Chinese series in streaming services abroad

[Luxi]

Chinese TV drama series (and movies) in streaming services seem to be increasing, at least in Netflix. The English subtitles in these series seem to be professionally done and well edited, there are errors but far less than in some other places, and they are legible. At least in Netflix, it is now possible to change one's profile language to Chinese, which may presumably result in the Chinese, instead of English, subtitles being shown, but I haven't yet tried the option.

 

My find in Netflix (besides the historical dramas in this thread) is "Auntie Duohe" (小姨多鹤). A 34 parts series based on a novel by Yan Geling (严歌苓). The novel has been translated as "Little Aunt Crane" by Esther Tyldesley. The story seems to cover the same period as 余华  (Yu Hua's) "To live" (活着).   I'm only on episode 4, can't say much other than I think it is surprisingly good. The story is intriguing, the acting is very good, the characters are interesting, and the rural Manchuria sets are excellent. I think it's being shown in UK, Europe and Canada, but am not sure about other areas. Good binge-watching material for the long dark evenings ahead.

 

 

 

 

[abcdefg]

Thanks @Luxi -- I will file that away for when I return to Texas later this winter. I always get homesick for China during those stays.

[Luxi]

@abcdefg, this series will instantly take you back to China, no matter where you are in Texas. It gets quite mawkish in parts, but I am still enjoying it, especially the underlying message of  'common humanity' with the mortal enemy, and the Manchurian scenery.

 

[Fdurrant]

I have greatly enjoyed it.   I think all a ting very good and I am now a fan of Sun Li who plays the Japanese auntie so beautifully.   It has an authentic feel of the times portrayed.  It’s slow pace makes a real impression.   

[Luxi]

"Nirvana in Fire 2" (琅琊榜之风起长林), recently aired in Chinese TV, is now available to view in Viki. It has been subtitled in several languages, including English, French, Spanish and Roumanian. The first episode in Viki is also enabled for 'Language learning'. 

 

Series 2 is independent from Series 1 (also in Viki), it has different characters and actors and takes place at a later time.The main link between the two is Lanya Hall. It doesn't seem as original as Series 1, but it seems well done and the plot is interesting (I'm only on episode 4, can't vouch for the rest).

[Luxi]

Netflix premiered Hunan TV Drama ‘The Rise Of The Phoenixes’ on September 14.

 

Quote

The Rise of Phoenixes (Chinese: 天盛长歌; pinyin: Tiānshèng Cháng Gē) is a 2018 Chinese television series that is loosely based on the novel Huang Quan (Chinese: 凰权) by Tianxia Guiyuan. It stars Chen Kun and Ni Ni. The series premiered on Hunan Television starting August 14, 2018.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_of_Phoenixes  

 

 

Quote

“We’re excited to offer a top quality title like The Rise of Phoenixes to our members around the world. We look forward to growing our Mandarin title catalog with more stories that bring to life the intriguing heritage of Chinese culture,” said Rob Roy, Netflix Vice President of Content – Asia.

https://deadline.com/2018/08/netflix-rise-of-the-phoenixes-china-drama-1202454543/  

 

 

Meanwhile Amazon has added a big bunch of miscellaneous Chinese videos to their Prime offering. It really is a ridiculously mixed lot: movies (including Cultural Revolution relics, like The Red Detachment of Women - anyone for nostalgia?), TV series, documentaries, language learning and taichi videos and who knows what else. There are a few gems among this lot, to find what's on offer: search for 'Chinese' in Prime Videos.