Professor Shi Anbin, associate dean of Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication, joined CCTV News’ Dialogue program on Sept. 1 to discuss the role of media and the Chinese entertainment industry in handling sensitive issues such as the nation’s resistance to Japanese military invasion and occupation during World War II.

More than 200 films, TV dramas and documentaries have been released in China to commemorate this year’s 70th anniversary of the victory over Japan. Some of these media culture products have been criticized for going too far by sacrificing historical accuracy or featuring anti-Japanese sentiment.

Professor Shi indicated that mainstream films and TV dramas often do not contain the entertainment elements that engage a younger audience.

“All these movies seem to be government-sponsored projects,” Professor Shi said on Dialogue. “They did not actually consider a kind of audience-centered perspective for this generation. We have to consider the need of the audience.”

Shi also emphasized the element of entertainment in media culture products should have its bottom line, while truth telling from a multi-perspective as well as valued themes in them should be considered.

“Hollywood can put more entertainment factors,” he noted, adding that “the mainstream [Chinese] films still lack a kind of audience center to successfully engage the young generation – the so-called millennial generation, social media users -- to actually participate in this kind of celebration or commemoration of this event.”

http://english.cntv.cn/2015/09/02/VIDE1441145402250567.shtml