Recently in Personal Category
I'd rather keep this blog on topic, which is either the news of the day, or to point out what other blogs or columnists think about the news of the day. This is going to be an exciting year in China, and we at Zhongnanhai hope to be on top of the big issues all year long. But please humor me today as I forage into new territory.
Over the next couple of months, I planned to make two major announcements with regards to Zhongnanhai. But I changed it into three announcements, because I wanted to announce my change of career (again). As many of you are aware, I have been working as the Senior Consultant of a boutique public relations firm in Beijing. I've enjoyed the position tremendously, mainly becuase I've been able to work with governmental departments (and Lord knows they need PR), non-governmental organizations, and international organizations such as the United Nations. It's been a fulfilling seven months since I returned to the capital from Shanghai.
(Note: While on the topic of returning to Beijing from Shanghai, I must point you to Ich Bin Ein Beijinger, in January's That's Beijing, written by the uber-talented Will Moss. I have nearly done an entire blog post in response, but for lack of time. Unfortunately, as I checked for a link, I see the good folks at That's have yet to upload the column. If you can pick it up around town, do so.)
Although I have often written in what some consider harsh terms about state-run media, it's because I don't hold it up to be something it's not. As a few commenters pointed out on a previously popular post, there's nothing wrong with earning a living -- and I certainly make no bones about that. So as of this month, I am now the new host with a new television program called BizTraveler on Tianjin TV. The pilots were completed in November and December, and were approved just prior to the Christmas holidays.
The show is a loose take on CNN's Business Traveler, hosted by Richard Quest (who seems to draw a great deal of ire from viewers). So far, I have traversed the southern city of Shenzhen, sung karaoke in Tianjin, and spent a full day at the galleries up in 798 in Beijing. Next week, I will be fortunate enough to head to Hainan for a week's worth of shooting, which will include a beautiful resort and some snorkeling. As you can see, in many respects, this beats office work.
This isn't what I expected to be doing this year, as I was quite enjoying my work in PR. In fact, I was approached about the job several months prior, however saw no need to upset the apple cart, as it were. That's when my adventurous side rose to the fore; I knew that not too many TV jobs were available, and even fewer were jobs that would take one to the farthest flung corners of China on the state's expense. So I snapped it up.
Unfortunately the program is not on satellite (yet) so is unavailable outside of Tianjin. However that could change, as the station has been talking with several other stations in other parts of China, with plans to shop the program abroad as well. In an honest assessment, the program is promising. I've found the staff at TJTV to be experienced and organized, and the shooting and editing is professionally done. I'm hopeful the program will be able to be viewed by a larger audience.
With any luck, I will be doing much more blogging this year from the road. The position allows me to continue living in Beijing, because the shoots are all in other cities anyway. However I must head to Tianjin for the voiceover work a couple of times each month (so I'm dearly looking forward to the opening of the new high-speed train). Overall, it amounts to between 10 and 15 days of work each month, allowing lots of time for other important endeavors, like this website.
As for the other two announcements... well, all I'll say is they are directly related to the functioning of this blog. Both are exciting, and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you in the next few weeks.
Stay tuned, and happy new year!
