Broadcasting Time: 2006-05-17




(Photo Source: skyhu.com)

Hello and welcome to this edition of China Horizons. I'm Wang Lu. On today's show, we will first travel to Tibet, the land of wonders, to find out how modern entertainment – in the form of movies - is bringing enjoyment to the indigenous ethnic groups. Then, we will travel to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the northwest of the country to meet an ethnic group, the Xibo, and share their unique culture and folk customs. Finally, in our travel segment, we'll go to southeast China's Fujian province and visit the provincial capital, Fuzhou. For all this, stay tuned to China Horizons.

In the past, it was quite difficult for Tibetans, especially herdsmen living in remote mountainous areas, to see films. But thanks to efforts made by the government, now almost all Tibetans can see at least one film each month. CRI's You Yu reports.

The clip was from the film "Purple Sun", translated into the Tibetan language. Over 300 Tibetan herdsmen are now enjoying it in the village of Bailang, north of Lhasa, the capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

In most Chinese cities, going to see a movie at cinemas is not regarded as a big deal. However, this has not been the case for Tibetans.

In order to let Tibetans, especially herdsmen, see films regularly, the Chinese government launched a project in the late 1990s aimed at enriching leisure life in the region. The theme of the project is to make it possible for every village in China to have access to one film a month by the beginning of the 21st century. And, of course, herdsmen living in the pastures of the Tibet Autonomous Region were among the targeted groups.

The project started in the Tibet Autonomous Region eight years ago. About 22 million yuan, or about 2.75 million U.S. dollars, have been invested by the Chinese government. IThe investment is to provide 73 counties of Tibet with 80 mobile film-playing vehicles and over 300 sets of fequipment.
In the past, film projectors in Tibet were quite out-dated with some so bad they could no longer be used.

Though hardware conditions have greatly improved, fewer films had been translated into the Tibetan language. And Tibetan herdsmen can't understand films unless they are spoken in the local language.