Recently, a Chinese film DEAR YOU (給阿嬤的情書 - 2026) broke the country box office. This historical / family / period drama was shot on a mere 14 million yuan budget ($2 million), and yet made over 1.8 billion yuan ($265 millions). But what’s interesting about that story is that it’s not so much about the money itself, or that the director was quite unknown ; it is that this story that spam from the end of 1940s to today is primary spoken in Teochew dialect. 

And those types of movies, alongside side any kind of cultural content for the matter, has a hard time finding its place in Chinese cultural consumption as there is a strong emphasis on using Putonghua. Yet, things are brewing.

Featuring
- LAM Can-zhao : Filmmaker
- Yaling JIANG : Consultant
- Sam Debell : Sea of Wood Records - Co-founder

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #102 Remote Creatives
- TWOC's series Fangyan Friday
- TWOC's article Speaking Up: Can Social Media Save China’s Dialects? by Chu Siyi
- TWOC's article Dongbei Survival Guide by Ginger Huang
- Yaling JIANG's recommendation : 
卖凉茶只狗 (A corgi who sells herbal tea)
 Giger Hu了 (Thighs are numb)

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影 or RedNote (阿拉丁说电影)

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

18 months ago, we released our episode #99 examining how AI was being used in films, documentaries, and advertising. At the time, most of the more compelling AI-driven work was confined to short-form content. But Chinese content creator and storyteller are doing leapfrog on that area.

As AI tools advance rapidly, they are increasingly taking on more complex roles in filmmaking, including generating entire features and even documentaries. But as reliance on the technology grows, the industry is still grappling with unresolved ethical questions around consent and copyright.

Featuring
- CHEN Zhuo (Pax) : FizzDragon - Founder & CEO
- Tina JIA : Wing Sight - Founder & President
- FAN Lixin : Emmy Award Documentary & AI Filmmaker

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #99 How AI is disrupting China’s cultural industry
- TWOC's article Smart Earth: How AI Is Rewriting Rural China by Yang Tingting
- TWOC's article ChatGPT Gold Rush: How AI Business (and Crime) Is Taking Shape in China by Wang Jiawei
- Wing Sight's documentary series on iQIYI: Prominent Figures in Chinese History (华夏风云人物) (7x22')
- Wing Sight's official website | Wing Sight's Instagram | Wing Sight's Weibo 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影 or RedNote (阿拉丁说电影)

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Poster credit:  Design by Wang Siqi; elements from Doubao AI

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

China's building boom can now be declared over. Yet what awaits for the 940 million city dwellers living in Chinese cities?  

Featuring
- Éric LE KHANH : architect 
- LIU Jue (LJ) : managing editor at TWOC
- Jingqiu ZHANG: IARA - Co-founder & Architect

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #108 - The Memorabilia Economy: Why Some Can’t Stop Dreaming of the 90s
- Middle Earth episode #102 Remote Creatives
- TWOC's article Welcome to Liu York: Going with the Flow in China’s Chillest River City by Wang Lin (王琳)
- TWOC's article How Residential Renovation Became China’s New Urban Battleground by Tan Yunfei (谭云飞) & Liu Jue (刘珏)
- Éric LE KHANH 's work on the remains of Jin Zhongdu City (Jin dynasty - 12th century) at Tianjin University.
- Éric LE KHANH 's work on the Sino-French "Chengdu Eco-Quartier"
- Jinqiu ZHANG team's work in Chen Jiapu Village (陈家埔村).
- News report on CGTN about France-China Wuhan Eco-City.

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影 or RedNote (阿拉丁说电影)

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Poster credit : Wirestock on Freepik.com

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

As the Cannes festival ends, we interviewed some key player regarding how the biggest film festival in the world impacts Chinese cinema.

Featuring
- Cao Liuying  : Parallax Films - Sales Agent
- Clément Magar : Fortissimo Films - General Manager
- Qu Zhizheng : Director & Cinematographer

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #44 Does China still make indie films?

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影 or RedNote (阿拉丁说电影)

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Nostalgia isn’t just a feeling—it’s also a powerful selling tool. Right as China's GDP growth slows and the future feels uncertain, consumers are increasingly drawn to products and stories that evoke the past. Whether it’s retro snacks or hit TV shows reviving bygone eras, some are tapping into a deep emotional connection.

Featuring
- Chu Dandan: TWOC - former editor-in-chief
- Yaling Jiang: Consultant
- Haoyue : Film Producer

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #54 What is the future of China’s animation industry?
- TWOC's article How to Talk About Box Office Performance Like a Pro by Aria Zhang
- TWOC's article  about Zong Qinghou ; The Beverage Company That Made China’s Richest Man by Tan Yunfei 
- Douyin Accounts about the 1980's : 阿牛小卖部 & 怀旧铺子

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影 or RedNote (阿拉丁说电影)

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

In recent months, China’s box office has faced significant challenges, making a recent development all the more remarkable. Recently the animated film Ne Zha 2 has skyrocketed into the global box office top 10 in just one month. With currently over 1.9 billion in revenue, the film has achieved two groundbreaking milestones:
- It’s the first non-English film to break into this elite category.
- It’s now the highest-grossing animated film worldwide, surpassing Inside Out 2, the previous record holder.

Featuring
- Dalton Grant Jr: Mapletoons Animation - Animation Writer & Director
- Lena Li: IP Acquisitions Consultant
- Hayley Zhao: TWOC - Journalist & Editor

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #54 What is the future of China’s animation industry?
- TWOC's article How to Talk About Box Office Performance Like a Pro by Aria Zhang

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影 or RedNote (阿拉丁说电影)

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

It has been a crazy week following the non-TikTok ban and witnessing real 'positive energy' on both sides of the Pacific. How did over 1 million Americans flock to RedNote/小红书? What hurdles lie ahead for us, and are there any potential business opportunities for international content creators?

Featuring
- Jim Fields: Relay Video - CEO
(小红书: Jim技术咨询)
- Lucy Lv: Culture news reporter
(IG-TT: nihaolucylv)
- Wang Zichen: Policy Expert
(www.pekingnology.com)

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #50 Xiaohongshu : Marrying content and e-commerce
- TWOC's article Seeing RED: The Rise China’s Hottest Trend-Setting App by Hatty Liu
- TWOC's article Parallel Worlds: How A Lifestyle App Shed Light on China’s Education Gap by Outside the Fifth Ring (五环外)
- Dr. Candise Lin who bridged RedNote And Tiktok in 2024: @drcandiselin 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影 or RedNote (阿拉丁说电影)

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

When the Middle Earth Podcast started years ago, it was hard to find any feminist mainstream cultural products. But recently, movies like HER STORY (好东西) and LIKE A ROLLING STONE (出走的决心), along with female stand-up comedians and influencers, have been making their way into the mainstream. How did these success stories come to be?

Featuring
- Xiaotong Jiang: Kudos Comedy - Founder
- Jiaxi Wang: Scriptwriter & Director
- Hayley Zhao: TWOC - Journalist & Editor

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #92 How writers, bookstore owners, and printers survive in China’s publishing industry
- Middle Earth episode #46 China's TV format industry
- TWOC's article Roasted and Burned by Tan Yunfei
- TWOC's article “Girls Should be Brave”: A Feminist’s Bumpy Journey in a Chinese Small Town by Yang Tingting
- TWOC's article The Rise of Female Perspectives in China’s Movie Industry by Liu Jue

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks Li Muyuan for additional research, and Sean Calvo for music support.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Hello everyone, the Middle Earth Podcast will continue as we enter 2025, but I call on all of you dear listeners as I’m great need of freelance work (or a full time position, let’s dream !).

In case you are in needs of a:
- corpo video creator
- podcast expert
- researcher
- film editor
- freelance producer
- or PR expert

Here is my company presentation (Link) and we can also connect  on Linkedin (Link), it would always be great to know more of you.

Wishing you all in advance happy new year, and I hope that everything YOU guys are fighting for will happen for you as well!

Episode gracefully passed over by Jiang Jiang (JJ) from the Inside the China Room  podcast show in order to have a second window of distribution ;)

Enjoy !

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #72 Film Distribution: How to Succeed at China’s Box Office
- Middle Earth episode #44 Does China still make indie films?

Original message

This week on Inside the China Room, Jiang Jiang (JJ) welcomes Annie Song (宋晓佳), a young Chinese film producer and art director of 林象文化 Jungle Vision, a Beijing-based start-up dedicated to curating independent film festivals in China.

In this episode, we explore how young independent Chinese filmmakers are seizing opportunities at film festivals and contributing to the rise of new genres in China, with a particular focus on the increasing popularity of socially themed films. We also delve into the evolving dynamics between the Chinese and American film industries, as well as the successes and challenges Chinese films face in reaching international audiences. Additionally, we discuss how innovative promotional strategies, such as short video platforms, are revolutionizing the way films connect with viewers.

Annie Song holds a BA in Film Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and brings over eight years of experience to the film industry. She was recently honored with the Most Promising Filmmaker award at the 29th Busan International Film Festival, cementing her reputation as a rising star in the field.

Recommendation
Movies: 好东西 Her Story by director 邵艺辉 Shao Yihui, set to release on November 22, 2024

Other Chinese films Annie Song and Jiang Jiang discussed in this episode:
宇宙探索编辑部 Journey to the West (2023)
流浪地球 The Wandering Earth (2020)
逆行人生 Upstream (2024)
我不是药神 Dying to Survive (2018)
爱情神话 B for Busy (2021)
英雄 Hero (2002）
卧虎藏龙 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
影 Shadow (2019)
满江红 River Red (2023)

Despite China's reputation for having difficulty selling cultural products due to local regulations and the audience's taste, some do manage to bridge the Chinese audience with international content. Where do such opportunities lie, and how has the Chinese audience evolved over the years?

