BEIJING,
Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- By using a Chinese microblog as a free advertising medium,
the second China-Brazil Film Festival was able to pack filmgoers into northeast
Beijing's Broadway Cinematheque MOMA -- a rare event for the art-house venue.
"Before
the festival started, we opened an account on Weibo to advertise the event, and
many of our followers came to watch these films," said Janaina Silveira, a
public relations official for the event which included the screening of ten
Brazilian films from Nov. 17 to 22.
The account
Silveira mentioned, "Zhongguobaxidianyingjie" ("China-Brazil
Film Festival"), attracted some 400 followers in about a month, including
Chinese people involved in Brazil-related businesses and others learning
Portuguese.
"We
had volunteers answer questions about Brazilian culture posted by followers on
our Weibo account, which to some extent met the curiosity of the Chinese
audience," she said.
Silveira
has not been the only one to realize the increasingly powerful influence of the
country's popular microblog services over the last two years. While the
microblog offers a channel for self-expression and networking, it has also
evolved into a platform for advertising, government services, and news
dissemination.
Jessica
Beinecke from the United States has so far attracted about 170,000 followers,
including many Chinese people learning English, with her Weibo account
"OMGmeiyu."
Videos of
her teaching English by speaking basic Mandarin Chinese and imitating Lady Gaga
have been a breath of fresh air for language-learners who have sat through long
periods of more traditional classes.
"I
cannot help watching your video after I finished the first one. It is very
enjoyable and I can learn English at the same time," a user named
"Zhouxiaobiao" wrote.
Mark
Rowswell, who is arguably the most famous foreigner in China, has about 900,000
followers to his Weibo account named for his household Chinese name
"Dashan," which literally means "Big Mountain."
A
self-proclaimed "Ambassador of Chinese and Foreign Culture," he posts
Chinese-language entries and discusses the differences between Eastern and
Western cultures with his massive following.
Rowswell
usually compares Chinese and English from the perspective of a learner of a
foreign language, and tells people the subtle differences between some words.
"You
are a friendly culture disseminator and English expert,"
"Xiaoyuanye" wrote in an entry.
Figures
show that the number of China's Internet users rose to 485 million by the end
of June this year, and the number of registered microblog users surpassed 300
million.
"Foreigners
use microblogs to spread their own cultures, and Chinese netizens can gain
knowledge while strengthening friendships through direct communication with
them. In this way, both sides benefit from the use of microblogs," said
Zhan Xinhui, an associate professor with the Communication University of China.
According
to Zhan, all individual participants are inevitably influenced by the
viewpoints of the disseminators, and they, in turn, influence more people by
forwarding these messages to their own circles.
"Cultural
communication needs understanding and exchanges from both sides in order to be
effective, and Chinese netizens can also play a positive role in spreading
their own culture," Zhan said.
Editor:
Xiong Tong
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