Public buses running on Beijing"s streets are more eye-catching compared with their former dull color.
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, five or six years ago, when many other Chinese cities began to
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their public buses with colorful advertisements, Beijing remained unmoved, allegedly
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of consideration for maintaining the stately grace of the capital.
But Beijing"s "lofty posture" did not
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long under the pressure of the market economy. Since 1993, most public buses have been
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with brightly colored ads, many featuring striking images.
Public transportation companies were the first group
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from the move. The No. 300 Bus alone has annually
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4 million yuan of ad earnings to its company. At the same time, business people are happy to find a comparatively cheap,
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widely influential, advertising medium.
Advertising on buses, a form quickly accepted by Beijing residents, adds a new
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line to the city, instead of damaging the capital"s image.
The Chinese attitude towards advertisements has changed greatly.
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from sight for a long period, commercial ads reappeared in 1979, but they were cold-shouldered.
Today, however, advertisements are
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entering daily life. More and more urban residents are becoming accustomed to
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shopping information in this way. In recent years, the Beijing TV Station has
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an advertising program, TV Market. The diverse,
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forms and practical contents have enabled it to gain high ratings.
Advertising is no longer considered non-essential. It is now a major part of the tertiary sector,
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special government attention.