Statistics show that the premier duration of Chinese documentary in 2012 is approximately 17500 hours, and the marketing income is conservatively estimated to be more than 1.5 billion RMB, production cost more than 1.3 with a constant increase speed of 30 percent in the three consecutive years. Some productions such as Chinese Kungfu, A Bite of China, Chinese Spring Gala have succeeded in international broadcasting, and CCTV Documentary Channel has achieved a new record of international sale of 2.2 million dollars. Reportedly, CCTV Documentary Channel will present 8 till 10 productions every year, and in a mass production way, has swiftly established their own brand in the international market. 

With such an amazing harvest achieved in Chinese documentary, media call this year as the first era of Chinese documentary, which expands from professional circles into a popular topic. 

On April 6, the 50th Cannes Spring TV Festival was opened in France where nine documentaries, namely A Bite of China, Tea, Silk Road, Porcelain Road, Peking Opera, Red-crowned Crane, Comparison: Still in the Mirror and Chinese Gardens, promoted by CCTV Documentary Channel, won popularity among over 100 representatives of international famous production companies, independent producers and documentary distribution companies. On May 23, the premier ceremony of the documentary Peking Opera took place in Beijing. This most popular documentary at Cannes Spring TV Festival was broadcast in CCTV on June 3. According to Liu Wen, director general of CCTV Documentary Channel, through screening and negotiation with distribution companies, more than 80 hours of overseas programs are introduced and their international exchange and cooperation have been further expanded. 

Reporter: It is the second time that Documentary Channel has been invited to Cannes TV Festival. Besides, we have noticed your appearance in some grand international gatherings such as the Assembly of World Science and Documentary Producers, International Emmy Awards TV Festival and Sunny Side of the Doc in France, in all of which your productions become a common focus. We can say that is your strategy of international standard and marketing set up at the very beginning. To be specific, what kinds of international cooperation have you taken at present? 

Liu Wen: As for marketing, we have both introduction and sale. By means of introducing the most excellent documentaries on human civilization from abroad, Chinese TV audiences will synchronously share the latest achievement of TV cultural production and Chinese counterparts will learn a lot as well. As for sale, from the initial establishment on, we keep efforts in these years and now are able to present 8 till 10 documentaries annually. With such a mass presentation, we swiftly foster our brand in the international market and more and more attention is paid to Chinese documentary. Prior to the establishment of our channel, domestic documentaries used to be mainly about culture and history. Currently genres and numbers of productions are increasingly abundant and various. Those documentaries which enjoying international reputations such as A Bite of China, Chinese Spring Gala and Super Project are actually about social life in China. 

Reporter: In contrast to purchase, will international co-production be more complicated? 

Liu Wen: As for international co-production, we have several means of cooperation. One of them is like this: joint investment from our channel and foreign partners, overseas group invited to conduct direct shooting in strict line with the plan determined by all sides, overseas marketing group in direct sale. Take Mystery in China: Heavenly Pit as example, our partner is Natinal Geography from USA who brings half of the total investment. An independent TV station company from UK is responsible for production and distribution as well. The most significant advantage of this kind of cooperation is that those documentaries about China are directly sold through international market with more convenient sale channels in overseas market. 

The second kind is our independent investment and overseas group invited for production. Take the documentary Between Cloud and Dream, which are still underway, as example, we invited the famous documentary director Phil Agland and his team from UK to make shooting because Phil once shot South of Cloud in 1989.This new production is about environmental protection, and its theme for discussion is how an individual or an organization can realize a harmonious coexistence with nature in the current global climate circumstance and after Chinese people’s suffering from some problems and self-reflection. Phil shot a lot about ordinary people’s life, and we still take the charge. This documentary will be sold through international market. For other productions, we invite a submarine shooting group from Malaysia for Discover Kennya, and an aerial shooting group from Austria for Grand Huangshan Mountain. 

The third kind is our direct participation in the investment and cooperation on the largest international TV blockbusters such as Change the Earth, Power of Life and Africa. The advantage of direct investment is the confirmation of our occupying position in the international market. As we participate in the management in the international market, we gain the right of decision to utter our opinion about the contents. Through such operation in this high-end market, those productions about China will be presented in the mainstream international platform. 

Reporter: With outstanding achievement in overseas sale, such documentaries as A Bite of China and Chinese Spring Gala have demonstrated a strong explosive force to international community and called on domestic audiences to reconsider Chinese documentary. 

Liu Wen: Achievement in sale is only a small part. For us, the key objective is to expand the influence. Entering the international market is the prerequisite of our original documentary producton. We build up our own sale group in order to cover the whole country by sales and the profit and added value will enhance confidence of all the documentary staff. During the two years since our channel establishment, our biggest contribution is to give incitement to this profession. For more than two decades, we have been looking forward to the prosperity of Chinese documentary, and today we have turned it into a super star. In the past, we could hardly imagine a documentary channel with such great influence, increasing audience rating and the profit of four hundred million RMB. When I took my position, I planned to earn one hundred million in the following three years, and unexpectedly I managed after only two years, which indicates the prosperity of this industry as a reminder for provincial TV stations and satellite stations. Thanks to brilliant production, documentary is profitable. Medium and high-end audience as well as young people have regarded documentary as a high-end cultural product for their appreciation.