李艳?郭妍平
金华人张素兰在吉尔吉斯斯坦创办了中亚地区最具影响力的海外华语电视台,已开通中、俄、英等多语种117个频道,向当地人民传播中国声音——
举世关注的博鳌亚洲论坛于4月8日至11日在中国海南举行。
在世界聚焦的众多代表身影中,金华市侨商会常务副会长、吉尔吉斯斯坦德隆电视台台长张素兰格外引人注意——她不但应邀出席了博鳌亚洲论坛,还现身亚洲媒体高峰会议作演讲。
早在2005年,张素兰就在吉尔吉斯斯坦创建了德隆电视台。十多年来,她自筹资金将德隆电视台建成中亚地区最具影响力的海外华语电视播出平台,并获得吉尔吉斯斯坦通信产业部颁发的有线电视、互联网、语音通信三个运营执照,成为该国第二大有线电视频道运营商。目前,德隆电视台24小时播放央视9套纪录片频道等电视频道节目,已开通中、俄、英等多个语种117个频道,并自办了4套节目以维护文化的独立性和多样性。
4月9日举行的亚洲媒体高峰会议是博鳌亚洲论坛的重要议程之一,来自亚洲40个国家的140多位主流媒体负责人以及亚洲文化学者和有关方面代表300多人共聚一堂,金华人张素兰是唯一一位以“外方嘉宾”身份受邀参加会议并作发言的代表。张素兰在会上作了《发挥媒体功能构筑人类命运共同体迎接共同挑战》的演讲,结合亲身经历讲述中国和吉尔吉斯斯坦(以下简称吉国)等“一带一路”沿线国家和地区的友好往来、合作共赢的故事,打动了现场的每一个人。
“2月27日,国务院新闻办公室就给我发邀请函了。”张素兰告诉笔者,德隆电视台是中国相关部门指定的12家供片商之一。张素兰强调“文化促进经济发展,经济带来文化繁荣”。她表示,以德隆电视台为媒介的文化交流使“一带一路”沿线国家和地区的人民,尤其是吉尔吉斯斯坦人民对中国的认知度日益加深,有力促进了双边贸易的发展。
张素兰曾15次组织德隆电视台员工、吉国官员到中国旅游,也组织当地的工商界人士到杭州、宁波、金华等地进行商务考察。十多年来,杭州、宁波、金华等多个城市的发展和成就,正是通过德隆电视台不断传播到吉尔吉斯斯坦。
“吉国人民很喜欢中国的环境,很喜欢义乌小商品,很关注媒体上播放的这类信息。正是有了文化的互动交流,双边贸易就走得特别快。从浙江义乌开出的义新欧班列让沿线国家和地区都能享用世界各国的名品优品,可以方便地‘买全球‘卖全球,这在以前是不可想像的。”张素兰向笔者透露,德隆电视台还牵线出一个大手笔——帮助吉国招商中国天迈企业在吉尔吉斯斯坦投资4000万美金,提供800个岗位,吉尔吉斯斯坦政府非常重视。
在吉尔吉斯斯坦,德隆电视台家喻户晓,它的收视人群覆盖了吉尔吉斯斯坦主要城市人口的63%。张素兰告诉笔者:“德隆电视台在吉尔吉斯斯坦很有名,但几乎没人知道是中国人投资创办的。”主干道路边、公交车车身上、各大商铺门口,随处都能看到DolonTV(德隆电视台)的宣传广告。
“雄鹰飞过天山,那里是我的第二故乡,我对那块土地爱得深沉!”谈到吉尔吉斯斯坦,金华人张素兰充满了感情。如今,她每年有超过一半的时间都要在那片万里之外的土地上度过,因为那里有她为之奋斗十多年的电视事业。
“创办那一年,我的女儿也就是个10多岁的小姑娘。”谈话中,张素兰总会把电视台和自己的女儿相比。在她看来,十多年异国他乡的办台经历,德隆电视台已成为她的另一个女儿。
2005年,张素兰和丈夫一起经营的浙江金华邮电工程有限公司在当地网络通讯市场已经小有名气,得知吉尔吉斯斯坦有創办电视台的机会,经过深思熟虑,她决定尝试挑战。她认为,网络通信和广电工程建设之间,硬件技术是相通的,但更大的转变在于内容,就像从“理科生”转变成了“文科生”。
创办电视台投资巨大,资金成了张素兰遇到的第一个难题。直到今天,她在吉尔吉斯斯坦的办公室里,仍在使用着十多年前她和家人从国内带过去的办公桌。“当地办公家具太贵,所以就尽量从国内运过去,这张桌子是我和老公、女儿蹲在地上一个下午一点点装起来的。”
在张素兰看来,创业难,有限的资金每一分钱都要用在刀刃上。“这个项目投资回报时间很长,但越做越觉得有意义。”张素兰说。
十多年前,比资金更让张素兰作难的,是她必须肩负的文化“拓荒”的重任。
张素兰说,那时吉国官方、民间对中国不了解,因为缺乏渠道了解中国,一直以为中国很落后,自然不愿意接受中国节目。于是,频繁地与当地主管部门沟通,成了这位连语言都不通的张台长的主要工作。
对来自外界的各种困扰,张素兰是有心理准备的,但让她始料未及的是,有些阻力却来自内部。
电视台一创办,张素兰就想把CCTV引进来落地,可她在当地雇佣的负责技术的员工却直接拒绝。他认为,吉国人不会看中国电视台,接进来干什么?
