The authoritarian Government prefers the docile, cuddly panda as the national insignia, and uses the iconic endangered species as highly successful soft power diplomatic gifts, with the most recent pair sent to Edinburgh Zoo.

The precise reason for penning the editorial now is still unclear, but it seems likely intended to address both concerns about a crisis of values in Chinese society, and the Chinese leader’s keen interest in developing the country’s soft power by creating internationally popular media.

Cultural diplomacy encompasses everything from training in modern dance to training in modern politics. At first glance, it seems a relatively non-threatening way to project identity and influence, but its impact can be profound. China’s President Hu Jintao recently warned that “international hostile forces are intensifying the strategic plot of Westernizing and dividing China,” and added that “the international culture of the West is strong while we are weak.”

Citizen diplomacy is a concept defined as individuals taking actions to engage with those outside of their country in a meaningful and mutually beneficial dialogue. In China, the kind of citizen diplomacy undertaken by both Mr Woo and Mr Yang are individual actions that were unheard of just a couple of years ago.

The rule is part of a broad government effort to take firmer control of China's media landscape. While targeting low-brow trends, China shows its rising interest in developing its own soft power—in the arts, media and culture—to compete with the likes of Hollywood as the nation looks to take on a broader global role.

While China’s economy raced ahead on the back of its low-cost manufacturing skills, India has become an information technology hub because of the skills of its software engineers. But concerns are growing that India may be losing the edge as China pours much more money into science, research and innovation.

Culture is critical to the future of the Party because it goes to the heart of the Party's hold on power. Economic growth has contributed to its legitimacy, but the public's belief that only the Party can make China a strong country is its real trump card. To maintain this illusion, the usual way is fulminating against the foreign forces that are trying to hold back China's rise with "Cold War thinking."

Few Indian films have made as deep an impact in China since the days of Raj Kapoor as Rajkumar Hirani's 2009 film, 3 Idiots. The film struck an instant chord with China's famously overworked students, so much so that some Chinese universities were even prescribing the film in their coursework as a kind of stress-relief in their classrooms.