Chinese and HK Television Series

[GeneChing]

We sort of got something started about this on our Grace Under Fire (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68896-Grace-Under-Fire-%28neui-kyun-%E5%A5%B3%E6%8B%B3%29) thread. Hopefully, this will make a good index thread for future posts about this TV genre.

Here's a new one: The Lost Tomb 盜墓筆記

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRfCsYlZwHM

[GeneChing]

You say Beom. I say Bum.



Posted : 2015-10-08 15:46
Updated : 2015-10-08 15:46
Korean actor scores role of Bruce Lee in Chinese show (https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2015/10/201_188268.html)

http://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/newsV2/images/article_30114156400335-450.jpg
Kim Beom from tvN's "Hide your Identity" and the late Bruce Lee (inbox)

Actor Kim Beom will play the late Bruce Lee (1940-1973), the legendary martial artist, in a new Chinese TV show, media reports said Thursday.

Kim, 26, will feature as the Hong Kong-American martial artist and action film star in the Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation show tentatively titled "Yip Man and Bruce Lee."

Kim, who leaves for China this month for the show, is the only Korean in the cast, the reports said.

http://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/newsV2/images/Untitled-15-450(5).jpg
Kim featured in Chinese movies "Lovers and Movies," above, and "The Beloved" this year. / Courtesy of Naver

This will be Kim's debut in a Chinese TV series, but he has featured in two Chinese movies, "Lovers and Movies" and "The Beloved," a hit this year.

Kim began his career in 2006, in a Korean TV series. His latest work in Korea was TV series "Hide your Identity" on tvN in June, in which he played a violent detective.


Copied from our K-star-Kim-Bum-as-Bruce-Lee (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68970-K-star-Kim-Bum-as-Bruce-Lee) thread.

[GeneChing]

ATV, World's Oldest Chinese TV Channel, Closes Down (http://fortune.com/2016/04/02/asia-television-closes-down/?xid=smartnews)
by Reuters APRIL 2, 2016, 2:17 PM EDT

https://fortunedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/157687156-1.jpg?quality=80&w=840&h=485&crop=1

Its frequencies were snapped up by government-owned Radio Television Hong Kong.

Asia Television, the Hong Kong TV channel that was the world’s first Chinese-language TV broadcaster, closed down a few seconds before midnight on Friday April 1.

ATV, which was born as Rediffusion and operated for 59 years, put out its last live newscast in Chinese at 10.30pm. It filled the remaining time with the partial rerun of a Miss Asia beauty pageant, programming which had latterly become the channel’s staple.

The company was stripped of its broadcast license by the Hong Kong government, due to a series of mismanagement incidents, and, broke, has been in the hands of court-appointed administrators for the since February.

ATV’s ownership over the past decade has been continually in turmoil and did not stabilize long enough for management to turn around ATV’s declining audiences and plunging advertising income.

Within minutes of ATV’s last transmission, its frequencies were taken up by government-owned Radio Television Hong Kong (RTKH). At roughly the same time PCCW-backed HKTVE also started to transmit its digital free television program channel, ViuTV Channel 99, through radio waves.

“These new free TV services will provide additional program choices for TV viewers,” said Greg So, government Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development.

“ATV has been broadcasting in Hong Kong for 59 years, producing a wealth of classic television programs. With the launching of new free TV services, I hope that the television industry of Hong Kong will be brought to a new height.”

The company’s current shareholders have pointed to a new life for ATV on the Internet after free-to-air broadcasting has ended, but that may put it at odds with the liquidators who issued redundancy notices in February. Some 400 former ATV staff have applied for compensation from a government fund after ATV failed to pay their salaries for January and February.

Uncertainties remain as to whether ATV can still make use of its right to broadcast in the Cantonese-speaking Guangdong region of China, known as ‘landing rights,’ and the fate of its vast news and program libraries. What a sorry ending for such a longstanding network.

[GeneChing]

Yoona's new Chinese historical romance beats strong competition to win #1 in China
by Nancy Z on Sun, Apr 17, 2016

https://www.dramafever.com/st/news/images/15923fd4-3b13-42f6-983f-31f66b209c22.jpg

Girls' Generation's Yoona is starring in a new Chinese historical drama, God of War: Zhao Zi Long, which has achieved a formidable showing by beating out even the extremely popular Descendants of the Sun. Check out photos from the drama, and find out more about the epic romance between Yoona and her leading man Lin Geng Xin.

If you've missed Yoona (Im Yoon Ah) after her last TV drama The Prime Minster and I, it's because she has been busy filming God of War: Zhao Zi Long, also known as God of War: Zhao Yun and Chinese Hero Zhao Zi Long.

The story about a real-life military hero was inspired by the famous Chinese literature classic, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, about the turbulent times of the Three Kingdoms period following the fall of the Han dynasty. Many movies and dramas have been made to recount the dramatic stories and historical figures depicted in the beloved novel.

Thanks to Yoona's popularity in China, the new drama has been getting huge buzz. The beautiful singer-actress from Girls' Generation has long been popular in China. Take a look at the lovely Yoona dressed in beautiful costumes to portray her character Xiahou Qing Yi, who would capture the heart of a heroic warrior.

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Yoona is surrounded by at least three handsome leading men in the historical romance.

Top Chinese actor Lin Geng Xin plays the legendary general Zhao Zi Long. Lin rose to fame as the 14th prince in the iconic time-traveling romance, Scarlet Heart (aka Bu Bu Jing Xin).

https://www.dramafever.com/st/news/images/80592c11-c07c-4bdd-9df0-e27d6f10ccaa.jpg
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Kim Jeong Hoon, the prince in Kdrama Goong, plays the romantic rival:

https://www.dramafever.com/st/news/images/65def2e8-6759-478f-aabb-127f14aa5b1f.jpg
https://www.dramafever.com/st/news/images/259d7679-4f17-4b3a-93c8-d3ae9f367d11.jpg

Godfrey Gao, hot model-turned-actor, plays another famous general Lu Bu.

Here's Godfrey strutting his awesome physique in costume at the press conference:

https://www.dramafever.com/st/news/images/28171454-e04f-4a79-80e6-edd29146cea1.jpg

With an attractive cast and a story that is well known by the Chinese public, no wonder the new epic romance has garnered strong interest and even won the ratings war when it started broadcasting on April 3.

https://www.dramafever.com/st/news/images/d4a30146-5d28-4263-932a-1aef106cd15d.jpg

The above list was released on April 6 by VLinkage, a Chinese entertainment data agency. The chart shows God of War: Zhao Zi Long in the #1 spot, followed by The Classic of Mountains and Seas in #2, and Descendants of the Sun in #3.

Congratulations to Yoona and her new drama!

~ NancyZdramaland

PRC does luv K-pop starlets...

[GeneChing]

HBO Asia, China Movie Channel to Co-Produce Martial Arts Flicks for TV (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hbo-asia-china-movie-channel-909683)
1:05 AM PDT 7/11/2016 by Patrick Brzeski

http://cdn2.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2016/07/spink.jpg
HBO Asia CEO Jonathan Spink
Courtesy of Getty Images

The project will be HBO's first Chinese-language production starring Chinese talent, said HBO Asia CEO Jonathan Spink.
HBO Asia is partnering with China Movie Channel to develop and co-produce an anthology of Chinese-language martial arts action movies for television.

The project marks HBO and its affiliates' first co-production in the massive Chinese TV sector, which counts an estimated 1.2 billion viewers. China Movie Channel (CMC), also known as CCTV6, is the flagship entertainment channel of state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).

