Foreign TV hosts offer fresh views of Anhui

Anhui province launched a 15-minute weekly TV program on Friday in which two foreigners tour the region and tell viewers about what they see.

Titled Focus on Anhui, the program features Frenchman Furic Philippe and Australian Jake Dyason. It is produced by the Anhui Information Office and Anhui Broadcasting Corp, and airs in some 100 countries and regions, said Yu Chengming, the broadcaster’s deputy editor-in-chief.

Philippe, who travels around northern and central Anhui on high-speed trains and conducts interviews in English; and Dyason, who explores cities and rural areas along the Yangtze River in southern Anhui and interacts with people in Chinese, intend to explore the region’s economic development, social harmony and lifestyles.

Yu said the program will reach viewers in China, Europe, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, the United States and Canada.

“The reason I do this kind of show is that I want to tell people the real stories about things going on now in China,” Philippe said. “I not only want to surprise foreigners but also people living in Anhui — showing them what is happening in their own region.”

“I think the program can help foreigners who have never seen or heard of Anhui get to know what it is like — its scenery, technology and history,” Dyason said.

Dyason said the series will showcase the province’s past and even foretell its future — what is going to happen in the next five, 10 or 15 years for its 70 million residents.

Also on Friday, the province launched a four-in-one communication platform, consisting of a website, app, micro blog and a WeChat channel, to disseminate government news in a timely, mobile, authoritative and interactive manner.