Committee of 100 Opens Doors in China for Journalist and Talk Show Host Tavis Smiley

Committee of 100 members and staff played important roles in the production of “Postcards from China,” a five-day PBS series to air the week of July 11 on Tavis Smiley.  Smiley brought more than thirty of his staff members, as well as Princeton professor Cornel West, his Smiley and West co-host on Public Radio International, to record a six-part series in China.

When Smiley visited China for the first time last year on a Committee of 100 Journalists Delegation, he was intrigued with the new breed of entrepreneurs, economists and educators who personify China’s cutting-edge and knew he wanted to tell their stories for his American radio and television audience.  Smiley also wanted to meet Chinese at the other end of the economic spectrum to give a fuller picture of China.  An Ping, C-100 Public Relations Director, helped Smiley, his crew and staff plan the trip, including travel logistics and on-site support, for the eight-day stay in Shanghai and Beijing this spring.

“Postcards from China” begins on Monday, July 11 by examining China’s economic boom through interviews with Innovation Works CEO Kai-Fu Lee, Chairman of Microsoft China Ya-Qin Zhang, and Horizon Research Consultancy Group pollster Victor Yuan.  China’s challenges, environmental, social and educational, are the subject of the July 12 program.  In this show, C-100 Governor Shirley Young is Smiley’s guide to the school and homes of some of Shanghai’s poorest, the migrant workers and their children.  They also visit the Shanghai Children’s Palace, which began to reach out to disadvantaged children following a C-100 Cultural Institute-organized exchange with the National Dance Institute, established by Jacques d’Amboise to bring the study of dance to underserved New York City children.  The story of Andrew Ballen, a black law school drop-out-turned hip-hop artist, entrepreneur and Chinese cultural phenomenon, will air on Wednesday, July 13.  On July 14, Smiley revisits students he met last year at Beijing’s 101 High School to learn more about how China’s best-educated see their future.  A roundtable on China and its place in the world, filmed at Smiley’s Los Angeles studios, completes the week and will include C-100 Chairman Dominic Ng and former C-100 Chairman John Chen.

Comments

[Sophie Guerin]

Fantastic initiative. I look forward to seeing this exciting PBS series!

[Hazel Holcomb]

I was glad to see different races in the picture. I hope the racial discrimination across the world can be eliminated.

[Genivive Cain]

Wow. That was new news. China isn't known for there openness to journalist.