Set to premiere at the end of 2016, the first two films under the partnership will be executive produced by veteran Hong Kong action director Corey Yuen (co-director of the first Transporter film and action director of the first X-Men movie, among many other martial arts credits).

Set in ancient China at the end of the Qing dynasty, the movies — titled, Master of the Drunken Fist: Beggar So and Master of the Shadowless Kick: Wong Kei-Ying — will feature "gritty combat sequences executed by a cast of Chinese actors professionally trained in mixed martial arts, kung fu and muay thai," says HBO Asia.

They will be air simultaneously on CMC’s channels in Mainland China and across 23 Asian territories on HBO and RED by HBO.

THR first reported the plans of a development and production partnership between HBO and CMC at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

“Apart from being HBO Asia’s very first Chinese language production and approach to the genre, this also marks the network’s first collaboration with talents from China and Hong Kong,” said Jonathan Spink, CEO of HBO Asia.

Production on the first two flicks is now underway at China’s Hengdian studios. Action choreographer and director Guo Jian Yong (So Close) is directing, while Singaporean screenwriter, Koh Teng Liang, is part of the writing team behind the screenplay for Shadowless Kick.

China Movie Channel is the official Chinese broadcaster of the Oscars. The state-backed company also has invested in several Hollywood films, such as Paramount's Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) and Skydance Production's Mission Impossible — Rogue Nation (2015).

"This is the first time CMC is doing a co-production of original TV movies," said Cao Yin, president and managing director of CMC, adding: "Through this partnership, we hope to exchange knowledge and know-how in the production of original content, and together with HBO Asia, introduce the essence of our culture through martial arts.”

HBO Asia previously collaborated with filmmakers in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Australia on various English-language productions, including the fantasy series Halfworlds, recently renewed for a second season, which is concurrently being shot in Thailand.

Hope there's an easy way to stream these in the U.S.

[GeneChing]

This randomly popped up on my newsfeed. I know nothing about it. It reminds me of Frozen. :eek:


Did you know Ice Fantasy was written by a 19-year-old? (https://www.dramafever.com/news/read-about-guo-jingming-the-charismatic-young-writer-of-ice-fantasy/)
by Nancy Z on Mon, Jul 25, 2016

https://www.dramafever.com/st/news/images/f56ee798-15c5-4bfe-9a48-440214d95fea.jpg

A Chinese idiom says "water and fire cannot co-exist," and the eternal conflict of the two forces of nature is never reflected more powerfully than as depicted in the battles of the Ice and Fire tribes in new drama Ice Fantasy, starring Feng Shao Feng and Victoria Song. The original story arrived 14 years ago from a writer who creatively fused elements from Chinese Taoist mythology and Wu Xia legends, where immortals fought among themselves and interacted with mortals on Earth, combined with Eastern influences of reincarnation and retribution. Would you believe that charismatic young writer Guo Jingming was only 19 years old when he first published Ice Fantasy?

https://www.dramafever.com/st/news/images/1179a860-e672-4235-8033-48a26e25f673.jpg

Born in the Sichuan province of China, Guo Jingming started writing when he was young. Even in childhood, his parents (an engineer and a bank clerk) supported his seemingly insatiable thirst for reading by buying him more and more books to read, in particular, many Wu Xia classics written by such masters as Jing Yong and Gu Long.

When he entered elementary school, he expanding his interest into writing. At 14, he published his first poem titled "Loneliness" in a national magazine. Although he was only paid 10 yuan (or 1.5 USD), it was a meaningful reward and motivation for the burgeoning writer, who continued to hone his writing skills by participating in writing contests.

https://www.dramafever.com/st/news/images/6810653d-15f8-4744-a9ac-14cfc09bafb7.jpg

In 2002, Guo Jingming first published Ice Fantasy (Chinese title 幻城 is literally "City of Fantasy") as a short story and received popular reception. He was only 19. He then expanded the story into a novel, which became a runaway bestseller, selling over 500,000 copies within just a few months. Anime versions of Ice Fantasy were also published to great popularity. Guo's writing style is praised as lyrical, surreal, and sophisticated in a story that is considered something never-before-seen in modern Chinese novels.

In 2006, the 23-year-old writer became the youngest member in China's Writer Association. By this time, Guo Jingming had dropped out of Shanghai University, opened his own writers' studio, and continued to write popular novels. He was also listed #92 in the 2005 Forbes list of Chinese celebrities.

His biggest achievements were still to come.

https://www.dramafever.com/st/news/images/aeca83cb-7f5d-4a2c-8862-49301e2930a2.jpg

Today, Guo is not only praised as one of the most representative of China's writers of young adult fiction that spans from romance to science fiction, he has also branched out to be a screenwriter, film director, and successful entrepreneur. He wrote and directed the movies Tiny Times, Tiny Times 2, and Tiny Times 3, all based on his novels. Needless to say, he has also become very wealthy. He is ranked in the top among a list of richest writers in China based on royalties. He is also the CEO of his publishing company, which is invested in by China's famous media company Huace Film & TV.

In Ice Fantasy, Guo Jingming is seeing his imagination transformed into a vivid and thrilling epic. He is also the art director for the visually stunning drama.

As a writer, it certainly gives me the pleasure to write about another writer, albeit one that I cannot fathom to compare with and can only admire from afar. At the ripe old age of 33 now, Guo Jingming has accomplished a fantastic career, and it appears that his future is still shining super bright with more ambitious projects to come. His dual excellence in creativity and business acumen will certainly continue to take him far, and hopefully, the readers and viewers will also continue to enjoy the fruits of his work.

Ice Fantasy stars Feng Shao Feng (Prince of Lan Ling) and f(x)'s Victoria Song as lovers caught in the battles between the Ice and Fire tribes. The new drama is on-air on DramaFever with 6 episodes in the first week, followed by 4 episodes each week.

[GeneChing]

https://vimeo.com/145917632

This debuts August 1, 2016, and stars an old friend here - Philip Ng. Phil is also the lead in Birth of the Dragon (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67701-Birth-of-the-Dragon)

[GeneChing]

More on Master of the Drunken Fist: Beggar So & Master of the Shadowless Kick: Wong Kei-Yin (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68972-Chinese-and-HK-Television-Series&p=1294799#post1294799)


With two kung fu films, HBO cautiously tests the waters in China (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-hbo-china-20160818-snap-story.html)
http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bb7d4d/turbine/la-1471905179-snap-photo/750/750x422
Jonathan Spink, CEO of HBO Asia attends the "2nd Global Film Industry Value Chain Development Forum" during the 18th Shanghai International Film Festival on June 15, 2015. (Photo by VCG via Getty Images)
Julie Makinen

For American film and TV show creators and distributors, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing in China recently.

Online video portals have been ordered to limit foreign films and TV shows to 30% of their offerings, driving down licensing fees. Authorities are discouraging broadcasters from using imported TV formats to make programs such as “The Voice of China.” This spring, the government closed down Walt Disney Co.’s movie streaming service, and Apple’s as well.

That hasn’t discouraged HBO from testing the waters. On a steamy August morning, HBO Asia Chief Executive Jonathan Spink was tromping around Hengdian World Studios, China’s largest film and TV production base, passing popsicles around an outdoor set where filming was wrapping up on the premium channel’s first two original productions in China.

