As we all know, "CCTV" is one of the most familiar terms for Chinese people all over the world. Its neutral broadcast style, majestic sports commentary, and even generations of high-quality TV dramas have accompanied us as we grew up.
However, far from many people know that CCTV was originally just an ordinary television station in Beijing.
In 1958, the People's Republic of China set up its first television station, which was limited to Beijing at that time. There is no golf broadcast, no winger show venue, and no distinct three-view tendency of film and television dramas.
The small organization, which has only a few hundred employees, can only broadcast limited programs in parts of Beijing. For fifteen years, Beijing TV has been operating in obscurity, and it does not even have a proprietary station logo.
Until the reform and opening up, the mainland's television industry entered a period of rapid development, and the three words "Beijing TV" could no longer represent its influence. In May 1978, this organization was upgraded to China Central Television (hereinafter referred to as CCTV) and gradually moved towards national broadcasting.
In order to distinguish the channels, CCTV added the channel number to the logo, which is the first generation of "station mark". However, the impact is still limited, and the fame is far from what it is today.
In 1981, CCTV launched its first TV series "Spring Stage", which shocked the high-level with a sensational effect. They realized the power of TV series and began to cultivate their own original shows.
Within a few years, with the increasing popularity of color TV and national broadcast networks, CCTV's popularity has increased day by day. By 1984, CCTV's self-made drama "Journey to the West" was broadcast, which wrote a strong stroke in the history of the development of Chinese film and television in the "80s".
In the following two years, every domestic drama broadcast by CCTV has attracted much attention, and its influence has increased day by day.
When CCTV is becoming more and more influential and has become an important media in China, a simple "logo + number" is obviously no longer enough. In order to coexist and co-prosper with the wave of new media and even lead the trend, there must be a special symbol that can represent the rise of CCTV! In 1991, the first generation of real CCTV station logo "three-color butterfly label" was launched, opening a new chapter in the evolution of CCTV station logo.
In 1998, the three-color butterfly label withdrew due to a copyright dispute. In order to seek a new visual brand, CCTV's senior management actively deployed and launched a design solicitation for new station logos around the world.
This is an unprecedented event in the history of Chinese media, with hundreds of designers signing up for the competition, a massive influx of manuscripts, and a brilliant spark of collision between Chinese and foreign cultures.
In the face of many entries, the judges were slightly tired of their eyes, but they were also impressed by these dazzling designs. The judges were struck by the sifting through layers until one piece suddenly caught the eye of everyone present – the minimalist and expressive double-line composition and the smooth English monogram shocked the judges.
This is the prototype of CCTV's new station logo, and its author is the already famous Japanese design master at that time - Hasegawa Akira.
In fact, Hasegawa is no stranger to Chinese culture. Over the years, he has made outstanding contributions to Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges, and has been invited to China for many visits and Xi.
In his heart, he has always cherished a deep love for oriental aesthetics and traditional Chinese culture. Therefore, when designing the new CCTV logo this time, Hasegawa Akira absorbed the ancient Chinese cultural connotation of "yin and yang balance", and at the same time used the international Latin alphabet to complete a masterpiece of Chinese and Western style.
When this iconic design was unveiled, it was immediately recognized in the industry. It is concise, atmospheric and serious, which perfectly fits CCTV's new mission of internationalization.
However, in China, the identity of the Japanese designer of the Taiwan logo has also caused some controversy. In the eyes of many people, CCTV, an important disseminator of Chinese culture, has a visual identity from the East, which is really unacceptable.
This is also understandable, because the historical memory of Japan's invasion of China during World War II is still deeply imprinted in the hearts of the older generation of Chinese.
The opening of the CCTV logo this time actually has a far-reaching historical origin.
As early as the fifties and sixties of the 20th century, television was still a new thing in China and was in its infancy. As China's first television station, CCTV's first mission is to nurture and nurture this emerging industry.
From scratch, from small to large, China's television media started from CCTV and gradually grew under its drive. In the eighties and nineties, the popularity of color TVs made the "eight o'clock in the evening" heyday, and China's self-developed TV dramas became family entertainment.
The well-known drama titles have also achieved the golden age of CCTV and Chinese TV.
With the introduction of television into thousands of households, China's TV circle has changed from a barren land to a hot land with a hundred flowers blooming. The audio-visual market, the copyright economy, and the creative industries are all riding the wave on the cusp of television.
Chinese TV people have seized the opportunity and successfully incubated more professional channels including film and television entertainment, sports, financial news, etc., forming an all-round development pattern of China's TV industry today.
In the 40-year history of the development of this great TV industry, the evolution of several generations of CCTV station standards has witnessed the whole process of Chinese TV from scratch to growth. It records the growth and transformation of Chinese TV people from path-finding to soaring.
As symbolized by this new logo designed by Japanese designers and combining Chinese and Western styles, Chinese TV people have always maintained an open, inclusive and mutual learning attitude on the road of development, which has also achieved amazing progress in China's TV industry.
The change of CCTV station logo is a landmark event, which indicates an important historical turning point in the history of China's television media development.
A brief review of history, we can clearly see the leap of CCTV's own development. From its original Beijing Television in 1958 to its renaming of CCTV in 1978, its mission has changed from local to national; From being only for Beijing citizens to broadcasting to the whole country and even the world, its audience has increased exponentially.
From 1978 to 1991, CCTV began to have its own TV drama creation capabilities, and achieved great influence through serials, which marked the gradual transformation of CCTV from a simple broadcast control organization to an innovative media group.
Even in 2001, the new English station logo was used, which demonstrated CCTV's determination to move towards a new benchmark for modern media.
Synchronized with CCTV's own transformation, this also reflects the overall growth of China's TV industry. China's television industry has successfully transformed from a niche literary and artistic category to a mass media that affects household names; The transformation from the state-owned enterprise system to the marketization has realized the restructuring of the industrial structure and interest relationship; From a single production and broadcasting operation, to the diversification of all-media clusters...... Behind many changes, there is the enterprising mentality of Chinese TV people who keep pace with the times and dare to be the first.
It can be said that from three-color butterflies to double-line CCTV, every major change in the CCTV station logo has confirmed the tide of the development of China's TV industry. This is the fruit of the progress of the entire industry, and it is also a symbol of the growth of China's cultural soft power.