PIP: The Chinese soap opera, Ke Wang, was created by Li Xiaoming between August 1989 and June 1990 and produced at a cost of US$4650 per episode. The characters were drawn from everyday ordinary Chinese life: a traditional and open-minded and caring woman, a typical mother who works hard and loves her children, a highly educated upwardly mobile man who divorces his wife, a professor criticized during the Cultural Revolution, a doctor prejudiced against ordinary people, a kind honest man who marries the divorcee, a friend of the divorcee, a man who is optimistic in spite of bad experiences during the Cultural Revolution, and an excellent medical doctor who also resolves conflicts. The program was very popular, even among Communists, because of its value-based content, the real-life nature of the show, the change from highly restricted programming, the elaborate and supportive media coverage, and dialogue which closely matches audience preferences. The show has been aired by over 100 stations to date and has reached a total estimated audience of 550 million. The sale of television sets has increased since the show's appearance. The script reflects the conflicts between traditional and modern Chinese values. Pro-social values and behaviors are learned from the role models depicted; examples are given of immediate social impact. Ke Wang was a by-product of the Beijing Television Arts Center's interest in designing television programs that are relevant to the lives of ordinary people. The 60-minute scripts dealt with issues such as the status of women, social morality, family harmony, class conflict, responsible parenthood, maintenance of traditional culture, volunteerism, child development, and coping with physical disability. The Chinese government hailed Ke Wang as model television and awarded US$20,000 in prize money to the producers. The Chinese government is planning to produce other entertainment-education soap operas, which raises the problem of blatant, political propaganda. In 1989, after the Tinanmen Square events, the controversial He Shang, which attacked cultural symbols, was denounced and banned.