Experience China: A National Image Campaign in the United States

The China national image film "People Chapter" — officially a sub-series of the "Experience China" campaign — was launched by the Chinese government to coincide with President Hu Jintao's visit to the United States in mid-January 2011. The one-minute promotional video was played on six giant electronic screens about 300 times per day, and had appeared approximately 8400 times when the broadcast ended on February 14, 2011. The video showed a series of Chinese people, ranging from ordinary citizens to celebrities, in various areas. It was a publicity effort aimed at promoting a truer image of China abroad, and further signalling that China was opening to embrace the world. However, reactions from both Chinese and overseas audiences had been fairly controversial since the initial release of this promotional film. Experts from China and abroad were skeptical of the effectiveness of the campaign in promoting the national image of modern China to the world.