Where Are We Going,Dad?

By Yu Yan

Recently， the TV show Where Are We Going， Dad？， produced by Hunan Satellite Television， has been wowing audiences across the nation. Originally created by South Korean MBC Television Stage， and first aired in January 2013， the reality TV show was brought to China and localized when Hunan Satellite Television saw its potential to entertain Chinese audiences. It seems they were right， as although it is only in its first season， it has already become the most popular show of 2013 by ratings.

In each episode of the program， which airs at 22：00 every Friday， five celebrity fathers spend 72 hours with their children in the countryside， taking care of them without assistance for the whole three days， while also taking part in a series of activities for the children and their dads to do together.

“It is great fun to see them living in an unfamiliar environment. There are a lot of hilarious moments，” said Liu Liping， a 28-year-old fan of the show living in Beijing.

“Some parts of the program are touching too. The fathers are always busy working and seldom have time to be with their kids. The time they spend together during the program is especially sweet and unforgettable，” said Liu.

Instant hit

Just what is it about the show that makes it so popular？ “It addresses social reality. Dads normally focus on earning more money and making achievements in their career. They put more weight on creating a better life for their families than they do spending time with their kids，” said Xie Dikui， general director of the show.

As the father of a 3-year-old daughter， Xie said he found his own heart being touched by the program as he made it.

“I worked day and night at the television station and neglected my daughter，” Xie said with regret， “No wonder she likes her mother more. After making this program， I feel I really should spend more time with her. As busy as these fathers are being celebrities， they are able to spare time for their kids. We can do better than that.”

Xies condition reflects the dilemma of many young parents in China. Most of them say that they know this is a problem but that they are helpless when it comes to changing it.

“I often have to work overtime in the evening. When I get home late at night， my daughter is already asleep，” said Tang Jun， father of a 2-year-old girl in Beijing. Tang works at a foreign-funded accounting firm.

“I wish I could have more time to be with my daughter. She is so adorable. No matter how tired I am when I come home from work， all that goes away when I see her，” said Tang，“But I have to keep working like this if I want to stay in this position or get a promotion.”

Tangs words reflect the lives of a large number of fathers in the big cities of China， where the cost of living is high and career competition is cutthroat.

This dilemma is also a reality for fathers in rural areas， just in another form. More and more men from underdeveloped areas are now working as migrant workers in developed areas， such as south and east Chinas coastal areas， leaving their children at home under the grandparentscare.

According to a report on rural migrant labor in 2012 by the National Bureau of Statistics， the countrys rural workers amounted to 262.61 million that year， up 3.9 percent year on year. Of them， 163.36 million were working in cities away from home.

“I have a son and a daughter， both of them attending primary school in my hometown，”said Xu Canyong， a 33-year-old man working in Shantou， a city in southeast Chinas Guangdong Province.

More than 10 years ago， Xu left his hometown—Wuxue， a small city in central Chinas Hubei Province—to seek better opportunities in Shantou. Like many migrant workers， he got married in his hometown， and the couple moved to work in a city， leaving their children at home to be cared for by their grandparents.

“I miss my children very much. I call them every week. I want to have them live in Shantou with us， but the cost of living and attending school here is too high，” said Xu.

After more than 10 years of hard work in Shantou， Xu has become an experienced mechanic. Recently， he started his own business， processing parts according to supplied samples. Nevertheless， he still regrets missing a part of his childrens life.

Currently， his children only come to live with him during the summer and winter vacations.

“Another reason for the success of the program lies in the fact that it is a reexamination of the fathers role in traditional Chinese culture，”said Xie.

Traditionally， men are responsible for supporting the family， while women stay at home and take care of the family.

This gender-based division of labor has made many Chinese fathers poor at expressing their feelings toward their children. Usually， they appear strict and distant.

Different from the original， made by the South Korean MBC Television Station， the Chinese version is designed to please the local market. The original one was more like a variety show， while the program by Hunan Satellite Television has been shot more in the style of a documentary， according to Xie.

It is fair to say all details of the program were designed and meanwhile none of them were designed， added Xie. “There are six screenwriters designing the schedule of the program， but what will happen in the process？ What will the fathers and kids do or say？ We have no idea. The most touching part of this program is its being true.”

Father and child

As soon as the program started broadcasting， a number of female fans on the Internet said things like， “It would be so great to marry a man like Jimmy Lin. He is such a sweet father.”

Born in Chinese Taipei in 1974， Lin is a famous actor and singer with fans from both sides of the Straits. In the program， Lin used old newspapers and rice to paste up a window. He comforts his 4-year-old son Kimi patiently whenever the boy is upset.

“In the past， he often found me gone for work when he woke up， as I am busy flying to other places. So he is clingy when Im around. He is afraid I will disappear again，” said Lin.

The actor Guo Tao and his son are two independent individuals who respect each other.“I became a father when I was close to 40. That feeling was hard to express. Actually， I am not like a father to him. I treat him as an equal，” said Guo.

Indeed， Guo never spoils his son but encourages him to complete tasks independently， with his son doing an excellent job during the whole process.

Of all the little stars， Wang Shiling， 4-year-old daughter of director Wang Yuelun and variety show host Li Xiang， won the most adoration with her independent personality and emotional intelligence.

When asked about letting Wang Yuelun take care of their daughter by himself， Li expressed anxiety. “An artist like him is not good at handling lifes details，” said Li. The truth was her daughter was smart enough to manage on her own.

Of the five fathers， world-famous diving star Tian Liang seemed the most helpless with his daughter Cindy.

“When she cries， I just panic and have no idea how to comfort her，” said Tian.

Luckily， Cindy quickly got used to her helpless father and found out ways to do things by herself. In the second half of the program， she changed her spoiled princess act and became capable and learning to take care of others.

“A fascinating part of the show is that you can see many parenting styles. The fathers and children love each other and learn to get along with each other little by little. It is really impressive，” said Liu.