Featuring
- Marion Bertagna: MB Projects - Founder & Director
- Sun Wenxin (aka Yoyo): Global Concert Organizer

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #87 How local government & foundations sponsor culture in China
- Middle Earth episode #77 Big in China: Bringing Foreign Creators Onto Chinese Platforms
- Middle Earth episode #60 The Golden Age of China's Museums?
- TWOC's article Can China’s Detective Novels Finally Make Crime Pay? by Jesse Young
- International dancers mentioned : Rachid Ouramdane, Pina Bausch

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks Li Muyuan for research, and Sean Calvo for music support.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

China's first AAA game Black Myth: Wukong certainly caught the world's attention for its production value, commercial success, and controversies. How did the creative team pull that off, and why was this game considered the "perfect package"?

Featuring
- Daniel Ahmad: Niko Partners - Director of Research & Insights
- Lundy Lan: Video Game Technical Artist
- Jesse Young: Independent Researcher  

To go further
- Middle Earth trilogy about Chinese video games industry :
#67 Creating Games for the West
#70 China’s Indie Games
#73 Chinese E-sports
- Middle Earth episode #87 How local government & foundations sponsor culture in China
- Middle Earth episode #79 Exploring Wuxia (think "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon")
- TWOC's article Monkeying Around: Chinese Gamers on the ‘Black Myth’ Phenomenon by Jesse Young & Yang Tingting
- Chinese Video games mentioned : The Perceiver, Lost Soul Aside, Phantom Blade Zero, Phantom Blade: Executioners, The Grass of Genesis, Code: To Jin Yong,Where Winds Meet, Zenless Zone Zero & Honor of Kings: World

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks Li Muyuan for research, and Sean Calvo for music support.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Leaving Chinese Tier 1 cities that are often the heartbeat of cultural creation and where artists can find patreons, we met two creatives that leave in remote artists communities. Leveraging cheap rent and the artistic community around them, they offer a testimony to creatives' never ending resourcefulness.

Featuring
- Guo Xiadong : Film Producer (in Songzhuang - near Beijing)
- Ryan LaBar : Artist (in Jingdezhen - Jiangxi province)

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #20 Making a Metropolis: Contemporary Chinese Architecture and Urban Planning
- Middle Earth episode #86 Surviving the cutthroat world of e-commerce in China, with Dr Lin Zhang author of "The Labor of Reinvention"
- TWOC's article What’s Next for China’s Once-Thriving Artist Communes? by Alex Colville
- TWOC's article Bringing the Porcelain Capital of the World into the 21st Century by TIna Xu

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks Ren Jiayin for production, and Sean Calvo for music support.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

As any taxi driver in China would tell you, the country is safe on every level. But that must make "true crime" storytellers' lives difficult. Therefore, how can those entertainers of the dark world propose to Chinese audiences?

Featuring
- A Yi (阿乙) : Writer
- Eric Changan : Content Creator
- Wapi : Content Creator & Writer

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #95 Chinese Web Novels: The Hidden Golden Goose?
- Middle Earth episode #92 How writers, bookstore owners, and printers survive in China’s publishing industry
- Middle Earth episode #50 Xiaohongshu : Marrying content and e-commerce
- TWOC's article Can China’s Detective Novels Finally Make Crime Pay? by Jesse Young.
- A Yi (阿乙)'s short novels are on TWOC
- Wapi's media called 没药花园 (can be found on wechat, RED, Youtube, 小宇宙)
- Eric Changan's bilibili account is called Eric长安万年

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support and Martin Lopez for poster picture.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

After 224 guests, 4,439 minutes of content and 1 pandemic we are shamelessly celebrating Midde Earth – China’s cultural industry Podcast 100th episode! In order to make it big I have summoned all my supportive friends living in Beijing and we are today at Chill Bar for a live event to have quick introspection about the show, and so much more.

Featuring
- Aladin Farré : Content Producer & Middle Earth Podcast Founder
- Sara Huang  :  Scriptwriter and Translator
- Sam Davies :  TWOC - Managing Editor

As we reach 100 episodes I would like to thanks, in chronological order Steve Seidenberg, Li Muyuan, Brenden Gonsalves, Sean Calvo, Alex Colville, Hatty Liu, Dragos Cacio, all the team at TWOC, today’s guests and previous guests.
It was a public event that could have been made possible without Wendy Xu, Hu Qifei, Wang Siqi and Roman Kierst

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support and Zhang Jiayu for poster picture.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

As AI is creeping into our lives and our work, no industries are left out of it and certainly not China's cultural industry. But do using AI tools to create content is an easy path and what are the ethical issues attached to such practices?

Featuring
- Fan : AI Startup - CTO
- Erik Luo : Technical AI artist
- Liang Chouwa : Documentary Director

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #93 Invisible Summit: One Blind Person's Journey to 8,848 Meters
- Middle Earth episode #84 Are NFTs welcome in China? (Part 3 - Chinese art collectors)
- TWOC's article What Booming AI Revival Services Mean for China’s Relationship to Death by Shao Yefan
- TWOC's article ChatGPT Gold Rush: How AI Business (and Crime) Is Taking Shape in China by Wang Jiawei
- Liang Chouwa's documentary : My A.I. Lover | NYT Op-Docs

Quiz's answer (no spoil !)
- link to answer 1
- link to answer 2

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support and Erik Luo for poster picture.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Before Covid, WWE and UFC were key to push the envelope of MMA in China, now, independent promotion companies like Middle Kingdom Wrestling are left to pick up the momentum.

 Featuring
- Adrian Gomez: Middle Kingdom Wrestling - Founder

To go further
- Middle Earth episode  #65 China’s winter sports market : How to get 300 million snow enthusiasts?
- Middle Earth episode #51 Pop Mart : How to Make an Addictive Toy (featuring Jiang Yaling)

With thanks to Yang Yaling of Following the yuan for co-producing the episode and Middle Kingdom Wrestling for poster’s picture.

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

With a forecast revenue of 370 billion USD in 2024 market size, roughly three times the size of the US market and Europe, China's apparel market  is home to up and coming fashion brands as well as big brands buying up international competitors. What can insiders share from that industry?
 
Featuring
- Li Boyan: Fashion Photographer
- Lucrezia Seu: Plush Consulting - Founder
- CK Zhang : 张本赛含之 SAIANZI - Founder

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #93 Invisible Summit: One Blind Person’s Journey to 8,848 Meters
- Middle Earth episode #24 Dealing with the diaspora: Catering to Chinese clients abroad
- Talking Shop, article by Emily Conrad for The World of Chinese Magazine
- Turning the Tide, article by He Yingzi
- Vintage Values, article by Hatty Liu

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next film or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Ren Jiayin for production assistant, Sean Calvo for music support and Lucrezia Seu for poster picture.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Potentially succeeding where Quibi failed, several Chinese apps (DramaBox, Reelshort) alongside others (Pocket FM, Good Novel) are pushing for 1-minute episodes of micro-series. Often depicted as being of trashy quality, they do seem to attract some eyeballs. Yet, what are the creative conditions to produce such Fifty Shades-esque stories, and is the market where we think it is?

Featuring
- Jack Li: Scriptwriter
- Anaïs Clément : Actress and Theatre Maker
- Yang Tingting: TWOC - Journalist

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #59 China micro-series’s boom
- Middle Earth episode #08 How to Make a Movie in 14 Days
- High Stakes in Short Takes: China’s Booming Micro-Drama Business, article by Yang Tingting
- the international micro-series "The Double Life of My Billionaire Husband"
- the chinese micro-series 《我在八零年代当后妈》

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next film or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Started as a grassroots movement in the early Chinese internet, web novels slowly became a powerhouse of China’s cultural industry by producing powerful IPs. How did this industry came to be?

Featuring
- Tage : Author 
- Wei Xiaoma : IP Licensing Manager
- Yang Zeyi : Technology Reporter 

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #92 How writers, bookstore owners, and printers survive in China’s publishing industry
- Middle Earth episode #69 The Seducing Power of IPs
- Middle Earth episode #90 Women in China’s Cultural Industries
- Middle Earth episode #79 Exploring Wuxia (think "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon")
- Bitter No More: How Young Chinese Became Obsessed With TCM, article by Shao Yefan
- China is reinventing the way the world reads, article by Yang Zeyi

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next film or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Ren Jiayin for production assistant, Li Muyuan for voice over and Sean Calvo for music support.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

With a 800 billion yuan market size and 1/5 of the doctor’s workforce, TCM is a force to be reckoned with in China. How did the field keeps reinventing itself and why does Chinese youth gets more attracted by it?

Featuring
- Martin Eriksson : TCM doctor 
- ShaoYefan (邵叶凡) : TWOC - freelancer
- Wu Yanmin : Ori-Bio - Co-founder

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #82 Understanding China’s national park & scenic areas
- Bitter No More: How Young Chinese Became Obsessed With TCM, article by Shao Yefan

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next film or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Ren Jiayin for production assistant, Wu Daozhi for fact-checking, Kian2018 for picture illustration and Sean Calvo for music support.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

New documentary Invisible Summit 《看不见的顶峰》tells the epic story of how Zhang Hong became the first blind Asian person to climb the world’s tallest mountain. On this podcast, director Fan Lixin (LAST TRAIN HOME) discusses how he filmed Zhang’s extraordinary journey and what he learned during the making of the movie.

 Featuring
- Fan Lixin (范立欣): Documentary Director
- Liu Yuan (刘元): Producer

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #78 Revving Up China’s New Biker Culture
- Middle Earth episode #72 Film Distribution: How to Succeed at China’s Box Office

How to support the film?
- Tell your friends living in China to buy a ticket for the week-end of the 27th of October
- Find the film on 猫眼 app and click on 想看
- And if you know an international TV commissioner that could be interested by the film, let's be in touch ;)

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next film or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

China’s book market is the second largest in the world, with people reading around 6 billion books a year. But how easy is it for small publishers, bookstores, and writers to get a piece of this pie? And how are digital alternatives to physical books impacting writers and small businesses and writers?

