China: Official Olympics channel's unveiling ceremony crashed

Global Voices Olympics Cucqueans can now be added to the list of groups of people who have disrupted affairs within Chinese state television with their grievances. But what does it say when those doing the disrupting are themselves high-profile Chinese state television personalities?

Friday was meant to be a big day for China's main sports channel CCTV-5, with a lavish ceremony attended by top station executives held to celebrate its official change of name to The Olympics Channel. It got a bit bigger when a visibly upset Hu Ziwei, the wife of top CCTV-5 announcer and sports news dept. head Zhang Bin—about to introduce Olympic ping pong player Wang Nan—suddenly appeared on stage and grabbed the microphone, accusing Zhang of having had an affair, as well as of smearing the name of both China and next year's summer Olympics. Hu herself is a host of an Olympics-themed program at BeijingTV.

Someone present inevitably got out their cellphone, and six hours after the video was uploaded to video sharing website Tudou, over 20 pages of comments had poured in. Sina was quick to delete the clip, but a copy has been placed on YouTube. The Tudou user has provided a caption of what Hu said:

视频开始,胡拿麦说话,张斌想阻止又不敢动手的样子晃来晃去。
  
胡:……但是有一天,我呢不是作为一个节目主持人的身份,而是作为站在我身边的张斌先生的(哽咽)太太,来为大家……(被打断)耽误大家一分钟的时间!耽误大家一分钟的时间!收好(抓住台子)
  
胡:今天对于奥运频道是一个特别的日子,对于张斌先生是一个特别的日子,但是对于我来讲也是是一个特别的日子。因为在两个小时之前,我知道除了我之外,张斌先生还和另一个女人保持着不正当的关系。(我的题外话:你也是不正当的关系?)
  
胡:明年是奥运的一年,全世界的人民都在关注中国。但是,但是一个法国的外交部长说过:中国人如果要是在价值观上没有……(画外音:请不要拍摄)那么这一切又有什么意义呢?又有什么意义?(上来很多人拖她)你们就这样对待一个弱女子?你们就这样对待一个弱女子吗?
  
胡:(不断挣扎)我只说最后一句话,让我们可以保持风度地对抗。但是法国的那一位外交部长曾经说:中国在能够输出价值观之前,不会成为一个大国。在我们面前面对着这样道貌岸然的……张斌内心并不能够面对自己的时候……甚至于不敢面对他受到伤害的妻子的时候。我觉得中国作为一个……成为一个大国……你们到底有没有一点儿良知啊?!你放开!离一个大国还差得太远了。

胡:今天可能是最后的一个星期天了。明天大家都会过一个很好的……长假,我和张斌是不可能了。
  
画外音:何必呢?
  
胡:非常不好意思,我也是……但是知道……(听不清)
  
张斌:对不起大家。

As the clip starts, Hu has taken the mike and is speaking. Zhang can be seen hovering, wanting to stop her but not daring to.

Hu: ….but there came a day, when I wasn't just a television announcer, but the (sob) wife of the man standing next to me, Mr. Zhang Bin. I just want to take…… (cut off) one minute of everyone's time! I'll just take one minute of your time! Let go. (she grabs the podium)

Hu: Today is a special day for The Olympic Channel, and it's a special day for Mr. Zhang Bin, and for me, it's a special day too. Because just two hours ago, I found out that besides me, Mr. Zhang Bin has been maintaining an improper relationship with another woman [the vlogger cuts in: the relationship with you is improper too?]

Hu: Next year is an Olympics year, and all people all over the world will be watching China. But, but it was a French foreign diplomat who said: If the Chinese people's values don't….(someone off-screen says: please don't take any pictures)…then what significance will any of it been? What will have been the point? (Many people now try to drag her off) Is that how you treat a weak woman?

Hu: (Still struggling) I just want to say one last thing—can we please keep our demeanor here?—that French foreign diplomat also said: until China is able to start exporting its values, it won't be able to become a great power. For us to be faced with such prim and proper……yet Zhang Bin can't even be brought to face his own……at a time when he won't even face his hurt wife. I think China, as a……to succeed as a great power……don't any of you have any conscience at all?! You let me go! We're so far from being a great country.

