Survey: English-speaking Audiences' Attitudes Towards C-Dramas

 ArniA:

My honest opinion about cdrama is, it could probably become very popular across the world, but it's growth and development is stunted and prevented by Chinese government policies. You see this in pretty much every aspect of cdrama.

I don't watch contemporary cdrama, because there's too much of propaganda, but historical cdrama is much better, which is probably why majority of the popular cdrama globally are historical.

I often wonder, what Chinese culture would look like if not for regulations and such.

Korea has a similar culture, but (South Korea) has much more creative freedoms. Just that small difference means that S-Korea (50 million people) is much larger globally in entertainment than 1400 million people are.

So, I imagine what would China be capable of if the freedoms were the same as in S-Korea.

Well, the censorship thing has been mentioned a lot of times since we conducted this survey. I agree with you that there is propaganda in contemporary cdramas for it is indeed important for the government to show what they want the people to know. However, I do think in recent years there are realistic dramas coming out regarding the country or focusing on normal families, which to some extent demonstrate Chinese culture. I am also wondering what Cdramas would be like without too many restrictions since there is a long way before we get there.

OCHAIRISH, when is your survey going to be closed? I really think you should post a request for surveys on Chinese-forums.com. MyDramaList forums are very new by comparison, so they aren't as active. Chinese-forums.com is a more active forum and a great place to go for almost anything Westerner's are looking for, related to China. The people there are much more helpful than anywhere else, too. So, you should get many helpful responses there.

 OCHAIRISH:

However, for personal interests, we group members do want to start some kind of discussion there after successfully closing this project. (it is really a pity that we got to know this website this late.)

I really hope you and your group go there! :) You've probably already seen that it covers a wide range of topics related to China. As far as I can tell, it's the best and most active forum for this.

I do hope I am not too late yet!!

1. Which country do you come from?

Malaysia

2. Why do you like watching C-dramas?

I only watch modern C-dramas because they represent a lot of current issues such as dating, marriage, divorce, parenting, societal pressures and expectations on the young, education, career issues and etc.  It’s like what you see is what you get in China currently. So the realism is what hit me the most. There are a lot of fantastic actors and actresses, beautiful story lines and very realistic shows that depicts what we are also facing in other parts of the world (cause we are all humans facing the same emotions no matter where we are).

3. What genres of C-dramas do you like?

Romance, comedy and life issues

4. What are your favorite C-dramas? (no more than 3)
Boss and Me, Go go  Squid and Le Coup de Foudre

5. What aspect do you think C-dramas can improve?

First and foremost, please get those subtitles done promptly and not those google translate versions!.
Secondly, have more legit channels showing these dramas. I hate having to watch them through some dodgy sites but what to do?  There are very limited sites where I can watch them  for free and I find it is such a waste because a lot of C-dramas are super good.

6. Does it change your opinions towards China after watching C-dramas? And if yes, could you specify the changes?

I begin to understand more of what young adults are facing in China in regards to education and career. Why students and parents all have to stress over gaokao because that will determine which uni they go and consequently the jobs available after graduations. Watching these dramas help me to understand the motivations and reasons behind some of the government policies too; one great example is GoGo Squid!

Now, since we are so nice as to spend some time answering your questionnaires, would you be so kind as to “forward” or “report” our requests here - better subtitles and more channels to access these dramas for FREE. Think of it as doing your national service to promote China positively in the eyes of the world . Thanks and I do hope you will score an  A+ for this project!.