Shanghai Expo - Representation by Chinese and Western Media - Case Study Example

Compare the representation/coverage of the Shanghai Expo by Chinese and Western media. What are the significances of the Shanghai Expo for the Chinese government and for the discourse of modernity? Unumber: Date: Tutorial number: Word count: 3009 (without references) Introduction Shanghai Expo 2010 has been hailed as the most expensive and biggest event ever to have been organised in China by most experts and media. The opulence and grandeur of the event had been widely reported in not only the Chinese media but also in the foreign media as well. The event saw many important bilateral decisions being made, along with propelling the image of Shanghai in the global arena. However, the event also received fair share of criticism as well due to the exuberant amount of money spent to make the event a success as well as the media restrictions imposed by the Chinese government. The paper therefore would focus on the various aspects of the Shanghai Expo 2010 to understand the representation or the coverage received by the Expo in the Chinese as well as the Western media. Further, it would also study in details the significances of the Shanghai Expo for the Chinese government and for the discourse of modernity. Thus, the paper would study how the media presented the event and find out the Expo’s importance for the modern China as well as for the Chinese government. Coverage of the Shanghai Expo by Chinese and Western media Even before the starting of the mega expo, the coverage regarding the event came under fire, with the Chinese Propaganda Department restricting the coverage of the Shanghai World Expo by the Chinese Media. Ironically, the directive was issued on May 3rd, World Press Freedom Day. As per the directive, the media had been asked to use only the reports given by the Xinhua central news agency or other such central media agencies regarding the Shanghai Expo. The media was forbidden to publish reports of their own and were banned from asking questions to national leaders during their Shanghai visits. With regards to the inaugural ceremony, the directive stated that the media should respect the rules and regulations and should not express their criticism about any untoward incident. Further, they were forbidden to publish any opinion or comment without permission (Le Coz 2010). Therefore, as expected the Chinese media praised the Expo to its fullest and highlighted the pomp and show of the mega event, while displaying prominently the huge Chinese pagoda in most of their coverage. Government controlled the Xinhua central news agency provided a rosy picture of the Expo and termed it as a “roller coaster ride of culture, creativity, sharing and innovation”. The agency stated that the participants from all over the world, the media as well as the visitors had enjoyed the panoramic view offered by the Expo. It also focused on the development of Shanghai due to the Expo and highlighted the hospitality offered by the city as well as the improvements in the local industries (Hodges 2010). Leading Chinese newspaper, The Global Times also glorified the event by focusing on the 150 years old history of the fair and how it is going to change the course of Shanghai’s future. The newspaper stated that the Expo is being held at the right time as it showcases the perfect integration of China with the rest of the world. It gives a special mention to the Shanghai municipal government and the International Exhibitions Bureau. The article further focuses on the huge investments being made by the Chinese and international companies during the event as well as the positive perceptions of the foreign visitors about the Expo. It heightens China’s achievements and describes its role of a contributor towards the global economy (Pfoertsch 2010). Thus, it can be clearly said that the government control over the Chinese media forbade them to publish or showcase any negative reportage which might hamper the image of the country. Predictably, the mainline media praised the event with glorified terms, following the directives issued by the government regarding the coverage of the Expo. However, an exception to this rule was the blogger community in China, who expressed their opinion freely through their blogs, which were not regulated by the government. These bloggers provided the inside view about the Expo and reported about the various issues such as excessive heat, immense crowd and the government interference during the event. Issues such as making attendance to the Expo a necessity for corporate in the city were also highlighted by the Expo, but were not covered in the mainline media. With regards to the foreign media coverage, the Expo received mixed bag responses. Most of the western media highlighted on the expenses incurred during the Expo and focused on the strategies of the Chinese government to display the country’s entry to the global economic stage in a grand manner. As compared to the coverage in the Chinese media, the western media was much more vocal in their reports about the issues of the Expo. For instance, the New York Times provided a detailed report on the complaints regarding the Expo costs and the untoward instances and mishaps that had occurred during the past while preparing for the Expo. Instead of projecting the opening ceremony as a mega event like the Chinese media, New York Times in fact stated the opening ceremony as soft and disastrous. Eminent newspaper Telegraph also criticized the costs incurred by the Chinese government to make the event a success. It particularly focused on the ambitious target of the government to reach 70 million visitors during the Expo and how the government had to lower the estimate due to low footfall (Moore 2010). Some foreign media chose to ignore the event altogether. For instance, the New Yorker did not publish any article on the Expo, despite the fact that most foreign media at least acknowledged the event being the most expensive and biggest one being held in China. Although, most of the western media reports focused on the negative aspects of the Expo, they failed to highlight on the positive aspects of the Expo receiving more than 70 million visitors, the long queue outside the pavilions and ticket counters even during the sweltering heat of July and August. The foreign media