Oprah是美国家喻户晓的著名脱口秀节目主持人, 陈鲁豫,中国的Oprah?
In a studio on the outskirts of Beijing, a live TV audience watches people share their most intimate stories in public. Not long ago, this kind of show would have been unthinkable in China, but its pioneering host makes it work, drawing comparisons to a talk TV icon.
“It’s flattering in a way, ah… because she’s my model. And if people say ‘Well, you are China’s Oprah’, that means people say ‘You are pretty good.”
Chen Luyu hosts A Day with Luyu. Her groundbreaking show is known for pushing the envelope, dealing with topics once considered too hot for Chinese TV. Before the show, Chen talked to us about the challenges of hosting a chat show in a conservative culture.
“Chinese people tend to be kind of shy. And, we are not as um, expressive. I mean, um… I can’t expect my viewers to be acting like all those viewers on Oprah’s show. You know, they shout, they scream.”
(Sounds of hailing)
When her show first went to air, it was celebrity-focused. But the US-educated Chen expanded the format to include guests from all walks of life, most unaccustomed to opening up.
“Being sincere and kind, and being protective of life, guests do help a… alot. I’m very curious. I am going to ask all the tough questions. But, if they don’t want to answer those questions, it’s fine."
Tough questions and sometime sensitive subjects. Here transsexual dancer Jin Sing appears on the program. Chen has even had guests with HIV, a hot button issue in a country where television is still heavily censored.
“The fact that Chen Luyu can talk about those things and it is not censored in China is a recognition of a greater openness broadly in the society and from the government.”
This program is part of a dramatic shift in the Chinese media landscape. The TV market has expanded and viewers now have more programming / choices than ever before with dozens of local TV channels along with cable and satellite networks.
But state media still dominate/ and some topics, mainly political, remain off-limits. Chen says censors have left her alone. Her shows stay away from politics, because she says, her audience is looking for something else.
“I believe in… um… making my viewers feeling good about themselves and about life, because life is hard as it is” (Her ambiguous answer is quiet understandable, because no one in the media would risk their careers to talk about something that they can never change in this country.)
On this show, a guest shares his story of trying to run a restaurant in Baghdad. It’s personal, at times both heartbreaking and humorous, a day Chen’s viewers won’t soon forget.
James McDonald, CNN, Beijing.
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2007-03-10 
