China wants soft power. But censorship is stifling its film industry www.cnn.mn

Beijing-based film director Huang Han has had one of the worst weeks of his life, courtesy of the Chinese government's strict censors.

He says his independent, low-budget romance flick, set for an online domestic release in 2019, has been hit by an insoluble problem: how to show the male protagonist smoking without giving the cigarette screen time.

"The government's inspection of films has been getting stricter," says Huang, 30, who spoke under a pseudonym to avoid damaging his career. "Only the really famous directors might get a pass. All the rest of us have to follow strict protocol."
In 2014, President Xi Jinping called for a stronger national effort to boost China's global popularity in proportion to its economic rise. "We should increase China's soft power, give a good Chinese narrative and better communicate China's message to the world," he said.
Last month, China had an unexpected win in this arena, after Netflix announced that it would stream Chinese sci-fi blockbuster "The Wandering Earth," which grossed nearly $700 million at the global box office, in more than 190 countries.
But that's a rare case of a Chinese hit at home making it abroad.
Unless the Communist Party relaxes its censorship of domestic films, experts say Beijing's dreams of wielding Chinese soft power globally through its film industry could stall.
Matthias Niedenführ, media specialist at the University of Tubingen's China Center, says a top-down government-dictated approach is unlikely to produce popular international hits.
"French film, Korean TV and Japanese anime are all creative products that are the result of a creative environment and bottom-up processes," he says. "The irony is that China desperately wants international recognition."
Hip-hop, tattoos and blurred ears
The steady encroachment of censorship has been sapping Chinese filmmakers' creativity for years.
Western lifestyles, cleavage, homosexuality and time travel were strongly discouraged in guidelines laid out in 2016. Then in January 2018, China's censorship bureau, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television (SAPPRFT), launched an attack on the country's burgeoning sub-cultures.

In January 2019, Chinese regulators appeared to begin blurring the ears of men who were wearing earrings.
Huang says these restrictions have stifled a range of genres that were previously guaranteed money-makers, such as Japanese-style horror movies, his own specialty.
"Superstitions are not well received during inspection (of a film). An unofficial rule is that ghosts are only allowed to appear if a character is dreaming," he says.
"Censors now expect films to have a strong educational component, that can provide positive energy for young Chinese."
"Positive energy" is a catch-all term, commonly used by Chinese politicians and state media, to encourage an optimistic, pro-government attitude in the country's films and television programs.
Film directors seem to be listening -- and falling in line with the government can be lucrative.
China's highest-grossing movie in 2018 was "Operation Red Sea," which made $5.7 billion at the domestic box office and told the story of a Chinese naval unit's glorious rescue mission off the coast of Africa.
Soft power at home ... but not away
While Chinese films are popular with domestic audiences, so are movies from Hollywood.
For three weeks in January, "Bumblebee" -- part of the Transformers franchise -- topped the country's box office. In February, the American movie "Alita: Battle Angel" was extremely popular, while this month "Captain Marvel" has been a hit with audiences.
The US film industry is successful in China -- likely to become the world's largest cinema market in coming years, according to industry insiders -- even though regulators only allow a limited number of foreign films to be screened each year.
China has not enjoyed the same success in Western markets. Italian film director Gianluigi Perrone says that is because while Hollywood films often also carry a patriotic message, it is done with greater subtlety.
The messages in Chinese films have to be so explicit that it's too direct for Western audiences. It overcomes the entertaining part.

"The 'soft power' in US films has been very subliminal and subtle since the post-WW2 era," says Perrone, who has experienced censorship in China. "The messages in Chinese films have to be so explicit that it's too direct for Western audiences. It overcomes the entertaining part."
Consequently, some independent filmmakers who want to create more nuanced films are bypassing the domestic market.
Chinese-American director Hao Wu's documentary on China's live streaming phenomenon, "People's Republic of Desire," for example, has been aired outside China, picking up several international awards at prestigious events such as SXSW and the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. It has yet to be shown in China, due to the government's disapproval of live streaming after a crackdown in late 2017.
But that tactic doesn't always avoid the wrath of the censors.
In February, renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou's film "One Second" was unexpectedly withdrawn from the 69th Berlinale film festival.
According to the film's official Weibo account, it was taken off the program at the last minute due to "technical reasons" -- a term that is often code for government censorship. The movie depicts the Cultural Revolution, a sensitive period in Chinese history.
Popularity no savior
Even huge popularity is no longer enough to save a director or a seemingly anodyne piece of entertainment from the censor's gaze.
The "Story of Yanxi Palace" was watched by more than half a billion Chinese viewers in a single day last August. It has been streamed more than 15 billion times and was the most Googled TV show in 2018.
But in January, a state-run newspaper ran an editorial criticizing its "negative influence on society," noting that characters in the period drama set in the court of the Qianlong Emperor were more popular than communist heroes in state propaganda.
Shortly after the editorial, several local TV stations unexpectedly canceled rebroadcasts of the show.
"(Chinese TV) regulators know that with the January shafting of these shows they are slaughtering one of the few cash cows that could bring China soft power," says Niedenführ, of the University of Tubingen. "But Beijing currently clearly prefers domestic social engineering over increased publicity abroad."
There is no sign that Beijing will ease its censorship anytime soon. When asked about the shock cancellation of the Berlin premiere of "One Second," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying avoided the question.
"The Wandering Earth" is a Chinese sci-fi film released on the New Year holiday which has taken the country by storm.
"The Wandering Earth" is a Chinese sci-fi film released on the New Year holiday which has taken the country by storm.
"I know the hottest movie now is 'The Wandering Earth,'" she said, directing viewers to a film with a more pro-China narrative. "I don't know if you have watched or not. I'd recommend it."
Today, directors who want to create independent or unconventional films in China must either sterilize their work or look elsewhere for a successful audience, says Huang.
It remains to be seen how that will further China's push to increase its soft power abroad.
"I don't think this new genre of 'positive energy' films can be well received outside the country," Huang says.

