If you are a Chinese woman and happen to walk into a vegetable market in Africa, you will most likely be called "Doudou". If you are a Chinese parent and happen to meet a parent from Ulaanbaatar, there is a high probability that you will talk about the educational problems of the "Fangyuan Family". This is the unique artistic charm of TV shows.
From "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" becoming popular in Southeast Asia in the last century, to "Beautiful Era of Daughter-in-law" being broadcast in Tanzania, from "Beijing Youth" and "Youth for the Elderly" appearing on the diplomatic stage as "national gifts", to "Shan Hai Qing" and "Diplomacy" "Wind and Cloud", "Together" and "Beyond" resonate across mountains and seas. As an important medium for telling Chinese stories well, TV dramas have played an important role in Chinese culture going global. Especially in recent years, more and more high-quality reality TV series "going overseas" and "out of the circle" have become a vivid window to show China's great changes and a bridge to promote people-to-people bonds.
Among the excellent overseas communication works reviewed by the State Administration of Radio and Television in 2021 and 2020, 10 were selected for TV dramas, and 7 of them were realistic themes. Good", "Together", "Thirty Only", and "In the Name of Family".
Over the years, my country's costume dramas and historical dramas have maintained strong international communication and competitiveness with their distinctive cultural recognition and unique aesthetic style. With the improvement of the level of film and television industrialization and content creation capabilities, especially the greatly enhanced awareness of the creation of high-quality TV dramas, TV dramas with realistic themes that reflect the current Chinese social status and people's living style have become a new growth point for international communication.
A series of data shows that Chinese contemporary stories have a good audience overseas. "Shan Hai Qing" was broadcast in many countries and regions around the world, and received high attention and praise from overseas netizens. "Together" has been translated into more than 10 languages including English, and has covered more than 100 countries and regions through overseas TV media and new media platforms. Major revolutionary historical dramas have also performed well, such as "Diplomacy", which covers 26 countries and regions in Asia, Europe, North America, and Africa through video websites, China TV Great Wall platform, etc., and the total number of overseas broadcasts exceeded 20 million.
Overseas audiences who follow the drama have more likes, more reminders, and more interaction. Many TV dramas such as "The Beginning" and "I'm Good in a Country" have obtained high scores on overseas rating websites, and netizens have left messages on social platforms. Urges are more common.
The territory and mode of overseas dissemination of domestic TV dramas have been upgraded. In Southeast Asia, Chinese TV dramas still maintain a competitive advantage. At the same time, more Chinese stories that reflect current life have left the East Asian cultural circle and entered the cross-cultural international market. It used to be the TV series "Going Overseas", but in recent years, IP "Going Overseas" has appeared. Foreign music entertainment companies have remade "The True Story of Hot Mom", "To Our Simple Little Beauty" and "In the Name of Family" and other scripts have been exported to many countries and countries. area. Among them, the foreign adaptation of "To Our Simple Little Beauty" has been broadcast and is loved by local young audiences.
Li Huailiang, a professor at Communication University of China, analyzed that "the types of works are richer, the styles are more diverse, the production level is more sophisticated, the channels for 'going overseas' are more smooth, and the demand for high-quality TV dramas in the international market is increasing." An important reason for "going overseas" and "out of the circle".
Storytelling is emotional communication and spiritual dialogue. People like to hear true stories, stories full of true feelings, stories told in a lively, lively and wonderful way. Whether it is the determination and action of getting rid of poverty and pursuing a better life conveyed by "Shan Hai Qing", the sports spirit of pursuing excellence and continuous transcendence demonstrated by "Beyond", or the stories of "Ideal City" and "I'm Good in Another Country" The stories of young people who continue to struggle and pursue their dreams are all Chinese stories that the world can understand and understand. The dissemination of these works tells us that we should pay attention to the international expression of Chinese stories, select topics that resonate with people, and have narratives that are close to people's hearts. Only then can stories generate empathy and move people's hearts.
