Yang Lan

▪ 1997

      In 1996 one of China's top television journalists, Yang Lan returned to her country after a two-year absence, during which she pursued graduate studies at Columbia University, New York City. Prior to her departure, Yang was cohost of the weekly show "Zheng Da Variety Show," having been chosen from among 1,000 applicants. This was China's top-rated talk show from 1990 to 1993. Yang focused attention on such issues as the economic tensions among families in China's growing middle class, avoiding the sensationalism and steamy revelations that she said characterized U.S. talk shows. She did not seem to chafe under the programmatic control of her government employers, Chinese state television, and she told Newsweek magazine, "In my personal view, certain censorship is important, since nations have different social and cultural backgrounds. I certainly have enough room to move around in my programs." In 1993 she was awarded China's Golden Microphone Award for television hosts.

      The daughter of two professors, Yang was born on March 31, 1968, in Beijing. In 1990 she received her bachelor's degree in English language from Beijing Foreign Studies University. That same year she won the open audition at China Central Television—China's only nationwide television network—and with it her position with the "Zheng Da Variety Show." Her efforts landed her a place among the country's most popular celebrities, and she served as master of ceremonies on many occasions, including the opening ceremony of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. In 1996 Yang was awarded a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University. She had attracted so little attention to herself that her classmates had no idea of her high profile in the Chinese media.

      Upon her return to China, Yang launched a new documentary show called "Yang Lan's Horizon." It examined the cultural ties between the U.S. and China, exploring topics such as the parallels between Broadway musicals and Peking opera. Her new program already had approximately 200 million viewers. Yang was concerned with the need to improve Chinese television by having it develop more of its own shows and rely less on imports from the U.S. While she believed Chinese television could produce good shows to replace the American ones, however, her hope was to "promote the bond between the two countries, instead of breaking them up." (AMANDA E. FULLER)

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