The vice-mayor of Shanghai is new to the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). She has come to Beijing with a draft proposal concerning developments in the information sector, with a view to making a case for greater interest in the content industry within the sector.
Yan Junqi has hosted more than 10 national ‘863’ program (National High Technology Research and Development Program of China) and she is an expert in her field of mechanical engineering, a national academic contributor, model worker of Shanghai, Labor Day medal winner and renowned professor.
"To be a member of the CPPCC means another opportunity for me to serve my country at another level," she says with a smile. As vice mayor of Shanghai, she is charge of science, technology and information, and for the current CPPCC, has gathered views, opinions and proposals on the subject, and most particularly, on the greatly needed emphasis on the content industry within the sector.
According to Yan Junqi, although the content industry (digital information that is produced, delivered and managed online) in China is an important sector within the information industry, and is one that has close ties with the culture industry, it does not receive the recognition and support that the industry in general receives. She sees this as an obstacle to the development of the content sector. This is particularly so as it is an opportunity to further develop and enhanced the cultural industry.
She points out that although the content sector is a new part of the information industry, it has been developing with great speed and efficiency as is seen by overseas product lines and services such as Internet games, SMS and voice services, all of which have proved to be lucrative and profitable. But Yan Junqi maintains that the growth of this sector in China has been impeded by the greater emphasis given in support to information infrastructure rather than in the development of its content. She explains:
"We cannot just watch foreign products occupying our markets because of a lack of management and policies. This will affect the development of the content industry here."
Her suggestions are that central government finds an integrative management department to promote the combination of cultural and popular content, while at the same time adjusting the inequitable interest in infrastructure over content. She adds that the government should invest greater resources in buying public information facilities, digital libraries and online museums and in general to speed up the development of the content industry.
(China.org.cn by Staff Reporter Su Xiangdong, translated by Wu Nanlan, March 11, 2003)
