Telling China's stories well (Chinese:讲好中国的故事;pinyin:Jiǎng hǎo Zhōngguó de gùshì) is aChinese Communist Party (CCP) political slogan regarding its externalpropaganda efforts. It was proposed by CCPgeneral secretaryXi Jinping in 2013.
In an article written in thePeople's Daily in 2020, head of the Fujian Provincial Committee of theAll-China Women's FederationXu Shana [zh] described the meaning of telling China's stories well. She wrote "the core of telling 'China's story' is the "story of the Chinese Communist Party, and the crux of telling the story of the Chinese Communist Party well is properly explaining why the CCP 'can'." She continues by writing media should "clearly speak to why history and the people would choose the Chinese Communist Party, showing the political advantages of adhering to the leadership of the Party." She continues by describing the slogan as telling stories about "the struggle of the Chinese people to fulfil their dream", referring to Xi's concept of theChinese Dream. She says the story of the "great struggle of the Chinese people" has appeal in other countries because it is about "a dream of peace, development, cooperation and win-win". She also emphasises using "China's excellent traditional culture", which she describes as "China's deepest source of cultural soft power", to spread China's image around the world. She concludes by writing that it is in the fundamental interests of the world to build aCommunity of Common Destiny. She says that to do this, Chinese media must "break through" the notion that "countries that strengthen must seek hegemony", which she associates with "China threat theory".[1]
The slogan was first coined by CCP general secretary Xi Jinping on 19 August 2013, during a speech he gave to the 2013National Conference on Publicity and Ideology Work.[1] In February 2016, Xi gave a speech at a media symposium, where he said "we must tell the story ofsocialism with Chinese characteristics, the story of theChinese dream, the story of the Chinese people, the story of China's excellent culture, and the story of China's peaceful development".[2] As part of Xi's efforts, numerousinternational communication centers have been established byprovinces andmunicipalities.[3]
Since January 2018, theChinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) has undertaken apublic diplomacy research project titledTelling China's stories, which gathered experiences nationwide and selected 33 cases from a total of 117, categorizing them into three segments: culture, narratives, and romantic engagements, culminating in the compilationHow to Tell China's Stories. It was published and distributed by theCommercial Press in April 2019.[4]
At the National Conference on Publicity and Ideology Work[5] in Beijing in August 2018,[6] Xi stated the importance of "telling China's stories well and disseminating a positive Chinese narrative."[7][8]
In September 2019, an official "Database of Telling China's Stories Well" was organized byXinhua News Agency and undertaken byChinaso.com [zh] of Xinhua.[9][10]
In May 2021, during the 30thcollective study session of the19th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party,[11] Xi Jinping emphasized "Telling China's stories, amplifying China's voice, and portraying an authentic, multidimensional, and comprehensive image of China as crucial endeavors in enhancing the nation's international communication capabilities."[12][13]
In November 2021, the inauguralChina Internet Civilization Conference Online Content Construction Forum (Chinese:中国网络文明大会网上内容建设论坛) took place in Beijing, co-organized by the Network Communication Bureau of theCyberspace Administration of China and theChina News Service,[14] withstate media representatives deliberating on strategies to advance the concept.[15] The 2023China Internet Civilization Conference took place inXiamen,Fujian Province, on July 18, 2023.[16]Li Shulei, the Minister of thePublicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party, participated in and presented a keynote address to further advance China's narrative efforts.[17]
China Daily is a critical and well-funded layer of the country's international communication array. It seems to be serving as a media partner for many newly-created ICCs, particularly at the city level, where there may be less media savvy, and fewer resources, to handle external communication.
