By Kang Bing (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-21 07:24

We Chinese seem to be especially fond of festivals. And why not? After all, it is an occasion for long-anticipated family reunions, delicious food, colorful fireworks and many more exciting experiences.

But the festival I am talking about is not the traditional ones such as the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival or the Spring Festival but the so-called festivals initiated by local governments to attract public attention.

For about two decades, many governments sought outside investment as a major means to boost the local economy. For that purpose, they needed to draw sufficient media publicity to attract the attention of investors.

Then some smart brains came up with the idea of organizing festivals featuring specific local characteristics. They wanted to "set up a cultural stage on which business could be done". Not a bad idea, and, in fact, many of the early birds were successful. But the negative side is that it has now been copied too often.

The festivals are often named after plants (red leaves, peach blossom), animals (giant panda), insects (cricket, butterfly), cultural heritages (city walls, tombs) and, of course, natural sceneries (caves, mountains). If one can get hold of a list of the names of the festivals, one would be overwhelmed with admiration for the great wisdom of our friends.

Long before the festivals, the whole city or county is mobilized - streets cleaned with shabby houses pulled down, peddlers are driven off the busy streets, schools are closed with students being coached to perform in the grand ceremonies. Invitations are sent to higher officials, the media people, and potential investors - very often offering free transportation, accommodation and sightseeing.

Foreign faces are especially favored on such occasions - the presence of big noses can prove that the festival already has an international impact. This writer was once asked by a friend in a western city to help invite some foreigners to their festival "be they businessmen or not".

Maotais are uncorked, ceremonies are held, speeches are made, sightseeing trips arranged and cooperative contracts and agreements signed. When the visitors have left, life in the host cities and counties returns to normal. The only difference is that the local coffer is deprived of thousands of yuan.

One may argue that the cost is worthwhile, when taking into account the investment contracts and agreements, worth millions of yuan. "But that could be a sponge soaked in water," a mayor friend in a northern city told me. He said that most of the contracts and agreements could have been signed long before the festival. The partners were persuaded to delay the signing until the special occasion so that an impressive volume of outside investment could be accumulated in honor of the event.

I believe the practice of this northern city is common in most of the other cities and counties.

To make things worse, since most of the festivals are annual events, news media, willing to help, find it difficult to explore any new story angles, thus, very often, refuse to write anything more. And the potential investors, having enjoyed the local sights, tend to go elsewhere. Many of the festivals now bore the people, and drain the treasury.

Though most of the festival organizers already regard the annual events as chicken ribs - something of little value - they still hesitate to throw them away, fearing being blamed as failures.

My advice to those organizers is to stop these events right now. If they could use the money saved to do something good for the people, they may even earn some applause.

E-mail: kangbing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/21/2007 page10)