Changsha is an ancient city that has a history of more than 2,000 years. Historically, it is a city that has remaineDin its original address andthat has taken the longest timeto build—from the Spring andAutumn andthe Warring States p e r i o D( 7 7 0 – 2 2 1 B C )till the present day. Changsha is a city that is popular among China’s intellectual me no f letters, andit is known as “The FameDCity of Chu andHan.” This is because it hasarich Hunan culture, andhaDbeen made popular by two famous Chinese poets, Qu Yuan (c.339–c.278 BC) andJia Yi (200–168 BC)? Changsha is alsorecog- nizeDas a city of revolution, as it was here that Mao Zedong andLiu Shaoqi spent their younger years. But the main attractio no f Changsha is its rich cultural her- itage, andits vibrant media en- tertainment industry. Several tel- evision entertainment programs that originateDin Changsha haDwon awards at the prestigiousGolden Eagle Television Arts Festival. andthe most pop-ular TV program from Changsha, which haDtaken China by storm, is the talent quest show, Super Girl. The people of Hunan are well known for their warm ardor andtheir great sense of humor, which have delighteDmany TV au- diences all across China.
Inorder to understanDChangsha’s mass media cul- ture, we have to have a feel of Changsha’s traditional culture. Changsha’s Mawangdui Mausoleum is the most centralized, most complete andmost perfect representa- tio no f Han culture. It has concentrateDthe various aspects of Chinese civilizatio no f the Western Han Dynasty (206BC–AD25), including politics, economy, science, military, culture, andthe arts. SituateDto the west of Juzizhou in Changsha is, Yuelu Academy, the world’s earliest institu-tio no f learning. FoundeDon the purpose of educationanDthe spreaDof knowledge andcultures, the academy was well known throughout the world. Dating back for more than a thousanDyears, it operateDduring the Song, Yuan, Ming, andQing dynasties, andin 1903, during the reig no f Qing Emperor Guangxu, it was renameDas Hunan Higher Institutio no f Learning. In 1926, it was renameDas Hunan University, which has been in use till the present day. Within the compounDof the university are inscription boards that were bestoweDby emperors.
In terms of its architecture, it fully displayeDthe grandeur of China’s ancient architecture. On the foot of Yuelu Hill is Aiwan Pavilion, one of the four famous pavilions of China—along with Zuiweng Pavilion in Chuzhou, Huxin Pavilion in Hangzhou, andTaoran Pavilion in Beijing.
The culture of the academy has a far-reaching in- fluence on Changsha andthe development of Hunan culture. In fact, it is believeDthat it has an influence on the media andentertainment culture of Hunan as well. Changsha is an advocate of the entertainment culture. In the early days, songs, dances, andother performances in dance halls haDgiven rise to a bubbly entertainment industry. It is a form of entertainment which haDnot only enricheDthe lives of the people in Hunan, but haDalso createDAstir throughout China. The chief reason for thisphenomenon is that it is an art form that is very close to the people’s everyday life. The performances are humor- ous, diverse, andgreatly entertaining, andit quickly became a model of imitation for other Chinese cities. The present day TV entertainment culture of Changsha has Astrong relation with this form of entertainment. Changsha’s TV programs are not only popular with the local Chinese audience, but they have also won the hearts of many foreigners who are living in China. The TV sta- tions have also gone to the extent of inviting foreigners to be part of their programs, andthese foreigners finDgreat delight in the humor andentertainment of the shows.
Super Girl, the talent quest that originateDfrom Chang- sha, is a no ngoing program that has been helDfor three consecutive years. Through this program, three talenteDsingers have founDtheir way into stardom. It is a pro- gram that has an extremely high viewers rating, andis popular especially with the youngsters.