage of Emergency Medical officers with their consent.
U Thet Zin, head of marketing and production manager of Vidya Myanmar, expressed his willingness to produce content reflecting the friendly exchange between China and Myanmar with more innovative forms such as Vlog.
We, thereby, came to realize a significant transformation of New Media in terms of interacting with customers through this workshop.
Next, the Myanmar Media delegation also attended the Launching ceremony of the 2024 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Art & Design Award held at the Auditorium of China International Communication Group in Beijing on 24 April 2024. The fifth edition of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Art & Design competition welcomed the participation of Myanmar’s designers as well. The 2024 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Art & Design Award adopted the compelling theme, “Green Power, Lancang-Mekong’s New Day”, on the aspect of energy cooperation. Myanmar media delegation participated in the collective creation of the large-scale experiment artwork “500 strokes” and took a commemorative photo with the Myanmar counsellor after the event.
(To be Continued)
