Bai Yansong
Bai Yansong (Chinese: 白岩松; pinyin: Bái Yánsōng) (born August 20, 1968) is a Chinese news anchor and journalist for China Central Television (CCTV). Bai began his career at the China Broadcasting Newspaper before moving to CCTV, where he hosted programs including Focus Report, Oriental Horizon, and Tell It Like It Is. He was involved in the establishment of news commentary programs such as Timeline and News 1 + 1, the latter of which was the first live news commentary program in China.
Bai Yansong

Berthe · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Born
- 1968. · Hailar City.
- Nationality
- People's Republic of China.
- Occupation
- journalist, presenter, writer and announcer.
- Education
- Communication University of China.
- Languages
- Standard Chinese.
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Documentary summary
Bai Yansong (Chinese: 白岩松; pinyin: Bái Yánsōng) (born August 20, 1968) is a Chinese news anchor and journalist for China Central Television (CCTV). Bai began his career at the China Broadcasting Newspaper before moving to CCTV, where he hosted programs including Focus Report, Oriental Horizon, and Tell It Like It Is. He was involved in the establishment of news commentary programs such as Timeline and News 1 + 1, the latter of which was the first live news commentary program in China.
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Bai Yansong (born 1968) is an announcer, journalist and presenter, among other activities, of Chinese nationality. The announcer was born in Hailar City. Bai Yansong was educated at Communication University of China. Languages used include Standard Chinese.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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In this article
Early life
Early life
Bai was born in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia on August 20, 1968. His parents were intellectuals in Inner Mongolia and his father had been condemned as an "anti-revolutionary" when China was under the leadership of Mao Zedong. Both of Bai's parents were professors and he grew up on the campus of a university during his time in Inner Mongolia. Bai later graduated from the Beijing Broadcasting Institute in 1989.
Career
Career
Bai started his journalistic career working for the China Broadcasting Newspaper of the Central People's Broadcasting Station, but did not consider himself suitable for televised news. He helped found the CCTV program Oriental Horizon and was chosen to be a regular anchor for the show in January 1996, sharing the post with several other journalists. Along with his co-anchors, Bai was seen as politically incisive and his work on Oriental Horizon gained him national notoriety as a television host. He hosted the first talk show in China, Tell It Like It Is alongside Shui Junyi and Cui Yongyuan and other popular news hosts. He became anchor of Focus Report on China Central Television when it was the only news commentary program in China. During his time as anchor, Bai covered news stories such as the handovers of Hong Kong and Macau, the 50th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China, and the Sydney Olympics, making him one of the most recognizable figures in China. He has also established several news programs on CCTV such as Timeline, modeled after Ted Koppel's Nightline on ABC News. Bai's reporting was the primary subject of a book about Focus Report that was written by the show's producer. News 1 + 1, another news program Bai started, was the first live news commentary program in China. In the midst of warming ties between China and Japan, Bai filmed a documentary piece for CCTV in 2007 focusing on Japanese culture and the early history of Sino-Japanese relations. He had proposed filming the piece a year before, but says it was considered too sensitive to air until relations improved. Bai later presided over a forum on Sino-Japanese relations, which included ministerial-level officials from Japan and China and discussed issues such as military spending and Tibet. During the Sichuan earthquake, Bai served as the lead anchor and later noted the significance of open Chinese news coverage of the disaster by stating "this time, it is not a simple live coverage." His reporting on the quake was praised by CCTV editor Xiong Qu for its delivery with Xiong saying Bai "stood the test" as China's lead anchor. Some of the reporting in Bai's programs has faced opposition from government censors. After a program Bai was going to air on a chemical plant in Dalian was cancelled by censors, Bai commented on his blog to criticize the decision to cancel the piece, which led to his account being blocked. Dong Qian, co-anchor of Bai's News 1 + 1 program, was temporarily taken off the air after Bo Xilai talked to the CCTV president about a piece on the program that highlighted serious concerns regarding the nature of Bo's anticorruption campaign in Chongqing.
Politics
Politics
Haiqing Yu has identified Bai as being part of the first generation of Chinese journalists to adopt an outsider's approach to journalism, as opposed to previous generations, who viewed their role as being to prop up the Party and the government. Bai has stated that he tries to use his position in the news media to help instigate political reform and promote democratic ideals in China and supports liberal market reforms of government-run media. He argues that the media is more responsive to public needs when it is subject to market forces, but believes that news reform can only advance alongside political reform. In a commentary for The Beijing News, Bai argued that insuring rationality in government was dependent on moving China further towards the rule of law. When Tibetan independence supporters disrupting the Olympic torch relay in Paris prompted calls for a boycott of French retailers in China such as Carrefour and Louis Vuitton, Bai went online to oppose a boycott. He encouraged proponents of a boycott to be calm and consider the consequences for Chinese nationals working at the affected retailers. Bai is also a member of the 21st Century Committee for China-Japan Friendship, a group that consults the two countries on policies concerning their mutual relations. Following a 2008 meeting of the group, he spoke approvingly of a speech by then Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda for emphasizing a collective view of their interests stating that "For Sino-Japanese relations, it is no longer the question of 'You' and 'I'. Now we are a community of interests with our feet in Asia and facing the world together." Following anti-Japanese demonstrations over the East China Sea islands dispute, Bai decried acts of violence during the protests as committing crimes under the guise of patriotism.
