Why is Chinese TV so Bad?
China’s government needs to loosen the regulatory noose they have tightened around the neck of China’s TV industry. Can you guess why?
TV in mainland China really is bad
Can you count on one hand the amount of mainland Chinese TV shows you have enjoyed? I count two… two shows in three+ years. And your not going to hear which two, because frankly they aren’t that great.
The movie industry is starting to get a little bit better (with more than just a handful of excellent movies), although Imagethief (who inspired this post) made a good argument for why China needs to throw away patriotism as a requirement for blockbuster movies. He also had some more advice on other things to do to improve China’s movie industry – this advice also largely applies to China’s TV industry. Head over for a good read.
How do you make Chinese TV better?
There are a lot of things that could be done to make Chinese TV better. Ben Ross suggested pooling all of their talent in a kind of superstar collective where all of the best talent in Chinese TV could duke it out for shows that would be broadcast across the nation.
Personally, I just think the Chinese government needs to get rid of most of the programming guides and regulations it has established for Chinese TV. Then they need to sell off all of the government owned TV stations and producers – privatize everything, and let the free market determine what succeeds on TV in China.
In the meantime, though, I’ll keep suffering through TV shows my girlfriend somehow loves.
Or maybe it’s just the cultural gap: Chinese might really love much of Chinese TV.
…
Nah, that’s impossible.
yeah right! I’ve been here in china for four months and I’m very frustrated with the programs on TV.
I agree that loosening rules would help. The reason most TV dramas are set in the distant past and involve martial arts is that many other formats are off limits.
There are heavy limits on the kinds of talent shows that can be produced, and how they can be shot and shown, that killed the highest-rated show ever. Yes, that’s Super Girls, which had a final rated better than the Spring Festival Craptacular. Now I don’t think it’s on the air anymore.
Taiwan doesn’t particularly suffer this problem, and they make shows (even dramas, let alone political commentary, variety shows, comedy and talent shows) that I actually enjoy watching. They’re good enough that I watch purely for pleasure and my Mandarin has continued to improve while I live overseas and attend school in English.
Wen – That’s good, any Taiwan shows you recommend?
There’s been a definite improvement in Chinese TV since I wrote this, but still a long ways to go…
well im just so mad when i watch tv because is u see they only have the kind of program superpatriotic about the war, then is the superpatriotic farmer or farm girl, at he end the poorly indefence girl that is in love and cry in every episode
I think this is just a personal taste issue.
I LOVE Chinese TV dramas. Especially the historical dramas.
When I ask my Chinese students what their favorite TV shows are, they usually can’t name anything that’s actually from China. Their favorite shows are made in Taiwan or Korea.
There’s a handful of decent Chinese TV shows that my wife likes =0
Chinese could learn from the Korean film industry. They have got a lot of great films over there
Yeah, as a Chinese-American filmmaker, I agree that most Chinese television shows are a few inches away from garbage.
My mother and father enjoy watching these television shows on Chinese satellite TV, but I can’t help but have to stifle my gag reflex when I see what they’re watching… it’s almost as if filmmakers in China have never learned how to actually shoot a film and instead just grab a crappy camera and start filming without any planning or insight, producing the worst-looking video I’ve ever seen. Seriously, I was making better video than that in highschool.
I agree that China should stop restricting and regulating their film industry with such a tight grip. Creativity needs air to grow and breathe.
Until that changes, one of my number one reasons why I have decided to stay in America is that I would never, ever be able to survive having to watch Chinese historical soap operas every day.
Kevin – heh, it’s one reason why the TV in the apartment we rent hasn’t been turned on in more than a year. It is amazing the amount of resources and money that go into TV shows and cartoons, and that the output is so terrible. My guess is because almost all of the contracts go to people with connections, not talent, and that is because the two industries are so strongly under the thumb of government.
I think they should just allow American movies on TV.
I’m from the Netherlands (Europe) and i learned English mostly from American shows.
I never had issues with English in school because of the amount of American shows on TV here.
It will help students in China like TV more and help improve their English at the same time.
I’ve been in china and i barely ever enjoyed watching TV there.
I was always watching the news because i couldn’t understand Chinese (not that if i did understand i would find it any more amusing, with all the talkshows and Japanese war movies).