Hu: Today might be the last Sunday. Tomorrow everyone will go on a nice, long……vacation. But there's no way Zhang Bin and I will.

Off-screen: Is this necessary?

Hu: I'm very sorry, I'm…..too. But I know……(unclear).

Zhang Bin: Sorry, everyone.

With the number of journalists present at the time, photos have been floating around. Someone has put several of them together at the HoopChina BBS, where 11 pages of comments have already come in:

Gossip over the personal relationships of prominent Chinese television announcers has always been a hot topic [zh] on the Chinese blogsphere, and this has been no exception; mentioned in several places is speculation that Zhang had divorced his previous wife to be with Hu, who some are alleging was quite active in pursuing a relationship with him at that time, that she attacked Zhang's ex-wife at one point, and there's even speculation on who his newest lover is. Neither Hu nor Zhang have mentioned this on their blogs. Zhang, in fact, hasn't updated his since it opened in March this year. Zhang's new blog.

On a thread at the PCHome BBS, readers write:

heyuan1999
国外的话 不是要直接电击放倒了了么~~~~~~

If this had happened overseas, wouldn't they've just straight up tazed her….?

lulu719
CCTV这些人~
全被老罗说中了,不是能力问题是政治面貌问题。
上面有人你政治过关,就能上去。

Those CCTV people..
Luo Yonghao was right about all of them; it's not a problem of ability, it's a problem with the politics.
If the people above think you've got the right politics, then you can move up.

scott_zcl
都是一路货色,利用公众资源,解决自己的私事,也是一建人。

These people are all the same, using public resources to take care of their private matters.

icorbie
现在知道痛苦了,她今天的眼泪在几年前已经有个女人流过了,只不过现在轮到她了

Now she knows what pain is. There was a woman crying the same tears a few years ago that she did today, only now it's her turn.

Anonymous readers at a Movivi post have written:

这个女人不是被逼到一定份上,也不会做出这种事情。她自己也是个要面子的人啊。

This woman wouldn't have been up there or have done what she did if she hadn't been forced. She just wants respect too.

这个新闻发布会应该叫“张斌新外遇新闻发布会”,而不是“CCTV5更名奥运频道”,唉,两口子的事情闹到国际影响,真是不容易啊。不过,从此张斌和胡紫薇的日子恐怕不好过了……

This news press conference should be called the “Zhang Bin's latest affair press release”, and not “CCTV-5 changes name to The Olympic Channel”. Aye, a husband and wife's affairs have become of international significance, and that's not east. Though, I'm afraid it's going to be pretty tough for Zhang Bin and Hu Ziewei from now on.

Sae at Douban writes:

【提名胡紫薇为2007感动中国年度人物。】

【I nominate Hu Ziwei for 2007's Most Moving Person of the Year】

Then by ‘Dreams Come True':

我觉得中国作为一个……成为一个大国……你们到底有没有一点儿良知啊?!你放开!离一个大国还差得太远了。
这让上面的人听到肺不得气炸了.
花了那么多钱,又是奥运,又是大国崛起的,让一个首都电视台的著名主持人在中央台的关于奥运的场子里给说出了这么直接的话.

“I think China, as a……to succeed as a great power……don't any of you have any conscience at all?! You let me go! We're so far from being a great country.”
The people “up there” had their lungs blast out when they heard this line.
They've spent so much money, on the Olympics, on the “China Rises” television series, and they made this woman, a renowned television announcer in the capital, to say something so direct, and in a CCTV venue especially on the Olympics.

Comments on the Tudou clip are more toothed:

死胖子 这回没前途了

That fat bastard, he's not going anywhere after this.

知道胖子会为了她和前妻离婚,就应该知道自己会有那么一天

She knew that the fatty divorced his ex-wife for her, so she should have known that this day was coming.