“我先生带着翻译给他做解释劝导工作,花了一个多星期才说服他接进中央电视台的一个台。”
德隆电视台100多个员工,大部分都是当地人。“由于文化差异,开始几年非常痛苦。”张素兰说,内部员工因归属感不强,状况不断。经常有人来了一天,第二天就要结账走人,人员变动非常频繁。诸如一家人要去山上喝羊奶一周、失恋心情不好等都能成为请假理由。
这更激起了张素兰心中的斗志:“让更多人了解中国。”她咬牙坚持,并尽量入乡随俗。德隆电视台的台名、台标都是当地征集来的。德隆是当地一座有名的山,电视台以此为名,也是一种尊重。另外,她还想了许多招数,比如对老年人优惠、对军人免费,以及给观众送生日祝福等等,以此来拉近与当地居民的距离。
在德隆电视台,如今有一项不成文的规定,似乎比绩效考核更有诱惑力——工作优秀的吉国员工,将获得免费到中国旅游的机会。
这条旅游线路是张素兰精心设计的自由行:第一站到新疆,体会中国的地大物博;第二站到金华,感受中国公司文化;第三站到横店,游览中国影视之城缩影;第四站,领略义乌国际小商品城的壮观;第五站,享受天堂杭州的悠闲生活;第六站,感受大上海的繁荣和国际化。
回去后,员工对中国赞不绝口。现在电视台员工非常稳定。不少当地人还与张素兰成了好朋友。有当地人还通过张素兰,让孩子到浙江师范大学学习中文。
在吉国这些年,张素兰的感受很深,员工从无视你到尊敬你,这些都是文化沟通的力量。从开始反对把中国频道接进来,到现在有员工建议要在自建频道开设学中文的栏目,张素兰觉得一切都在潜移默化地影响着吉国人民的思想。
用吉尔吉斯斯坦国家通讯署官员耶丽萨莉达的话说:“以前很多人对中国和中国人的了解仅是中国小商品和商人。从德隆电视上我们了解到中国和中国人的另一面。德隆电视改变了大多数人对中国和中国人的看法。”
在吉国那么多年,张素兰发现一种外来文化要让当地人接受,不是简单将内容翻译过来即可。2012年开始,张素兰开始自办频道,引进一批中国人文纪录片、风光片及“中国浙江文化周”“中国义乌小商品城”等节目,很受当地主流社会喜爱。
正是凭着浙江人的执着和拼劲,德隆电视台终于在当地站稳了脚跟。
在这个中亚国度中,德隆电视台也已成为中国文化的有力传播平台,其播出的中国影视剧、纪录片、动画片等,为当地居民喜闻乐见。他们通过收看该电视台节目了解中国这个蓬勃发展的东方国度,更加尊重中国和中国人。
2014年,德隆電视台播出的《舌尖上的中国》系列纪录片在吉尔吉斯斯坦引发了一场“中餐热”,让当地的中餐馆生意火爆。而绍兴本土动画片《少年师爷》授权德隆电视台在当地播出,也让不少孩子迷上了中国历史。
吉尔吉斯斯坦人文大学学生娜孜古丽是德隆电视台的忠实观众。“我每天都收看德隆电视台的节目,不仅能学习汉语,也让我可以看到一个充满人文气息的中国,我现在的愿望就是能到这个精彩的国度走一走、看一看。”
吉尔吉斯斯坦最大网络运营商阿卡奈特公司总经理库班也是德隆电视台的忠实观众,如今他和张素兰一家已成为好朋友。在他看来,德隆电视台是展示中国的好平台,吉尔吉斯斯坦人以往对西方世界的了解要比对中国的了解多,正是德隆电视台更新了大多数人对中国和中国人的看法。
正如中国驻吉尔吉斯斯坦大使馆文化处官员王继伟所评价的,德隆电视台是吉尔吉斯斯坦乃至中亚最具有影响力的华语电视播出平台,对于中国文化传播、中国与中亚的民心相通起到了重要作用。
“我们期待能发挥更大的作用,不仅在有线电视服务上,也在政策沟通、设施联通、贸易畅通、资金融通、民心相通方面,搭建中国与吉尔吉斯斯坦之间的互通桥梁。”张素兰坚信,得益于造福两国的“一带一路”,德隆电视台的未来一定会更加精彩。
Zhang Sulan Operates TV Station in Kyrgyzstan
By Li Yan, Guo Yanping
Zhang Sulan, a native of Zhejiang, started DolonTV in Kyrgyzstan in 2005. Now, DolonTV has grown into the second largest television network that offers 117 channels in Russian, English, and Chinese to the audience in the country in Central Asia. To maintain diversity, DolonTV also operates four regular channels of its own.