The quality of content determines the appeal, vitality and influence of TV dramas, and high-quality content is always the key to opening up the international market.
In 2021, the anti-epidemic TV drama "Together" won the top honor of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union TV Drama Award from the strong opponents that were shortlisted at the same time. The jury said in the award speech: "This is a story of love, courage, sacrifice, and humanity that resonates with everyone living on Earth during the pandemic. This TV series is cleverly plotted, brilliantly executed, and deeply moving." Its competitiveness lies in quality.
"We must have cultural self-confidence, and strive to show the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture and spread contemporary Chinese values." According to Zhao Yifang, founder and chairman of Huace Film and Television Group, the four words "cultural self-confidence" bring a sense of mission. is real.
Multi-channel: "Shipbuilding to the sea" and "borrowing a ship to go to sea" in parallel
"Shipbuilding to go to sea" and "borrowing a boat to go to sea" are two parallel lines, so that the Chinese story can go further.
The large-scale international communication event "Audio-Visual China" implemented by the State Administration of Radio and Television since 2019 has established 58 TV China theaters overseas, promoting the promotion of nearly 100 excellent programs such as "Beyond" and "Meritorious" in more than 100 countries and regions. TV and online media broadcast. The "China Joint Booth" jointly supported by the External Promotion Bureau of the State Council Information Office and the International Cooperation Department of the State Administration of Radio and Television has promoted the appearance of many popular domestic TV dramas overseas, such as "Together", "Glory and Dreams", "Shan Hai Qing", etc. The works will be promoted at the Spring 2021 Cannes TV Festival and Singapore TV Festival online events. Key projects such as "Chinese Contemporary Works Translation Project" and "China-Africa Audiovisual Sharing" provide translation support to help the dissemination of domestic dramas break through language barriers and cultural barriers.
Film and television institutions, as the main players in the market, are also actively expanding their "going overseas" channels. Huace Film and Television is one of the earliest film and television companies in China to "go overseas". It has been selected as the "National Cultural Export Key Enterprise" for 8 consecutive years and has been selected as the "National Top 30 Cultural Enterprises" for 7 times. "After more than 20 years of continuous accumulation, we have built a sales network including TV stations, streaming media platforms, and social media in more than 180 countries, and sold more than 100,000 hours of premium Chinese film and television content to more than 200 countries and regions around the world. region." Zhao Yifang introduced.
"The rapid development of the Internet platform has made the international film and television drama market more and more unified, which is a new opportunity." said Zhou Yuan, founding partner and executive vice president of Ningmeng Pictures. As soon as the Beijing Winter Olympics ended, the TV series "Beyond" produced by Ningmeng Films spread to many countries and regions. The urban drama "Thirty Only" was launched on more than 20 overseas broadcast platforms, and the remake rights were purchased by foreign broadcasters.
Anchoring the long-term goal of building a cultural power in 2035, the international communication and influence of Chinese TV dramas need to be further improved. There is still a long way to go to do a good job in international market research, understand the content needs of overseas audiences, feedback after viewing, carry out targeted and precise marketing and dissemination, and promote more works that reflect the development and progress of contemporary China to the world.
The international market is a "blue ocean" that needs in-depth development. The sailing of Chinese TV dramas requires every person who crosses the sea to have the determination to ride the wind and waves.
(This article was published in the 20th edition of People’s Daily on May 19, 2022.)
From "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" becoming popular in Southeast Asia in the last century, to "Beautiful Era of Daughter-in-law" being broadcast in Tanzania, from "Beijing Youth" and "Youth for the Elderly" appearing on the diplomatic stage as "national gifts", to "Shan Hai Qing" and "Diplomacy" "Wind and Cloud", "Together" and "Beyond" resonate across mountains and seas. As an important medium for telling Chinese stories well, TV dramas have played an important role in Chinese culture going global. Especially in recent years, more and more high-quality reality TV series "going overseas" and "out of the circle" have become a vivid window to show China's great changes and a bridge to promote people-to-people bonds.
