News on Entertainment & Culture in China

Drama queen
Peeved actress melts down in her inaugural livestreaming sales pitch
Aug 28, 2020 (WiC 508)

In the past, celebrities fearing that they are past their prime have tried to cash in on the remainder of their influence by appearing in infomercials for some unlikely products, like hearing aids or remedies for bone and joint pain. In China, ...

The 463 day wait is over
Huayi Brothers blockbuster finally hits screen after mammoth delay
Aug 21, 2020 (WiC 507)

It took 178 days for Chinese cinemas to reopen once the pandemic had hit. But for the embattled studio Huayi Brothers there was a delay of more than a year and a half – leading to the sale of a Van Gogh masterpiece, as well as a luxury property ...

Thirties Shanghai
New drama wins plaudits for focus on thirty-something women
Jul 31, 2020 (WiC 506)

Women are taking over Chinese television this summer. Sisters Who Make Waves, which debuted on Mango TV, the online streaming platform owned by Hunan Satellite TV, has taken top billing, with critics delighting in a format that embraces ...

The big screen is back
On Monday most cinemas in China reopened, to industry relief
Jul 24, 2020 (WiC 505)

After 178 days of shutdown, China’s film industry has finally reopened. On Monday cinemas deemed to be in “low-risk” zones for Covid-19 infection were given the green light to welcome back audiences. As most of the country is now classed as ...

Thinking out of the box
Star actress Yang Mi turns her hand to a new TV format
Jul 17, 2020 (WiC 504)

Originating in Japan, the first real-life ‘escape room’ was created by a company called Scrap in Kyoto in 2007. The adventure game puts people in different scenarios – think hijacked planes and sinking submarines – and asks them to solve ...

All the right moves
Kids’ street dance show earns near perfect rating from audience
Jul 10, 2020 (WiC 503)

From its origins in 1970s New York, breakdancing is now set to become an Olympic sport. Last June, the International Olympic Committee announced that the acrobatic style of street dance will be included at the Paris Olympics in 2024. The move ...

The kids ain’t alright
Why has a new 12-episode drama from iQiyi won acclaim?
Jul 3, 2020 (WiC 502)

Less has turned out to be more for audiences of the biggest breakout drama on online video-streaming platform iQiyi this year. The Bad Kids, which was adapted from a popular novel, follows the story of three children (Xiao Bai, Xiao ...

Disaster movie
The pandemic has devastated the Chinese film industry
Jun 26, 2020 (WiC 501)

Since re-establishing diplomatic ties with the United States in 1978, Chinese film studios hadn’t produced a single film about going to war with America’s armed forces. Maybe that was a reflection of decades of relatively benign relations ...

As if Amazon bought Netflix
Tencent set to swoop for iQiyi in bid to stem video streaming losses
Jun 26, 2020 (WiC 501)

Content is king in the streaming sector. But it’s expensive too: just look at Netflix’s spending on content, which has grown from $9 billion in 2017 to $14.6 billion this year. Part of the increase has been covered by higher subscriber fees. ...

Sister act
The first episode got 420 million views – what makes this show different?
Jun 19, 2020 (WiC 500)

One of the certainties about girl bands is that they aren’t destined to last forever. Many of the best-known bands in Asia try to delay the inevitable, changing their line-ups as their singers start to age. However, once passionate younger fans ...

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