Zhangs adventures in Kyrgyzstan had started long before 2005. The communication equipment business she and her husband operated had long since firmly established itself in the business of network communications. After learning in 2005 that there was an opportunity to set up and run a television studio, she decided to try. After all, the television hardware didnt differ very much from network communication, she reasoned.
Investment was a big issue. She raised funds through her own network and economized. Today, the furniture in her office at DolonTV is still all she and her family had brought from home China and installed piece by piece personally. The biggest challenge, however, was not financial. Back then, the local people did not know very much about China. They were almost clueless about television programs from China, thinking China was a backward country. At the beginning years, Zhangs main task was to communicate with the local authorities even though she hardly spoke the local language.
Zhang had been prepared for such difficulties. But the biggest challenge, however, came unexpectedly from some of her colleagues at DolonTV. She had planned to broadcast programs of CCTV, Chinas largest television network, in Kyrgyzstan. But the chief engineer, a local Kyrgyzstani, said no point blankly. “The people of Kyrgyzstan dont watch any Chinese TV program. What is the good of getting the channel in?” asked the chief engineer.
Zhangs husband talked with the chief engineer through an interpreter for more than a week before the chief engineer changed his mind and agreed to broadcast the CCTV signal to the whole country.
In the first few years, Zhang had difficulties working with her local personnel. DolonTV employs about 100 locals. In the first few years, the employee turnover was fast. Some worked for a day or two before they quit. Some wanted to take a week-long leave based on seemingly unbelievable grounds. To increase employee loyalty, Zhang took some measures. The best policy, though unwritten, is an opportunity to take a tour in China for free. The itinerary, designed by Zhang personally, includes six stops: Xinjiang where employees can embrace the vastness of China, Jinhua where employees can visit the headquarters of the company, Hengdian where employees can see Asias biggest filmmaking powerhouse, Yiwu where employees can eyeball the worlds biggest wholesale marketplace of household commodities, Hangzhou where employees can enjoy and experience the citys leisurely lifestyle and scenic West Lake, and Shanghai where employees can see the ritzy prosperity and majesty of the international metropolis.
This free tour has worked. Those who took and enjoyed the incentive trip praise China to their colleagues. Now the workforce at the television studio is quite stable. Zhang has made a lot of friends with local people. Some people have sent their children to study Chinese at Zhejiang Normal University through the arrangements of Zhang.
Zhang believe it is through effective cultural exchanges that her employees have changed their opinions about China. At first they were reluctant to broadcast Chinas programs. Now they suggest offering a Chinese learning course in one of the four channels DolonTV makes.
In order to make DolonTV popular, Zhang has introduced Chinese contents ingeniously to the audience in Kyrgyzstan. To make a Chinese culture acceptable to the local audience in Kyrgyzstan, Zhang discovered the hard way that simple translation doesnt work. Since 2012, DolonTV has broadcast Chinese documentaries and made programs on Zhejiang Culture Week and Yiwu Small Commodities City. These programs appeal to the mainstream audience in Kyrgyzstan.
“In the past, people learned about China and Chinese people through Chinese commodities and Chinese business people. Now we learn more about China through DolonTV, which have changed most peoples opinion about China and Chinese people,” commented a government official of national communication department of Kyrgyzstan.
“We are looking forward to playing a bigger role in Kyrgyzstan, not only in television services, but also in policy, equipment, trade, finance, and people-to-people communications between China and Kyrgyzstan,” says Zhang Sulan. She firmly believes that DolonTV will have a bright future thanks to the benefits of the Belt & Road Initiative.