 Featuring
- Chen Qiufan (陈楸帆): Writer & Futurist
- Liu Jue: TWOC – Managing editor
- Li Suwan (李苏皖): Maziren Bookstore (码字人书店) - Owner

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #95 Chinese Web Novels: The Hidden Golden Goose?
- Middle Earth episode #91 How to Publish a Magazine for 100 Issues
- Middle Earth episode #25 How to publish a book in China
- "The Dark Room Problem" short story written by Chen Qiufan (陈楸帆) and published by The World of Chinese Magazine
- How China’s Small-Town Bookstores Innovate to Survive, article by by The World of Chinese Magazine
- Bookish Dreams: The fantasy of owning an independent bookstore lingers for China’s idealists, article by by The World of Chinese Magazine

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Not sure if you could stand my broken Chinese, but I started a new show regarding China's latest box office called 票房指南 as a part of an ongoing effort to become a true 网红...

The Middle Earth Podcast will return next week.

Links
Subscribe to 票房指南 on podcast app 小宇宙 : Link
Subscribe to 票房指南 on social media Bilibili : Link

原本担心这会是一部古装特效烂片，看过后却成为今年暑期的一大惊喜。 但是，《封神第一部》还有哪些地方可以改进？号称30亿预算的封神三部曲能实现盈利吗？

涉及到的电影： 
《阿修罗》2018年
《指环王》2001-2003年
《蜘蛛巢城》1957年
《七武士》1954年

It's not every day that a magazine publishes its 100th issue—but Middle Earth's distributor, The World of Chinese, has reached this important milestone after 17 years of publication. We want to look at how an English-language magazine based in Beijing sustains itself and evolves into a multimedia platform (including podcasts) for human-centered stories from China.

Featuring
- Hatty Liu: TWOC - Former managing editor 2019-2023
- Liu Jue: TWOC - co-managing editor
- Doug Hughes: International education expert

Buy your ticket for The World of Chinese's 100th issue event in Beijing on the 31th of August : https://yoopay.cn/event/89241330 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Women perform up to 50 percent of the jobs in China's cultural industries, but are they getting equal opportunities and compensation as men? In this episode, guests from the world of film, TV, visual arts, and journalism discuss the barriers female leaders and employees still face in their industries, and the benefits of more gender diversity in the workplace.

Featuring
- Li Muyuan : Gushi FM - Producer
- Hatty Liu :  Journalist & Former TWOC Managing Editor
- Luka Yang : Visual Artist & Filmmaker

To Go Further
- "Women’s Work" article by The World of Chinese Magazine
- "Getting Rights Wrong" article by The World of Chinese Magazine
- "Hidden Harassment" article by The World of Chinese Magazine

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré.  If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary or looking for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Today I plug in a new show that I'm working on where we interviewed Georges Berne, a true master in the art of lighting design who worked on the Mona Lisa. Today, he reflects on his long career and shares his thoughts on his work.

Winland Art Podcast
Architecture is solidified art, and art is the soul of architecture. Created by the Carte Blanche art team from in Beijing, Winland Art Podcast show focuses on the global art stage. In our show we discuss the challenges faced by those working in the art field with a focus on hot issues in the art world such as cross-cultural creation and China’s current art world scene.

The Carte Blanche space was founded in 2019 and is located at Winland IFC, 7 Finance Street, Beijing.

Subscribe to the Winland Art Podcast wherever you listen to your podcast or at : https://podcast.winlandcorp.com

To know more
Website: https://winlandcenter.com/en/here 
WeChat Account: 英蓝集团 Winland
Instagram: @WinlandCorp

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

A billion internet users means a lot of followers for some content creators in China. But with ad revenue dropping China’s economy is slowing down, are tips and patrons a viable alternative for creators?

Featuring
- Lulu | 璐璐 : LHH Speak Easy ( 璐璐的英文小酒馆 ) - Founder
- Luigi Liu :  BtoZ-Movie - Founder 

To go further
- "Career Fans" article by The World of Chinese Magazine
- Middle Earth episode #87 How local government & foundations sponsor culture in China
- Middle Earth episode #50 Xiaohongshu : Marrying content and e-commerce
- Middle Earth episode #29 Online KOL marketing in China

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Culture is expensive, and China makes no exception to that. Without the support of public and private entities, many artists could not create anything or be overly commercial. After getting through the regulations hurdle, what kind of art are supported by the big companies and local governments?

Featuring
- Yilin Chen : Winland Group - Art Project Director
- Elie Rosenberg : Impromptu - Co-Founder
 - He Xin : former real estate consultant

To go further
- "Dream Factory" article by The World of Chinese Magazine
- Middle Earth episode #36 Transforming a Chinese movie studio
- Middle Earth episode #60 The Golden Age of China's Museums?
- Middle Earth episode #82 Understanding China’s national park & scenic areas 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Ren Jiayin for production assistant,  Sean Calvo for music support, Eleven Labs for the AI voice and Leeluv for the poster picture. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

For a decade or more, rural Chinese have been setting up online stores in their homes, hoping to make a living through e-commerce rather than factory work or farming. But any easy money there was in online selling is beginning to dry up. Village neighbors have been pitted against each other in competition for customers, unscrupulous merchants copy products and images from competitors with impunity, while rural residents also struggle to keep up with evolving trends like livestreaming. For over 10 years Dr Lin Zhang followed several of these rural entrepreneurs and their families, culminating in her latest book The Labor of Reinvention - Entrepreneurship in the New Chinese Digital Economy.

Featuring
- Dr Lin Zhang : University of New Hampshire Professor, author of The Labor of Reinvention - Entrepreneurship in the New Chinese Digital Economy

Where to buy the book
-  The Labor of Reinvention, published by Columbia University Press
https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-labor-of-reinvention/9780231551298

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #01 How to be internet famous in China (Part 1 of "China's internet and creation")
- Middle Earth episode #29 Online KOL marketing in China

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

As China becomes more assertive on the global stage with its diplomacy and state media, “patriotic KOLs” have appeared on domestic Chinese social media platforms, influencing the political opinions of their millions of fans. But how do KOLs craft their message to be successful, and who’s paying their bills?

Featuring
- Fang Kecheng : The Chinese University of Hong Kong - Assistant Professor
- Miro Li : Double V. Consulting - Founder

 To go further
- Middle Earth episode #50 Xiaohongshu : Marrying content and e-commerce
- Nikkei Asia's article : China’s online nationalist army
- 孤烟暮蝉 (Guyanmuchan ) on Weibo
- 心医林霖 (xīnyīlínlín) on Bilibili
- 周小平 (Zhou Xiaoping), WeChat ID : 平局
- 占豪 (Zhan Hao), WeChat ID : 占豪
- 北美留学生观察, WeChat ID : 北美留学生观察

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Wen Jiayin for production assistance, episode's picture by maono闪克 and Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

NFTS are legal to be bought in China, but reselling them is an all other matters. Yet a local scene of buyers and artists keeps growing, while some lost a great amount of money as they were hoping for a quick return on investment. How does the scene keep growing while local regulations are put into place?

Featuring
- Ellwood Chen : Digital Artist & Pills Labs Founder
- Rory Mencin : Curator & Art Critic
- Reva : Crypto artist

To go further with Chinese art collectors
- Middle Earth episode #80 Contemporary art in Greater China
- Middle Earth episode #77 Antiques: China first cultural industry

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

With thanks to Wen Jiayin for production assistance, and Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

While China struggles to export its cultural abroad, neighbors like Korea and Japan seem immune to this problem. Apart from local regulations in art, what are the issues creators from China face when trying to take their cultural products abroad, and what are some products that actually became hits?

Featuring
- Li Jianbin: Beijing Inmost Media - Senior BD Director
- Alex Taggart: Outdustry - Head of International
- Vivian Ying: Film International Sales

To go further
- Middle Earth episode #67 Creating Games for the West
- Middle Earth episode #26 China’s soft power in Africa

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Wen Jiayin for production assistance, Wendy Wei for illustration and Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

In 2021, there were 2 billion visits to China’s outdoor tourism sites, such as nature reserves and natural scenic areas. How is this part of the tourism industry coping with a growing demand for outdoor experiences, and did that influence the creation of the country’s national park system?

Featuring
- Justin Culkin : A Trails - Business Development Director
- Rose Niu 牛红卫 : Paulson Institute - Chief Conservation Officer
- Yefren Nye : TWOC contributor & innovative Green Development Program communications specialist

To go further
- The Trails and Tribulations of China's Outdoors Boom article by Yefren Nye
- Right to Roam article by Yefren Nye
- The Myth of the Chinese Wilderness by Tina Xu (徐盈盈)
- #55 Why is red tourism trending beyond the golden generation? By the Middle Earth Podcast
- #60 The Golden Age of China's Museums? By the Middle Earth Podcast 

 
Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Wen Jiayin for production assistance and Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

As the year 2023 starts, we review our top 3 stories from 2022 and make a few predictions for trends in China’s culture industries in 2023. 

Featuring
- Aladin Farré : Founder of Middle Earth Podcast
- Hatty Liu : Managing editor at TWOC
- Jesse Appel, Sara Huang, Yang Yu, & Jingtong Zhu

To go further
- our podcast top 3 stories of the year
#79 Exploring Wuxia
#67 Creating Games for the West
#64 Gambling in China : How Covid-19 helped the industry grow
- Peter Chan's interview about his movie LEAP (2020)
- The article Land of Milk and Honey: The Story of China’s Most Profitable Milk Tea Brand by TWOC
- The article Boom, Bluff, Bust by TWOC
- Wuxia novels published on TWOC:  Restaurant of The Thousand Arms, Martial Tea and Night Moves, by author Hu Yuesheng (胡月生).

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Wen Jiayin for production assistance and Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Greater China is now the biggest art-market in the world, but thousands of galleries in the middle kingdom have closed up, while many artists are struggling to make a living. How are gallery curators, artists, and tech companies keeping up with this ultra-competitive art market? 

