Two sides to documentary Super China

A China-themed documentary titled Super China, which was aired by the Republic of Korea's state broadcaster KBS from January 15 to 24, received a high viewing rating in the ROK, which caught Chinese attention.

Different from Western looks at China that are usually focused on peeping at China's "dark side" through tinted spectacles, the seven-episode documentary seemed to be trying to present viewers in the ROK with a more accurate picture of China from different perspectives, including its demographic size, economic development, political system, military and culture. That it was complimentary of China's political system and the leadership of the Communist Party of China, led to some interpreting the documentary as China-friendly propaganda or envy for China's rising national power.

KBS did refrain from looking at China-related issues from the critical perspective adopted by Western media, but did the ROK broadcaster want to promote China's image to its audiences as China's own State-run media outlets do, as some Chinese have claimed?