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Saturday, November 23, 2019, 15:38
Vital to tell 'good stories' about Bay Area, forum hears
By Yang Han
Saturday, November 23, 2019, 15:38 By Yang Han

Participants at the first Asia-Pacific Communication Postgraduate Forum: Greater Bay Area Macao 2019 pose for a photo in Zhuhai, Guangdong, China, Nov 23, 2019. (YANG HAN / CHINA DAILY)

ZHUHAI – Good storytelling by the media communication sector is important for presenting true images of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, experts said at a forum in Zhuhai Saturday. 

"How to tell good stories about the Greater Bay Area, overcome communication barriers caused by political systems, economic development, and social and cultural traditions is a pressing and significant issue for media and communication researchers to ponder and explore,” Huang Yawen, executive director of the Asia-Pacific Communication Exchange Association (APCEA), said.

The forum aims to provide a platform for regional scholars and media communication circles to share their views on how news reporting can contribute to the Bay Area’s prosperity and its global image

Aiming to develop a world-class city cluster, the Greater Bay Area comprises of Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and nine cities in southern Chinese province of Guangdong.

Huang was speaking during the opening day of the first Asia-Pacific Communication Postgraduate Forum: Greater Bay Area Macao 2019. 

Themed “Stories of Greater Bay Area: New Trends, New Development and New Challenge”, the forum kicked off in the Hengqin Free Trade Zone in Zhuhai. The second day’s sessions will be organized at the University of Macau. China Daily is the media partner of the forum.

Wu Mei, professor of the University of Macau and president of APCEA, said they initiated and organized the two-day forum to provide a platform for regional scholars and media communication circles to share their views on how news reporting can contribute to the Bay Area’s prosperity and its global image. 

READ MORE: Forum to help graduate students eyeing prospects in Bay Area

According to Huang, the regional media and communication sector is now facing unprecedented opportunities for development and cooperation, with the construction of the Greater Bay Area in full swing amid celebrations of the 70th anniversary of China and the 20th anniversary of the Macao SAR’s return to its motherland. 

Prof Wu Mei of the University of Macau, also president of the Asia-Pacific Communication Exchange Association, says the forum aims to facilitate exchanges in and beyond the region. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)

Pointing out that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Hengqin New Area, Huang Jiantuan, representative of Hengqin New Area Macao Affairs Office, said the area had been taking various measure to promote the free flow of resources in the Bay Area. 

"I believe Hengqin’s unique strategic advantage, attractive natural and cultural environment, and various cultural and sports events can provide rich cases and topics for communication and news reports,” said Huang.

This Nov 23, 2019 photo shows a section of audience during the first Asia-Pacific Communication Postgraduate Forum: Greater Bay Area Macao 2019 in Zhuhai. (YANG HAN / CHINA DAILY)

"When talking about regional cooperation, a lot of research have been conducted on how different cities (in the Greater Bay Area) should cooperate with and complement each other with their own strengths…But today we need a new angle to connect these cities by finding their similarities,” Agnes Lam Iok-fong, head of Centre for Macao Studies at the University of Macao, said in her keynote speech. 

Noting China is promoting a digital Silk Road under the Belt and Road Initiative, Daya Thussu, professor of international communication at the Hong Kong Baptist University, said the Greater Bay Area has potential to create a new global digital communication order. 

Students from the School of Journalism and Communication at Chongqing University pose for a photo before departing for the first Asia-Pacific Communication Postgraduate Forum: Greater Bay Area Macao 2019. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Formerly the co-director of India Media Centre at the University of Westminster in London, Thussu said the Bay Area should develop its own idea of a bay area economy.

Prof Jonathan Zhu, director of the Centre for Communication Research at City University of Hong Kong, spoke about the stories of network science at the forum while Prof Chao Naipeng, dean of the College of Mass Communication at Shenzhen University, talked about mobile usage by autistic children. 

In the afternoon, three concurrent panels focused on communication. Prof He Haixiang, dean of the School of Network Communication of Zhejiang Yuexiu University of Foreign Languages, examined the rise of short video clips.

Contact the writer at kelly@chinadailyapac.com

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