Mongolia to build new sports complex for 2020 children of Asia games www.anocolympic.org

Construction work on a new winter sports complex as well as a stadium for athletics and football in Ulaanbaatar will get underway next month.

Returning sight to Mongolians: new equipment transforms lives www.news.mn

The Mongolian Health Ministry has provided equipment worth MNT 1.2 billion for improving diagnosis, surgery and treatment of eye diseases in 2018. This has made it possible to perform retina surgery at the First National Hospital in the capital, Ulaanbaatar,and also saved money for patients who would otherwise have had to go abroad for treatment. Now, the hospital is performing retina surgery every day. Since last year, doctors have successfully performed eye surgery on over 200 patients.

"UB Bike’ project CEO arrested for cannabis use www.news.mn

G.Dashnyam, CEO of the ‘Nickel Ganbaa’ LLC is being investigated on drug charges. He was arrested on 13 March near the Children’s 100th supermarket; he had been smoking cannabis in a Toyota Prius car. Mongolian Police seized five grams of drugs as evidence.

Mongolia’s participation in the ITB and Malaysia’s misfortune www.mongolianeconomy.mn

When asked about how welcoming the country is to gay people and jews, “We have no such thing,” said the Minister of Arts, Culture and Tourism of Malaysia Mohammaddin Ketapi at the ITB 2019 exhibition which kicked off with much controversy.

The official partner of ITB this year was Malaysia with its jungles, sandy beaches and a myriad of cities that contained the colors of its colonization. However, by stumbling at the journalist’s question, the minister of the sector caused public outrage. Experts and media publications alike discussed that in doing so, he has blown away the high amounts of money the country spent on advertising tourism. Therefore, the country’s ambition to increase the number of tourists from 25 to 30 million has become questionable.

The annual gathering commenced at Berlin, Germany starting March 6 and there were over 10 thousand sector participants and company representatives and exhibitors from 181 different countries. Likewise, there was a total 160,000 visitors at the ITB. Representing Mongolia was the Deputy-Minister of Environment and Tourism N.Tserenbat alongside 50 other people from the public and private sectors. The top ten famed companies of Mongolian tourism presented at the exhibition.

Participating for the first time, the Director of the Mongolian Secret History LLC B.Oyun-Erdene said “In comparison to other exhibitions, Mongolia has familiarized itself fairly well at the ITB where tour operators approach us wanting to work in partnership” While the Director of Tsolmon Travel M.Navchaa taking part for the 26th year said “For the first few years of our participation, everyone used to ask what kind of a country Mongolia is and where it is located. Now, nobody asks this question anymore and is aware to a certain extent.”

It is a misconception to think that you can participate in the exhibition for the first time and immediately start signing contracts and bringing tourists. “After years of sustainable participation and contact established with the tour operators, they begin to trust you,” highlighted Ms.Navchaa and advised this to younger operators. As for the major companies of the sector, they need to meet organizations that run similar operations in other countries, establish new partnerships, update the contracts, and present their new products to each other. This is the main speciality of the exhibition. Mayor of Berlin Michael Muller gave special attention to the opening of Mongolia’s exhibition.

Mongolia has been participating in the exhibition since 1999 and was a feature country in 2015. Though Mongolia has spent 5.4 billion MNT from the government and 2.5 billion MNT from the private sector since then, the aimed 30 percent increase in tourism has not happened. The main reason for this relates to the deficit of available flights. Last year, Mongolia received 529,000 tourists which is an 11 percent increase compared to 2017 in accordance to the General Authority for Border Protection. To maintain this growth, there is a need to increase flight frequencies and routes to improve service quality.

This year, a hefty investment amount of seven billion MNT from the state budget has been allocated to the tourism sector. According to the Minister of Nature, Environment and Tourism N.Tserenbat, the ministry is working to provide various human resources training to improve the quality of service in the country. The WTO has noted that the sector will focus on education in order to maintain the sector’s employment and improve the quality of services believes Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of the organization.

