Ordinary folk star in new national video

A photographer takes photos at a primary school for children from migrant worker families in Beijing in August 2010. [Photo/China Daily]

BEIJING - The second international publicity video for China will screen soon around the world to help people in other nations to better understand the country and the lives of ordinary Chinese people.

The first video, which was called the "characters' chapter" featured Chinese celebrities, while the second depicts the common people and illustrates the diversity of Chinese society.

The 15-minute promotional video has eight parts, including "multiculturalism with shared prosperity", "expanding democracy with stable authority" and "prosperity with prudence".

"By presenting to the world ordinary people's lives, China can better reveal itself to the rest of the world and clear up misunderstandings," he added.

In the clip one can see seniors practicing tai chi in a public square, Beijing residents kicking shuttlecock in a hutong (traditional alleyway) and foreigners enjoying coffee in a Shanghai street cafe.

"The fundamental meaning of publicity films lies in the demonstration of a real China to the world," Zhou Zunnan, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Beijing News.

However, some netizens expressed their dissatisfaction with the video after it was unveiled on the Internet on Sunday, arguing that some scenes do not represent the daily lives of ordinary Chinese people.

"Although the video is based on my life, it is much better than it," a netizen said on youku.com, an online portal of video clips.

"The debate itself is meaningful," said Guo from Tsinghua University. "As publicity always arouses disputes, the release of the video demonstrates the country's willingness to face criticism."

Guo also said that more attention should be paid to the lives of ordinary Chinese people, and more diversified methods, including movies, need to be adopted to promote the country's image.

"Instead of simple depictions of skyscrapers, celebrities and beautiful scenery, we hope that in the future these videos can place more emphasis on life at the grassroots, and ordinary voices can be heard by more people," said Yu Hai, a professor from the department of sociology at Shanghai-based Fudan University.

Wang Ying contributed to this story.