On May 27, the “Motherland Backing You Up” 2025 Consular Protection Sitcom Competition was launched.

The host and guests co-launch the competition

The competition is co-hosted by Beijing Foreign Affairs Office, Capital Civic Enhancement Committee Office, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, and Beijing Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, and organized by Beijing Radio & Television Station (BRTV) Life Channel, under the guidance of the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The competition featured a combination of online and offline stages, ensuring both public engagement and professionalism. There will be a public call for submissions and targeted recruitment, inviting organizations and individuals from home and abroad to submit works on consular protection sitcom with fresh insights and lively content.

Building a Media Matrix to Reach Wider Audience for Consular Protection

“Beijing Time” converged media matrix live-streamed the entire launch event, followed by news coverage featured on BRTV’s programs (Beijing News, Special Focus, Life at This Moment), as well as online platforms including People’s Daily Online and Tencent News, enabling impacts spanning both traditional and new media platforms.

The BRTV Life Channel is set to launch a new weekly column titled Beijing Consular Protection Helps Guarantee Your Safety featuring a documentary series on consular protection. Each episode will incorporate behind-the-scenes stories of participating teams, expert interviews, and additional content to document the event’s progress while spreading consular protection knowledge.

Deepening Competition-Training Integration for Better Content Creation

The competition prioritizes the integration of competition and training, leveraging a series of initiatives from Beijing Foreign Affairs Office, such as the Consular Protection Lecture, Consular Protection for All, and Consular Protection Training Camp Program. The aim is to enhance the knowledge reserve of contestants and public observers regarding consular protection, sharpen professional accuracy of sitcom productions, and boost both the technical proficiency and audience appeal of the entries. Based on the mentorship, the competition will invite National Class-A Actors and experts from relevant fields to form a review panel, offering script guidance, performance training, and other professional support to the finalists. In the final stage, lectures by the judges will be delivered. They will not only give their advice for each entry, but also demonstrate typical scenarios from consular protection sitcoms in person.

Consular Protection Around You: Calling the Hotline to Guarantee Your Safety

At the launch event, a consular protection sitcom starring BRTV presenters was particularly showcased, providing a reference for the creation of participating teams.

Utilizing Brand Legacy to Unleash the Competition’s Creative Potential

Since its inception in 2017, the competition has been held for seven editions, presenting numerous excellent works and gaining brand influence along with a collection of high-quality works. Moving forward, the organizers will produce a feature documentary on award-winning works from previous editions.

The competition has garnered widespread attention from former contestants and theater groups, fully demonstrating its appeal cultivated over years of development. This enduring influence continues to inspire broader participation and creative engagement. A student from Capital Normal University remarked on-site: “I’ve been following this competition for several years, so I began my preparations well in advance. After reviewing this year’s requirements, my friend and I immediately started refining our script in the hope of achieving good results this time!”

Zhang Chenggang, Minister-Counselor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the local government’s support is essential for building a system for the protection of Chinese nationals and interests overseas. In recent years, upholding the principle of “foreign affairs for the people”, Beijing Foreign Affairs Office has been enhancing consular protection services by aligning with the requirements outlined in the Regulation of the People’s Republic of China on Consular Protection and Assistance. “Motherland Backing You Up” Consular Protection Sitcom Competition is an initiative launched by the capital to advance the publicity and education of consular protection. It aims to foster mutual enhancement between publicity and creative output. With years of collaborative efforts by Beijing Foreign Affairs Office and relevant organizations, this initiative has gained significant influence. Its role is particularly evident in spreading consular protection knowledge and strengthening risk prevention awareness and capacities among overseas Chinese citizens and organizations.

Themed “Motherland Backing You Up”, the competition combines consular protection knowledge with sitcoms, which is a popular and engaging form of education. The aim is to raise public awareness of safety and enhance their ability to deal with emergencies so that they can protect their legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law while abroad. It has therefore effectively reached a wider audience.

This competition comprises four stages: entry submission, preliminary review, training, and the final round. Six entries will be shortlisted to compete in the final for one first, two second, and three third prizes.

Participating teams or individuals can obtain the registration form by sending an email with the subject “Registration” to the official designated email address. Please complete the form as required and send it back to the specified registration email to finalize your registration.

Video submissions, scripts, and profiles of main creators, cast, and crew must be submitted by July 30, 2025 to the designated email address: lingbao2025@163.com

For more information, please scan the QR code below to subscribe to the WeChat official account of “Beijing Foreign Affairs, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs”, and send the message “Sitcom Competition” in the chat box.