China Opens up Youtube and Soft Power-Blog 5

In a couple of days one to be exact, the Lunar Year will start and thousands of Chinese whether in China or abroad will celebrate. The celebration means parades,food,and fireworks and time spent with family. The tradition dates back to ancient times and consists of mystical origins. According to legend the celebration derives from Buddhist teachings where the Buddha asked all the animals to meet with him and twelve agreed. This year the celebrations will be different than previous years as the Spring Dances a traditional aspect of the Lunar festivities will be broad casted globally. Many International Political Scientists have suggested that it is an attempt to use soft power by the Chinese government. This approach is new and it will be interesting to see the effect the broadcast will have. The article states that the government has reserved a screen in Times Square for the broadcast and that Chinese abroad will be able to watch it from Youtube for the first time. This is a major change on part of Chinese foreign policy and many wonder as to why such a change has occurred. Some speculate that it is to regain favor with the public in regards to censorship. The article mentions that 90% of the Chinese population will watch the Spring Dances as part of a Lunar Year tradition. The first article is a collection of Images from the Previous Lunar Year, so if you are unable to watch the Spring Dances on Youtube you can get a feel for the celebration. The second link is the mentioned article.http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/08/asia/gallery/lunar-new-year-2015/index.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/17/asia/china-new-year-gala/index.html