Chinese TV dramas resonate overseas. What's the secret to their success?
Gorgeous flowers, delicate hairstyles and period costumes accentuate a story of female empowerment. No wonder the Chinese TV series "Flourished Peony" quickly captivated overseas fans when it premiered this year in more than 70 countries.
Chinese TV dramas, called "C-dramas," are fast gaining a dedicated fan base outside their country of origin.
On Rakuten Viki, an American on-demand subscription video-streaming service, "Flourished Peony" received a viewer score of 9.3 out of 10. It also received positive reviews at the online Asian community called MyDramaList.
Set in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), the romantic drama follows the story of He Weifang, daughter of a merchant, who is forced into marriage that quickly deteriorates. She meets a man named Jiang Changyang, whom she eventually falls in love with. He helps her and a group of women from equally troubled backgrounds to grow rare peonies and start their own flower shop.
"Flourished Peony" has been one of the most successful C-dramas this year.
"Sets, costumes, makeup, visuals. All top class and in line with the era," commented a user on MyDramaList with the screenname "Davendeb." "The creators make an attempt to not just focus on the plight of women in that era, but also on the class divisions of society and the inequality of human rights."
"Flourished Peony" is not the only recent Chinese drama to find an enthusiastic audience overseas.
The "Guardians of the Dafeng," a drama about a man from the modern era who time-travels and becomes a detective in a supernatural world, has soared to the top of the C-drama category on Rakuten Viki in the US and Singapore. The series eventually will be translated into 13 languages to facilitate entry into more countries.
Another hit, the second season of "Joy of Life," is the first Chinese mainland TV series to be simultaneously distributed worldwide by Disney, and it has become the most popular Chinese-language series on Disney+. It is a drama about a young man born in the ancient Southern Qing Dynasty with 21st century insights, who falls in love with a princess and becomes entangled in a dynastic political struggle.
Season 2 of "Joy of Life" was broadcasted simultaneously around the world so that fans at home and abroad could share their feelings about the drama.
What makes C-dramas so attractive to foreign audiences? Perhaps initially it's down to love stories told in a very refreshingly different way from those in Western dramas.
Two years ago, social platform Reddit asked netizens: "Why do you watch C-Dramas?" It drew nearly 900 responses. The most popular of five options offered to respondents was "loving the romance/love stories."
"I find the romance in C-dramas really appealing," said a user named "GinoKenji." "With a Western show, you are allowed to show nearly everything, with and an abundance of kissing and sometimes even nudity. Yet often the chemistry between characters is lacking. With C-dramas, given restrictions placed upon them, producers and actors go for a more subtle approach and are so creative at it. Even if a character doesn't talk much, you see love just by the way he looks at another character."
But, increasingly, cultural elements of these dramas are also enticing viewers. In "Flourished Peony," for example, some viewers were intrigued by the props and costumes and explored their history.
On Reddit, some netizens said they were excited to discover that the peacock headdresses of the characters were based on accessories actually worn during the Tang Dynasty.
"This is one of the dramas with the best Tang Dynasty authenticity," commented a user with the screenname "adark0330." "They consulted historians and top university specialists to make the drama as accurate as possible."
The peacock headwear that appeared in "Flourished Peony" was adapted from real Tang Dynasty accessories, piquing interest in Chinese history with overseas viewers.
Beyond just the universal love of romance stories, C-dramas seem to resonate with young audiences when they tell stories about women.
On Reddit, people made a list of C-dramas where women were more than just passive love interests but actually protagonists who propel the plot.
Apart from "Flourished Peony," dramas such as "The Double" and "The Legend of Shen Li" are also fan favorites overseas.
"The Double" tells the story on an avenging daughter looking for the truth behind a family tragedy. It topped the popularity charts on Thailand's show-watching platform TrueID and on South Korean platform MOA.
"The Legend of Shen Li" is the story of a woman who rejects a forced political marriage and she reverts to a phoenix and fall into the mortal realm. She is bought by a young man at a market. They fall in love and together fight forces of evil. The drama has been translated into 16 languages and broadcast in 180 countries.
"We are accustomed to female success stories in C-dramas of late," commented user "Kaptan" on MyDramaList. "It is all handled so nicely."
"The Double" is one of the C-dramas that focuses its story on a leading female protagonist.
The success of C-dramas shows stories based on human emotions that transcend different cultural backgrounds can create enjoyment and appreciation across boundaries, no matter what their plot lines.
"Many C-Dramas are adapted from Chinese online novels, and the genre of TV dramas enhances the stories with screenplays of ideological depth, refined acting and artistic design," said Ouyang Youquan, deputy director of Online Literature Committee of the China Writers Association.
"They serve as a bridge for people to learn about and appreciate the lifestyle of Chinese people – their cuisines, their traditional costumes and their attitudes in dealing with life," he said.
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