Humanitarianism
Humanitarianism
Bai has served as a spokesman for efforts against HIV/AIDS in China. He was named the Image Ambassador for the AIDS Prevention Education Project for Chinese Youth following the project's establishment and served as an ambassador for the China Red Ribbon Foundation. As a CRRF ambassador, Bai attended a gala that the group organized to promote efforts against AIDS on the eve of the 25th World AIDS Day. During the gala, Bai held on-stage interviews with the Chinese Health Minister, the executive director of the CRRF, and the General Manager for the Global Fund. Following the Sichuan earthquake, Bai hosted a live program together with fellow CCTV hosts in order to raise funds for disaster relief. He also made a show of support for the victims when he was carrying the Olympic torch for the 2008 Olympics relay.

白岩松 出席《幸福了吗》签名售书仪式,摄于南京新街口新华书店
Berthe
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1968–2014
The full dated record · 3 entries
1968
Bai Yansong born at Hailar City.
2014
Bai Yansong: xing zou zai ai yu hen zhi jian (2014) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
2014
Bai Yansong: xing zou zai ai yu hen zhi jian digitised by Internet Archive.
Primary material
Documents and archives
institutional register
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 1023121956, Bai, Yansong.
Unverified · GND (German National Library)
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q133750: Bai Yansong
Unverified · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Bai Yansong”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Bai Yansong. China Central Television. 25 August 2009.
- 2.Ying, Zhu. Two Billion Eyes: The Story of China Central Television. The New Press. 78–87. 2012. 9781595588029.
- 3.Boao Forum for Asia. BAI, Yansong.
- 4.Scotton, James F. New Media for a New China. John Wiley & Sons. 76. 2010. 978-1405187961.
- 5.Ying, Zhu. TV China: A Reader on New Media. Indiana University Press. 42. 2009. 978-0253220264.
- 6.A TV anchor weighs in. Sina. 26 December 2002.
- 7.Cherry blossoms symbolize China's warming to Japan. China Daily. 10 April 2007.
- 8.Oon, Clarissa. CHINA: China uses TV to signal warmer ties with Japan. The Straits Times (via UCLA). 30 January 2007.
- 9.Roman, Kianti. Renowned Chinese News Anchor Is Next Poynter Fellow. Yale News. 27 March 2009.
- 10.Zhang, Ziaoling. The Transformation of Political Communication in China: From Propaganda to Hegemony. World Scientific. 131. 2011. 978-9814340939.
- 11.Xiong, Qu. The weakest link. China Central Television. 22 May 2008.
- 12.LaFraniere, Sharon. Protest Over Chemical Plant Shows Growing Pressure on China From Citizens. The New York Times. 15 August 2011.
- 13.Haiqing, Yu. Media and Cultural Transformation in China. Taylor & Francis US. 95. 2009. 978-0415447553.
- 14.Zhang, Jiawei. Common sense, rationality needed for society: CCTV host. China Daily. 8 February 2010.
- 15.An, Lu. Chinese netizens urge Carrefour boycott after torch relay incident. Xinhua. 16 April 2008.
- 16.Neighbors will stand together. People's Daily. 29 January 2008.
- 17.Qin, Amy. Smashed Skull Serves as Grim Symbol of Seething Patriotism. The New York Times. 10 October 2012.
- 18.Jane. Chengdu University starts province's first and nation's second sex-education major. GoChengdoo. 15 September 2010.
- 19.AIDS Prevention Education Project for Chinese Youth launched. People's Daily. 27 December 2006.
- 20.All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce. Charity Gala Celebrates AIDS Day.
- 21.Fund-raising show to be broadcast on CCTV. China Internet Information Center. 18 May 2008.
- 22.Lee, Woods. Stars shine on Beijing torch relay. South China Morning Post. 6 August 2008.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 10
- Painful and Happy ( ), (2000).
- Yansong Goes to Taiwan ( ), (2005).
- Yansong Goes to Japan ( ), (2007).
- Yansong Goes to America ( ), (2009)
- Are You Living Happily Now? ( ), (2010).
- A Person and This Times ( ), (2013).
- Walking Between Love and Hate ( ), (2014).
- Bai Say (Speak in Vain) ( ), (2015).
- Yansong Goes to Taiwan II: Distant History and Close Feelings ( ), (2016).
- All Things Will Come True ( ), (2016).
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedinstitutional register
Gemeinsame Normdatei 1023121956, Bai, Yansong.GND (German National Library)
Unverifiedinstitutional register
Wikidata, structured authority record Q133750: Bai YansongWikimedia Foundation
Unverified
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
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