Stills of "Shan Hai Qing"
New trend: from drama "going overseas" to IP "going overseas"Among the excellent overseas communication works reviewed by the State Administration of Radio and Television in 2021 and 2020, 10 were selected for TV dramas, and 7 of them were realistic themes. Good", "Together", "Thirty Only", and "In the Name of Family".
Over the years, my country's costume dramas and historical dramas have maintained strong international communication and competitiveness with their distinctive cultural recognition and unique aesthetic style. With the improvement of the level of film and television industrialization and content creation capabilities, especially the greatly enhanced awareness of the creation of high-quality TV dramas, TV dramas with realistic themes that reflect the current Chinese social status and people's living style have become a new growth point for international communication.
A series of data shows that Chinese contemporary stories have a good audience overseas. "Shan Hai Qing" was broadcast in many countries and regions around the world, and received high attention and praise from overseas netizens. "Together" has been translated into more than 10 languages including English, and has covered more than 100 countries and regions through overseas TV media and new media platforms. Major revolutionary historical dramas have also performed well, such as "Diplomacy", which covers 26 countries and regions in Asia, Europe, North America, and Africa through video websites, China TV Great Wall platform, etc., and the total number of overseas broadcasts exceeded 20 million.
Overseas audiences who follow the drama have more likes, more reminders, and more interaction. Many TV dramas such as "The Beginning" and "I'm Good in a Country" have obtained high scores on overseas rating websites, and netizens have left messages on social platforms. Urges are more common.
The territory and mode of overseas dissemination of domestic TV dramas have been upgraded. In Southeast Asia, Chinese TV dramas still maintain a competitive advantage. At the same time, more Chinese stories that reflect current life have left the East Asian cultural circle and entered the cross-cultural international market. It used to be the TV series "Going Overseas", but in recent years, IP "Going Overseas" has appeared. Foreign music entertainment companies have remade "The True Story of Hot Mom", "To Our Simple Little Beauty" and "In the Name of Family" and other scripts have been exported to many countries and countries. area. Among them, the foreign adaptation of "To Our Simple Little Beauty" has been broadcast and is loved by local young audiences.
"The Beginning" stills
Key points: understand, read, and resonateLi Huailiang, a professor at Communication University of China, analyzed that "the types of works are richer, the styles are more diverse, the production level is more sophisticated, the channels for 'going overseas' are more smooth, and the demand for high-quality TV dramas in the international market is increasing." An important reason for "going overseas" and "out of the circle".
Storytelling is emotional communication and spiritual dialogue. People like to hear true stories, stories full of true feelings, stories told in a lively, lively and wonderful way. Whether it is the determination and action of getting rid of poverty and pursuing a better life conveyed by "Shan Hai Qing", the sports spirit of pursuing excellence and continuous transcendence demonstrated by "Beyond", or the stories of "Ideal City" and "I'm Good in Another Country" The stories of young people who continue to struggle and pursue their dreams are all Chinese stories that the world can understand and understand. The dissemination of these works tells us that we should pay attention to the international expression of Chinese stories, select topics that resonate with people, and have narratives that are close to people's hearts. Only then can stories generate empathy and move people's hearts.
The quality of content determines the appeal, vitality and influence of TV dramas, and high-quality content is always the key to opening up the international market.
In 2021, the anti-epidemic TV drama "Together" won the top honor of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union TV Drama Award from the strong opponents that were shortlisted at the same time. The jury said in the award speech: "This is a story of love, courage, sacrifice, and humanity that resonates with everyone living on Earth during the pandemic. This TV series is cleverly plotted, brilliantly executed, and deeply moving." Its competitiveness lies in quality.
