STVFORUM | Development of Chinese Dramas in the New Era: Quality and Diversity

On June 22, the 28th Shanghai Television Festival held the Chinese TV Drama Development Forum, focusing on the theme of “Quality and Diversity” to explore new strategies for the development of domestic dramas in the new era.

Gao Changli, Director of the Department of TV Series, National Radio and Television Administration

Gao Changli, Director of the Department of TV Series, National Radio and Television Administration, stated that quality and diversity are the dual wings and wheels of the development and creation of TV dramas. Relying solely on one or two “blockbuster” dramas is far from sufficient. We must not overlook diversity because audiences are diverse, with different backgrounds and demands. Therefore, we need to provide a rich variety of high-quality works to cater to their needs. 

Participants shared their creative experiences and expressed optimism about the future development of Chinese TV dramas. They generally believed that to fulfill the new cultural mission of the new era, it is important to lead the audience and respond to the times with more diverse and high-quality dramas and collectively create a new culture that belongs to this era. 

Four Directions and a Hundred Key Creations Planned for the Next Five Years

Gao Changli, Director of the Department of TV Series, National Radio and Television Administration

“TV dramas are the everyday meals of the people. When we invite guests, we offer both sumptuous and simple dishes, so that everyone can find what they need and be fully satisfied.” Gao Changli, Director of the Department of TV Series, National Radio and Television Administration, shared his thoughts on the current development of the TV industry.

He revealed that the administration has used a coordinate system to plan over a hundred key creations for the next five years, covering revolution-related, historical, contemporary, and future themes. The administration has been encouraging the creation of excellent historical dramas, advocating that realistic dramas not avoid real-life issues while reflecting a warm tone of life, supporting innovative approaches to major revolution-related productions, and looking forward to outstanding works that promote the scientific spirit and have rich meaning.

According to Gao Changli, TV dramas have great potential in inheriting culture and continuing civilization. From oracle bone inscriptions to Dunhuang, from urban culture to old town renovation, there is a wide range of new and good topics to explore. The administration has established a national TV drama version storage system to collect and preserve excellent resources. Gao Changli expressed his expectations for more education and training for professionals and major festivals and exhibitions, including the STVF, aiming to build an industry workforce that is politically and ideologically steadfast, artistically talented, and morally upright.

Embracing Life, Overcoming Hardships: Behind-the-Scenes Shared by Hit Drama Creators

Screenwriter Wang Xiaoqiang

 Where does unique and high-quality creation come from? At the forum, screenwriter Wang Xiaoqiang and director and screenwriter Zhang Ting shared their insights into the creation of BRIGHT FUTURE and THE LONG RIVER respectively. According to Wang Xiaoqiang, “clumsy methods” in the creative process are unavoidable. “Screenwriters can write scripts in the same way they walk. You can only know where the muddy and hard parts are, where you need to climb and cross, and which direction you should go by going through the journey.” He reflected on working in Dayu County, Jiangxi Province for the creation of “BRIGHT FUTURE”: like the characters in the drama, he experienced the initial discomfort, creative anxiety, and lingering loneliness. In an effort to empathize with the characters such as Mei Xiaoge and Lin Zhiwei, he strove to root himself in the county Party committee’s courtyard. “Genuine feelings and experiences are the most precious,” he said, “I jumped in and out, feeling everyone’s state of mind. ‘Put yourself in others’ shoes’ is the key line of BRIGHT FUTURE, and also a key to the creative process.”

Director and screenwriter Zhang Ting

Director and screenwriter Zhang Ting recalled the origin and feelings behind the creation of the historical drama THE LONG RIVER. His passion for creation emerged from being touched by the stories of Jin Fu and Chen Huang, the two main characters, to researching the History of Water Conservancy and feeling the power of the Yellow River in Chinese civilization, to gradually understanding the struggle and efforts of generations of Chinese water conservancy workers. He said, “These people are guarding the civilization of the Chinese nation, and their existence should be remembered.”

