Телесериал в Китае: генезис и развитие жанра (50–90-е гг. ХХ в.)

Abstract

In this article, I analyze Chinese TV series as a phenomenon of mass culture; a market product created on the basis of a specific national cultural code under conditions of strict ideological control. The chronological framework of this study is the second half of the 20th century: from the late 1950s, when television appeared and the production of TV drama began in China, to the late 1990s, marked by the creation of a system of supervision and control of the television industry, the transformation of TV drama into a modern format television series, the formation of the major serial genres, and the growth of production and consumption of TV series. Since then, the trend that persists in the 2000s—watching a series as a widespread form of leisure—is becoming noticeable. I examine TV dramas as a product shaped by multidirectional influences. On the one hand, the television market demands that the product be spectacular and entertaining, while on the other hand, TV series are subject to close state control and regulation. The government issues licenses for TV series production, determines priority themes for new series annually, approves a brief synopsis prior to filming, censors the finished series; and establishes national television awards to stimulate the production of “correct content.” The most popular genres in the last quarter of the twentieth century are historical, moral, family, and martial arts dramas. Considering that a series is a formulaic narrative (J. Cawelti), it is these genres that seem to have the maximum number of techniques and possibilities for combining an engaging plot and broadcasting the right message. For example, family, moral series demonstrate socially approved norms of behavior. The wuxia genre represents the uniqueness of Chinese culture and creates a sense of Chineseness. Given the general attitude to history in the Chinese tradition, it is not surprising that historical series occupy a special position, being one of the most important means for the state propagation of the “etatist and paternalistic worldview.” The analyzed historical and cultural material leads me to the conclusion that whatever the viewer watches—a series about the portal travelers or a screen version of the Chinese classics—their attention is offered ideologically safe product, checked by various authorities and spreading meanings that are useful for society and the state.