"Together" stills
Where does great content come from? In Li Huailiang's view, the creation of realistic themes has two rare "China advantages": one is a large market with a population of more than one billion people, and the other is the IP resources provided by online literature. The huge team of authors and massive works of online literature provide a steady stream of texts for film and television creation, and the vast real life and the weather of the times are the rich soil for creation. Li Huailiang believes that we should first consider what kind of good Chinese stories to tell, and then talk about how to tell Chinese stories well. "We should establish a global vision and focus on using modern values and international film and television language to tell stories. After all, TV dramas rely on artistic charm to move people."We must have cultural self-confidence, and strive to show the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture and spread contemporary Chinese values." According to Zhao Yifang, founder and chairman of Huace Film and Television Group, the four words "cultural self-confidence" bring a sense of mission. is real.
Multi-channel: "Shipbuilding to the sea" and "borrowing a ship to go to sea" in parallel
"Shipbuilding to go to sea" and "borrowing a boat to go to sea" are two parallel lines, so that the Chinese story can go further.
The large-scale international communication event "Audio-Visual China" implemented by the State Administration of Radio and Television since 2019 has established 58 TV China theaters overseas, promoting the promotion of nearly 100 excellent programs such as "Beyond" and "Meritorious" in more than 100 countries and regions. TV and online media broadcast. The "China Joint Booth" jointly supported by the External Promotion Bureau of the State Council Information Office and the International Cooperation Department of the State Administration of Radio and Television has promoted the appearance of many popular domestic TV dramas overseas, such as "Together", "Glory and Dreams", "Shan Hai Qing", etc. The works will be promoted at the Spring 2021 Cannes TV Festival and Singapore TV Festival online events. Key projects such as "Chinese Contemporary Works Translation Project" and "China-Africa Audiovisual Sharing" provide translation support to help the dissemination of domestic dramas break through language barriers and cultural barriers.
Film and television institutions, as the main players in the market, are also actively expanding their "going overseas" channels. Huace Film and Television is one of the earliest film and television companies in China to "go overseas". It has been selected as the "National Cultural Export Key Enterprise" for 8 consecutive years and has been selected as the "National Top 30 Cultural Enterprises" for 7 times. "After more than 20 years of continuous accumulation, we have built a sales network including TV stations, streaming media platforms, and social media in more than 180 countries, and sold more than 100,000 hours of premium Chinese film and television content to more than 200 countries and regions around the world. region." Zhao Yifang introduced.
"The rapid development of the Internet platform has made the international film and television drama market more and more unified, which is a new opportunity." said Zhou Yuan, founding partner and executive vice president of Ningmeng Pictures. As soon as the Beijing Winter Olympics ended, the TV series "Beyond" produced by Ningmeng Films spread to many countries and regions. The urban drama "Thirty Only" was launched on more than 20 overseas broadcast platforms, and the remake rights were purchased by foreign broadcasters.
"Beyond" stills
The Internet platform has become the main force of international communication. The continuous growth of Internet users and social media users also means more possibilities to reach new audiences and open up new spaces. China International Television Corporation, Tencent Video, Huace, and Century Youyou are actively launching multilingual channels. Huace alone has established more than 50 channels or special areas on global new media platforms, providing more than 30 localized translation languages. Head video platforms have also made frequent efforts. Tencent Video, iQiyi, and Mango TV have launched international versions of APPs. StarTimes, which is popular in Africa, has launched a content subscription service platform. It is reported that in 2021, the total number of Chinese film and television dramas on the platform will exceed 100 million times.Anchoring the long-term goal of building a cultural power in 2035, the international communication and influence of Chinese TV dramas need to be further improved. There is still a long way to go to do a good job in international market research, understand the content needs of overseas audiences, feedback after viewing, carry out targeted and precise marketing and dissemination, and promote more works that reflect the development and progress of contemporary China to the world.
The international market is a "blue ocean" that needs in-depth development. The sailing of Chinese TV dramas requires every person who crosses the sea to have the determination to ride the wind and waves.
(This article was published in the 20th edition of People’s Daily on May 19, 2022.)
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