English Media in China

CCTV Headquarters

Two stations of CCTV (China Central Television) are broadcast in foreign languages: CCTV-9 (CCTV International) in English and CCTV-E&F in French and Spanish.

Launched in 2000, CCTV-9 was the first channel in the country to broadcast in the non-native language. All the programs whether news, culture, or special topics, are broadcast all day in English. This channel not only reports current events, but also introduces Chinese history, geography, culture, and nature. 

CCTV-E&F is another Chinese channel that broadcasts in foreign languages: French and Spanish, This station not only tells the significant news of China and the world, but also shows the world some programs that foreigners are interested in, especially foreigners from French and Spanish-speaking countries.

In addition to CCTV-9 & CCTV-F&E, CCTV has a third station for expatriot audiences: CCTV 4. Whereas the programs for the previous stations are designed for a Western audience, CCTV 4 is broadcast entirely in Mandarin with the Asian audience in mind. It includes news shows, documentaries, talk shows, TV dramas, variety shows, and soap operas. 
 

China Daily online

The only national English-language newspaper is China Daily, with a daily circulation of over 200,000. There are many sections to introduce and report current affairs both at home and abroad. It also focuses on business, education, sports and entertainment. You can buy it at any of the newspaper kiosks, 2 Yuan for one. Some of the hotels in China also provide you with the newspaper for free. Here is the website: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/

Other local English newspaper like South China Morning Post (published in Hong Kong), Shenzhen Today, Shanghai Star and Guangzhou Morning Post, as well as the famous local English magazine Beijing This Month, all are informative and easy to buy at the newsstands when you travel to those cities.
 

There are many radio stations in China, among which CRI (China Radio International) is the only national station broadcasting to the world in 43 languages. Various programs last each day from 6:00am to 24:00pm, including news, current events, and other special subjects related to politics, culture, science and technology. CRI Online, the official website launched by CRI in 1998, also is a good platform to gain information. Now you can have the online listening to hear the daily news or order the past programs you want to listen to. If you are in Beijing, you can tune into 91.5FM (Frequency Modulation) Hz to listen to EasyFM, and 88.7FM Hz for HitFM, where the world pop music broadcasts, or 90.5FM Hz for the CRI Newsradio, which broadcasts news. Please refer to their website for the details: http://english.cri.cn/
 

Internet access is available and quite convenient. The internet cafes are inexpensive and widely available in all major cities. Many mass media have their official website in both Chinese and English so getting online is a fast way to get information and news without buying the newspaper or magazines. Below are some of the most popular media websites in English just for your reference:

Xinhua Online
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/

People's Daily Online
http://en.people.cn/

Sina (English Version)
http://english.sina.com/