Featuring
- Ashley Qin – YITIAO Art Director
- Lin Zi – SANTO HALL Gallery curator
- Sima Yuan – Artist

To go further
- The article Photo Shop: Art in the Age of the Influencer by TWOC
- The article Zhao Xiaoli Blurs the Line Between Online Influencer and Artist by TWOC
- Middle Earth episode 60 The Golden Age of China’s Museums?
- Artists Wang Xingwei & Jia Aili

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Wen Jiayin for production assistance and Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Wuxia, martial arts stories about heroes and outlaws, used to be one of the most popular genres of literature in the Chinese-speaking world. After countless novels, films and video games, how are the people creating China’s “knight errant” stories modernizing the genre? 

Featuring
- Gigi Chang: wuxia translator
- Lai Jingping: Wuxiaworld founder and CEO
- Felix Lou: former vice-managing director of Xiangshan Film Studio & Skywood Founder

To go further
- Wuxia novels published on TWOC:  Restaurant of The Thousand Arms, Martial Tea and Night Moves, by author Hu Yuesheng (胡月生).

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Wen Jiayin for production assistance and Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

After being ostracized for years, motorbike culture is slowly building momentum among Chinese youths. Between 2016 and 2019, the number of bike sales doubled, and since the pandemic especially, a lot of entrepreneurs are jumping on new business opportunities provided by people craving the open road.

Featuring
Steven Tsui :  BG Performance - CEO
Zhang Shuren : Pansaki North Station - Founder
Li Huaqi : Student & Entrepreneur

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

With thanks to Wen Jiayin for production assistance, Sean Calvo for music support and Forrest Speyer for the translation.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

With over 1 billion internet users, China’s online video and music platforms are the place to be for every creator trying to grow their audience. What does it take for international talent to make it in this cutthroat market? 

Featuring
Tinko Georgiev: Kanjian - VP of Int'l Business
Raffi Kamalian: Collab Asia - Head of Greater China

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground. 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Thanks to its rich history, China’s has plenty of artifacts that are being sold and exposed in museums. And there is a market for it, a huge one, where some pieces can be sold for several thousand yuan. How did that market evolve, and what are the dark corners of this industry? 

Featuring
Isaac Duffy : Collector
Sun Jiahui : Freelance writer
Zhang Bo : Architect & Collector

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Wen Jiayin for production assistance, Stephan Lambadaris for the voice-over & Sean Calvo for music support.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

After being underground for decades, the Chinese rap scene got a sudden boost in 2017 thanks to the reality show The Rap of China on the online streaming platform IQiyi. How has the scene evolved since then, and what lies ahead?  

Featuring
Dojo Shaolin: Producer & Dj
JFever :  Hip pop artist
Stanley Yang : Zhong TV – Founder

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

C-Dramas have certainly changed over the years as the competitions grew fierce for eyeballs. Why did such changes happen, and what's the future for Chinese TV series industry? 

Featuring 
Sara Huang : Scriptwriter 
Jia Liu : TV Producer 

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

With 400 million fans watching over 5000 professional team competing over many games, China’s e-sports industry is one of the most vivid area of China’s cultural industry. How come this industry keeps growing, and what are the recent issues that e-sports players and companies had to face?  

Featuring 
- Josh Lee: Perfect World Esports & tournaments director 
- Zeng Wensen : Riot China Action Genre Publishing Lead 
- Lucy Zhu : BSC Esports Lecturer & Module Leader 

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Music festivals have only been around for two decades in China, but have increased exponentially—even leading some to worry about a bubble—until the Covid-19 outbreak. Since then, how has the industry tried to make a comeback for Chinese music-lovers? 

Featuring 
- Eric de Fontenay - MusicDish 独立小炒 President
- Yang Yu - Midi Festival Head of International

 Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

China’s video game industry is huge, but most of the games are made for the mass market of online mobile players. But what about the niche market of indie games, often focused more on single player story or particular game mechanics? How do Chinese creators find their audience, and do they have an audience outside of China?  

Featuring 
- Jin Yu : Wanba Studio Founder & Game Producer 
- Zog Zhu : Indie Games Publishing Manager 

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support and Li Muyuan for live translation. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

As China’s cultural market becomes more and more competitive, some content producers are looking for the silver bullet to avoid failure: IP. What does IP mean in the Chinese market, and what’s the best way to create one?  

Featuring 
- Kevin Feng : Stars Collective China Executive Officer 
- Li Danlei : Story FM Podcast Copyright Manager 
- Xu Xinyi : Bridging the Dragon Sales Coordinator  

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support and Chu Siyi for live translation. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Chinese literature is generating an increasing amount of interest overseas. More and more books are getting translated, while Chinese authors are winning international prizes. Yet are the authors and stories being translated representative of what China’s general public is reading?  

Featuring 
- Yan Ge : author 
- Daniel Li: production manager at ACA Publishing & Sinoist Books 
- Emily Xueni Jin : Translator & PhD candidate in East Asian Literature 

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support and Hatty Liu for co-hosting 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

If China has some issues exporting its music & film, did you know that video games often meet success on the international market? What kind of games meet success abroad, what kind of strategy Chinese companies have to use, and what are the issues inherent to game localization?  

Featuring 
- Chen Jia - Oasis Game COO 
- Joshua Ogden-Davis - Video Game Localizer 
- Stacey Lee - Video Game consultant 

 Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support and Chu Siyi for live translation. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

ASCENSION has been nominated for an Academy Award in the feature documentary category. The film  is a portrait of China’s industrial supply chain and its different social ladders.

It is advised to watch the film before listening to this episode.

This conversation  was originally produced by SupChina. 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

This show is part of the World of Chinese Magazine’s podcast network. Order your latest copy at www.theworldofchinese.com or follow them on Wechat (ID : Theworldofchinese). 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

 At the intersection of KOLs and metaverse lies the niche world of “virtual idols”—animated characters created for the purpose of becoming celebrities. Started in Japan in the 1980s, virtual idols have exploded in popularity in China, especially as Covid-19 continues to change the world of live entertainment: In 2021, the Chinese virtual idol industry was worth 6.2 billion renminbi (almost 1 billion US dollars), and animated star Luo Tianyi attracted over 2.7 million viewers in a Taobao livestream. So how do you build successful virtual idols in China, and will their popularity last in the real world?  

Featuring 
- Elaine Yau - showbiz reporter 
- Inés Feng - Kunyue Shanghai VP 
- Peng Mengyu - Dreamland Maker Tech Branding director 

 Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

The 2022 Winter Olympics is about to start in Beijing, with around 2900 athletes and possibly zero spectators, yet the country now boasts 300 million winter sports enthusiasts. How did China’s winter sports industry grow so fast, and does it differ from other nations? 

Featuring
- Ban Tao: Eternal Star Ice & Snow Head of Branding
- Liu Xia: Burton China Resort Business Manager  

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture, and looks behind the headlines at how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support and Chu Siyi for live translation. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Finishing our “Dark Series” on China’s guilty pleasures, we tackle gambling, one of the key forms of spending among Chinese tourists overseas.  Did Covid-19 kill the gambling industry, or is it coming back even stronger? 

Featuring 
- Alan Robles: Journalist 
- Ben Lee: Managing Partner at IGamiX 
- Sebastian Strangio:  Journalist & Author 

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

In this special episode, we review our top 5 stories from this past year, and make a few predictions for trends in China’s culture industries in 2022. 

Featuring 
- Aladin Farré : Founder of Middle Earth Podcast
- Hatty Liu : Managing editor at TWOC
- William Ace Rowles, Miro Li, Juan Tan, Jerry Kim & Elaine Yau 

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

 A mix between the boardgame Cluedo and LARP (live action role-playing), jubensha is the latest craze for over 10 million game enthusiasts in China. Played mostly by young white-collar workers, the industry has seen a massive influx of players and capital while entrepreneurs and scriptwriters want to offer the best experience for players. Where does this success come from and where is this industry heading?

Featuring
- D Qiuqiu: Partner and Jubensha’s market manager at G STone
- Lu Mingfei : Jubensha store owner

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré.  If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Illegal drug usage among China’s adult population is one of the lowest in the world: 0.16%. But has it always been like this since the Reform and Opening Up period? And did you know there are plantations that legally grow cannabis in China? 

Featuring 
- Mathias Boelinger: Journalist at DW 
- Dylan Levi King: Translator & Author 

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

China had just 25 museums in 1949, and around 350 at the start of the reform era in 1979. Since 2000, though, over 4,000 new museums have been built in the country on a wide range of subjects, such as the history of every province and county, or the silly-sounding “Watermelon Museum” in Beijing. In 2019, China saw 1.2 billion museum visits. What’s driving this museum-building boom, and how do you design a good museum? 

Featuring 
- Oranda HOU : Rockart Bund Museum partnership manager
- YU Wanying : podcaster about museums (also guest on Middle Earth #16) 
- ZHUANG Yongwen : architect and urban designer 

Notes
Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Short-video app Quibi failed in just six months after launching in the US, so it’s too bad the company didn’t come to China, where hundreds of millions of people watch short drama series that bring you new twists every few seconds… all in vertical form. Why do Chinese audience love such high-speed storytelling and who are the people behind this new content format? 

 After all, as The World of Chinese found out in this article ; most people hold their phones vertically 94 percent of the time, and Chinese mobile content creators are beginning to take note. 

Featuring 
- Ivy YU : Associate Producer of "Love me Fearlessly" /《别怕，恋爱吧！》
- YU York : Commissioner for Kuaishou’s micro-series. 

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Show Notes
- The highest score for a micro-series on Douban is 另一半的我和你
- The most shared micro-series is 大唐小吃货

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

 Pornography has been banned in China since 1949. Yet 80 percent of young men (18 – 29 years old) and 50 percent of young women, or 30 percent of the whole Chinese population, admit to consuming porn as of 2015.
 So how do they access it? And are there actually local producers making and distributing this illegal content within China?
 
This is the first installment of a three-part series on China’s “guilty pleasures”: sex, drugs, and casinos.

Featuring
Danny: Chinese translator at Pornhub
Dr. Runze Ding : Postdoctoral researcher, School of Media and Communication, Shenzhen University
Shawn Suyong Yi Jones : PhD Candidate at Concordia University

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

China may have 5,000 years of history, but now it has to compete for clicks and eyeballs with short videos on Douyin. From martial arts to Confucian classics to architecture, find out how businesses focused on Chinese traditional culture marketing themselves for young consumers in the modern day. 