In the grove of bamboo, a dummy corpse dripping with fake blood perched on a fence as cicadas buzzed in the trees. Another mannequin, hog-tied and strung up by a rope, dangled from a tree over a bed of large spikes. But this was no Chinese version of “Game of Thrones.” HBO Asia is moving cautiously out of the gate, with two made-for-TV kung fu movies, “Master of the Drunken Fist: Beggar So” and “Master of the Shadowless Kick: Wong Kei-ying.”

The Mandarin-language films are being co-produced with China Movie Channel, a division of state broadcaster China Central Television, or CCTV. China Movie Channel, also known as CCTV6, will handle distribution on the mainland, while HBO will air the films across Asia.

“We are experimenting. We are learning,” Spink said. Rather than have HBO be seen as just another American company angling for a way to pile into China, Spink said, “this is about taking great content out of China.”

Time Warner Inc.’s HBO Asia has a presence in 23 territories across Asia, including Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. In many countries, HBO offers its own movie channels, as well as online streaming services and on-demand programming.

Time Warner, and other media companies, view foreign markets as increasingly important sources of revenue. HBO, in the last decade, has put a greater emphasis on its international profile and consolidated ownership interests in its branded channels. HBO has channels in Latin America, Europe and Asia, including India, enabling it to parlay its strong hand in original programming. The company also is determined to keep pace with its archrival streaming service, Netflix, which has been aggressively expanding oversees with local language productions.

Until recently, HBO programming in China had been restricted to high-end hotels. To reach a broader Chinese audience, HBO in 2014 signed a content licensing deal with Internet giant Tencent; the online portal now offers viewers programs including “Game of Thrones,” “Sex and the City” and “True Detective.” Last year, HBO Asia partnered with China's national cable network and an Internet protocol TV operator to provide HBO originals and Hollywood movies as part of their subscription offerings to general households.

HBO Asia began co-producing original English-language productions four years ago, starting with an action-adventure film, “Dead Mine,” and a Singapore-set 1960s noir detective series, “Serangoon Road.” Those were followed by the horror mini-series “Grace” and “Halfworlds,” a supernatural thriller series filmed in Indonesia.

This year, HBO Asia has moved into Chinese-language content, launching not just “Master of the Drunken Fist” and “Master of the Shadowless Kick” on the mainland but also starting production in Taiwan this summer on “The Psychic,” a TV series.

“Master of the Drunken Fist” and “Master of the Shadowless Kick” are directed by Guo Jian-yong, a veteran action choreographer on films including John Woo’s “Red Cliff” and “The Transporter” series that starred Jason Statham. The “masters” in both movies are real historical figures familiar to Chinese audiences and kung fu enthusiasts.

If the first two films are well-received, HBO and CMC could add further installments to essentially make a series, said Beibei Fan, senior vice president of new business at HBO Asia. “These are almost like pilots,” said Fan, though each film stands on its own.

CMC and HBO Asia refused to discuss how much they were spending on the two films, but Fan said the budgets were “slightly higher” than HBO Asia’s earlier original productions. Although there are no plans now to run the movies on HBO’s U.S. platforms, Fan said there’s already enough of a Chinese audience in Asia to make the project worthwhile.

China Movie Channel broadcasts the Oscars in China and has licensing deals with all the major Hollywood studios. The channel has been stepping up its collaborations with Hollywood. It invested in Paramount’s “Transformers: Age of Extinction” in 2014 and “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” last year.

CMC in the past has licensed and aired HBO original TV movies, including “The Gathering Storm,” but this is the first time it’s co-producing with HBO Asia.

Noting that CMC reaches more than 1 billion viewers in China while HBO Asia has a wide presence across Asia, CMC Vice President Zhang Ling called the partnership a “powerful combination.”

Partnering with a state-run entity such as CMC on relatively tame fare, and becoming an overseas distribution partner for Chinese-made content, could help put HBO in the good graces of Chinese authorities. “President Xi Jinping wants to take Chinese culture to the world,” said Guo, the director. “I’m honored to be able to direct these two movies and be a part of it.”

Guo said he’s striving to make as much of the action as real as possible, with the actors performing almost all their own stunts. “Audiences across all cultures can appreciate that,” he said.

Although the films are being co-produced by HBO, Guo said the content would not be an awkward East-West mashup. Four of the five writers across the two films are Chinese; one is Singaporean.

“We have the endorsement of the HBO brand, but it has to be authentic Chinese if it’s going to work,” Guo said. “It can’t be half-Western and half-Chinese or audiences will be confused.”

“Master of the Shadowless Kick” tells the story of Wong Kei-ying, a martial arts master and physician who lived in the 1800s during a time when China was being invaded by European powers and ravaged by opium addiction. Trying to save his master, Wong takes on the treacherous governor of Canton province, who has a hand in the drug business.

“The role is quite sophisticated,” said Sun Hao-ran, who plays Wong. “He’s kind of a national hero who battles opium and he’s also a father.”

“Master of The Drunken Fist: Beggar So” centers on So Chan, one of the kung fu masters among the legendary “Ten Tigers of Canton.” So has been the subject of numerous martial arts films including the 1992 Steven Chow movie “King of Beggars.”

HBO’s collaboration with CMC may also help it lift its profile in mainland China, where broadcasting is heavily regulated and controlled by the state. Even Cao Jun, the star of “Master of the Drunken Fist,” admitted he had only a vague familiarity with HBO.

“HBO is an American brand, right?” he said on the sidelines of the set in Hengdian. “We can’t receive this channel in mainland China. So I don’t know much about it; I have heard the name, I know it’s a good channel. It’s a pity we cannot watch it; I don’t know if we can watch it online. These two films will be screened on HBO, right?”

Nicole Liu and Yingzhi Yang in The Times’ Beijing bureau contributed to this report. Staff writer Meg James in Los Angeles also contributed.

julie.makinen@latimes.com

[GeneChing]

Banned on Chinese TV: 'Western lifestyles,' cleavage and time travel (http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/31/asia/china-banned-on-tv-censorship/index.html)
By James Griffiths, CNN
Updated 1:43 AM ET, Wed August 31, 2016
Source: CNN

Chinese TV show's censorship 03:32
Hong Kong (CNN)New guidelines issued by China's top media regulator have prohibited TV shows that promote "Western lifestyles," adding to a long list of banned items.

According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, shows should refrain from content that expresses "overt admiration for Western lifestyles," jokes about Chinese traditions or defiles "classic materials."
"They should also avoid putting stars, billionaires or internet celebrities on pedestals; or sensationalizing private affairs, relationships or family disputes," Xinhua said.
Here's what else is on China's blacklist.

Cleavage

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Actresses' cleavage was ordered cropped out of a Tang dynasty period drama by China's censors.

After "The Saga of Wu Zetian," a TV drama about China's only female emperor, attracted great viewership figures, it was abruptly pulled from broadcast in January 2015 for "technical reasons."
Nicknamed "The Saga of Wu's Breasts" due to the generous amounts of cleavage shown by the actresses' Tang dynasty period costumes, the show returned a few days later, with a lot less skin.
Censors ordered the show's editors to crop the footage to hide any cleavage, resulting in much tighter shots on stars' faces, and widespread outrage online.
China cracks down on cleavage at cosplay convention

Celebrity kids

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/160831111602-dad-where-are-we-going-china-tv-show-exlarge-169.jpg
"Baba Qunar?" or "Dad, Where Are We Going?" was a hugely popular Chinese TV show starring the children of celebrities.

In a move that might be welcomed by some US television audiences tired of certain reality dramas, China's censors in April banned the use of celebrities' children on screen, killing one of the country's most popular shows in the process.
Regulators said minors should be kept out of the spotlight to allow them to enjoy a normal childhood.
The ban came after the breakout success of "Dad, Where Are We Going?", a weekly series in which celebrity fathers took their kids on trips around China, and raked in millions of viewers in the process.