不久之后必将HX

This is gonna get ‘harmonized’ any minute

And coming now in English on YouTube:

aidanying:
She said in the beginning that she didn't do it as a TV presenter. Even if she did, what's wrong with that? There is nothing in this world totally professional. We are humans with feelings, not robots. It requires a lot of courage for a woman to stand in front of a press conference of a national TV and speak out like that. I would cheer for her. And honestly, she did it very good!

wlyu2001:
I support this lady and I think that's only way people would pay attention to the stupid Zhang Bin's immoral behiviour and cctv's covering truth action. Zhang Bin is an animal and fucking idiot! Get off the sport channel and we don't want to see you on TV, any TVs!

Later in the evening, Zhang put a less-than-convincing and short statement onto the internet, blaming what happened on the pressure Hu faces at work:

20 comments

  • Ian

    Its cool that I got to truly understand what the woman was saying. I think she was dignified in her speech and it must have been great desperation to make her personal troubles so public. But I’ve heard from many people who travel to China and those living there, that shockingly the culture of mistresses and adultery is quite rampant there.
    Its a good thing that this ‘event’ didnt get caught up in the Chinese censors. Apparently Mr Zhang Bin didnt have too much ‘politics’ left in him to contain the damage. Maybe with the public beating this guy has taken, more women will be emboldened to disclose the nefarious underside of the ‘glittering’ China that is projected .

  • […] point of this story for me (which I’m linking from Global Voices via Danwei) is made near the end when the writer notes the fact that everyone with a cell-phone […]

  • Simon

    there shouldn’t be too much “communist media censorship” exotism about the scene with Zhang Bin and Hu Ziwei. Be honest: what would happen, if the same happens on any top TV station within a top TV show? Exactely the same.
    Adultery is no Chinese idea, and I wouldn’t ask, how many of the IOC officials share their beds with mistresses or girlfriends.
    For Hu Ziwei, it’s a tragic moment. But what has this to do with the Olympics? Why does the whole nation need to see this? It only shows of an extreme selfish person, to abuse her position to destroy Zhang Bin’s carreer. And of incredible stupidity to destroy her own. As this might happen to both of them (as it probably would, again, anywhere on the world).

  • As stated in the Principles of Olympism of the Olympic Charter, “Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.” link

  • Hijacking the Olympic agenda, big-time and small-time versions…

    The Economist , for it’s “The World in 2008” supplement, has got round to examining the politically charged…

  • Wu Di

    Some commentators still believe that the ‘incident’ is just about adultery.

    But what if it becomes common in China to wash dirty laundry in public? Or what if China’s powerless find out that it works to do so?

    No influential person would be safe any longer.

    In my opinion, what Hu Ziwei did was a brave political act! She is my new idol.

  • whh

    Hu ZiWei is a hero who is brave enough to speak out the scandal. the scandal is not limited to his family. this women has suffered too much in the past half years, the burst is natural. This woman is a very good television announcer of the program “shenbian”(身边). She has been kicked out from this show for referrencing the BaoZi news and uncovering the Haier product quality problem. She is an honest woman, be so brave to reveal the truth, it is just that bring her punish from the unfair society,where people have no speech freedom. It is said that the poor lady has been arrested. Who can save this lady. Who can return our country a free sky. Pray for her. It deserves so much to wake up more people to think over what the real problem is, behind this scandal. Pray for Hu ziwei.

  • […] week, however, and perhaps related, is that of 13 year-old Zhang Shufan, who was interviewed on CCTV late last month for a report supportive of the new regulations, in which Zhang talks of a recent […]

  • lucasionee

    wow, how brave the Hu zhiwei is,I am proud of you,she is a typical representative of women who suffer from the betrayals of their husbands in China.In fact,this kind of thing like above happen to many women in China,but most of them don’t want to wash dirty clothes in public and keep silence,I think it’s an indulgence for their husbands,more indulgent more worse.Women should bravely stick up for theirselves if their marital lifes are suddenly disturbed by other women(mistresses).
    It’s said Hu zhiwei was arrested by the goverment,OMG,it’s very terrible,who can rescue the brave and poor woman from the unruly society,I hope she will be OK,god bless her.

  • […] my favorite BRIC story of doing things in their own special way comes from China, where scorned wife/television presenter Hu Ziwei uses the backdrop of the […]

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