Additionally, the minister of the sector highlighted how they will go headstrong into marketing. In particular, they are to work on advertisements that are targeted to those who are interested in Mongolia. When people search up Mongolia on social media or the World Wide Web, further information and contacts are to be offered to them. The sectoral policy is also to focus on having tourists from particular countries get their visa from the border or even get them online.

On the first day of the exhibition, the presented an interactive website www.mongolia.travel which introduces Mongolia as a whole. The online site was made by Chameleon Strategies Company. Furthermore, the ministry is to cooperate with Amadeus Company, an expert organization in tourism technology. Out of many discussions taking place with different topics, the minister of the sector participated actively in the policymakers of the Silk Road countries.

During March 7, the second day, a sub-event of the ITB “The Golden Gate” international tourism multimedia competition awarding ceremony took place. In the best video category of tourism, “Welcome to Mongolia” by Tsolmon Travel LLC and artist M.Myagmar snatched top place.

Trends and the future
Tourism alone grew by six percent in the world, far exceeding even the world economic growth which was at 3-4 percent. Due to the increase in consumption of new technology, the number of women in tourism entrepreneurship is according to the WTO Secretary General.

Malaysia said that they will continue to be more sustainable in tourism and implement projects that help balance the ecology and nature said the Minister of Arts Culture and Tourism. Last year, the country received 25 million tourists and this year, they are aiming for 30 million.

The issue of climate change and over-crowded tourists were a hot topic this year for ITB Berlin. Participants of the physical gathering increase even more so each year though it is the digital age. This perhaps shows that not all relations are becoming digitalized. Also, the issue of the transportation sector was not left behind because of the recent large changes in the sector including self-driving cars, electric cars and trains. This year, the amount of health tourism companies and the booths that they get increased proving that the particular type of tourism is very popular right now. You can say that the next market that is high on demand is business tourism. Technology related tourism has risen by 20 percent and this has led to ITB Berlin even allocating a special place for the relevant technology of this year. In relevance to how much the Indian economy is expanding, India is organizing their own ITB starting next year at Mumbai.

Turkey has been losing tourists in the last four years to Spain as a result of series of political repression and terrorist attacks, but starting this year, their tourism is picking up again highlighted Norbert Fibbik, President of the Tourism Federation of the country. Turkey has planned to receive 50 million tourists this year. Moreover, tourism in politically stable countries such as Tunisia and Bulgaria is to grow strongly. The number of European tourists is likely to decline, but the growth of US and Russian tourists is to increase.

Tourism magnet Spain begun with a jump start this year, but is overshadowed by the renaissance of its mediterranean neighbors and is potentially no longer able to keep their inflow at a steady increase. The expenditures Germans will spend on tourism is to increase while Britain’s tendency will decrease due to Brexit related issues. Furthermore, as the livelihood of Chinese people increase, they are to invest more into travelling and by 2023, approximately 115 million citizens are expected to do so. In expenditure form, this would mean that they will travel at the accumulated cost of 250 million USD. From Chinese tourists, the European countries are to profit the most according to the Chinese Foreign Market Research Institute.

The ITB Berlin exhibition is held March 6-10 every year. In the first two days the sectoral participants commence together and conduct to business meetings and the last two days are for the general exhibition that is open to the public.

Participants from Mongolia consisted of the Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism, the Mongolian Embassy to Germany, The Ulaanbaatar Mayor’s Office, Ulaanbaatar City Tourism Department, MIAT LC, A Star Mongol LLC, AB Travel LLC, Ar Mongol LLC, Great Genghis Tours&Expeditions LLC, Juulchin LLC, Juulchin World Tours LLC, Mongolian Secret History LLC, Nature Tour LLC, Red Rock Resort, Tsolmon Travel, and the Gerege Digital Technology LLC.

Erdenes Mongol CEO meets representatives of Orano group of France www.montsame.mn

Coal mining comes back to the UK with $218 million project www.mining.com

A new £165 million (about $218 million) coal mine, Woodhouse Colliery, has been unanimously approved by councillors in the county of Cumbria, in northwest England. The mine promises hundreds of jobs, but also protests by environmental activists.

Sumitomo Electric Receives Certificate of Appreciation from Mongolia's National Power Transmission Grid www.global-sei.com

Since 2013, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. has worked on a project to demonstrate and verify power loss reduction by introducing energy-saving power transmission systems in Mongolia, which has signed a Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM)*1 partnership agreement with Japan. Sumitomo Electric and Hitachi, Ltd.*2 have recently received a certificate of appreciation from Mongolia's National Power Transmission Grid (NPTG) for their introduction of advanced technologies that help reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and consequent contribution to economic development in Mongolia and electric power supply to areas without electric service.

Views exchanged on improving quality of English language education www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Sports Yo.Baatarbileg yesterday met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Mongolia Michael S.Klecheski.

Standing committee passes bills on foreign loans www.zgm.mn

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Budget discussed the bill on the Government’s rights to draw loans from foreign countries and international organizations, and passed the General Financing Program between the Government of Mongolia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the draft amendment on the general agreement and conditions between the Mongolian Government and the Government of the Republic of Poland.