I wrote a very foolish thing in a previous post. I referred to a story released on October 22 as “(seemingly) Xinhua’s final congress story”. It wasn’t. I somehow managed to forget about the in-depth ”analysis” of Hu Jintao’s speech and the exclusive report on how such a barnstorming piece of oratory came into being, which, in basic terms, was achieved by “extensively soliciting suggestions” and “pooling wisdoms” from Party and non-Party members.
My premature statement also failed to take into account what was happening in the international news department. One polisher from the English-language section spoke of the unbridled joy brought about by editing endless reams of congratulatory addresses from foreign heads of state and leaders of political parties on the successful conclusion of the congress and Hu’s reelection as CPC general secretary. An example. It was worse for those working in the Spanish, French, Russian, Portuguese and Arabic departments though - they have to translate these reports rather than being mere grammar janitors.
Dress me up in an anorak, sellotape up my thick-rimmed glasses and call me a geek but I had a look through these congratulatory messages during a quiet night shift. And what fine records of China’s diplomatic relations they are. The first set of congratulations for Hu from China’s bestest buddies was released on October 22 in careful order. Kim Jong-il of North Korea, Nong Duc Manh of Vietnam, Fidel Castro of Cuba and Choummali Sayasone of Laos.
The following day, the first goodwill messages from Africa were released. Gabon, Zambia and the Seychelles. Then Syria, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Singapore. Nicholas Sarkozy appeared the next day as did Sonia Ghandi. The list goes on and on with well over 200 names, some fairly obsure such as Doureid Yaghi, the vice president of the Progressive Socialist Party in Lebanon. This did serve to highlight the absence of certain names from the list. No Bush or Brown. And no Merkel, who riled China by meeting with the Dalai Lama in September. Five years ago, the then German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was one of the first names on the list to congratulate Hu on his election as CPC leader.
You can read into it what you will I suppose, concocting theories about the order in which the names appear on the list, the inclusion of some and the exclusion of others. I have no idea myself - you would need to sit down and study these lists going back a couple of decades, an act that does not tickle me into action. (It reminds me a bit of Ian Lamont at Harvard Extended, who has just completed his thesis in which he used “a computer content analysis based on state-run media content to evaluate China’s foreign policy stance towards Vietnam during the Deng Xiaoping era”. His blog is well worth a read as, I’m sure, is his thesis). However, I did notice one significant omission from the stream of congratulators. Robert Mugabe. (He was present and correct in 2002).
Anyway, these stories are now gathering dust but the spirit of the Party congress lives on. Journalists from the main mouthpieces - Xinhua, People’s Daily, China Daily etc - are currently being sent all over the country to report on how the Scientific Outlook (the word “Concept” seems to have been ditched by Hu Jintao’s speech translators) on Development is being implemented in the provinces. A few lucky journalists have been given a month in Hainan to carry out this task, an opportunity that proves working for state media certainly has its perks. Presumably, most will lounge on the beach and knock up a report on some local entrepreneur who has invented a highly accurate toe nail trimming machine which highlights the wave of innovation that is spreading through the land. And why not - good luck to them.
The congress is still fresh in the minds of Xinhua journalists in the Beijing headquarters simply because they can’t forget about it. Workshops are being arranged in which Hu’s speech can be studied and discussed. It seems the “shi qi da” has taken a lot out of the whole agency in fact. In the last couple of weeks, we have welcomed three new polishing comrades which has coinicided with stories drying up faster than a thimble of water on the Saharan sand. Why the drop to around five stories between 9am and 4am every day? Some people cite post-congress tiredness, even those who didn’t report on it. Others say there are no stories coming from the local bureaus. Maybe everyone is too busy writing about scientific development. Apparently, at this time of year the bureaus in Xinjiang, Tibet and other western areas go into some form of semi-hibernation because of the cold weather. It’s like the West’s silly season without the frivolity.
At least there is a reminder of Xinhua’s congress glories though. As you enter the main building, to the left stands a huge collage of the front pages of the Chinese newspapers which Xinhua was entrusted to monopolise during the congress. A source of pride no doubt. And a beautiful reminder that all the front pages of the main Chinese newspapers during the congress period were virtually identical. And on that note, Happy 8th Journalists Day!
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