Featuring
AJ Donnelly : Co-founder of Cultural Keys Chinese Culture Company
Matthew Hu : Co-founder of The Courtyard Institute
Carol Yin : Project Manager at the Beijing Institute of Yangming Philosophy

 Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Though streaming is on the rise, film festivals are still an important channel for creators to showcase their work. If you’re an indie filmmaker in China, the Xining FIRST Youth Film Exhibition has become the place to see and be seen. Started in 2006, it is now known as the “Sundance of China,” and it is where directors like Wen Muye, director of 2018’s Dying To Survive (the third-highest grossing film at the Chinese box office), was discovered. 

In 2011, the festival moved to the remote Qinghai province, a Tibetan region better known for its green pastures than its film industry. We invite three attendees from this year’s festival, which just wrapped up in July, on how FIRST helped them find their voice, the challenges of putting on an indie film festival in China, and how FIRST became a standard-bearer of quality for the industry? 

 Featuring 
Vivian Bao: Independent Producer
Khashem Gyal: Director
Tina Xu: Culture Editor at The World of Chinese 

 Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

A bonus episode where we will delve into the making of the movie Leap, which came out in September 2020 on the Chinese national women’s volleyball team. Director Peter Ho-Sun Chan and Academy governor-at-large Janet Yang, an award-winning producer, will talk about the incredible journey of the team, the evolution of China over the past few decades, and what it’s like working with acclaimed Chinese actress Gong Li. 

This episode was originally produced by the Asia Society Museum and Asia Society Southern California. 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

This show is part of the World of Chinese Magazine’s podcast network. Order your latest copy at www.theworldofchinese.com or follow them on Wechat (ID : Theworldofchinese). 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The Communist Party of China celebrating its 100th year anniversary this year, driving up tourism to revolutionary sites around the country. The “red tourism” sector has seen significant growth from 140 million visit in 2004 to 1.15 billion in 2019, and now the “Gen Z” is following the trend. How do red tourism sites stay relevant for a new generation?

Featuring
 Dr. Mimi Li : associate professor at the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (PolyU)
 Michael Wang : VP of Content Dragon Trail International 

Made in partnership with The Chinese Tourism Podcast 

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

With a market that will quadruple between 2013 and 2025, China’s animation industry is getting more and more assertive with success stories like Ne Zha (2019), currently the third highest-grossing films in Chinese box office. But what challenges do Chinese animators, producers, and storytellers still face? And how can animated Chinese stories find an audience abroad?

Featuring
Lulu Hansen: Creative producer
 Yi Yan: General Manager of Ju Pin Pictures
 Dalton Grant Jr.: Co-Founder Floating World Animation Studio 

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

In February 2021 China’s cinemas sold more ticket than the USA—a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, but also of a population more and more eager to see quality movies on the big screen. Yet for every movie that comes to the silver screen, several others are released over the internet at the same time. Called e-movies, or wǎngdà (网大), they became a massive pop-culture phenomenon in China with a production peak of over 2,200 films in 2017. 

How did this industry evolve over the last decade, and what does it say about the growth of Chinese cinema? 

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture, and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!  

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Not far from the Forbidden City lies Temple Dongjingyuan (Temple 东景缘), formerly knowed as the Zhizhu Temple. It was founded at the beginning of the 15th century, and the current buildings date from 1700. Centuries after it was founded, and decades after it was decommissioned for religious services in the 1950s, the place is miraculously still standing and is a center of culture in the neighborhood. 

In 2007, Juan van Wassenhove and Lin fan (林凡) decided to restore the place and run it as a cultural heritage enterprise. How do they manage to keep the place afloat and find a balance between preserving the history and making a profit ? 

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture, and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!   

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

If you are on this side of the Great Wall, you might have seen their shops and vending machines in malls: Pop Mart. This public company worth 11 billion USD sells “mystery” toy boxes containing a single cute figurine from a potential set of several characters. Buyers do not know which figurine they have bought until they open the box. The company is widely successful in China and has even led other companies to copy their marketing methods.

Joining Middle Earth Podcast are creative director Juan Tan, Pop Mart's representative Amaia Perea, and business journalist Jiang Yaling, who will talk about how Pop Mart became so successful, the process of creating their IP, and the dark sides of the mystery box craze. 

Middle Earth is distributed by The World of Chinese (www.theworldofchinese.com). Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture, and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground.  

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. 

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Middle Earth is now joining The World of Chinese magazine podcast network.

The World of Chinese (TWOC) is a bi-monthly English magazine and website dedicated to Chinese society, language, and culture. Every two months, both in print and online, the team at TWOC takes a contemporary issue in Chinese society and culture and looks behind the headlines to share how it affects people on the ground. As Middle Earth focuses on the creation and distribution of art and content in China, we saw some common values and topics, that’s why we decided to join forces. 

More to come in the coming weeks. To find out more about The World of Chinese, go to www.theworldofchinese.com, link in the podcast description, and subscribe to the print or digital issue of the magazine.

The World of Chinese Magazine
A magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

Ecommerce and short-video app Xiaohongshu (小红书 or RED), or RED,  has been booming in china. Yet what distinguishes this app from its competitor Douyin, how the nature of short videos has changed as a result of the pandemic?

Featuring
Miro Li : Founder of Double V. Consulting & CHINAble Academy
Rose Zhu : Xiaohongshu/KOL lifestyle influencer

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendations
- The brand HEYTEA, which provides recipes and teaches followers how to make milk tea at home.
- The social influencer Alex 绝对是个妞儿.

Answers to the quiz
- Xiaohongshu’s founders are Miranda Qu and Charlwin Mao.
- Because of some adult content, Xiaohongshu got the nickname Xiaohuangshu.
- Fan Bingbing 范冰冰 has the biggest account on Xiaohongshu.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Last year, as COVID-19 cases spiked around the world, many thought cinemas would die. China’s box office sales from the past few months tell a different story. The country’s film market broke several world records in 2021, selling roughly $1.2 billion in tickets. Although theaters in the U.S., which are the primary competitors of theaters in China, have been closed, more and more Chinese people continue to head to the movies. One of the secret weapons is the production of a “Chinese New Year film” for the whole family. Where do those films come from, and what is their winning recipe?

Featuring
Ye Qing | 叶青 : Culture Reporter at CGTN
Cheng Rui : Producer at Wanda Studios

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Recommendations
- The 1997 movie The Dream Factory (甲方乙方 jiǎfāng yǐfāng).
- The 2002 movie Fat Choi Spirit (呖咕呖咕新年财 lìgū lìgū xīnnián cái).

Answers to the quiz:
- Detective Chinatown 2 made only 0.4% of its box office sales outside of China.
- The 1981 movie In-Laws (喜盈门 xǐ yíngmén) sold 469 million tickets. 
- The 2008 movie If You Are the One (非诚勿扰 fēichéng wùrǎo) shares the same name as the Jiangsu TV dating show.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

A few years ago, the stand-up comedy scene in China was largely considered to be alternative culture, with few venues for comedians and patrons. This stands in stark contrast to today, with over 100 comedy clubs nationwide, even outside of major cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Format shows like Roast! (tùcáo dàhuì 吐槽大会) have pushed stand-up into the mainstream. 

Featuring
Anney Liao : cofounder of Run Wild Comedy Club Beijing (玩脱喜剧)
Jerry Kim : cofounder of Run Wild Comedy Club Beijing (玩脱喜剧)

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendations
- The comedians Wùfàn 悟饭 and Xiǎo Lù 小鹿.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

China’s cultural industry is not often the topic of a book. However, the newly released Red Creative: Culture and Modernity in China tackles questions about how the government sees its cultural industry and how the domestic cultural industry has evolved over time. The book’s authors, Dr. Justin O’Connor and Dr. Xin Gu, joined the show to discuss their findings and to reflect on cultural policy in China.

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendations
- The music label Maybe Mars.
- The movie Platform (2000).

Quiz's answer
- The first time the word culture (文化 wénhuà) appeared in China was in The Book of Changes (易经 yì jīng).
- In 2018, the Chinese Ministry of Culture merged with the China National Tourism Agency to create the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
- According to the Global Soft Power Index, China is ranked fifth in the world.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

As much as everyone would love to claim that they enjoy “highly refined” art and movies, many people enjoy the guilty pleasure of watching reality shows featuring celebrities making a fool of themselves. China has a lot of these shows, and they drive an infinite number of online debates and memes. These cultural products are a vibrant part of China's entertainment industry and also help push the sale of VIP memberships on a variety of internet platforms. Today's guests give an insider’s view of the industry, and explain the latest trends as well as who you should pitch your project to.

Featuring
Shirley Cheng : Chief Creative Officer & Partner at CNEX
Luca Zhao : CEO of Dao Media

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendations
- The show The Big Band (乐队的夏天 yuèduì de xiàtiān).
- The show Let’s Go Time Traveler (咱们穿越吧 zánmen chuānyuè ba).

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Zhang Shiwen 张释文, the head of entertainment and a partner at the law firm Huiye in Shanghai, talks about her latest book, Guidance and Compliance: The Way to China’s Entertainment Market. She delve into her research on intellectual property protection in China’s film, music, and television industries, and they also discuss a few case studies from her own work in China.

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Link to previous episode
- Episode 32 Intellectual property protection in China’s entertainment industry

Recommendation
- 7 lessons on social image re-branding in China from the Imperial Palace, by Kate Chernavina.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Long gone are the days when Chinese film directors could shoot their films and win awards abroad without complications back home. But even with stricter regulations regarding the shooting and distribution of films in China, some have not stopped creating unique stories for the big screen. Today's guests share their insights into the current scene of low-budget films and art-house movies coming from China.

