While most TV stations try to attract viewers by producing reality shows, Henan TV has become famous by promoting traditional culture through Chinese dance. Henan TV produced seven dance pieces introducing traditional culture for traditional festivals, such as "Rhapsody on the Luo River Goddess (《洛神水赋》)", a two-minute underwater dance for the Dragon Boat Festival. "Guardian Warriors of Longmen (《龙门金刚 》)", a dance piece supported by AR technology against the backdrop of the Longmen Grottoes(石窟).
"These pieces have gotten nearly 30 billion hits," said Yao Wei, director of the TV station. "It's a huge success for Henan TV."
On Nov 1, 2021, Yao was invited to talk about how the TV station had produced the hit dance pieces at a three-day forum (论坛) centering on the research of Chinese dance.
The pieces were popular with audiences, most of whom are members of Gen Z, (people born between 1995 and 2009), Yao said.
"It's been over forty years since the country's reform and opening-up and the younger generations have grown up with open minds. They love Chinese culture and are proud of it," said Yao. "What we need to do is present Chinese culture and tradition in interesting ways for those young people."
Yao added that Henan TV has been producing shows promoting traditional culture, such as traditional operas and kung Fu, for nearly 30 years.
"To allure younger audiences, we are also changing our shows. One of the keys is to produce them with creativity," Yao said. "For example, the latest technology and special stage settings, like underwater scenes, have become our new ways of telling stories about traditional Chinese culture."
Another key to successfully reaching younger audiences is using social media to promote their shows.
"Social media is being shaped and driven by young people. It's a powerful form of communication. When they watch short videos, they easily become interested in an eye-catching video," Yao said.
