As Netflix sensation “House of Cards” and the BBC’s “Sherlock” continue to rivet audiences at home, they are also striking a cord with millions of online viewers across China. The second season of “House of Cards,” released on China’s Sohu.com in mid-February, has already racked up over 29 million views. Likewise, the first episode of” Sherlock” Season 3 garnered an impressive 5 million views within the first three hours of being released on China’s Youtube, Youku.com, becoming the most-watched show ever on the Youku platform. The attention even prompted UK Prime Minister David Cameron to publicly respond to requests by Chinese audiences asking to have the show released faster.
Joan Xu
Frankly, it is difficult to find comparable content in Chinese television. Chinese domestic productions tend to focus on topics that are most reminiscent of Chinese traditional lifestyles or history. According to Baidu.com, of the 15 most-watched Chinese domestic TV shows in 2013, a majority featured storylines that involved Chinese military or war stories, family dramas, or soap operas. Although these programs still perform well in the Chinese market, they are clearly losing ground to the edgier, more modern shows being produced abroad.
On one level, it is relatively difficult to develop a show with more modern characteristics in China. The Chinese television production industry still lacks the sophistication and high quality production value of its Western counterparts. What’s more, the Chinese authority strictly censors and regulates domestic film and television production. The Chinese government has quite a reputation for banning television shows that are too violent or controversial. It is rare to find Chinese entertainment that challenges the audience to question the status quo or, for that matter, sparks the imagination. But the ubiquitous nature of the Internet and the free flow of information and content have changed the game significantly. Western shows have been able to find their way into Chinese homes, laptops, and mobile devices, filling the void for more stimulating content. The success of “House of Cards,” for instance, has become so unstoppable that even the head of China’s disciplinary committee, Wang Qishan, has publicly announced his fascination with the show.
“House of Cards” reveals that the Chinese, particularly among the highly educated and government officials, are interested in learning about geo-politics and the complex and controversial realties of what goes on “inside the beltway” of the US Capital. In the second season, China itself even plays a role, as one of the main characters is a Chinese billionaire looking to forge a relationship with US Vice President Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey. In a society in which domestic politics is too sensitive for everyday conversation, the active commentary following every show suggests that House of Cards provides an outlet for China’s upper class to discuss and reflect on political intricacies that would normally go unspoken.
Because the shows are available on online platforms, Chinese followers engage in instantaneous dialogues over comments and blogs, allowing them to participate and share their thoughts about what is happening on the screen, and what it means to them in their lives. “Sherlock,” for example, has sparked an interesting dialogue revolving around the close relationship between Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick, Watson. In Chinese online forums, Sherlock’s character, played by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, has been dubbed “Curly Fu.” The Chinese micro-blogs have gone mad over what they call “gay-citement,” that is, an implication that the relationship between Watson and Holmes may go beyond just platonic friendship. So in another sense, the popularity of these shows suggests that many modern Chinese audience members are eager to discuss somewhat taboo social topics.
In some respects, the popularity of these shows also subtly speaks to China’s ongoing struggle to define the “Chinese Dream”- which is to say, a coherent mainstream cultural narrative. The appeal of these foreign stories points to the weakness of contemporary Chinese media narratives in being able to capture the hearts and minds of their modern viewers. China has become the world’s second largest economy and an emerging global superpower faster than most people anticipated, but it has yet to really find its modern identity and voice within this role, both at home and abroad. With the lack of compelling domestic mainstream narratives that can speak to the realities of modern Chinese mindsets and lifestyles, it is easier for audiences to look to the more mature narratives propagated abroad. What is clear now is that until China finds a more confident modern cultural voice, Western shows will continue to flicker across the small screens of China.
Dan Redford is Director of China Operations at FirstPathway Partners.
Joan Xu is Communications Manager at Qunar.com.
