CCTV; Stunning TVC perfectly balances Chinese Art Aesthetics and Nationalist Spirit.

I picked this one up from LRB forums; this is truly a stunning commercial; with a distinct nationalist tone, similar to the Adidas Olympic ads from last year, this commercial uses Chinese water painting aesthetics to weave inspiring visuals.

It’s difficult not to feel a sense of pride when watching these commercials; they’re perfectly tuned to the message the Chinese want to hear: “You’re doing great, you’re moving up, you’re a winner, you’ve progressed”.

Ya you can argue everyone wants to hear that message, but it’s especially important for the Chinese. Think of it this way: the Chinese were the leading civilization for much of recorded human history; recently the Chinese have been internationally humiliated; the Dynasties ended, and a series of “foreign devils” muscled their way in and broke the country. The Chinese are very aware of this, and the past 20 years were not only fueled by opportunity or economics, but were driven by the memory of past glory, of past heights, or past strength that was ripped away; this left a burning desire to reclaim what was lost.

This TVC celebrates the return of that past glory, and hints towards positive circumstance to come. If you’re going to strike, strike for the heart… using the nationalist spirit CCTV has struck deep, revived that pride, and successfully tied its brand to the Chinese nationalist psyche.

Related articles from around the web

• Communist China at 60 (online.wsj.com)
• On Day for China Pride, Little Interest in Ideology (nytimes.com)
• Weekend Xinjiang / Uighur / 愤青 update, #1 (jamesfallows.theatlantic.com)
• UnBeige: Ai Weiwei Won’t Be at Frankfurt (mediabistro.com)
• A Quick Catch Up On The World Expo 2010 (slideshare.net)
• World Games: China boycotts opening ceremony in Taiwan (sports.espn.go.com)
• Chinese Police Filmed Shooting Rioters (news.sky.com)
• A declaration of oppression (guardian.co.uk)
• Doing Business in China: The Elusive Chinese Internet (jamesfallows.theatlantic.com)
• Angry Chinese Mob Turns On ABC Reporters & Crew (blogs.abcnews.com)
• Taiwan opens door for Chinese investment (thestar.com)
• Doing Business in China: As Good as Their Word (jamesfallows.theatlantic.com)

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Tagged as: Asia, China, Chinese nationalism, Olympic Games, Society and Culture