In order to recreate the scenes of people fighting against floods, the production team of THE LONG RIVER first built a 2.5-meter-high slide and then brought in four excavators filled with water. Each time they filmed, two tons of water poured down, and actor Huang Zhizhong was even thrown into the air by the rushing water. Zhang Ting said, “I think if it weren’t for the spirit of Jin Fu and Chen Huang, our actors wouldn’t have endured such hardships. The true power of the work lies in the spirit of these great people from ancient China.”

 To Lead and Surpass: Vision for the Development of TV Dramas in the New Era

Wang Liping, Vice Chairperson of China Television Artists Association and National Level-1 screenwriter

The diversified and high-quality development of TV dramas not only requires the efforts of creators but also a close relationship with production and broadcasting institutions and platforms. At the roundtable forum, Wang Liping, the host, Vice Chairperson of China Television Artists Association and National Level-1 screenwriter discussed the direction of TV drama development in the new era with the guests. 

Fu Binxing, President of Huace Group

From the perspective of the producer, Fu Binxing, President of Huace Group, believes that creators should value each project and “treat it as the last project of their careers” because these works “have social value and influence”. Creators should pay more attention and be “braver in dealing with new topics and new content”. She described the initial stage of topic selection as a seed that may sprout and grow in any direction, and creators should have “faith in the content” and then explore further. This faith is not blind self-confidence. She encouraged young film and TV makers to “immerse themselves in life and learn from the history of TV drama development, standing on the shoulders of giants (to create their own works)”.

Wang Juan, Vice President and Chief Editor of Tencent Video

Wang Juan, Vice President and Chief Editor of Tencent Video, used THE THREE-BODY and THE LONG SEASON as examples to emphasize that platforms should respect art and creators. She believes that many young creative teams bring their desire for breakthroughs and fresh presentations to their artistic expressions and detail design, and in this process, “we should set aside experiences and conventions and respect their ideas, allowing them to be bold in creation.”

Wang Xiaohui, Chief Content Officer and President of Professional Content Business Group (PCG), iQiyi

Wang Xiaohui, Chief Content Officer and President of Professional Content Business Group (PCG), iQiyi, pinpointed how to correctly understand the audience of TV dramas. He believes that the essence of TV dramas is to serve the mass audience, which means that creators must understand the needs of the general public. Good creations should elevate aesthetics: “If you raise aesthetics by an inch, then your creation is not just pleasing to the eye, but also touches the soul.”

Xia Xiaohui, Deputy Secretary of the Film, Drama and Documentary Programming Center, China Media Group

On new methods and ideas for creating realistic works, Xia Xiaohui, Deputy Secretary of the Film, Drama and Documentary Programming Center, China Media Group, believes that creators should grasp the relationships between ordinary people and the times, between authenticity and artistic expression, and between the creation of mainstream themes and diversity. She said, “Realistic dramas are ultimately about life, so the subjects should be diverse, not just limited to thematic creations.”

Xie Ying, Vice President of Youku

As for the rapid changes in the drama industry, Xie Ying, Vice President of Youku, stated that the power of users’ voices has become increasingly significant and cannot be ignored, and that the development of short videos has led to heated competition in aesthetics and ideas for long videos. Platforms need to return to their consensus, the great traditions, and original intentions in order to discover good and relevant stories, tell stories from a personal perspective, and promote values in their works.

Zhou Hai, Member of the Party Committee of Hunan TV, Member of the Party Committee and Deputy General Manager of Mango Excellent Media

Zhou Hai, Member of the Party Committee of Hunan TV, Member of the Party Committee and Deputy General Manager of Mango Excellent Media, witnessed the development of both Hunan TV and Mango TV. He believes that the current TV drama market has returned to normal patterns of content creation and production. In this context, outstanding TV dramas play the role of emotional adhesives in the society, and creating such content is a responsibility that platforms should further undertake in the future.