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CCTV's Spring Festival gala [File photo]

China Central Television has made substantial changes to the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival gala, including a drastic reduction in funding for the program and local TV stations have followed CCTV's lead.

The measures are reportedly in response to the recently issued ban on extravagant official galas, which is part of efforts to improve ties between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the people and maintain the image of the Party and government amid an ongoing frugality campaign.

Extravagant galas targeted

The ban, jointly issued by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Culture, the National Audit Office and the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, states that authorities will strive to curb extravagance in the organization of official galas and urges improved supervision and inspection of galas, budget control and strict auditing.

It is felt that the majority of extravagant galas are little more than vanity projects which benefit a select group of people rather than the common good, with some officials enjoying substantial discounts for throwing lavish galas.

To counter the possibility of corruption, authorities may not hold joint cultural celebrations or performances with enterprises or use their administrative power to force lower-level public institutions, enterprises or individuals to cover related expenditure. In addition, the ban states that government funds must not be used to hold commercial galas or pay appearance fees to high-profile stars.

In the run-up to the New Year, Chinese audiences are often overwhelmed by a plethora of overly extravagant celebrations. The collective staging of high-cost galas has been dubbed the "New Year War" by the media and around 300 to 400 million yuan (US$48.9- US$65.3 million) was spent on staging a dozen flamboyant galas to celebrate the coming of 2013.

It is likely that the ban on extravagant galas will put an end to such spending. Hunan TV, the first domestic TV station to broadcast the New Year gala, noted that it would air fewer gala programs this year and the 2014 New Year gala would be presented in a different way.

Many other TV stations are also looking to a more frugal format for their New Year galas as well as cancel celebrations and performances for lower profile festivals.

There are also plans to increase public participation in the galas in order to reduce the often lavish spending on entertainers and stars and CCTV is among the television stations looking to do so.

Crisis and opportunity

Many entertainment tropes and cultural organizations have been heavily dependent on government purchases and public spending and the ban will hit them hard.

In addition, entertainers and stars who have benefited greatly from the increase in gala programs in recent years will see their performance fees fall as a result of the cutbacks on galas and gala funding, with some industry insiders estimating that performance fees could drop by as much as 20 percent.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the ban is its potential to make the Chinese cultural (entertainment) industry much more market-oriented.

China's cultural market has long been bloated with flashy, superficial products which have failed to sate people's demands for high quality cultural products. As a result of the ban, cultural organizations will be forced to put a greater emphasis on artistic creativity to survive and gain a greater share of the market, which should lead to a more dynamic cultural industry in China.

Li Junwei, a professor from the CPC's Party School of the Central Committee, pointed out that the move against extravagant shows, as well as being part of the CPC Central Committee's criteria for curbing bureaucracy and extravagance, is also a new opportunity for improving the general cultural environment.

Responding to public concern

The importance of curbing extravagance has been noted by President Xi Jinping, who, speaking at the launch of the clean up campaign to address official formality, bureaucracy, laxity and extravagance, said: "Winning or losing public support is an issue of CPC survival."

Overly extravagant galas, especially those organized with public funds, have tarnished the image of the CPC and the government and triggered a raft of public complaints.

Yao Huan, a professor from the Beijing Administrative College, welcomed the ban, saying that the majority of the public cares more about the artistic quality of the shows themselves rather than aesthetics and would object to lavishing public funds on ostentatious displays.

Pan Huaiping, an adjunct professor from the Shannxi Provincial Party School of the CPC, said that extravagant galas merely present fake beauty and called for the return of pure art, arguing that art's genuine beauty cannot be truly appreciated when galas are overly lavish and overblown. The new measures to curb extravagance will ensure that people's needs are met and galas cater for all rather than just a select few.

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