From the mid-1950s, the People's Republic of China began constructing a television network with the aid of Soviet technicians, and in May 1958, Beijing TV broadcast the first test programs. Soon after that, 15 stations were established in the larger cities and began broadcasting the first regular programs. Since the early 1960s, television broadcasting has steadily expanded. The introduction of color television, based on the German PAL system, began in 1973, and since the mid-1980s all stations have been able to transmit programs in color.

Broadcasting capacities were expanded d…