A poster for Paddington Photo: CFP

Although Prince William, Duke of Cambridge ended his four-day visit to China almost a week ago, his path through the country is still the topic of hot discussion: A trip to the Palace Museum and the hutong of Beijing, elephant watching in Yunnan, meeting with President Xi Jinping and chat with Ma Yun, founder and executive chairman of the Alibaba Group. His attendance at the premiere of the British film Paddington also earned special attention as well: a royal member of a nation doing promotion for a film is a rare sight in the mainland film industry.

Just why would the British royal household put the promotion of Paddington on the list of its diplomatic duties? Maybe it's because film, one of the most popular culture products of today, seems to have developed close ties with diplomacy. 

Ambassador Paddington

On March 3, Prince William appeared at the Shanghai Film Museum as the guest of honor for the premiere of Paddington. New to Chinese audiences, this little bear, created by author Michael Bond in the late 1950s, is a household name on the British Isles.

Though from "deepest, darkest Peru," the bear with an old hat, battered suitcase behaves very much like a British gentleman: He lifts his hat when greeting people, addresses people as "Mr," "Mrs," and "Miss," and talks a lot about the rainy weather in London. 

The recent film based on Paddington Bear is also filled with iconic London features as well: red double-decker buses, Buckingham Palace, the distinctive cap of the city's police force and the guards around the palace - who end up sharing a bit of tea and snacks with Paddington. At the end of the film, there is even a line stating how the city welcomes everyone. All in all, it's definitely a promotional film for Britain.

The film is significant also because this year is the first official Year of Cultural Exchange between China and the UK. Released at the end of last year in other countries, the distribution rights for the Chinese mainland were purchased by a Chinese film company in March of last year. Missing the Spring Festival holiday period at the end of February, the film's premiere in March was very much the product of the Prince's visit to China this month.

Agreements between China and the UK on film co-productions were signed  after the premiere.

Film, not a simple entertainment

Promoting positive images of a country through film is nothing new. During the 1950s, China exported films such as Daughters of China (1949), Light Returns to the City (1949) and The White-Haired Girl (1950) to countries like the former Soviet Union, Poland and Bulgaria.

Films may also serve as a role implying a nation's power.

 No matter if they are about wars in the future or superhero stories, Hollywood blockbusters will inevitably show off a number of advanced weapons and make sure the American flag is given several close-ups. Unconsciously, these commercial blockbusters send out a message - the US government will always stand out as a leader to protect people whenever a crisis occurs.

There are also examples of how films can warm diplomatic relationships between two countries.

In the recent film The Man from Macao 2, there was a scene in which a police officer asks a former criminal gang member "Why did you come to Thailand?" His answer is "For a tour after watching Lost in Thailand."

Shown on the Chinese mainland in 2012, road comedy Lost in Thailand not only made a surprising 1.26 billion yuan ($201 million) at the box office - just like what is depicted in The Man from Macao 2 - it set off a trend for traveling to Thailand. Statistic show that the number of Chinese people taking tours in Thailand during the Spring Festival holiday of 2013 was three times that of the same period in 2012. Some Chinese travel agencies even began offering tours that followed the same route the characters in the film take.

Seeing the country economically benefiting from the film, Thailand's prime minster at the time, Yingluck Shinawatra, even met with the film's director Xu Zheng in March, 2013. Seven months later in October, during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Thailand, he also referred to the film in a speech.

The impact of Lost in Thailand most likely played a big role when the Chinese and Thai governments later came together to discuss signing a mutual visa exemption agreement.

Troublemakers

Today's world is no longer a time for using a nation's hard power to compete. Now more nations rely on their soft power to find diplomatic solutions. When it comes to this, films, especially commercial films, are some of the best choices around. However, they can also be a ticking time bomb as well.

The Interview, starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, is one such case. Before its premiere in the US, the foreign ministry of North Korea strongly protested the film, while the Russian government was highly critical as well. Sony Pictures even received threats that cinemas would be attacked if it showed the film.

The 2012 anti-Islamic video Innocence of Muslims is another example, that caused even more serious problems. 

Technically not a film, but a 14-minute long "trailer" posted on YouTube, it led to fierce protests throughout the Muslim world and hundreds of injuries.