介绍:
If you're a foreigner who has just arrived in China it is often difficult to tell which TV shows, movies and other media you have to watch and which are merely optional.
In order to clarify the matter Studio Plus has announced this official list of what you have to watch. This is the media that will enable you to really speak the same language of your Chinese colleagues.
Any Hot New Original TVB show, like Linewalker, you have to watch. But any Chinese mainland re-make you don't have to watch.
Movies by Jackie Chan made before the Karate Kid, like Police story, you do have to watch. But movies by Jackie Chan after Karate Kid, like Dragon Blade, you don't have to watch.
The 1986 CCTV adaptation of Journey to the West and the 2015 Monkey King: Hero is back, is mandatory. But any other adaptation of the Journey to the West is not.
Any movies or TV series about Chinese people beating up the Japanese or White people, you don't have to watch. But movies starring Bruce Lee or Donnie Yen beating up the Japanese or White people, you do have to watch.
Movies starring Andy Lau, you have to watch. Movies where Hong Kong gets blown up, you have to watch. Which means Andy Lau's 2013 thriller Firestorm is totally mandatory.
Horror movies by Chinese mainland directors are optional. But for horror buffs, horror movies directed by the Pang brothers or Fruit Chan are mandatory.
Reboots are not mandatory. However, movies good enough to reboot in the first place are. So Infernal Affairs.
You have to watch all media by Eason Chan, be it movies, songs or TV series featuring his songs, except the movie Strawberry Cliff.
Any movie starring Yang Mi you don't have to watch. But you know check it out if you're on a plane. I call them plane movies. Tiny times 1 through 4.
TV series starring Fan Bing-bing are not mandatory. However, TV series controversial enough to cut off her cleavage are.
Movies starring Gao yuanyuan, you do have to watch. Movies starring Angelababy or Tang Wei you don't have to watch. Of course, you can always watch Lust Caution in Hong Kong.
Movies directed by Hong kong guys, like Stephen chow are mandatory, but Chinese-American collaborations are merely optional.
Watching at least one movie by Xu Zheng is mandatory. Just pick one, once you have seen one, you have seen them all. I would pick "call For Love". That's a fun movie.
Now there are TV series that are only mandatory depending on your gender. Huan Le song is mandatory for girls. While Lang Ya Bang is mandatory to all.
Lao Jiumen, yu zui,
Peng Yu yan, deng chao, hu ge, li yi feng, sun li
China is awash with reality shows, the Voice, running man, Shijie qingnian shuo, and Fei chun wurao and are mandatory.
So much of China's media is also online. Following Papi Zhan and Wang Si Chong is mandatory. While following any random girl with plastic surgery from Korea is not.
On to music
Listening to songs by Wang Feng are optional. But having a working knowledge of his latest love affairs is mandatory.
As a foreigner it is mandatory to sing at least 3 songs in Chinese. There are some that are easy to learn. Richie ren's "dui mian de nu hai kan guo lai", Jay Chow's "qi li xiang" and Michael Wong's "tong hua" are good examples. Then you can show off in KTV.
Here's an advanced one. You have to listen to Jay Chou's music. But the Viral Factor starring Jay Chou and Nicholas Tse you don't have to watch. But movies starring Nicolas Tse, like Bodyguards and Assassins are mandatory. While listening to Nicolas Tse's music definitely isn't. A-hah that's crazy.
Generally great singers make terrible actors. And great actors make terrible singers.
Music by Taipei based artists like Wang Leehom, Stefanie Sun or Angela Zhang is mandatory.
If you are a girl. Listening to music from pretty-boys, like Lu han, Wu Yi-fan, Z-Tao, who gave the Korean music corporations the middle finger, is mandatory. While listening to actual Koreans is not.
You have to listen to Jolin Tsai's music up until her plastic surgery. Music after that is merely optional.
There is a third category. Media you don't have to watch. But you do have to say you have to watch.
Chinese classics involving the War of the Three kingdoms. Oh I really have to watch that.
The News on CCTV. Oh Hell yes. I need to watch that more. That's my new year's resolution.
Here is a strange one. Some foreign TV series are more popular in China than they are in their home country. Watch at least 2 episodes of Two Broke Girls and Big Bang Theory. Just so you can complain about it.
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