Featuring
Cao Liuying : Co-Founder of Midnight Blur Films
Karin Chien : Film Producer & Distributor at dGenerate Films
Jenny Wu : Indie Filmmaker & Curator

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendations
- An Elephant Sitting Still 大象席地而坐 (2017)
- Blind Massage 推拿 (2014)
- Outcry and Whisper 呐喊与低语 (2020)

Quiz's answer
- According to China Daily, only 1.5% of screen time is given to indie films in their first screening week.
- The China Independent Film Festival was shut down permanently in 2020 after 14 iterations.
- The film director who goes by the surname Ceng (who used to be a farmer and a migrant worker) was arrested on the evening of his film premiere in 2016. He was not arrested for the content of the film, but because he was part of a gang fight in Chongqing in 2000 and had eluded the police for 16 years.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Meet Justin Sweeting, Hong Kong’s ultimate party organizer. Over the last decade, he has elevated Hong Kong’s music scene as a co-founder of the Clockenflap music and arts festival. Clockenflap has come a long way from its humble beginnings back in 2008 to become the city’s biggest festival, with over 30,000 participants per day during peak hours. Justin explains how Hong Kong, his hometown, became a hub for music and examines the rise of Asia as a market in the music industry.

The interview was conducted by Philipp Grefer for the 2020 WISE festival, a media partner with Middle Earth. 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and usually hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendation
- The Korean music festival Zandari Festa.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

China’s card and board games market size was valued at $580 million in 2018, and is projected to reach $1.6 billion by 2025. On this episode we dive into the strengths and weaknesses of China’s market, how to protect your intellectual property, and recent trends in the industry.

Featuring
Minlu Chen : Co-Founder & CMO of Gstone Games
Hao Zhang :Founder of Labyrinth Culture
Ired Zhu : marketing director at Asmodee China

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendations
- The Chinese game Film Centenary 电影百年
- The Chinese game Garbage Classification 分了吧!
- The localized game Dobble China 嗒宝中国版

Quiz's answers
- It is the game Liubo 六博 whose rules are forgotten that was found in a Chinese tomb.
- Bang! is the Italian game that got copied by the popular Legends of the Three Kingdoms 三国杀
- It was the character Fang Siqi, coming from a popular novel, that was put into an erotic card game even though it is based on a true story and tells the story of a student being harassed by her teacher.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Leading the world in the LED market, it was only natural for China to join the fun of light art  (also known as luminism) that is growing around the world. Art curator and co-founder of Kaleidoscale Marcom, Drue Chiam shares her experience on how this market has developed over the years she was in China, talent procurement, how to protect your IP and, of course, how COVID-19 impacted an art form that usually happens outdoor with huge crowds.

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendation
- The Festival of Lights in Lyon (France)

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

“If Mulan doesn’t work in China, we have a problem,” said Alan Horn, the co-chairman of Walt Disney Studios, to the Hollywood Reporter. Unfortunately, the film had a lot of issues: inaccurate storytelling, cultural appropriation, and political scandals, not to mention a poor showing at the box office. What were the hurdles the movie faced and how Mulan could be a lesson for film studios hoping to tell Chinese stories for international audiences?

Featuring
Hank Liu : Film Editor
Elaine Yau : Journalist at the South China Morning Post journalist

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendations
- The Chinese animation film Ne Zha 哪吒 (2019).
- The U.S. animation film Coco (2017).

Answers to the quiz
- Mulan fought in the Northern Wei army.
- At least 12 feature films were made out of Mulan’s story.
- Wēn Míngnà 溫明娜, who voiced Mulan in 1998, is the actor doing a cameo in the 2020 remake.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

China’s entertainment industry has undergone staggering changes over the past two decades. The content, the ways it's delivered, and even the stars themselves are taking shape in a manner that is unique to China and reflects a new type of user — one who has come of age in the digital era. Provincial governments partner with stars to sell goods as arbitrary as farm equipment. Kim Kardashian has collaborated with famous live streamers to sell perfume. The show dives on how the budding Chinese entertainment industry is being shaped by technology and the internet; how Chinese dramas, songs, and TV are received around the world; the power of Chinese fandom; and more.

Featuring
Kevin Feng : Talent Agent & Producer
Allison Jiang : Cultural Writer at RADII
Marian Mationg : Writer at DramaPanda 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Sponsors
Win a free month of OVID.tv, which distributes exclusive Chinese films, by sharing your favorite Middle Earth episode on social media. Send Aladin a screenshot on Twitter for a chance to win! 

Recommendations
- Mark Chao (Zhào Yòutíng 趙又廷), a Taiwanese-Canadian actor and model.
- Jackson Wang (Wáng Jiā’ěr 王嘉尔), a Hong Kong rapper, singer, and dancer.
- Huáng Bó 黄渤, a Chinese actor and singer.  

Answers to the quiz
- Ruǎn Língyù 阮玲玉 is a Chinese star who killed herself in 1936.
-Saving Mr. Wu (2015) is the Chinese film based on the Chinese actor Wú Ruòfǔ’s 吴若甫 real abduction in 2004.
-Jackie Chan’s son was arrested for drug use while having an out-of-wedlock daughter.
- A 2018 scandal involving actress Fàn Bīngbīng’s 范冰冰 “fake” contracts from a film project were worth $1.6 million.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Hollywood's studios are increasingly wary of provoking China’s government by making films that contain “sensitive” content. Some films have even self-censored portions of their own films intended for the global market, in fear of retribution. On today’s show the conversation dives into the origins of how and when Beijing’s cultural policy began to impact Hollywood decision making in film production. The trio also provide concrete examples of how the studios negotiated a share of the growing Chinese film market and what actions the industry needs to take on that issue.

Featuring
Chris Fenton : Author of "Feeding the Dragon: Inside the Trillion Dollar Dilemma Facing Hollywood, the NBA, & American Business"
James Tager : Deputy Director at PEN America & main author of "Made in Hollywood, Censored by Beijing"

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Sponsors
- Win a free month of OVID.tv, which distributes exclusive Chinese films, by sharing your favorite Middle Earth episode on social media. Send Aladin a screenshot on Twitter for a chance to win! 

- If you are in Berlin, Chengdu, or Shanghai and like music or tech, you should check the WISE festival lineup. The event runs from August 28 through September 4. 

Recommendations
- The U.S.-China-Germany film Point Break (2015)
- The U.S.-China film The Meg (2018)

Answers to the quiz
- Too much cleavage was the reason the TV series The Empress of China had to be reshot.
-The Ancient One, a Marvel comic character, got a gender and birthplace change in order to avoid provoking any backlash.
- Abominable (2019), a U.S.-China co-production, was censored by Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines due to its depiction of the nine-dash line.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Founded in 2003, Mahua FunAge (开心麻花) is a cultural company that focuses on comedy content, including plays, musicals, children’s shows, improv, online TV series, and films. As of 2020, it has produced six successful feature films and 40 plays with the support of 400 staff members. Leer Cheng, vice president of the company, joins the show to discuss its recipe for success and how the entertainment industry in China has grappled with COVID-19. 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendation
- Almost a Comedy (半个喜剧, 2019).

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Of the 3,000 film studios located in China, Xiangshan Global Studios in Ningbo is one of the most important. Felix Lou, vice managing director of its international development division, joins Aladin to discuss the origin of the studios, its business model, the talent needed to maintain the operation, and some of its current international collaborations. 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

This episode was co-produced with Hiu Man Chan, the director of the UK-China Film Collab.

Recommendations
- The TV series The Longest Day in Chang'an.
- The upcoming TV series The Golden Hairpin.

Answers to the quiz
- The Shaw Brothers company was funded by the Shanghainese Tianyi Film Company after the founders escaped the 1937 Japanese invasion.
- I Am Somebody is a film about extras working in Hengdian Studio, China’s biggest film studio.
- There are more than 3,000 registered film studios in China.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Raz Gal-Or is the founder of the Foreigner Research Institute (wāigǔorén yánjiū xíehuì 歪果仁研究协会), a successful online platform that promotes foreigners creating content in China. Now known as Y-Platform, it has garnered a following of 80 million through 30 channels and influencers. In March 2020, Raz’s company raised $5 million from Sina Weibo and the online gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co.

What you’ll hear is the audio from a presentation organized by the nonprofit BeHive, which aims to support development opportunities and careers for students and young professionals.

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

As content and movie creation continues to surge inside China, the need for more film industry professionals is now more pressing than ever. One role that lies at the center of creativity and technicality lies the score composer - the individual responsible for creation of music to accompany a film. On the podcast this week, film composers Liu Ye and Sean Calvo explain the work they do in the field, the issues they face, and how traditional Chinese music is utilized within the production process in China.

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Thank you to 247tickets for offering vouchers to guests.

Like the podcasts at SupChina? Help us out by taking this brief survey. 

Recommendations
- The soundtrack to Hero (2002), by Tan Dun. 
- The soundtrack to White Vengeance (2011), by Henry Lai.

Quiz's answers
- Cong Su, a Chinese composer, who won an Oscar for best music score for The Last Emperor (1987).
- The sound of the fighting scene comes from Kung Fu Hustle (2004).
- The oldest Chinese instrument is believed to be the wind instrument Xun.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

In 2014, the Chinese government released a policy document — now referred to as Number 46 — that outlined China’s plan to create the biggest sports industry in the world, with the target of $700 billion in annual revenue by 2025.  We discuss the country’s national policies on sports and the business and collaborative opportunities in this industry. 

Featuring
Jonty Dixon : Sports Editor at Xinhua News
Wenjing Soong : Sports Consultant & Agent
Michael Sun : Chairman and CEO of SlamBall Asia 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendations
- The hockey team Kunlun Red Star, based in Beijing.
- The young football team of Zhidan County in Shaanxi. Follow it on WeChat: 志丹县足球协会.

Answers to the quiz
- Ping-Pong diplomacy is what began the warming of relations between the People’s Republic of China and the USA.
- The furthest China’s national soccer team has gone is the group stages in the 2002 World Cup.
- Li Xiaoshuang is the Chinese Olympian who won six medals in only one Olympic session.

