A still from the film Twenty Two. [Photo/mtime.com] BEIJING - Chinese cinemagoers watched many more documentaries in 2017 thanks to high-profile productions and new online promotions. A total of 16 documentaries hit the big screens in 2017, and grossed 269 million yuan ($42.84 million), according to an annual report published by the Documentary Center, Beijing Normal University, Wednesday. Ten of the documentaries were domestically produced and collected box office of 263 million yuan, up 237 percent year on year, while the six imported films grossed about 6.12 million yuan, according to the report. Among them, Twenty Two, a documentary about comfort women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese during World War II, took the highest box office of 170 million yuan. There were also two other documentaries earning more than 30 million yuan each. The benchmark box office of 30 million yuan was set by the documentary Zhou Enlai's Diplomatic Career in 1998. Until 2016, no documentary had broken that record. In 2016, Born in China reported a box office of 66.54 million yuan. The documentary market indeed saw a breakthrough last year, said Zhang Tongdao, head of the the Documentary Center, Beijing Normal University. A high-profile production like Twenty Two triggered a snowballl effect to draw more attention to other documentaries, Zhang said. Compared with commercial productions, documentaries producers have long struggled for a limited chance of screening in cinemas due to relatively niche audience. The uncertainty of audience feedback has pushed cinemas away from documentaries, said Liu Zhongbo, associate professor of Tianjin-based Nankai University. Many documentaries can not be judged by the box office in the first three screening days. They might have a much longer buildup but continuous inflow of viewers, Liu said. In some cases, in the earlier days of screening when cinemas allocated enough screens for a documentary, audience may not haven show up but when the screens are reduced, the viewers suddenly surge, according to Liu. Crowdfunding on the Internet has offered a new solution. Some service providers have launched a crowdfunding-like programs, in which audience can book tickets for a film in a certain cinema, though it is not actually scheduled to be screened. When ticket buyers reach a certain number, the service provider will approach the cinema to arrange a screening. Most films crowdfunded are art films and documentaries that do not have enough budget for promotion and will not be accepted by cinemas for a normal screening, Liu said. Through such innovative online services, these productions can still find their audience and hit the screen, he said, adding that this was very useful to supplement the mainstream screening system and particularly conducive to production and the distribution of documentaries. In 2017, at least three documentaries tried this new promotion model and were screened on and off but over a much longer period. dual layer wristbandpersonalized gold cuff braceletsilicone wristband manufacturersilicone bandscool silicone wristbands for guys
BEIJING - China aims to recover the first stage of the Long March-8 carrier rocket, which is still under development and is expected to make its maiden flight around 2021, according to a Chinese rocket expert.It was part of China's endeavors to develop reusable space vehicles, Long Lehao, chief designer of carrier rockets at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, told a space conference in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.The Long March-8 rocket will have two stages and two boosters: the first stage and boosters are expected to be retrieved through vertical landing, said Long, who is also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.If successful, the new rocket would provide commercial launch services to customers around the globe, Long said."China's aerospace industry is making efforts to develop low-cost vehicles that can enter space rapidly to support future large-scale space exploration and promote a commercial space industry," Long said.Bao Weimin, director of the Science and Technology Commission of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said China's reusable carrier vehicle will use technologies different from those of U.S. commercial space firm SpaceX."As the current Long March 2, 3, 4 series rockets are fueled by toxic propellants, they cannot be recycled. But we are developing technologies to precisely control the fall of the rocket remains to ensure safety," Long said.That effort is important as residents in possible landing areas have to be evacuated at every launch. As China's aerospace activities become more frequent, with 36 launches planned this year, precise control of falling rocket remains could save a lot of trouble.Long also introduced the development roadmap for China's space transportation system.Around 2025, reusable suborbital carriers will be successfully developed and suborbital space travel will be realized. Around 2030, rockets with two reusable stages will be developed. Around 2035, carrier rockets will be completely reusable which could realize the dream of space travel for ordinary people.A future generation of carrier rockets will be put into use around 2040 and hybrid-power reusable carriers will be developed. Space vehicles will be more diverse, intelligent, reliable, low-cost, efficient and convenient."Those targets are not easy to achieve, and lots of technological difficulties must be solved," Long said.
