'Public diplomat' wants foreigners to see the 'true China'
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Cover of Public Diplomacy and Cross-cultural Communication. |
Doris Naisbitt, a well-known "observer of global social, economic and political trends" (according to her website) and co-author with her husband John of the 9-million selling 1980s' business Bible Megatrends, raised a question.
Dean of Renmin University of China's School of Journalism and Communication, Zhao Qizheng had the answer.
Zhao, a veteran at meeting foreign officials and celebrities during his stint as a government spokesman, is notorious for deflecting biting questions without resorting to the typically Chinese tight-lipped stereotype of "no comment."
Naisbitt argued at a seminar on the "China Model" that, due to strict censorship, China's Internet is a closed system, through which the public can see nothing. She compared it to like hanging "a black curtain over the windows of a speeding train."
"We do have a shield, but it is made of [glass] and is used to fend off harmful rays – if it is black, why are so many Chinese people enthralled by the Internet?" Zhao argued in response.
Naisbitt reportedly threw in the towel.
The anecdote is one of many recalled in Zhao's new book, Public Diplomacy and Cross-cultural Communication, which details 10 years of dealing with foreigners and offers insight on how the public can communicate better with them.
Zhao is adept at bridging the gap between himself and the public, especially during press conferences. The more demanding the questions, the better as far as he's concerned; such events are a prime opportunity to clarify misunderstandings.
Comprised of theory and practice, Zhao's book is full of thought-provoking experiences and ideas about how the general public can explain a "true China" to the world – so-called public diplomacy – in addition to case studies from the author's own experience.
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