Two Billion Eyes: The Story of China Central Television

Author(s): Ying Zhu

Current Affairs

As China navigates the murky waters of a 'third way' with liberal economic policies under a strict political regime, the surprising battleground for China's future emerges in the country's highest rated television network - China Central Television, or CCTV. With 16 internationally broadcast channels and over 1.2 billion viewers, CCTV is a powerhouse in conveying Chinese news and entertainment. The hybrid nature of the network has also transformed it into an unexpected site of discourse in a country that has little official space for negotiation.

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"Ying's cogent analysis and penetrating insight are invaluable for anyone trying to understand the political and social reality of the world's most populous country."
--"Publishers Weekly"
"A fascinating look at the news-entertainment-propaganda combine that plays a central role in how China understands itself, and is sure to play a larger role in China's relations with the outside world. I learned a lot about China, and about the news business, from this book."
--James Fallows, author of "China Airborne"
"Ying Zhu's compelling analysis of CCTV is very much an 'inside' story. . .We are given not just the best book to date about Chinese television, but a far better understanding of the role of media in China's still developing model of state-society relations."
--Stanley Rosen, professor of political science, University of Southern California
"Charged by the state with a global mission, and delivering everything from dramas and game shows to news, CCTV beams its programs from eight satellites to the world. Ying Zhu opens a window onto this complex, historically dynamic, and globally important institution. . . .Fascinating reading."
--Dan Schiller, author of "Digital Capitalism: Networking the Global Market System"
"A must-read insider account for anybody interested in contemporary Chinese media, "Two Billion Eyes" provides timely access to rarely heard personal voices from practitioners at CCTV. . .Zhu has proved herself again to be an innovative scholar."
--Yingjin Zhang, professor of Chinese, comparative literature, and cultural studies, University of California-San Diego
"If you want to know about the most important media institution in China, you have to read this book. Combining rare, in-depth interviews with fine-grained analysis, Zhu. . .makes a most significant contribution to our understanding of the complexity and ambitions of CCTV."
--Wanning Sun, professor of media studies, University of Technology, Syd

Ying Zhu is a professor of media culture at the City University of New York, College of Staten Island. The recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities, she is the author or editor of seven other books, including "Television in Post-Reform China" and "Chinese Cinema During the Era of Reform," and a co-producer of current affairs documentary films, including "Google vs. China" and "China: From Cartier to Confucius." She resides in New York.

General Fields

  • : 9781595584649
  • : The New Press
  • : The New Press
  • : 0.567
  • : February 2013
  • : 235mm X 152mm
  • : United States
  • : July 2013
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Ying Zhu
  • : Hardback
  • : 384.554550951
  • : 294