For urban Chinese, a washing machine is a common household appliance, something that was out of reach 30 years ago. Now 15 million Chinese families own private cars and buying a private home has become fashionable.
On the evening of Oct. 1, a gala celebration gathered tens of thousands of performers in Tiananmen Square. Colorful fireworks lit up the night sky of Beijing. Harmony and national unity prevailed throughout the celebration, with several songs and dances showcasing the happy lives of ethnic minority people.
At the end of the evening's festivities, Hu Jintao and other Chinese leaders walked among the performers, holding hands with them as they sang "Sing for the Motherland.
If the 2008 Beijing Olympics catapulted China onto the international stage, the Oct. 1 parade and celebrations brought the country's rapid development and original Chinese culture to the world.
A retired Beijing elder told The Associated Press, "I am very proud of China's development. In the past 60 years, China has developed so fast. China is now strong and has a place in the world."
Revealing a host
The hosts of the live broadcast of the National Day celebrations are crucial. In Zhao Zhongxiang's words, they represent the country's image.
All of them are anchors of the "News Broadcast"
"They only make a sound and don't show their faces."
Zhao Zhongxiang explained that the hosts of the live broadcast of the National Day parade or mass procession celebrations, that is, those who will be in Tiananmen Square during the daytime on Oct. 1, "should actually be known as announcers. It's because they only make a sound, they don't show their faces."
Their selection has one ****ing feature. "All of them will be picked from the anchors of 'News United'." Zhao Zhongxiang said the anchor of "News Feed" has always been known as the "national face" and "national mouth", and the broadcasting style of the National Day celebration live has similarities with "News Feed", "so the anchor of "News Feed" will be very appropriate."
The hosts of previous National Day celebrations live broadcasts, from Shen Li and Zhao Zhongxiang to Xing Qibin and Luo Jing, as well as Li Ruiying and Kang Hui, who will soon comment on the 60th anniversary of the National Day celebrations, are all anchors of "News United".
Narrative labeled "code words"
"Nervous even after practicing many times"
Broadcasting the National Day celebrations is a huge challenge for this group of CCTV's best hosts. "Anyone who doesn't have the guts will cry in fear as soon as they enter the studio." Zhao Zhongxiang said, "In that tense environment, even if you have rehearsed many times beforehand, you can't help but feel weak and nervous."
Zhao Zhongxiang confessed that in order not to have the slightest accident, before the National Day celebration broadcast, the host would be present at every rehearsal to carefully watch every part of the celebration, and then know every step by heart.
"Each host will set his or her own "secret word", which is recorded on the commentary by himself or herself." Zhao Zhongxiang then cited an example, "For example, I will be in accordance with different categories of commentary written on different paper, and labeled with various types of symbols, such as sickle, wheat ears. In this way, when the camera everything changes to the workers' side, I will immediately find out the paper with the sickle drawn on it, and (when it comes to) the farmers' side, I will find the ears of wheat." Zhao Zhongxiang said such signs are more intuitive and clear than Chinese characters, ensuring that the most accurate narration is read out at the first opportunity.
Revealing the second narration
During the National Day celebrations, the role of the host is actually to read the narration so that the audience can see and understand the whole process of the celebrations.
It's all pre-set
"The host can't have a play"
"What's different from any other live party or celebration is the narration of the National Day celebrations, such as what to say when the camera switches to a particular person. Every word is pre-set in advance. A live broadcast of a National Day celebration wouldn't allow the host to have a little bit of his own play." Zhao Zhongxiang revealed.
He confessed that the National Day celebration is a political mission for the host, "How can a political mission be consistent with other live programs?"
This requires the hosts not to make a single mistake during the broadcast, not even a mispronunciation of the word "的" or "了".
"It has to go through layers of scrutiny and nudging." Zhao Zhongxiang said that before the live broadcast, the hosts had been given the commentary more than two months in advance, but it could not be the finalized draft. Between those two months or so, the narration scripts will keep changing depending on changes in the festivities.
"Even the night before the celebration, the narration will change." Zhao emphasized, "But once we get to the day of the broadcast, the commentary is not likely to change again."
Closely related to developments
"Every word has a huge meaning"
"Every word and phrase of the commentary is of huge meaning." Zhao Zhongxiang said that all the commentaries spoken by the hosts during the National Day celebrations were of great significance.
Zhao Zhongxiang said how and what the commentary should say actually represents the development of the country at that time. He gave examples to analyze in detail.
In 1960, when he first stood in Tiananmen Square to preside over the National Day celebrations, the phrase he said most often was "make great efforts to become strong and self-reliant". In 1962, when he presided over the National Day celebrations, his most frequent words became "self-reliance, striving for strength".
Zhao Zhongxiang explained that the phrase "to be angry and strong, to be self-reliant" represents the determination of the nation to overcome the difficulties when the natural disaster first struck, while the phrase "to be self-reliant, to be strong" represents the fact that the nation has overcome the difficulties in the two years of tenacious struggle and will rely on itself to vigorously develop the country. The "self-reliance and vigor" means that after two years of struggle, the people have overcome the difficulties and have to rely on themselves to vigorously develop their national strength.
"Therefore, the commentary for the National Day celebration is required to have a strong representative meaning." Zhao Zhongxiang said this is something that cannot be matched by any other live program.
Revealing three live broadcast processes
The live broadcast process of the National Day celebrations is intense and hectic, but CCTV's contingency plan is also very sound.
There are contingency plans in case of emergencies
"The backup screen will be activated immediately."
Zhao Zhongxiang said CCTV's previous live broadcasts of the National Day celebrations or fireworks displays have developed a detailed and no longer detailed live broadcast contingency plan, and the entire live broadcasting process is busy but not chaotic.
"The process of the big scene naturally needless to say, what time to broadcast what, are in advance completely by the second to line up." Zhao Zhongxiang explained, "including close-ups of the crowd are all set." In other words, all the footage that appeared during the day's live television broadcast was tightly programmed.
The studio on the day of the broadcast was a smoke-free battlefield. "No. 3 machine", "No. 5 machine" ...... guide is like the commander-in-chief to issue orders, the various machine positions are operated with the guide's orders, the camera is also ready to turn to the corresponding scene.
"Each machine position each time slot is aimed at what scene, in advance have done a detailed deployment." Zhao Zhongxiang said that although the live broadcast process is very intense, but very orderly, even if encountered unexpected situations, but also has a perfect contingency plan, "for example, will immediately activate the backup screen."
Zhao Zhongxiang explained that the National Day celebrations, including the live broadcast of the National Day Gala, the preliminary preparations are crucial, "Almost every time before the live broadcast, there will be at least six months in advance to make the appropriate preparations."
According to the Legal Evening News