China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV is the major television broadcaster in Mainland China. Organizationally, it is a sub-ministry of China's central government within the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television. Its editorial independence is subject to government policy considerations.

Its news reporting follows parameters directed by the Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of China. Most of its programming, however, is a mix of comedy and dramatic programming, the majority of which consists of Chinese soap operas. In searching for viewers, CCTV has found itself in competition with local television stations (which are also state run) which have been creating increasingly large media groups in order to compete with CCTV.

Glassy coat for new CCTV building--unconventional "Z crisscross"
Glaziers have been busy since Wednesday with the construction of the glass exterior of CCTV Television Station and Headquarters. The 234-meter-tall skyscraper located in the capital's downtown area will open for use on January 1, 2009. And the building's Television Cultural Center (TVCC) will inaugurate for live Olympic broadcasting during the Beijing Olympic Games.

In 2007, the skyscraper was listed as one of the "Top 10 Architectural Wonders of the Year" by Time Magazine.

While elaborating on his design concept, Ram Koolhass, designer of "Z crisscross" said: "It's the architecture that China needs -- I bring it to you now!" Wu Yaodong, vice general architect of Tsinghua Architecture Design Institute, pointed out "The open attitude shown in selecting design schemes of this high caliber has surpassed the architecture itself."

A member of the review committee said, "the designer of the new CCTV (China Central Television) site changed from a domestic master to an international master. The pressure it brought is not whether the scheme is backward, but rather the futurist design may not be accepted by the general public."

The design of the new CCTV site started from invitation biddings from 10 architecture design organizations, of different styles, from around the world, to the final selected scheme. Hong Kong architect Rocco Yim, a member of the review committee, said, "The design scheme selection of the CCTV competition was very professional," compared with other appraisals he has taken part in.

After discussions and polling, the three schemes shortlisted were the Metropolitan Architecture of the Netherlands, Japan's Toyo Ito Architecture and the Shanghai Xiandai Architecture Design Group. The design scheme of the Metropolitan Architecture of the Netherlands impressed most members of the committee, not only for the design itself but also for remarks made by its designer, Ram Koolhass. Later, Koolhass's scheme became the final selection.

With a 230-meter high major building, the new CCTV site will be a landmark in the heart of the Central Business District (CBD) in eastern Beijing. The project, which will cost around US$600 million, has 550,000 square meters of floor space. The  space will be divided into several construction areas in accordance with the operational requirements and functions of various departments.

More information about CCTV construction...