Uncategorized
Public-service project in China helps visually impaired people ‘see’ movies
By Shi Fang, Yu Feiyang
“‘See’ the colors of the world through sounds, and enjoy the beauty of art by listening. Welcome to the ‘Ever Shining Cinema’. Today we are going to present to you The Wandering Earth…”
It was the opening remarks made by a volunteer of “Ever Shining Cinema”, a public-service project aimed at interpreting movies for visually impaired people, at a movie activity held in southwest China’s Sichuan province.
With her eyes closed and head slightly raised, Ma Deli from Dechang county, Xichang city, Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture of southwest China’s Sichuan province, listened to the narration for the movie attentively. She didn’t want to miss any detail.
When hearing a thrilling episode, she clutched the armrests nervously.
Ma runs a blind massage parlor. She seldom went out after she completely lost her sight, let alone to the movies.
When she heard that the association of persons with visual disabilities in Sichuan province would show a barrier-free movie, Ma immediately decided to approve a day off to “see” the movie with the staff.
The barrier-free movie was prepared by a team of volunteers of the “Ever Shining Cinema” project initiated by the Communication University of China (CUC). The team has handled every link from the production to the screening of the barrier-free movie.
Founded nearly five years ago, the project has recorded volunteers of more than 500 CUC teachers and students. They have produced over 500 barrier-free movies of various genres, including animation, science fiction, as well as realistic and historical movies.
So far, the “Ever Shining Cinema” project has held public-service activities and promotions in China’s 31 provincial-level regions, and brought barrier-free movies and TV shows to 2,244 special education schools across the country.
Research suggests that able-bodied people perceive up to 80 percent of all impressions by means of their sight. However, there are more than 17 million people with visual impairment in China. How to make movies, which mainly relied on light and color, understood by visually impaired people was the first problem the project had to solve.
At first, teachers at the CUC wanted to use sound editing to narrate the movie in about half an hour. The idea was abandoned after in-depth discussions among members of the volunteer team.
“Audiences usually enjoy a movie in a cinema, where they can feel the ups and downs of the story. People with visual impairment should also be able to enjoy a movie like that,” said Zhao Xijing, associate researcher at the Faculty of Journalism and Communication, CUC.
At last, the “Ever Shining Cinema” decided to add detailed descriptions of the movie scenes during the intervals of the original dialogues and sounds, explaining the scenes and the emotions and meanings behind them.
“The name of the project, ‘Ever Shining Cinema’, means helping people with visual impairment seek light and gain hope,” said Fu Haizheng, deputy head of the research institute for barrier-free communication of the CUC.
“Barrier-free movies don’t merely describe movie scenes. More importantly, they help people with visual impairment understand the meanings of the scenes. It takes great effort to present an audio feast,” said Hu Fang, a postgraduate at the CUC.
“We watch every scene of a movie more than 10 times before we can convert it into a narrative script. We need to pause a movie at least 3,000 times to make a barrier-free version of it,” said Li Yiying, a doctoral student at the CUC who participated in the production.
The production process includes such links as the selection of movies, narrative writing, review and revision of script, recording, editing and sound mixing. According to Li, it takes more than a month to produce a barrier-free version of a 2-hour movie, and the narrative script usually contains more than 20,000 Chinese characters.
In addition to the production, thoughtful services for the special audience should be prepared at the venues where the movie activities are held.
In an effort to provide a good movie experience, volunteers of the “Ever Shining Cinema” project pay close attention to every detail.
They walk the entire route several times and make a thorough work plan before every movie activity, considering the convenient drop-off points for visually impaired people and noticing obstacles they might encounter along the way.
When a barrier-free version of the movie Operation Red Sea was presented at a cinema in Chaoyang district of Beijing, more than 100 volunteers formed a 100-meter-long passage with their bodies to ensure the safety of the audience. Visually impaired viewers were guided all the way from where they got off to their seats.
Thanks to the “Ever Shining Cinema” project, many people with visual impairment got the first movie ticket in their lives. Their movie tickets are specially designed and printed.
“When I saw them carefully fondling the movie tickets and laughing or shedding tears during a movie, I knew all our efforts were worthwhile,” said Li Chaopeng, a doctoral student at the CUC.
“Volunteers’ narration has brought us the infinite charm of movies and enabled people with visual impairment to enjoy public cultural services,” said He Chuan, deputy head of China Association of Persons with Visual Disabilities.
Volunteers of the “Ever Shining Cinema” project produce 104 barrier-free movies every year to make sure people with visual impairment can enjoy two new movies a week on average, which is equal to or even more than the average number of times able-bodied people watch movies a week.
In September 2022, the public-service project launched on-demand services of barrier-free movies on cable TVs in China, covering more than 200 million households across the country.
By Fabian Apechihin
The 2026 Constitution Amendment Bill has moved to the state level following its consideration by the National Assembly, paving the way for state legislatures to consider the proposed amendments.
The development comes amid renewed attention on constitutional reform and ongoing discussions over proposed changes to Nigeria’s governing framework.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has defended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike over allegations surrounding borrowing by the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
House spokesperson Akin Rotimi Agbese, speaking in an interview with Channels Television, rejected claims that Wike had undertaken borrowing without the knowledge or approval of the National Assembly.
