Good timing
Private businessmen introducing the CPC to the world really works, says Huang, as dealing with them is more acceptable to non-governmental organizations abroad. "Being a private businessman means he can take a neutral standpoint," said Zhang Xixian, a professor with the Party School, to the Global Times.
Compared with official channels, individual forays have proven successful. The CPC used to rely on its official channels to promote itself, but making headway proved too difficult. "The cultural system between the West and China is completely different. As to the publicity industry, it is governed by the Party in China, while in the West it is run by individuals," said Zhang.
Now, officials are beginning to slowly change their minds. They have realized State-owned publishers selling books abroad cannot do enough, and that tapping private ones is necessary to introduce China to other countries.
To Huang, what the government has done to promote China has cost a huge amount of money but has had little to no effect, like advertising China's national image on Times Square in New York. Even so, some provincial governments have followed suit, such as Shanxi and Tianjin, all in vain.
Huang pours scorn on advertising shows that have little impact, saying they are glaringly obvious and will never catch on.
Huang's achievements indirectly act as a bellwether to see if China is popular in the international community, said Zhang. To him, the period for exposing China's dark sides has passed, and the time for analyzing China from different aspects, both its achievements and failures, hasn't arrived yet.
Currently, there cannot be a large market for books about the CPC, since ordinary people abroad don't necessarily have a strong interest in the topic, Huang Guorong, former deputy director of the People's Liberation Army Printing House, told the Global Times.
However, such books have a potential high-end market since foreign parties and politicians want to read them to find out how China can develop so quickly, Huang added.
Huang was echoed by Li Shujuan. "Selling books about the CPC is not an easy business, but it is meaningful," she said.
"Now, China is at the second level, and people abroad want to learn about China's experience and achievements," said Zhang. It is the right time for people like Huang to do business and introduce China to the world.
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