Content Is King

By NIU MENGDI & WANG HUI

LAST July， the period costume drama The Lon- gest Day in Changan was aired in many Asian countries such as Japan， Singapore， Malaysia， Brunei， and Vietnam. It also appeared in the form of paid content on international video websites like Viki， Amazon， and YouTube. The play was not only appreciated by Chinese audiences， the appealing ancient charm of the Tang Dynasty also attracted many overseas audiences， causing a substantial increment in consumption of Chinese TV dramas in foreign countries.

Chinese films and television dramas have cultivated a large-scale overseas market with a steady increase in their export， diversified genres， and outstanding quality， unveiling a new chapter in the cooperation between countries in the field of broadcast and media entertainment.

Learning from Each Other in Cultural Exchanges

Driven by technologies such as the mobile Internet， big data， and artificial intelligence， consumption of media content has become a common choice for people to enrich their cultural life， and also a channel for the worlds audience to experience Chinese culture. Well produced Chinese TV dramas have created a China fever among the audiences of many countries and regions in the world. It has opened a window for a vivid and comprehensive new understanding of Chinese history and culture， and formed a new kind of international cultural communication phenomenon.

The Longest Day in Changan， which has become popular overseas， combines Chinese culture with a compact narrative rhythm， which satisfies the dual needs of overseas audiences to understand traditional Chinese culture while also being entertained. The setting in which the story is set is of a refined cultural style and features the ancient city of Changan. The openness and prosperity of the Tang Dynasty （618-907） give the play broad space for an extensive portrayal of traditional cultural symbols. For example， for the costumes of the ladies， the crew adopted nine kinds of flower-and-bird pattern designs prevalent in the Tang Dynasty， as well as the tie-dye technology which was popular at that time. The meticulously designed costumes， elaborately recreated banquet scenes， and intangible cultural heritages incorporated into the plot showcase the highlights of traditional Chinese culture during the Tang Dynasty.

“We really need to have works go abroad and gain international recognition， because our industrial level， equipment， and professional quality are actually on par with that of foreign teams，” said Cao Dun， director of The Longest Day in Changan.

Liu Heping， chairman of the judging panel of the Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Awards， said that the first condition that must be possessed by an excellent TV series is the epochal character. “It is necessary to reflect the spirit of the times， even historical dramas and costume dramas should be relevant to the present era. With a new understanding of history and historical figures， we can keep up with the pace of the times.

Porcelain Story， a Chinese documentary about looking for Chinese porcelain in Europe and Asia， tracks the spread of Chinese ceramic culture around the world. Jing-Ju Cats， the first domestically produced animation that combines Peking Opera elements with cartoon characters， takes cats as the main character with its optimistic and attractive plot. The documentary Chinas Mega Projects – Beijing Subway Network， focuses on the construction of the worlds largest subway network， highlighting the specific feature of modern China. The TV series The Thunder， based on real cases， revolves around a father and son who represent two generations of policemen as they risk their lives in the war against drugs. These various media projects， which are loved in China， are gradually helping foreign audiences understand China.

These productions convey Chinas excellent traditional culture or showcase Chinas contemporary development， and have refreshed foreign audiences perception of China. They not only garner a good overseas reputation， an expanding global market， and increasing international cooperation， but also demonstrate the cultural self-confidence of the Chinese in the new era. They boost the global influence of Chinese culture and the worlds recognition of Chinese concepts.

From Import to Export

Nowadays， a large number of outstanding Chinese TV programs have gone abroad and gained countless foreign fans.

Throughout the history of Chinese TV programs， from TV series Pretty Li Huizhen and Operation Proposal to variety shows such as Where Are We Going， Dad？ and Running Man， the copyright purchase model is dominant， and the lack of innovation has become a shortcoming of domestic content creation. The copyright dispute of the popular variety show The Voice of China has sounded the alarm for the entire Chinese film and TV industry – the introduction of copyright is only a short-term tactic， and only true innovation can guarantee the vitality of the industry.

Chinese-made TV programs are undergoing a transformation： from imports of productions and copyright purchase to joint development with over-seas parties， to independent creation， and to the sale of original Chinese content to overseas companies. With the improvement of the production quality of film and television dramas， domestic TV dramas are increasingly adapted to the international market in the process of going global.

Film and television is one of the most vigorous fields of international exchanges in this era. Beijing and Rio de Janeiro， the two cultural centers that signed the sister city agreement， used a series of excellent audio-visual works to exchange and understand each other， and set up a bridge for communication between the two countries. In the view of Du Feijin， a member of the Standing Committee and director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee， “This kind of activity should be normalized in the future to make it lasting and more attractive. Through the innovative cooperation in the fields of radio and television and online content， we will add vitality to the development of human civilizations.”

Creating More Excellent Works

During the past two years， through expansion of channels and exploration of new cooperation models， homemade TV dramas have made marked progress on foreign markets. Content creators are actively seeking what kind of dramas will attract more overseas viewers， so as to open a window to explain Chinese culture for the world.

In 2013， Beautiful Daughter-in-Law was broadcast in Tanzania. In 2017， All Quiet in Peking was broadcast online by Netflix. In 2018， A Love for Separation was broadcast in Mongolia and topped audience ratings. In 2019， The Longest Day in Changan received much praise worldwide. During the past few years， there have been many excellent realistic masterpieces that reflect todays China. This phenomenon strongly confirms that original high-quality content is the trend of the times， and improving the quality is the basis of creation.

Chinas 5，000-year history has given homemade TV dramas a unique profoundness and significance， and life of the modern era has brought infinite variety and vitality to their content. The values of benevolence， righteousness， courtesy， wisdom， faith， and courage covered in these productions are the focal point that can stimulate the interest of overseas audiences. Yang Shuo， director of Beijing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau， hopes that workers of the film and television industry jointly strive for the development and innovation of the sector in the digital age， seek deeper exchanges and cooperation， provide the people with better products， and showcase the latest achievements in the development of film and television.

In the future， it is expected that more masterpieces focusing on Chinas reality and telling China stories will go abroad and let the people of the world better understand Chinese culture.