Agbese said the FCT minister could not independently create a sovereign borrowing obligation, stressing that public borrowing is subject to constitutional, statutory and administrative procedures.
“Wike has committed no infraction in borrowings. There is no basis for the allegation that he has been borrowing money behind the back of the National Assembly,” Agbese said.
He explained that borrowing to finance infrastructure was not unlawful where the required approvals and procedures had been followed.
“Borrowing for infrastructure development is not unlawful in itself, provided the prescribed approvals and procedures are followed,” he added.
The House spokesperson further argued that an increase in the FCT’s debt profile should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of illegal borrowing, citing the scale of infrastructure projects being undertaken in Abuja under Wike.
According to Agbese, the key issue is whether the appropriate approvals were obtained for specific borrowing transactions, rather than simply whether the FCT’s overall debt profile has increased.
The comments come as scrutiny continues over public borrowing, infrastructure financing and the legal procedures governing government debt at both the federal and sub-national levels.
By Fabian Apechihin
The 2026 Constitution Amendment Bill has moved to the state level following its consideration by the National Assembly, paving the way for state legislatures to consider the proposed amendments.
The development comes amid renewed attention on constitutional reform and ongoing discussions over proposed changes to Nigeria’s governing framework.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has defended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike over allegations surrounding borrowing by the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
House spokesperson Akin Rotimi Agbese, speaking in an interview with Channels Television, rejected claims that Wike had undertaken borrowing without the knowledge or approval of the National Assembly.
Agbese said the FCT minister could not independently create a sovereign borrowing obligation, stressing that public borrowing is subject to constitutional, statutory and administrative procedures.
“Wike has committed no infraction in borrowings. There is no basis for the allegation that he has been borrowing money behind the back of the National Assembly,” Agbese said.
He explained that borrowing to finance infrastructure was not unlawful where the required approvals and procedures had been followed.
“Borrowing for infrastructure development is not unlawful in itself, provided the prescribed approvals and procedures are followed,” he added.
The House spokesperson further argued that an increase in the FCT’s debt profile should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of illegal borrowing, citing the scale of infrastructure projects being undertaken in Abuja under Wike.
According to Agbese, the key issue is whether the appropriate approvals were obtained for specific borrowing transactions, rather than simply whether the FCT’s overall debt profile has increased.
The comments come as scrutiny continues over public borrowing, infrastructure financing and the legal procedures governing government debt at both the federal and sub-national levels.
By Fabian Apechihin
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reaffirmed its intention to contest the 2027 presidential election despite the decision of Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The party said Wike’s decision was personal and did not alter its position to participate in the presidential election with its candidate, Senator Sandy Onor. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, made the clarification on Wednesday.
According to the party, a recent conversation between Wike and Onor should not be interpreted as a political negotiation between the minister and the PDP.
“He told Nigerians that Sandy is his friend. And they only had a friendly discussion within the umbrella of friendship. So, that is just a personal discussion between him and his friend,” Mohammed said.
He added that Wike’s support for Tinubu did not prevent the PDP from fielding candidates for the presidential, governorship and legislative elections.
Wike had earlier clarified that his support in 2027 was specifically for Tinubu’s presidential re-election and did not amount to an agreement that the PDP would withdraw from other electoral contests. He also said he never promised that the PDP would abandon its candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
“I said I will support the President from day one. I never told Mr President I will join APC,” Wike said.
The minister also maintained that his proposed Rainbow Coalition was not an arrangement with the All Progressives Congress (APC), but rather a platform through which politicians from different parties could mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election.
The issue has generated disagreement with some APC governors, who have expressed concern about a political arrangement that could affect the party’s candidates at other levels.
APC Progressive Governors’ Forum Chairman, Hope Uzodinma, said the governors would not support any alliance or arrangement that could weaken the APC or adversely affect its candidates.
Meanwhile, APC presidential campaign council spokesperson Ima Niboro has urged Wike and APC governors to end their public exchanges and concentrate on political mobilisation.
“When I said tone down the rhetoric, I do not mean stop working. Stop talking, go and work,” Niboro said.
He urged political leaders to strengthen their grassroots structures and engage directly with voters rather than continue exchanging statements in the media.
“All this shouting is not taking anybody anywhere. Go and work. Go and establish your authority on your political base,” he said.
2026 Constitution Amendment Bill Moves to States
2026 Constitution Amendment Bill Moves to States
2027: PDP Insists on Presidential Contest Despite Wike’s Support for Tinubu
-
Uncategorized6 years agoFG, states urged to harness flooding for ranching, others with technology – Agbaje
-
Headlines11 years agoBreaking: EFCC seals Borno House of Assembly, as Hon members take to their heels
-
News12 years agoNigeria Security Operatives Stage Manhunt For Homosexual Perpetrator
-
News10 years agoHow 21-year-old Girl fled community over accusation of lesbianism
-
News11 years agoYobe Gov Moves Against Deputy
-
Opinion7 years ago7 signs she has friend zoned you
-
Technology5 years ago
Online job placement company headhunts women
-
Headlines10 years agoBorno Dep Gov Abducts Another Church Leader