Drinking and smoking

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/160831113124-china-smoking-exlarge-169.jpg
One million Chinese people died of smoking-related diseases in 2010, according to The Lancet.

A directive released in March slapped stringent new guidelines onto online shows, which have been steadily growing in popularity in recent years.
The "General Rules for Television Series Content Production" were drafted in order to "thoroughly implement (Chinese President) Xi Jinping's speech at the national forum on literature," in which he stressed that art must serve a social purpose.
Some of the first things to be hit by the new rules were shows that promote "smoking and drinking, fighting, and other unhealthy behavior."
China has severe problems with both smoking and alcohol. Around 68% of Chinese men are smokers, with one million Chinese people dying from smoking related diseases in 2010, according to The Lancet.

****sexuality

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Participants pose for a photo at a Shanghai pride event.

Though China has come a long way since ****sexuality was declassified as a mental illness 15 years ago -- with several cities across the country hosting gay pride parades and prominent LGBT celebrities making waves -- the censors haven't got the memo.
Guidelines released this year categorize ****sexuality as an "abnormal sexual behavior" unfit for China's TV screens, alongside incest, sexual abuse and other "perversion."
"Addiction," a popular web drama about romantic relationships between teenage boys, was pulled in February, despite attracting almost 10 million views in its first 24 hours of release.

Time travel

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150917183539-doctor-who-peter-capaldi-exlarge-169.jpg
China banned time travel dramas in 2011.

Too many science fiction dramas "casually make up myths, have monstrous and weird plots, use absurd tactics, and even promote feudalism, superstition, fatalism and reincarnation," China's regulators complained in a March 2011 diktat.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter at the time, film critic Raymond Zhou suggested another reason the censors were so keen to kill sci-fi shows: "Most time travel content that I've seen ... is actually not heavy on science, but an excuse to comment on current affairs."
Indeed, the regulation said that in many instances "producers and writers are treating serious history in a frivolous way, which should by no means be encouraged anymore."

South Koreans

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/160831114018-kim-soo-hyun-exlarge-169.jpg
South Korean drama "My Love from the Star," starring Kim Soo-Hyun (pictured), was hugely popular in China.

Following the deployment of the US-South Korean THAAD missile defense system last month, some of Korea's most successful exports may have found their fortunes waning in China.
A fan event in Beijing with South Korean TV stars Kim Woo-bin and Suzy Bae was postponed due to "forces beyond our control," the organizers said on Weibo. Two concerts by the popular boy band EXO in Shanghai were also canceled.
According to multiple media reports, Chinese TV stations were also warned to put South Korean projects on hold.
The alleged ban on South Koreans came after an edict issued by the media regulator in June imposed "strict limits on foreign-inspired TV programs in a bid to boost innovation of homemade programs," according to Xinhua.

The Time Travel ban amuses me greatly.

[GeneChing]

How subversive. I like subversive. ;)



A Chinese period drama named its bad guys after today’s ruling elite—and the censors missed it (https://qz.com/922789/chinese-period-drama-the-qin-empire-named-its-bad-guys-after-todays-ruling-elite-and-the-censors-missed-it/)

https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/the-qin-empire.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=1600
Strangely familiar names. (Initium Media/Facebook)

WRITTEN BY Zheping Huang
OBSESSION

China's Transition
March 02, 2017
The epic battle of Changping is one of the best-known military campaigns in ancient China. The encirclement, concluded in 260 BC with a landslide victory by the State of Qin over the weaker State of Zhao, marks a turning point of the chaotic Warrior States period. In less than four decades, the ruler of Qin conquered all other independent states and became the first emperor of a unified China.
In the latest episode of The Qin Empire 3, a hit series now available on China’s state broadcaster and several online streaming sites, the Qin army tried to identify Zhao spies among their own people, and got a list of their names carved on bamboo slips. Attentive audiences have spotted many names they are familiar with: Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, and Li Changchun.
It turns out the period drama has named its bad guys after today’s ruling elite of the Chinese Communist Party, the current president and premier included. The use of the names has become a sensation on China’s internet in recent days, with the episode having first aired on Feb. 28.

https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/the-qin-empire.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=1600
(Initium Media/Facebook)

Chinese censors were quick to respond: The episode in question has been removed from one streaming site, while the shot showing the name usage has been cut out of the episode on several other sites, as Quartz observed on March 2.
A search for “The Qin Empire” on China’s Quora-esque site Zhihu brings no results (link in Chinese).
First released in 2009, The Qin Empire has won the Flying Goddess Award—China’s version of an Emmy—for the Best TV drama twice. The third season currently holds a 8.7/10 rate on Douban, a film portal similar to IMDb.
“The producer is seeking a big death,” one blogger commented (link in Chinese) on the show’s page on Douban, noting that the dubious scene happened at around the 19:23 mark of the 30th episode.
Why did the censors miss the name plot in the first place? Perhaps because the names were written in seal script, an archaic form of Chinese calligraphy that looks quite different from today’s characters.
Meanwhile the show’s crew members were possibly too lazy to come up with random names for the fictional Zhao spies. Of course, they might also have chosen the names deliberately as an act of defiance.
Also of interest: Since long before the episode aired, “Zhao family”—having nothing to do with the ancient State of Zhao—has been an online meme (paywall), and used as a derogatory term for China’s rich and politically well-connected.
Whatever the case, the crew will likely be in deep trouble now.

[GeneChing]

The Mermaid (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69162-The-Mermaid) goes to Chinese TV (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68972-Chinese-and-HK-Television-Series).


China's $500M Blockbuster 'The Mermaid' Getting TV Adaptation (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chinas-500m-blockbuster-mermaid-getting-tv-adaptation-1012900)
1:58 AM PDT 6/13/2017 by Patrick Brzeski

http://cdn2.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2016/03/press_still_2014-02-16_005-h2016.jpg
Courtesy of Sony Pictures
'The Mermaid'

Beijing-based iQiyi has paid an historic $61.8 million for exclusive streaming rights to the show, which sources in China say will be scripted and produced by Stephen Chow.

China's biggest movie ever, Stephen Chow's blockbuster The Mermaid, which earned an astonishing $527 million in 2016, is set to be remade for television.

Chinese production company Shanghai New Culture Media Group revealed in a regulatory filing that it has sold the exclusive online streaming rights to the forthcoming show to Beijing-based SVOD company iQiyi for $61.8 million (420 million RMB) — a record for streaming video rights in the country.

Local Chinese media sources are reporting that Chow will script and produce the TV drama adaptation himself.

New Culture Media also said in a second filing that it has sold to iQiyi the exclusive broadcast and online streaming rights to another forthcoming TV drama based on a Chow blockbuster — 2017's Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back, which was released over Chinese New Year in late January and earned $240 million in China. iQiyi paid $42.4 million (288 million RMB) for those rights, the filing said. Both of the new shows will be developed and produced by New Culture Media.

A representative from iQiyi declined to comment.

In early 2017, Shanghai New Culture Media Group, whose stock is listed on the Shenzhen exchange with a market capitalization of $1.3 billion, acquired a 51 percent stake in Premium Data Associates Limited, a production and rights management company founded and owned by Chow, for $195.7 million (1.33 billion RMB). Chow retained a 49 percent stake in the entity.

iQiyi, a subsidiary of Chinese search giant Baidu, has been on a Netflix-like buying spree since raising $1.5 billion in February. While the company continues to beef up on high-value local content like the new Chow shows, it also has been buying prestige U.S. content aggressively.