instead mocked these figures and stated that the attendance was majorly because of the insistence of the government to attend the event or due to free tickets. The foreign media perceived that the interest in the event by the Chinese people were not due to their genuine curiosity about the Expo but due to government manipulations. This project the typical mindset and perception of China by the western media. Thus, while the Chinese media provided a biased reporting about the event due to government pressure, the western media also gave a lopsided view about the Expo by only focusing on the negative aspects. The media reporting were mainly divided into two camps, one praising the government initiatives and other criticizing the cost and opulence of the event. Predictably, the Chinese and the western media stuck to their traditional perceptions about the China with the Chinese media not diverging from praising the country and the event, while the western media finding faults in the way the event was organised. Significances of the Shanghai Expo for the Chinese government Expo has also become one of the facets of China to embark and showcase the progress made in the state. Being the first time, any World Expo was held in the state, it has to seen as a pride for any developing country. Development in China has reached a critical juncture. The Government is of the strong belief that Shanghai World Expo would infuse new for the transformation of the structure and inculcate the pattern of growth in the country. It will also help in promoting sustainable development in the economy. It will also offer good opportunity for all the foreign investors and neighbors in understanding the mainland better (Au 2009). Loads of visitors were seen standing in line for hours at the opening day of the Shanghai World Expo 2010. It was a mark of showcasing China's stand in the modernised industrial power. As the first developing country that hosted the event, the government was keeping a close tab to make sure that the show was translating correct image of China to the world. One of the mainline newspapers in China, The China Daily stated that the confidence of the country and the economic greatness could be showcased or projected in the expo in a right manner, thus envisaging huge investments for further development. Media in China was also in agreement that the expo would have propelled growth and advancement for the country. Some of the leading companies are taking important stand in the expo and were taking leading role. Shanghai was proud to be hosting the event right after Beijing Olympics in 2008. More than 100 journalists were present from nearly 30 countries. They included some from Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. To this effect the growing technology and advancement of developing nation was brought to the fore, for which the nations in the same podium should be proud of the event. Nearly all the African nations were present in Shanghai (Hodges 2010). China intends to foster a common ground for all Asian countries. Senior members and ministry officials also spoke about the importance of ASEAN-China friendship. In terms of Asia, Japan was hosting the Osaka Expo in 1970 remained one of the most successful expo of the modern era with more than 70 million visitors attending the event. After that, Japan was seen to be symbol of the success Asia was getting into and the modernity that was by far the greatest for the countries. Per the statistics, it is predicted that economy of China would surpass Japan and replace the number two position in the global scenario. Also in the next decade, is targeting to replace the U.S to be at the top position (Chongkittavorn 2010). Chinese leaders have shown eagerness for showcasing the economic success by dynamism through Shanghai's financial centre and skyscrapers. They are also keen and hopeful that Shanghai Expo would lure nearly 100 million visitors. In this case for Shanghai the stakes are on a higher platter. The city invested nearly US$58 billion on building up the infrastructure. With this, it is estimated that the city will be counted amongst New York, Paris and London. In addition, it has been seen that the city becomes much safer for people to live in it. Some of the superstructures or pavilions that are built in the Asian countries would be showcased in the Expo. Most of them will be from the hosting country. The ten ASEAN members have pavilions, and they have varied themes which are related to urban life and its surroundings. Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore have invested as well to display the uniqueness of the country along with the cultural heritages (Chongkittavorn 2010). Running or organising events which are large scale has explicitly made brought to for Shanghai’s capabilities. It is predicted that business, infrastructure, education, innovation and also people will see the benefits of hosting such an event. Leaders in Shanghai were able to translate the vision by selecting the city and the venue. They were truly hopeful of better future for the people and its economy. Inspite of economic crisis, the country had been able to sail through and showed wide range of capabilities. It also showed the global economy the concept of better life in the better cities, which was much expanded in the western world. They also represented greater responsibility for bringing people around the world to put their minds together for building such a city. The Expo was the opportunity for examining to show the capability and the services the country had in the competitive world (Hodges 2010). One of the most important messages hoisted by the Expo is to the world the importance of balancing nature and business and then increasing options for humans. Expo became platform for people and government for doing business together. Experts were of the opinion that the expo will bring success to the city, they added that it would mark a successful chapter for China and for all the Asian countries on the whole. It will also bring the theme of creating better life and better city for its residents and people who travel from outside. Significances of the Shanghai Expo for the discourse of modernity The World Expos started in 1851 with the World Fair in the Crystal Palace in London that displayed the technological achievements and wealth of the industrial