Hi Paroma - I totally agree with your article. I've recently started watching C-dramas (for about an year now vs kdramas which I've been watching for years now) and have been binging c-dramas due to emotionally wholesome factors like many many awesome CP moments, Happy endings, multiple couples is most series, etc., not to mention they make amazing slice of life series based in school, college and urban work life dramas apart from romantic comedies. Especially needed something like this during COVID depression times (as you had pointed out in your another article) when the time and emotions spent watching many kdramas was not worth the pay-off.
However, the CCP propoganda is so strong in most of the popular C-dramas. As per these shows - cops are the honest and humble, military can do no wrong and exists only for the Chinese people, the legal System is for the protection of the weak and down-trodden and protects thier human rights, in case of sexual harassment, the institutions and society will protect the victims etc. I can go on and on. In all series hardwork without any returns is propogated.
Sometimes, the propoganda is in your face in some series like "you are my hero", "you are my glory" (both of which I've watched multiple times) CPsor so many e-sports based series like gank your heart and go go squid 1&2 (loved both series and watched them multiple times with awesome music, excellent production, cute and sweet CPs moments etc but OMG so much propoganda throughout from start to finish) or other sports based series which I love.
Sometimes, the propoganda is subtle for e.g. in so many idol romantic comedy series where villain is an American (male/female) or going abroad is frowned upon (relationships are broken over it) unless the character has gone abroad to learn some skill and utilise that skill/technique back home (idea of individual sacrificed for society), most people abroad are divorced or not happy and want to return home, parents are God, respect your elders, irrespective of a fulfilling career, a woman gains true happiness only with marriage and kids (family first propoganda), you can marry only with parents blessings, elopement leads to divorce, anything and everything that you do has to benefit the Motherland in some manner (I was watching a romantic comedy where the main M/F lead occupantion is voice dubbing and they discuss how dubbing benefits Motherland blah blah) etc., oh and most importantly I thought mother sentiment was hyped in so many Indian films and society generally until I came across C-drama mothers - they can murder and would still be forgiven.
However that way in many slice of c-dramas like school/college life or work related or theme based series like crime or thriller or female driven stories, the propoganda is less or sometimes barely existent.
So C-dramas are lots of fun as long as we are conscious, aware and acknowledge the problematic parts or themes in those dramas. That's my view!
Anyways thank you Paroma for sharing your thoughts in this articles and otherwise (I follow you and @dramasoverflowers on twitter). You've made some excellent points and it's important to have these discussions while we enjoy our dramas.
Hey Sai, I deeply agree with your sentiment that K-dramas were not quite cutting it during the pandemic in terms of serving warm, comforting watches. (I was pretty astonished that THIS was when the rest of the world fell in love with K-dramas 🤣). While C-dramas were truly bringing it.
Now, with Tencent and iQiyi pumping in a lot of money into the industry, there are some more interesting shows coming out of cdramaland lately.
But yeah the propaganda remains. The more desperate the production company is for the government's approval for tax purposes and other benefits, the more obvious the propaganda is.
There are quite a few smaller productions that largely focus on crime dramas or youth dramas which can skip over any mention of nation, national morality, etc. and focus more on individual hardships and what the social structure of families in the country do to people at a granular level.
Go Ahead does an excellent job of pitting a lovely found family against societal notions of blood ties being stronger and really showing how awful your own relations can be, and what the concept of unquestioning filial piety can cost the children.
Oooh also Bad Kids is a cracker of a thriller. While also delivering satisfying social commentary.
I also enjoy gaming dramas like Go Go Squid, Falling For Your Smile, Cross Fire (try this one if you haven't watched it already cause it's an absolute gem!) and really feel like C-dramas GET how to create a story you would invest in while incorporating the game.
But the funny thing is that all of them only exist cause they were funded by gaming sites who wanted a drama in their product placement. But whatever, it totally worked. 😄
Do you watch wuxia dramas? The fantasy historicals like Love Between Fairy and the Devil?