In March, iQiyi acquired exclusive Chinese online rights to 2017 Oscar favorites La La Land and Moonlight (it's unclear whether the latter will be able to clear Chinese censorship, however). And in April, iQiyi inked an output agreement with Netflix, which has been barred from setting up its service within China by Beijing's regulators. iQiyi said it hopes to import such Netflix originals as Black Mirror, Stranger Things, Mindhunter, BoJack Horseman and Ultimate Beastmaster — as soon as the necessarily government approvals are granted.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihJvmXWDSP4

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l55fpZ0voj8

This is a new show starring Philip Ng (NOV+DEC 2016) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=1316). I think the English title is Fist Fight but the Chinese is xiongdi (elder brother/junior brother).

[GeneChing]

Netflix Picks Up Chinese Detective Drama ‘Day & Night’ (http://deadline.com/2017/12/netflix-picks-up-chinese-drama-day-night-1202218101/)
by Peter White
December 1, 2017 5:21am

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/day-night-3.jpg?w=446&h=299&crop=1
Youku

Netflix is to launch a Chinese detective drama in more than 190 markets after striking a deal with Alibaba-owned Youku. The SVOD service has picked up Day and Night, a 32-part series.

The series, which launched in August and has secured more than 4B views in China, follows a detective who attempts to clear his twin brother from a murder charge. After recusing himself from the case, he is hired as a secret consultant by the new investigator. It stars Pan Yueming, Wang Long Zheng, Liang Yuan, Lu Xiaolin and Yin Shuyi.

It is the latest Chinese original that Netflix has picked up: in 2015 it bought Empresses In The Palace for its U.S. service, cutting down the original series’ 76 x 45-minute series into six 90-minute episodes. The show, which first aired in China in 2011, follows the the emperor’s concubines in the imperial palace of the Qing Dynasty.

“The cultural industry is undergoing robust growth in China, and I believe the export of high-quality content will help people around the world gain a better understanding of the soft power of China,” said Yang Weidong, president of Youku, Alibaba Digital Media and Entertainment Group. “I’m delighted that Youku can become a pioneer in driving this initiative with this overseas distribution of our Day and Night series.”

Interesting move for Netflix. K-dramas are popular on streaming services, but not as many Chinese TV shows.

[GeneChing]

Chen Kaige to Shoot Series for iQIYI (https://variety.com/2018/digital/asia/chen-kaige-series-for-iqiyi-1202847871/)
By Patrick Frater
Asia Bureau Chief

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/shutterstock_9120828a-cropped.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1
CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK

Leading Chinese auteur, Chen Kaige (“The Legend of the Demon Cat,“ “Farewell my Concubine“) is to shoot a series for mainland Chinese streaming service iQIYI.

“The Eight“ is Chen’s first foray into long form series. He will also act as executive producer of the show.

The story is set in China and Paris, France in the early Chinese revolutionary period at the beginning of the 20th Century. It features a young man who has both Chinese and Western roots. He becomes sucked into the underworld while simultaneously attempting to save the Chinese revolution, which could easily be stifled by opposition forces.

“The rise of premium Internet drama has opened up a huge space for creative innovation,“ said Chen in a prepared statement.

IQIYI, which has been spun out of China’s leading search engine group Baidu, recently raised some USD2.5 billion from an IPO on Nasdaq.

The company is now engaged in a wide ranging campaign to develop and acquire original content. In addition to giving it unique properties that are unavailable to its competitors, original IP is used to attract and convert users of its free to use advertising-supported tiers into paying subscribers.

It’s series “Tientsin Mystic“ and “Burning Ice“ were among 2017 commissions that will play on Netflix, following a content licensing deal.

I've clicked on the Netflix Tiensin Mystic icon several times, but have yet to actually watch it.

[GeneChing]

Netflix is killing it with foreign TV series that they rebrand as Netflix. I totally got into La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) which is a Spanish TV series now under the Netflix banner.


Netflix hopes Chinese TV series ‘The Rise of Phoenixes’ takes off globally (https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/2162056/netflix-hopes-chinese-tv-series-rise-phoenixes-takes)
The 70-part historical drama – filmed in Mandarin but to be released in more than 12 languages – features film stars Chen Kun and Ni Ni in leading roles
BY AYDEE TIE
30 AUG 2018

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/landscape/public/images/methode/2018/08/30/9c3a1a70-ac0d-11e8-8796-d12ba807e6e9_1280x720_181705.jpg?itok=HUeKdX2T

The new Chinese television series, The Rise of Phoenixes, which was filmed in Mandarin, will be released in more than a dozen languages to Netflix users around the world on September 14.

Thanks to the success of another 2018 historical drama, Story of Yanxi Palace, released around the world by the Chinese streaming service iQiyi, Netflix has high hopes for its new Chinese period drama.

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2018/08/30/b3dc9d62-ac10-11e8-8796-d12ba807e6e9_972x_181705.jpg
Actress Ni Ni as Feng Zhiwei (left) who hides her identity by dressing as a man, in a scene from ‘The Rise of the Phoenixes’

Based on the novel Huang Quan (which loosely translates as “Power of the Phoenix”) by Tianxia Guiyan, the 2018 drama stars Chen Kun as Ning Yi, the shrewd, ambitious and calculating sixth prince of the Tiansheng Kingdom.

Ni Ni plays the role of Feng Zhiwei, the undervalued daughter of the Qiu family – in reality the last princess of the fallen Cheng dynasty – who hides her true identity by dressing as a man to survive in the male-dominated society.

https://cdn3.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2018/08/30/6140bcdc-ac10-11e8-8796-d12ba807e6e9_972x_181705.jpg
Chen Kun (right) as Prince Ning Yi in a scene from the Chinese television series ‘The Rise of the Phoenixes’.

Like many Chinese dramas, The Rise of Phoenixes tells a story focused on power, desire, lust and love between people from different kingdoms in ancient China, including some who are determined to claim the position of “The Great Phoenix”.

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2018/08/30/7ee8daf8-ac10-11e8-8796-d12ba807e6e9_972x_181705.jpg
Actresses Ou Wang (left) as the female general Hua Qiong and Ni Ni as Feng Zhiwei in a scene from the television series ‘The Rise of the Phoenixes’.

This series marks not only the television debut of Ni, 30, who has enjoyed success in major films, but also the highly anticipated return to the small screen of Chen, 42, after a decade away pursing a film career.

The series also features other big names from the Mandarin-language film and television industries including directors Shen Yan and Liu Haibo, who both worked on the 2016 comedy-drama television series, Chinese Style Relationship, and William Chang known for his work as artistic director and costume designer on the Wong Kar-wai films The Grandmaster, In the Mood for Love and Ashes of Time.

https://cdn2.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2018/08/30/ea892c4a-ac10-11e8-8796-d12ba807e6e9_972x_181705.jpg
Chen Kun as Prince Ning Yi with his guards in a scene from ‘The Rise of the Phoenixes’

The Rise of Phoenixes is a 70-episode series, which has been co-produced by Netflix along with Croton Media (China Syndication), K. Pictures, Hao Mai Culture, iQiyi, COL Group and New Film Association.

[GeneChing]

I must have clicked on that Netflix The Rise of Phoenixes icon a half dozen times over the weekend. Didn't watch it though. Maybe soon.


SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 10:04PM PT
China Readies Law Restricting Foreign Television Content (https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/china-restrictions-foreign-television-content-1202952137/)
By PATRICK FRATER
Asia Bureau Chief

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/china-money.jpg?w=700&h=393&crop=1
CREDIT: REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

The Chinese government is moving forward with plans to restrict foreign content on broadcast television and online video platforms.

The National Radio and Television Administration published drafts of new regulations Thursday. These are normally open to industry and public discussion for a period of 30 days.

The draft regulations will limit foreign content to 30% of daily airtime on all channels, and banish it completely from evening prime time, defined as 7-10 p.m.

The stated objective is to exclude content that presents as violence, terrorism, incitement to crime, and a threat to social stability and national sentiment. It is also intended to prevent content that “deviates from socialist core values.” The draft particularly targets foreign current affairs shows, but its scope also includes feature film and animation.

This is the first legislation introduced by the new regulatory body since oversight of the media and entertainment sector was shifted to the propaganda department of the Communist Party in March. But it fits with an established pattern of growing conservatism by Chinese media regulators, and also with expanded central government controls over the Internet.

In the past few months, new restrictions have been placed on live streaming and online gaming. China’s version of satirical show “Saturday Night Live” was temporarily taken off the air in the summer, and political satire is increasingly less welcome.

Zhuang Rongwen, who in August was appointed as head of the Cyberspace Administration of China, recently set out a similarly robust approach. Writing last month in political magazine Qiushi, he called for a “people’s war” and plans to rehabilitate China’s “cyber ecology.” He proposed the promotion of “positive energy” and the suppression of negative elements including wrong ideological trends, unflattering portrayals of China’s leaders and unapproved versions of China’s history.

The agency this month took measures to block the website and online application of Australia’s public broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It joins Bloomberg, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal in a group of overseas news organizations unavailable to ordinary Chinese web users.

[GeneChing]

Yanxi Palace: The most Googled show on Earth (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-46630781)
23 December 2018

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/9812/production/_104903983_1.jpg
The Story of Yanxi Palace revolves around its female protagonist, Wei Yingluo

It has love but also hatred, intrigue, revenge, poisoning rivals and even killing babies.

The Chinese drama Story of Yanxi Palace is the most Googled TV show of 2018 globally, despite Google being largely blocked in the country.

The search engine's analytics suggested that the top interest in the drama has come from Asian regions like Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Hong Kong, but its popularity in mainland China has been overwhelming as well.

The series has been streamed more than 15 billion times on iQiyi, China's Netflix-like site where the show premiered in July before it reached domestic TV channels and more than 70 markets abroad. It was the most watched online drama in China for 39 consecutive days over the summer.

The 70-episode Story of Yanxi Palace fictionalised the power struggles among the concubines of Emperor Qianlong in the 1700s.

The protagonist, a smart girl with a humble background, manages to rise through the ranks among the harem and wins both love and respect from the emperor.

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/B1B0/production/_104888454_google'smost.png
The Chinese title of Yanxi Palace appears as the most Googled TV show of 2018

Its theme may be likened to a Cinderella tale or Netflix's The Crown that chronicles the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. But its own uniqueness has made it the undisputed entertainment sensation of the year.

Here's how it took over China and its neighbouring regions.

It catches up with a trend of feminist shows

The heroine of the show, Wei Yingluo, is unlike most traditional Chinese female characters who are taught to be tolerant, submissive and fragile.

Inspired by the actual real-life consort of Emperor Qianlong, the story follows Yingluo as a woman of Chinese Han ethnicity in the Qing dynasty - the last imperial dynasty in China ruled by the Manchurian ethnicity that suppressed the Han people.

But her intelligence, determination and appropriate ferocity meant she was eventually granted her the title of imperial noble consort, the highest possible position for a Han person at that time.

Yingluo's most famous line from the show goes like this : "I, Wei Yingluo, am naturally hot-tempered and not to be pushed around. Whoever keeps talking [nonsense], I have all kinds of methods to go against her."

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/43C6/production/_104905371_6.jpg
Wei Yingluo started off as a servant in the palace but slowly worked her way up

The woman she is based on - Xiaoyichun - was posthumously given the title of empress, making her the only Han empress during the Manchu-reigned dynasty.

The show comes as the latest example of how feminist-themed soap operas have captured Chinese audiences.

Other shows like The Legend of Zhenhuan - another imperial rising-up-the-ranks story bought by Netflix - and The Empress of China, that tells the story of the only female emperor in Chinese history, have also taken off in China.

It didn't face much censorship

Before the show aired on TV screens, it was shown online.

The co-producer and initial distributor of the series, iQiyi, is one of China's most popular online video platforms - helping the show gain large traffic and, more importantly, easier regulatory scrutiny for its debut.

In China, the National Radio and Television Administration oversees all content on radio and television. A TV project has to obtain the go-ahead from it even before shooting starts.

When video sites emerged a few years ago, they could publish anything as long as they thought it was within the regulator's rules.

In 2016, an online series featuring gay love went viral but was taken off in the middle of the streaming season. A year later, a a ban on ****sexual content was issued.

Online video platforms can't broadcast shows at will but the censorship they go through is much lighter than TV channels, which are mostly owned by the government.

Low-cost cast, high-quality production

No actor in the show is very famous, except for one Hong Kong actress, Charmaine Sheh, who was willing to play a supporting role.

Gong Yu, founder and CEO of iQiyi, said the company had "deliberately cast lesser known actors... rejecting recent trends in the Chinese industry that put too much emphasis of the celebrity appeal of actors in their productions".

It came at an essential time when Chinese celebrities' high income and ambiguous tax practices had caught the attention of the authorities.

Total spending on the show's cast didn't even reach one tenth of the total production cost, according to Chinese magazine Portrait citing series producer Yu Zheng, who added that the rest of the money was mainly spent on things like costume and make-up.

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/1785E/production/_104905369_4.jpg
The detailed costumes and intricate sets won over audiences

The well-built sets, elaborate costumes, make-up and attention to detail have won viewers' love.

For example, concubines in the show wear three earrings on each side, as was the tradition of Manchu women at that time.

So if you've never heard of Yanxi Palace, you could try Googling it - you wouldn't be the first.

I watched a little bit of The Rise of Phoenixes (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68972-Chinese-and-HK-Television-Series&p=1310455#post1310455) on Netflix. It was gorgeous with the sets and costumes but too soap-opera-esque to hold my interest.

[GeneChing]

Netflix Acquires Taiwanese Series 'Green Door' (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/netflix-acquires-taiwanese-series-green-door-1194949)
2:10 AM PDT 3/15/2019 by Patrick Brzeski

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2019/02/green_door-publicity_still-h_2019.jpg
Courtesy of Netflix
'Green Door'

Although blocked in mainland China, the global streamer has been upping its collection of Chinese-language content.
Netflix has picked up global streaming rights to Taiwanese horror-thriller series Green Door.

The six-episode Chinese-language series is adapted from Taiwanese author Joseph Chen's novel of the same title. The show follows troubled psychologist Wei Sung-Yen (played by Jam Hsiao), who returns from the U.S. to set up his own practice in Taiwan, where mysterious patients and uncanny events shed light on his murky past.

Green Door is directed by Lingo Hsieh (aka Xie Tingwei), known for her fantasy-horror movie The Bride (2014), which she co-created with Japanese horror specialist Takashige Ichise. Green Door was adapted for the screen by Hsieh and Li Ting-yu. Ying-Hsuan Hsieh, who won the best actress prize at last year's Golden Horse Awards, co-stars.