Like the podcasts at SupChina? Help us out by taking this brief survey.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Once Chinese companies rise to the top of the domestic market, another challenge emerges: publicly listing on one of the major U.S. stock exchanges. Among the more recent listings, there is Bilibili and iQIYI for video, and Lizhi and Tencent Music for audio. In that episode guests explain the requirements of going public in the United States, the knowledge gap between Chinese companies and Western investors, and how going public can influence content creation and distribution.

Featuring
Ross Warner : Vice President of The Piacente Group
Elliott Zaagman : co-host of the China Tech Investor podcast 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendations
-Rich Dad Poor Dad and The Intelligent Investor, self-help books on investments.
- The China Hustle, a 2017 documentary about how small Chinese companies were hyped up and sold by American investment banks to U.S.-based investors.
- The Motley Fool Podcasts, a series of podcasts about investing. 

Like the podcasts at SupChina? Help us out by taking this brief survey. 

Quiz's answers
- 152 Chinese companies are listed on the major U.S. stock exchanges. 
- Beijing Jingxi Culture and Tourism (北京京西文化旅游股份有限公司), the company that produced Wolf Warrior 2, is the company that was queried by the Shenzhen Stock Exchange after fraud allegations.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Intellectual property protection on copyrights is seen as being nearly nonexistent in China, but does that argument really hold water? What are the general positions of the Chinese government on international protection in the television and film industries?

Featuring
Mathew Alderson : Partner, Harris Bricken
Li Jianbin : Copyright & Distribution Specialist
Frank Yang : Senior associate, Marks & Clerk

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendations
-The Romanoffs (2018), a TV series
-1917 (2019), an India-Spain-U.K.-U.S. epic war film
- China Law Blog

Quiz's answers
- King of Peking (京城之王 2017) is the Chinese-U.S. comedy about a family illegally copying films on DVDs.
- Michael Jordan is the sportsman who came out victorious in a trademark case in China's Supreme Court against Chinese company Qiaodan Sports.
- The film Cars (2006) was copied by The Autobots (汽车人总动员 2015). 

Like the podcasts at SupChina? Help us out by taking this brief survey.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

John Dietz of BangBang Pictures has worked on over 30 movies in China, ranging from blockbuster films to micro-budget independent projects. He has seen the domestic visual effects (VFX) industry grow tremendously since moving to China in 2009, and works as a third party who handles top-to-bottom implementation of VFX for film projects. He shares a few tricks of the trade, including how he finds success working with international teams, and provides details about the logistics of some of the projects that he has worked on. 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendations
-Animal World (动物世界 2019), a Chinese action-adventure film.
- Lost in Russia (囧妈 2020), a Chinese comedy that can be seen for free on Douyin.

Like the podcasts at SupChina? Help us out by taking this brief survey.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

For years, Chinese producers only had eyes for the “Hollywood model.” That is, big-budget projects and, hopefully, even bigger returns. After volatile times for the Chinese film industry, and events like the Fan Bingbing tax evasion scandal, producers realized that other business models can exist. We explore how this industry with Bridging the Dragon. This association has connected European and Chinese filmmakers since 2014, with the support of various Western film funds, production companies, and festivals (such as the FIRST International Film Festival

Featuring
Cristiano Bortone : Director & Bridging the Dragon Founder 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Link to other episode
- episode 23 about the FIRST International Film Festival

Recommendations
- Road Pictures (路画影视传媒 lù huà yǐngshì méi), a Chinese film distribution company that focuses on art house film.
- New Classics Media (新丽传媒 xīn lí chuánméi), a Chinese entertainment and media company that focuses on remakes.
- Mahua Fun Age (开心麻花 kāixīn máhuā), a Chinese company that focuses on comedy films and live theater.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Key opinion leaders, or KOLs, have a strong connection to Chinese internet users and are now highly sought after to sell products to huge audiences on ecommerce websites and streaming platforms. We dive into the reasons why this growing industry works so well in China and how, eventually, live streamers may end up consuming the same brands that hired them in the first place.

Featuring
Elijah Whaley : Chief Marketing Officer at PARKLU

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendation
- Lǐ Jiāqí 李佳琦, also known as Austin Li, a famous livestreamer
-  Melilim Fu, a beauty and makeup influencer.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

China’s culture and entertainment industry is bracing for serious challenges amid the COVID-19 epidemic. This particularly applies to the film and tourism sectors, which are facing significant headwinds. Yet while people remain quarantined at home, short-video apps and the gaming sector are seeing massive traffic spikes.

Featuring
Terry Mieremet : Entrepreneur in the Tourism Industry
Cecily Huang : Producer at Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Sebastian Francois : Gaming Industry Consultan

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Quiz's answers
- The Spanish flu was the deadliest flu epidemic ever recorded.
- The most viewed films in China right now are Contagion and The Flu.
- Battle of Pathogens is the game co-launched by the publicity department of Haidian District Committee and People's Daily and developed by Bytedance-owned Ohayoo.
- There have been 20,000 concerts canceled in China and Hong Kong since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Dalian Wanda Group, led by billionaire Wáng Jiànlín 王建林, invested heavily in China's movie industry over the past decade. In 2014, at the cost of $8 billion, Wanda Studios Qingdao was founded. This move was aimed at establishing a dynamic supply chain that would be able to facilitate the creation of entire films, from production to distribution. After debt issues forced Wanda to sell its majority stake in the venture to Sunac, another Chinese property developer, the studios were rebranded as Oriental Movie Metropolis.

Gary Kho, the former chief technical officer and chief marketing officer of Wanda Studios Qingdao, worked for the studios throughout their construction. In this interview, he describes how the facilities were built, identifies some of the challenges that the film industry faces domestically, and expounds on his work in bridging divides between China’s film and TV industry and those abroad.

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Recommended watching
- Wandering Earth (流浪地球 2019), shot at Wanda Studios.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

How do the Chinese government and companies engage with the public in Africa? Nillah Nyakoa (journalist at China Radio International), Eric Olander (managing editor of The China Africa Project), and Maria Repnikova (assistant professor of global communications) join host Aladin Farré to explore the different ways China sells, and fails to sell, its story to an entire continent.

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Like the podcast? Take a few minutes to fill out this survey.

Recommendations:
- The TV series Mao Doudou and Her Sweet Days (媳妇的美好时代 2009), which was dubbed in Swahili.
- Two Chinese vloggers, Zhao Huiling and Fyjo Molly, who travel throughout Africa.
- The short-video app Vskit, which is made by the Shenzhen-based mobile phone manufacturer Transsion.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Professor Federico Castigliano is the author of Flâneur: The Art of Wandering the Streets of Paris, which was published in English and Chinese by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 2018. he talks about the process of writing and publishing a book in China and how it compares with the process in Europe and the U.S.

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Like the podcast? Take a few minutes to fill out this survey.

Recommended reading
- Brothers (兄弟 2005) by Yú Huá (余华).

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

This week on Middle Earth, Aladin and his guests take a look at the film production industry in Europe. Li Boyan and William Wang, both industry professionals working and living in France, help provide some insight. They reflect on what they’ve experienced over their years shooting and producing film projects and advertisements, describe what it’s like working as middlemen for Chinese clients who come to France (a majority of which they are able to procure through WeChat), and share their thoughts on collaborating across cultures in Europe as young professionals from China. 

Featuring
William Wang : Producer & Fixer
Li Boyan: Photographer

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendations
- The Map and the Territory, a book by French author Michel Houellebecq.
-Delicatessen (1991) and The City of Lost Children (1995), films by Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Song Wen, founder of the FIRST International Film Festival, discusses the history of one of China’s most promising festivals for the visual arts. Once in danger of being shut down by the authorities in Beijing, the festival has found a new home in China’s west — the provincial capital of Qinghai Province, Xining. This year, hundreds of films were screened to more than 30,000 audience members, and 19 budding directors emerged from a highly selective process to pitch their films to China’s film industry elites. In this episode, Song Wen explains how the festival has evolved from a minor student event to one of the most important cultural events in China’s still-maturing film industry. 

Featuring
Song Wen | 宋文 : FIRST International Film Festival Founder

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommendations
- Old Beast 老兽 (2017)
- The Looming Storm 暴雪将至 (2017)
- An Elephant Sitting Still 大象席地而坐 (2018)
- Dying to Survive 我不是药神 (2018)
- Mosaic Portrait 马赛克少女 (2019)

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

What is it like to work as a storyteller in the Chinese film and TV industry? What is the relationship between producers and scriptwriters? How can one write a story that will resonate with Chinese audiences, and what is the market looking for? This podcast, recorded live at the The SLab in Beijing, explores these questions and the trials and tribulations of writing for the big screen. 

Featuring:

Cai Jinru | 薄荷菜 : Screenwriter
Jordan DeFazio : Screenwriter & Lecturer at the Beijing Film Academy
Joey Wang : Screenwriter

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommended watching:
- Jordan’s Music Video
- I Love My Family 我爱我家 (1994)
- Nothing in the Mirror 空镜子 (2002)
- My Own Swordsman 武林外传 (2006)
- Dwelling Narrowness 蜗居 (2009)
- Nirvana in Fire 琅琊榜 (2015)
-Burning Ice 无证之罪 (2017)

Answers to the episode quiz:-
- Yanxi Palace( 延禧攻略) is the TV show that has been the most Googled in 2018.
- There has been 29 cinematographic adaptations of Journey to the West  over 9 decades.
- Looper (2012) was the first film to make additional scenes for the Chinese audience. It was followed in 2013 by “Iron Man” and “21 and Over”.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Ruby Chen, one of the founding members of the Hong Kong–based China Next (CNEX), tells the story of their nonprofit, which is aimed at promoting and producing Chinese documentaries. She describes her work in identifying and cultivating promising Chinese documentary filmmakers, the challenges and advantages these filmmakers are faced with, and how younger artists are taking novel approaches to creating and sharing their films with the help of new technology and ideas in the 21st century. 

Featuring:
Ruby Chen : Co-Founder & CEO of CNEX

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Podcast's chapters
4:48: The history of CNEX
16:12: Creativity is changing in China 
19:45: Perceptions of Chinese filmmakers
28:46: Is filmmaking in China getting harder?