countries in Europe. Post the Expo, Europe became the pioneer for the advent of industrial revolution. Since then, the Expo has been creating some major milestones in the places where it is being held. For instance during the 1904 Expo in St. Louis, ice cream cones and X-rays were unveiled for the first time, while the New York fair in 1939 gave tape recorder, television broadcasts and nylon stockings (Au 2009). The latest to join the bandwagon is the Shanghai Expo of 2010, which is being held for the first time ever in a developing country. However, the motivation behind this Expo is more to focus on the rise of Chinese economic prowess rather than technological or industrial innovations. Experts estimate that the World Expo at Shanghai with an estimated budget of $44 billion might provide the city with much better economic benefits as compared to the profits reaped by Beijing during the Olympics in 2008. As the exhibition has a longer duration of around six months than the Olympics, the organizers expected that the exhibition would draw a large number of visitors (Au 2009). The estimate was also not wrong as the official figures put the footfall to more than 70 million visitors during the entire course of the event. However, the biggest draws were not just the immense number of visitors but also the various deals signed between other countries as well during the Expo. China signed many bilateral trade deals with France and North Korea for improving the roads, airport and subways of Shanghai. Further, in order to prepare for the event, the city also spent on sprucing up its infrastructure by improving the public transportation, roads and airports. Thus, the Expo would certainly help in improving the infrastructure of the city and may have better economic benefits as compared to the Olympics in Beijing. It is estimated that the benefit may reach around $11.6 billion, which would trice more than the profits showcased by Beijing. The economic development of the city is evident from the fact that the gross domestic product (GDP) of the city has reportedly increased by 8.2 per cent last year as compared to the mere 0.9 per cent GDP growth registered by New York during the fourth quarter last year, post the decline in growth for around seven quarters. With the successful conclusion of the Expo, the city is expected to reap more economic benefits which would further propel its GDP figures and help it in making an international city (Grant and Anstey 2010). The tradition of the World Expos has focused on either creating commercial gain or highlighting regional characteristic. For instance, the Paris Expo of 1900 showcased the Eiffel Tower to mesmerize the seven million visitors. This heralded the dawn of an age of creativity and technological innovation. The 1967 Montreal Expo on the other hand witnessed around 50 million visitors, although the country itself only had a population of around 20 million. This helped in propelling Montreal as a cultural capital. This year’s Expo in Shanghai focuses on the economic aspects of the city and the development of the city during the entire Expo from a business centre to a world-class economic centre. Together with the economic aspect, the Expo also focused on the use of clean technologies and sustainable development by the city, making it a truly modern city of the contemporary world. Further, the display of heritage architecture and restoration of the ancient sites showcased the cultural aspects of the city as well. Conclusion The Shanghai Expo 2010 generated contrary media reporting, with the Chinese media being biased towards the event and focused only on the opulence and grandeur of the event, the western media reported only the negative aspects of the Expo and highlighted on the unnecessary expenses incurred by the Chinese government on the event. However, it was predictable behavior on the part of the Chinese and western media, with the Chinese media praising the event under directives from the government and the western media finding faults even in the positive aspects of the event. The Government believed that Shanghai World Expo 2010 infused new enthusiasm for creating social as well as infrastructural changes and growth in not only the city of Shanghai but also throughout the country. Further, the Expo helped in promoting sustainable development in the economy and also offered good opportunity for all the foreign investors and neighbors to understand the central characteristic of the mainland China in a better manner. Further, the Expo helped in bring to fore the growing technology and advancements witnessed in the developing nations. It has been witnessed that the World Expos that began in 1851 has greatly helped the place where it has been organised in creating a positive image for itself. Further, these events have also created some or the other milestone. For instance, post the London Expo of 1851, industrial revolution started in Europe, while the world received the iconic Eiffel Tower during the Paris Expo of 1900. Similarly, the Shanghai Expo 2010 marks the first Expo being held in a developing country, showcasing the rise of the economic power of developing states like China, especially after the recent global recession that exposed the economic weaknesses of global giants such as the US and the UK. The Expo is believed to create a new impetus to the Chinese economic development and promote the country as not just an economic power but also a sustainable and environment-friendly nation. The Expo has helped in the all-round development of the city, making it a true modern city. Reference: Au, Ashleigh. “Shanghai Expo: worth the hype!”Global Times. 29 July 2009. 4 Nov 2010 . Chongkittavorn, Kavi. “The significance of Shanghai's World Expo to Asia, ASEAN”. The China Post. 3 May 2010. 4 Nov 2010 . Grant, Bruce and Anstey, Chris. “Shanghai’s Expo May Be Economic Winner Over Olympics”. Bloomberg Businessweek. 3 May 2010. 4 Nov 2010 . Hodges, Matt. “Expo roller coaster leaves dizzying legacy”. Xinhua News Agency. 29 October 2010. 4 Nov 2010 . Le Coz, Clothilde. “China Tightens Media Control at Shanghai Expo.” Mediashift. 6 May 2010. 4 Nov 2010 . Moore, Malcolm. “Shanghai Expo faces £400m shortfall as visitors shy away”. Telegraph. 5 May 2010. 4 Nov 2010 . Pfoertsch, Waldemar. “Expo 2010 Shanghai: Is it worth it?”Global Times. 6 June 2010. 4 Nov 2010 . Read More