Hi Paroma - I totally agree with your article. I've recently started watching C-dramas (for about an year now vs kdramas which I've been watching for years now) and have been binging c-dramas due to emotionally wholesome factors like many many awesome CP moments, Happy endings, multiple couples is most series, etc., not to mention they make amazing slice of life series based in school, college and urban work life dramas apart from romantic comedies. Especially needed something like this during COVID depression times (as you had pointed out in your another article) when the time and emotions spent watching many kdramas was not worth the pay-off.
However, the CCP propoganda is so strong in most of the popular C-dramas. As per these shows - cops are the honest and humble, military can do no wrong and exists only for the Chinese people, the legal System is for the protection of the weak and down-trodden and protects thier human rights, in case of sexual harassment, the institutions and society will protect the victims etc. I can go on and on. In all series hardwork without any returns is propogated.
Sometimes, the propoganda is in your face in some series like "you are my hero", "you are my glory" (both of which I've watched multiple times) CPsor so many e-sports based series like gank your heart and go go squid 1&2 (loved both series and watched them multiple times with awesome music, excellent production, cute and sweet CPs moments etc but OMG so much propoganda throughout from start to finish) or other sports based series which I love.
Sometimes, the propoganda is subtle for e.g. in so many idol romantic comedy series where villain is an American (male/female) or going abroad is frowned upon (relationships are broken over it) unless the character has gone abroad to learn some skill and utilise that skill/technique back home (idea of individual sacrificed for society), most people abroad are divorced or not happy and want to return home, parents are God, respect your elders, irrespective of a fulfilling career, a woman gains true happiness only with marriage and kids (family first propoganda), you can marry only with parents blessings, elopement leads to divorce, anything and everything that you do has to benefit the Motherland in some manner (I was watching a romantic comedy where the main M/F lead occupantion is voice dubbing and they discuss how dubbing benefits Motherland blah blah) etc., oh and most importantly I thought mother sentiment was hyped in so many Indian films and society generally until I came across C-drama mothers - they can murder and would still be forgiven.
However that way in many slice of c-dramas like school/college life or work related or theme based series like crime or thriller or female driven stories, the propoganda is less or sometimes barely existent.
So C-dramas are lots of fun as long as we are conscious, aware and acknowledge the problematic parts or themes in those dramas. That's my view!
Anyways thank you Paroma for sharing your thoughts in this articles and otherwise (I follow you and @dramasoverflowers on twitter). You've made some excellent points and it's important to have these discussions while we enjoy our dramas.
Hey Sai, I deeply agree with your sentiment that K-dramas were not quite cutting it during the pandemic in terms of serving warm, comforting watches. (I was pretty astonished that THIS was when the rest of the world fell in love with K-dramas 🤣). While C-dramas were truly bringing it.
Now, with Tencent and iQiyi pumping in a lot of money into the industry, there are some more interesting shows coming out of cdramaland lately.
But yeah the propaganda remains. The more desperate the production company is for the government's approval for tax purposes and other benefits, the more obvious the propaganda is.
There are quite a few smaller productions that largely focus on crime dramas or youth dramas which can skip over any mention of nation, national morality, etc. and focus more on individual hardships and what the social structure of families in the country do to people at a granular level.
Go Ahead does an excellent job of pitting a lovely found family against societal notions of blood ties being stronger and really showing how awful your own relations can be, and what the concept of unquestioning filial piety can cost the children.
Oooh also Bad Kids is a cracker of a thriller. While also delivering satisfying social commentary.
I also enjoy gaming dramas like Go Go Squid, Falling For Your Smile, Cross Fire (try this one if you haven't watched it already cause it's an absolute gem!) and really feel like C-dramas GET how to create a story you would invest in while incorporating the game.
But the funny thing is that all of them only exist cause they were funded by gaming sites who wanted a drama in their product placement. But whatever, it totally worked. 😄
Do you watch wuxia dramas? The fantasy historicals like Love Between Fairy and the Devil?