The series first aired on Taiwan's Public Television Service earlier this year.

Netflix is unable to operate within mainland China because of Beijing's ban on direct foreign content channels in the country. But the company has been modestly boosting its collection of high-profile Chinese-language content to build its userbase in Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as among the large global Chinese diaspora audience.

In recent months, Netflix has acquired global rights to Chinese sci-fi blockbuster The Wandering Earth, teen thriller Animal World and romantic drama Us and Them; and the company pre-bought international rights to Chinese animated feature Over the Moon, set to be directed by veteran animator Glen Keane (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast) for Shanghai's Pearl Studio (formerly Oriental DreamWorks). Netflix also scooped up Taiwanese sleeper hit Dear Ex and several mainland Chinese TV dramas, including Youku's detective series Day and Night and iQiyi's remake of Sony Pictures Television’s psychological thriller Chosen.

Not sure if there's any martial arts connection in this, but we have discussed The Wandering Earth (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71046-The-Wandering-Earth) and Animal World (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70681-Animal-World-(%26%2321160%3B%26%2329289%3B%26%2319990%3B%26%233 0028%3B)).

[donnyir]

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuyfcUjDE--TshpquRKPFbLXr0mTBazWy

Jin Yong adaptation of Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre 2019.


https://youtu.be/3ros_wHjgdE

[GeneChing]

Netflix Expands Chinese Content With Series, Film Additions (https://variety.com/2019/digital/asia/netflix-expands-chinese-content-series-film-additions-1203261955/)
By PATRICK FRATER
Asia Bureau Chief

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/cities-of-last-things.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1
CREDIT: COURTESY OF CHANGHE FILMS

Global streaming giant Netflix is growing its Chinese-language content with six new licensed titles. These will arrive on the service in the second half of 2019.

Netflix is not permitted by China to operate its video streaming platform there. But it nevertheless perceives an appetite for Chinese-language content that can be accessed by international audiences, viewers in Chinese-speaking parts of Asia, and overseas Chinese. Netflix’s first Chinese-language original series are expected to launch over the next few months, including “Nowhere Man,” “Triad Princess,” and “The Ghost Bride.”

The six upcoming Chinese-language licensed series and films lean heavily on productions from Taiwan and Hong Kong. They include an expansion of “A Thousand Goodnights,” from Taiwan’s Sanlih TV; the previously announced pickup of Taiwanese art house thriller “Cities of Last Things”; and”Sexy Central,” a female-led drama from Hong Kong’s China 3D Digital.

“Goodnights,” the story of a daughter carrying out her father’s wish, discovering her roots and embarking on a journey around Taiwan, is already available on the platform. Episodes 11-20 will launch on Aug. 10. “Cities” is an award-winning dystopian thriller, told in reverse chronological order, that launched at the Toronto festival last September. It will be available on Netflix from Thursday.

“Pili Fantasy: War of Dragons,” Season 1, is a popular glove puppetry show from Taiwan that has run since 1988. The first season depicts a story where turmoil looms in the Martial World, and the Eight Wonders of the Evil Dragon unleashes dark forces. The show is licensed from Pili International Multimedia, and available on Netflix from Friday.

The “Mayday Life” fact-based movie follows Taiwanese mega-band Mayday on its “Life Tour” concert series, recorded live in 55 cities and 122 shows. Shot over two years across four continents, the show attempts to link together four stories. The movie chronicles the beginnings of one of Asia’s biggest and most popular bands, allows viewers along for the ride, and reflects upon life and friendship. Licensed from B’in Music, “Mayday” will be available on Netflix in August.

“Til Death Do Us Part,” licensed from MirrorFiction, is a suspenseful anthology series spanning seven stories that explore one’s fears and desires when everything we have is at stake. It will be available on Netflix from Aug. 15.

Over the past year, Netflix has acquired Chinese-language content including films and TV series including “Dear Ex,” “Green Door,” “Us and Them,” mainland Chinese sci-fi hit film “The Wandering Earth,” “Meteor Garden” “The Defected,” “On Children,” and “The Rise of Phoenixes.”

THREADS
Chollywood rising (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57225-Chollywood-rising)
Chinese and HK Television Series (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68972-Chinese-and-HK-Television-Series)

[GeneChing]

Sort of random but it's a slow KFM news day


Actress Myolie Wu says working at TVB was like training at Shaolin Temple (https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/entertainment/2020/09/29/actress-myolie-wu-says-working-at-tvb-was-like-training-at-shaolin-temple)
By KENNETH CHAW
TV
Tuesday, 29 Sep 2020
2:02 PM MYT

https://apicms.thestar.com.my/uploads/images/2020/09/29/878862.jpg
The heaviest workload she experienced was working 20 hours a day and barely getting any time left to sleep. Photo: Myolie Wu/Instagram

Myolie Wu is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable TVB actresses of the 2000s. But Wu revealed there was a lot of blood, sweat and tears that went into carving an illustrious career.

The 40-year-old is currently taking part in the Mainland China reality series Everybody Stand By, where established actors including Vicki Zhao compete to be named "Best Actor" by famed directors through a series of tasks.

Prior to the competition, Wu gave an interview, summarising her showbiz journey so far.

Wu, who won third place at Miss Hong Kong 1999, said she entered showbiz as a way to lighten her family's financial burden.

"My father had just retired. I was the youngest in the family and I didn't want to depend on my family members for money."

After the pageant, Wu was signed to TVB for 16 years, where she often played the "happy-go-lucky, younger sister roles". She left in 2015.

"There was no choice. Whatever role the company wanted me to play, I played. Even towards the end, it was like this. But that's how it is for everyone."

She added the heaviest workload she experienced was working 20 hours a day and barely getting any time left to sleep.

Still, Wu is grateful for the experience she had:

"At the same time, having this experience was a good thing. I feel like my time there was like being trained at Shaolin Temple. When you get out, you're not afraid of anything."

[GeneChing]

Apr 20, 2021 5:39am PT
WarnerMedia Readies Chinese-Language Original Series ‘Legacy’ and ‘Trinity of Shadows’ (https://variety.com/2021/tv/asia/warnermedia-chinese-original-series-legacy-trinity-of-shadows-1234955541/)

By Patrick Frater

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/HBO-Legacy-1-cr-res.jpg
WarnerMedia
WarnerMedia has set up two Chinese-language series that will debut later this year. Period drama series “Legacy” hails from mainland China, while crime drama “Trinity of Shadows” is a three-way venture involving partners from Taiwan and Hong Kong.

“Legacy” is a 1920s-set drama that chronicles the lives of the wealthy Yi family and three sisters who vie to inherit their father’s shopping mall business. In a time of upheaval and uncertainty, the three sisters set aside their differences to keep the business afloat and save their family.

Zheng Yu, director of the smash hit series “Yanxi Place,” is credited as creator of the show which is produced by Huan Yu Entertainment.

Together, they have re-assembled several key cast from “Yanxi Palace” including Qin Lan, Wu Jinyan and Yuan Nie. The series also stars Han Geng (“Ex-Files”), Liu Jun (“All is Well”), Miao Pu (“The Rise of the Tang Empire”) and Zhang Nan (“The Legend of Haolan”).

Legacy will premiere exclusively on WarnerMedia’s regional streaming service HBO Go at an unspecified date later in 2021.

