Hunan's Best — Media Powerhouse, a Dazzling Array (Part 6)
Technology Paves the Way for Chinese Animation. Unlike hand-drawn animation, Hunan's animation industry took a computer-drawing path supported by technology. Sanchen Company established China's first dedicated software R&D department and, over five years, developed an independently owned "Animation Software Integration System," successfully combining information technology with traditional cartoon production.
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Technology Paves the Way for Chinese Cartoons
Unlike hand-drawn animation, Hunan's animation industry took a path of computer-drawn animation relying on technology. Sanchen Company was the first in China to establish a dedicated software technology research and development department. After five years, it developed a set of "animation software integrated systems" with independent intellectual property rights, successfully combining information technology with traditional cartoon production techniques and becoming the first in China to achieve paperless animation production. The application of this system increased animation production speed more than tenfold over traditional manual production. Sanchen leaped to become the first enterprise in China capable of producing 30 minutes of original cartoon programming per day, and its production capacity thus approached that of large Japanese original cartoon enterprises.
To achieve automation and intelligence in 3D graphics rendering, last year the Sanchen Group invested 20 million yuan to introduce foreign motion capture systems and billion-times cluster rendering equipment, and successfully developed the RenderFarm3D cluster rendering application system. This achievement of introducing, digesting, absorbing, and then innovating can not only render realistic images, but also change artistic style at will, solving the problem of realism in 3D animation. From then on, Sanchen's original technology could compete with well-known cartoon companies in Japan, the United States, and South Korea.
Hunan's Newspaper Industry Brewing Vitality on the Battlefield
The year 2001 was once regarded as "China's media year." After a long period of dormancy, the media industry seemed suddenly to encounter the spring of the capital market. China's media industry, once tightly barricaded, seemed overnight to become an emerging market with alluring prospects. It was precisely in this year that the media deep in China's interior, in Hunan, was also gestating a revolution.
In 2001, Xiaoxiang Morning Herald entered Changsha with 80 million yuan in assets, and thereby triggered the most ferocious "war" in Hunan's newspaper industry to date. In September 2000, Xiaoxiang Morning Herald simultaneously placed recruitment advertisements titled "The Hunan Newspaper Army Raises Its Flag and Recruits Generals" in six major national media outlets including Yangcheng Evening News, Huaxi Metropolis Daily, and Beijing Morning Post, recruiting talent nationwide. From its actions at the time, it can be seen that from the very beginning, Xiaoxiang Morning Herald had already determined its approach of becoming a major newspaper.
The actions of Xiaoxiang Morning Herald caused unprecedented shock in the previously calm Hunan newspaper industry. Before this, Hunan's newspaper industry had always been in a lukewarm state. Hunan Daily, Sanxiang Metropolis Daily, and Changsha Evening News divided the world among themselves, maintaining a tacit competition with one another. The appearance of Xiaoxiang Morning Herald made Changsha Evening News feel an enormous crisis. 2001 can be called the enlightenment of Hunan's newspaper marketization. Because of Xiaoxiang Morning Herald's intervention, competition in Hunan's newspaper industry became extremely fierce. In this war, Xiaoxiang Morning Herald emerged victorious, seemingly taking the Changsha market swiftly without bloodshed. And from this point, Hunan's newspaper industry began direct confrontations in news reporting. It was precisely because of Xiaoxiang Morning Herald's "catfish effect" that the conservative and stalemated pool of Hunan's newspaper industry was activated. An official from the Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department gave a quite fair assessment of the Morning Herald: the Morning Herald set off reform in Hunan's newspaper industry and injected strong vitality into its development.
Now it seems that the competition in Hunan's newspaper industry in 2001 was only a warm-up; 2002 was the true beginning of the great battle in Hunan's newspaper industry. This time, Changsha Evening News and Xiaoxiang Morning Herald became the true protagonists, with the two newspaper offices trading blows in editing, advertising, and distribution, fighting at close quarters with bayonets drawn.
The rise of metropolitan newspapers satisfied urban residents' demand for news, but the excessive number of metropolitan newspapers and their tendency toward homogenization also intensified competition for readers and advertising resources. Competition in distribution was merely a microcosm of the rivalry between two regional comprehensive dailies; the news war was the most spectacular part. Nevertheless, after a dazzling series of moves by the Morning Post, the Evening News also steadied its position. Although the competition left both sides physically and mentally exhausted, it did more to further consolidate each paper's own market. Meanwhile, Sanxiang Metropolitan Daily, Oriental News, and Contemporary Business News had no choice but to retreat step by step, ceding markets that had originally belonged to them.
In Changsha's newspaper competition, the victors were naturally hailed as heroes, while the many tragic heroes were also remembered. The newspaper war in Changsha made Xiaoxiang Morning Herald and Changsha Evening News, and also turned Sanxiang Metropolitan Daily and Oriental News into tragic heroes of the era. After being "baptized in the flames of war," Xiaoxiang Morning Herald grew increasingly mature. Following advertising revenue of over 138 million yuan in 2003, its advertising revenue reached 220 million yuan in 2004, having entered a virtuous cycle.
The Evening News was panic-stricken, Sanxiang ashamed, the New News feeble, and the Business News wringing its hands in despair—this was the state of survival of Hunan's newspaper industry under the impact of Xiaoxiang Morning Herald.
Variety Show Queen Wang Ping
Wang Ping, a delegate to the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China from Hunan Province. Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Hunan TV and Director of the R&D Center. Long engaged in television program planning and production. She has been awarded the titles of "Furong Hundred-Post Star" of Hunan Province's directly affiliated institutions and one of Hunan's "Top Ten Outstanding Women."
Music Continues, Super Girl, Strictly Come Dancing, Hunan TV New Year's Eve Concert... These resounding brand programs all came from the same person—Wang Ping, known as the "Variety Show Queen" of China's television industry.
In 1998, after seven years as a radio host, Wang Ping moved to Hunan TV. Despite severe shortages of manpower and resources, she single-handedly founded the country's first television song fan club program—Music Continues—which has long since become a brand program in the industry. It was then that she began to taste the joy of making television.
Six years ago, Wang Ping withstood layers of pressure and brought Super Girl before audiences across China, launching a spectacular era of talent shows in the country. Today, Super Girl has become China's most influential classic television brand, and the "Super Girl" economy has become an engine of China's entertainment economy. In 2005 alone, "Super Girl" generated 766 million yuan in direct economic benefits and created over 2 billion yuan in indirect economic benefits for Hunan, while three consecutive seasons of "Super Girl" SMS voting alone raked in nearly 100 million yuan. Its emergence even changed the landscape of China's entire entertainment industry.
Amid fierce competition among numerous variety shows and formidable rivals, Wang Ping's productions I Am the Champion, Strictly Come Dancing, and Hunan TV New Year's Eve Concert captured the top ratings in their time slots. In particular, Strictly Come Dancing—whose format copyright was purchased from the BBC and then localized and innovated—achieved the best ratings of the year in 2007 across Hunan TV and all variety programs nationwide.
After more than a decade of trials and tribulations, the young woman had risen from a grassroots editor to Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Hunan TV. Beyond all the halos, the miracles created by this low-key, pragmatic, capable, and wise woman remain deeply moving...