"The definitive work on Chinese television . . . A pioneering picture
of CCTV and its crucial role in the contemporary Chinese political
economy" (Robert W. McChesney, author of Corporate Media and the
Threat to Democracy).
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. While CCTV programming is state sponsored--and
censored--the popularity and profit of the station are determined by the
people. And as the Chinese Communist Party seeks to exert its own voice
on domestic and international affairs, the prospect of finding an
amenable audience becomes increasingly paramount.
Through a series of interviews with a fascinating cast of power players
including a director of a special topic program that incited the 1989
student movement, current and past presidents of CCTV, and producers at
the frontline of the network's rapidly evolving role in Chinese culture,
celebrated media analyst Ying Zhu unlocks a doorway to political power
that has long been shrouded in mystery.
"An indispensable guide to the Chinese media landscape." --The New
Inquiry
"Up until Two Billion Eyes, the view of Chinese media has often been
limited . . . Ying Zhu expands the periphery of our vision." --Los
Angeles Review of Books