“We’ve been ramping up our Mandarin series recently and ‘Legacy’ promises to be a binge-worthy addition to our growing originals slate,” said Magdalene Ew, WarnerMedia’s head of content – entertainment, southeast Asia, in a prepared statement. “It’s one of those shows that has truly something for everyone. It promises intrigue, suspense and romance, all with the backdrop of a fascinating time in China’s history.”

“Trinity of Shadows” comprises 15 one-hour episodes. The first two will launch on June 13, 2021, and be followed every subsequent Sunday with further instalments. The series will play on HBO Go and HBO in Asia. In Taiwan, the series will also simulcast on the Catchplay Plus streaming service.

The show is presented by WarnerMedia, Catchplay and HKTVE, the PCCW-owned company that operates free-to-air TV channels ViuTV and English-language ViuTVsix in Hong Kong.

The series is about a murder investigation which has similarities to a cold case from three years ago. During the investigation, the lead detective (played by Sandrine Pinna), an up-and-coming public official (Kaiser Chuang) and rookie policeman (Liu Kuan-ting) are drawn together into a dark labyrinth of power play.

‘Trinity’ was produced by David Tang (“The Long Goodbye,” “Who Killed Cock Robin?”) and directed by Hong Bo-Hao (“Dad’s Suit,” “Wake Up” S2). The screenwriter is Huang Chien-Ming (“Scoundrels,” “Wake Up”). The series also introduces Stanley Yau, a member of Hong Kong pop sensation Mirror.

Other HBO Asia Originals in production this year include: the mystery series “Forbidden,” currently in production in Thailand; action-fantasy series “Halfworlds” season 3 produced in the Philippines; and horror anthology “Folklore” season 2, which is filmed across seven different Asian countries and territories, including Taiwan

Amazon Prime has an insane amount of Asian TV series.

[pokomkno3]

youtube is a great place to watch Chinese TV if you have an add blocker to block the commercials

I save playlists with english subtitles

I usually just save shows that are based in older times ~ but there are thousands more to choose from

https://www.youtube.com/user/7nothing1/playlists?view=52&sort=dd&shelf_id=0
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[GeneChing]

Ruco Chan, Joel Chan, and Philip Ng Film Fight Scenes for “Chinatown” (https://www.jaynestars.com/news/ruco-chan-joel-chan-and-philip-ng-film-fight-scenes-for-chinatown/)
By huynh on April 26, 2019 in NEWS
https://www.jaynestars.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ruco-Chan-Chinatown-2.jpg
Upcoming TVB action-filled drama Chinatown <唐人街> stars Ruco Chan (陳展鵬), Joel Chan (陳山聰), and Philip Ng (伍允龍). As the drama requires many shirtless fighting scenes, the three actors have been actively dieting and exercising to ensure showing their best forms yet.

In addition, Joel and Philip expressed that they had reduced their water intake for the past several days in order to decrease water weight and bloating. During an interview in between filming recently, Joel shared, “The scene we are filming right now is a messy fighting scene among eight people. Afterward, I will be fighting with Ruco. After filming these scenes, I’ve got to eat a pineapple bun to make up for it! I do want to continue maintaining this figure though. However, I would definitely relax and let loose a little more. The worst thing, though, is that my topless scene is at the very end [of the filming schedule]. That means I’ll have to continue this strict diet and exercise routine!”

Philip, who is the only one of the three to have a martial arts background, was asked to critique Joel’s skills. Philip said, “Actually, everyone does their action scenes very well. Joel and I were very compatible and had a lot of chemistry during our fighting scene. We did our parts very comfortably! It is not surprising that the men in this drama are doing their fight scenes well. What I couldn’t foresee was that Natalie Tong (唐詩詠) also fought very well!”

First-time father Ruco has been busy caring for his wife, Phoebe Sin (單文柔), as well their new baby girl, Quinta. On whether this had caused him to neglect training and preparing for his role, Ruco candidly expressed, “Of course it has! I’m doing my best though. I have five days of filming fighting scenes. I have tried using their dieting methods before, but I couldn’t do it. Cutting out fat in my diet makes my body temperature decrease and I constantly feel cold. Since I have to film every day, a strict diet like that will make me faint!”

https://www.jaynestars.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Chinatown-Ruco-Chan-2.jpg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8wQQCOHcro

A dated report - not sure if this is available in the U.S. yet but I'm catching up with Philip Ng and he mentioned it.

[GeneChing]

Netflix Chinese wuxia series Word of Honor is equal parts beauty, violence and heroics (https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3137666/netflix-chinese-wuxia-series-word-honor-equal)
Zhang Zhehan plays the boss of a gang of assassins, who decides to commit slow-motion suicide
He searches for the powerful Glazed Armour, and wanders the kingdom disguised as a beggar
Stephen McCarty

Published: 9:45am, 20 Jun, 2021

https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1098,format=auto/sites/default/files/styles/1200x800/public/d8/images/canvas/2021/06/17/7132295e-5173-4858-8fd8-5e18f78b6103_a5cbe69c.jpg?itok=FyCsVN-a&v=1623917982
A still from Netflix’s Word of Honor, an action-packed wuxia series. Photo: Netflix
Some Chinese historical fables nail it from the start: those that pull off the considerable trick of keeping the romance, martial arts, elaborate costumes, imposing sets and myth-laden fantasy in equilibrium.
Word of Honor (Netflix, series one now available) achieves all this with ease, balancing bloodshed and cherry blossom, horrors and heroics, for the duration of this latest wuxia epic. (And at 36 episodes it certainly qualifies as an epic. Season two, whenever that arrives, will burnish its legacy.)
Flying swords – and swordsmen – kick things off during an attack on a Forbidden City-style stronghold, the masked assassins’ slick moves offering the first of many examples of The Matrix-flavoured fight scenes’ fancy footwork. But rather than revel in another victory and his own death-dealing derring-do, the bad guys’ boss, Zhou Zishu (Zhang Zhehan), has an epiphany.
In the service of Prince Jin, Zhou has left a messy trail of blood, guts and broken heads, so as a penance he takes a sort of self-flagellating drastic action: slow-motion suicide. This he initiates by driving into himself the Nails of Seven Torments, bringing about a form of prolonged torture that will kill him after a few years. But – and here’s the crafty part from a scriptwriting point of view – so far, only six have been applied, hinting at last-minute redemption later on for the previously implacable slasher.
https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2021/06/17/65b9a23d-84dd-4762-a94c-112e9ddac333_275220d4.jpg
A still from Word of Honor. Photo: Netflix
Add to all this the search for the Glazed Armour – a type of key that will open a long-lost armoury, which in turn will make the troops in charge of it invincible (it’s the nuclear stockpile of the day) – and the stage is set for a fanciful blockbuster in a series of striking settings. And who cares if the Ghost Valley and Mirror Lake Manor are merely CGI inventions?
But wait! There’s more. Zhou, plagued by his conscience, adopts a disguise (of Mission: Impossible standard) and begins wandering the kingdom like a beggar, fooling everyone until his martial-arts skills become too obvious to ignore. At this point he is given the glad eye by the white-robed Wen Kexing (Gong Jun), which marks the beginning of a bromance often conducted in soft focus, contrasting with the fury of the fight scenes.
Based on the novel Tian Ya Ke, by Priest, Word of Honor was put together with limited resources, yet looks and feels like a big-budget production. The cast and crew, one might say, have nailed it.

by Priest? Anyone know this wuxia?

[YinOrYan]

by Priest? Anyone know this wuxia?

There are several prolific e-book writers that use the Priest nom-de-plume but the following one is probably her:

https://tian-ya-ke.carrd.co/#author

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrfK1xFgxaw

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