Recommended watching:
- Umbrella… 伞... (2007)
-1428 (2009)
-KJ: Music and Life 音乐人生 (2009)
- Mothers 妈妈的村庄 (2013)
- A Young Patriot 少年小赵 (2015)
- Look Love 对看 (2015)
-Plastic China 塑料王国 (2016)

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

The pace of urbanization in contemporary China is nothing short of dizzying. Seventy years ago, at the time of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, 80% of the population were farmers based in rural areas. Now, over 60% of all Chinese citizens live in cities of various sizes, and it is projected that by 2030, the number of urban dwellers will exceed 1 billion. As one would expect, the challenges that these dynamics pose to Chinese architects and urban planners are staggering. So how do these beleaguered builders design a modern city in China from scratch in the face of so many changing variables? How do they create cities that strike a balance between modern and traditional aesthetics? And what kinds of obstacles can they expect to face throughout this process?

Featuring:
Andrea Krupski von Mansberg : Architect & urban designer
Li Shuwen | 李书雯 : Architect & urban planner
Lars Ulrik Thom : Founder of Beijing Postcards

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommended watching:
- Imperial City Wall Relics Park, located on the east side of the Forbidden City in Beijing.
- Xiangshan Central Campus of the China Academy of Art, located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. 

Answers to the episode quiz:
- The CCTV headquarters in Beijing is the most expensive building in China, with an estimated cost of $800 million (approximately 5.7 billion yuan).
- Tiananmen Square has the same area as Vatican City, 0.44 km2 (0.17 sq mi).
- Ordos (鄂尔多斯) may be the most famous Chinese “ghost town.” Located in Inner Mongolia, Ordos was supposed to house almost a million people working in the natural resources industry.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Lured by a potentially large and lucrative market, major theater productions are increasingly making the jump from the bright lights of Broadway or the West End to the less familiar but no less lively avenues by the Bund or the Second Ring Road. Yet, according to Gaultier Létourneau-Ross, director of operations at a Canadian company that assists foreign theater troupes seeking to perform in China, much remains to be worked out in terms of effectively producing these types of international productions — from marketing and filling seats to staging and censorship. 

Featuring:
Gaultier Létourneau-Ross: Director of Operations at Saimen

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommended watching and listening:
Sleep No More: An English-language immersive play that has been staged in Shanghai for the past two years.
- Team Lab: A Japanese group that creates interactive art.
- Shen Yun: A U.S.-based performing arts and entertainment company (closely linked to Falun Gong).
- Wuzhen Theater Festival: One of the biggest Chinese theater festivals, which was launched in 2013.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Children’s entertainment is a growing industry in China, with many opportunities for flexible and innovative creators to produce marketable content. Prospects are particularly bright for those working at the intersection of children’s entertainment and education, which has long been an important source of revenue in a country where 93 percent of families pay out-of-pocket for tuition and related fees, according to a 2017 HSBC study. On this episode we discuss the economics of children’s entertainment in China, and how creators can engage in this corner of the market. 

Featuring:
Kevin Geiger: Partner, Magic Dumpling Entertainment
Natasha Shetye: Studio Manager, Thinkwell Group
April Wang: Manager at Beijing Playhouse

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommended watching and listening:
-White Snake 白蛇: 缘起 (2019), a Chinese animated film.
- Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf 喜羊羊与灰太狼, a popular Chinese animated TV series launched in 2005.

Answers to the episode quiz:
- Kung Fu Panda is the hit American animated film that, given the content, made many Chinese netizens openly question why China had not produced anything similar.
- Honor of Kings (王者荣耀) is the video game that now features a time limit for children and teenagers playing it.
-Wáng Fúmǎn (王福满), the real name of the schoolboy who braved an ice storm to walk to school and whose photo, complete with icicles in his hair, went viral on the Chinese internet — earning him the nickname “Ice Boy.”
- Only 30 percent of proceeds at the Chinese box office went to animated films produced in China between 2011 and 2017.

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

This week on the Middle Earth Podcast, Aladin sits down over a pint with Sun Yao (孙遥), the proprietor of his favorite local cultural venue-cum-cafe, to talk about the business end of the cultural industry in China. Like the owners of many niche bars and cafes across China, Sun seeks to turn a profit at his hutong establishment, Camera Stylo, by screening films, hosting live events, and otherwise trying to make art pay. 

A film buff and dedicated entrepreneur, Sun shares his four years of experience running a small business in the hutongs of Beijing trying to bring films and cultural conversations to his diverse clientele. In spite of a rough early start — some of which he spent sleeping in the cafe itself — Sun has managed to ensure Camera Stylo has been able to survive and thrive in a challenging environment.

Featuring:
Sun Yao | 孙遥 : Proprietor of Camera Stylo

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommended watching and listening:
- Aotu Space 凹凸空间 (WeChat Account: aotuspace_bj)
- China Film Archive 中国电影资料馆 | Website

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Podcasting is rapidly becoming the next boom industry in China, with approximately 80 million daily downloads of podcasts and a projected audience of 486 million total. When it comes to putting a number on the industry, however, things get less clear. Some estimate that China’s podcast industry is worth upward of $7 billion, citing a report by China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television. However, this figure is likely somewhat off the mark — the $7 billion figure refers only to “pay for knowledge” programming, that is, educational shows that consumers pay for directly. A more comprehensive number that takes into account free content or podcasts supported by advertisements remains elusive. By comparison, podcasters based in the U.S. made an estimated $314 million in 2017, a number that is projected to double by 2020. Meanwhile, the U.S. “pay for knowledge” industry is estimated to have earned $12 billion in 2016, according to our peer podcast also available on the Sinica Network, TechBuzz China by Pandaily.   

Featuring
Joshua Thomas Ogden-Davis : Writer & Podcaster at Ximalaya (喜马拉雅)
Kou Aizhe |  寇爱哲 : Founder & Host of Story FM (故事FM)
Yu Wanying | 于婉莹 : Founder & Host of Museelogue( 博物志)

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommended watching and listening
- "Digitally China", a podcast about China’s tech innovation.
- "Chinese Cooking Demystified", a YouTube cooking show.
- 日谈公园, a Chinese podcast about China’s culture today.
- 忽左忽右, another Chinese podcast about China’s culture today.

Quiz's answers
- Ximalaya claimed $100 million dollars of revenue in 2017.
- Cai Kangyong (蔡康永) earned 35 million RMB with his podcast "Good Talk" (好好说话).
- Zeng Pengyu (曾鹏宇) had his book content shamelessly stolen by the podcast "Peaceful Goddess" (平安娘娘).

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Live art is one of the few mediums that hasn’t been radically transformed by the digital age. No screen is yet able to capture the magic of in-person performance, be it a comedy show, theater, or even Peking opera. The live performance scene is particularly vibrant in contemporary Beijing, where comedy and theater offerings are as diverse as they are popular. In this episode, Aladin interviews some of Beijing’s emerging live performers to discuss what happens on the stage — and behind the scenes.     

Featuring
Jesse Appell : Comedian and Director of the US-China Comedy Center
Raimund Rosarius : Director, Author & Curator   
Xie Peifan | 謝配釩 : Director, Actor & Teacher

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommended watching and listening
- Lao She (老舍) : Chinese novelist and dramatist.
- Penghao Theatre : Beijing’s first private theater in Beijing.
- Mahua FunAge (开心麻花): Chinese private comedy enterprise that develops and produces plays, films, stand-up comedy, and TV shows.
- Zhao Benshan( 赵本山) : Chinese actor and director best known for his frequent appearances on the CCTV New Year’s Gala. He has produced less work in recent years, possibly as a result of political attacks.

Quiz's answers
- Xiangsheng (相声), also known as “crosstalk,”  is a centuries-old traditional form of Chinese comedic art, usually featuring two performers.
- During the Cultural Revolution, only eight revolutionary operas (样板戏) were allowed to be staged.
- The white mask in Peking Opera signifies treachery and stupidity.   

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Voices from China’s large but marginalized LGBTQ and feminist communities are increasingly making themselves heard in contemporary culture. In particular, artists and activists from these groups are creating content around the idea of “nontraditional love,” which is resonating strongly even with mainstream Chinese audiences. So how have the stories of creators from historically silenced and censored groups found footholds in contemporary culture?

Featuring
Qin Sachi : Manager, Transgender Rights Program, Beijing LGBT Center Beijing
Wei Xiaogang : Executive Director, Producer, Beijing GENDER (同志亦凡人)
Evangeline Z:  Feminist activist and comedian

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommended watching and listening
- Farewell My Concubine (霸王别姬 - 1993)
- East Palace, West Palace (东宫西宫 - 1996)
- Home With Kids (家有儿女 - 2004–2007)
- Mama Rainbow (彩虹伴我心 - 2012)
- Addicted (上瘾 - 2016)
- Chinese Dating With the Parents (中国式相亲), hosted by one of China’s most famous transgender people, Jin Xing (金星)

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

Clubs and live performances featuring international music started taking off in China in the 1980s. Initially, the scene was very focused on foreign diplomats, journalists, and students who rented out restaurants and other spaces on the weekends. Gradually, as policies governing public radio broadcasts underwent reforms that allowed the performance of international music, a broader audience had access to the genre. Fast-forward to the present day: There is no shortage of music festivals, clubs, and other venues in China that feature performances by artists from around the world — to the extent that, if current trends continue, electronic music will be the most popular genre on Chinese radio airwaves by the early 2020s. In this live recording of the Middle Earth Podcast at the 2019 WISE festival, a few industry insiders discuss the current trends in this lively line of work.   

Featuring
Philipp Grefer : Founder, WISE and Fake Music Media
Isla Angus : Booking Agent, ATC Live
Paul Neuteboom : Managing Director, Brother Hood Music
Fay Haixuan Wang : Vice President at China Minsheng Cultural Media Development
Chang Liu –: Chief Operating Officer, Pillz Records
Chang Youdai : Radio and Club DJ 

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and usually hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommended watching and listening
- Cui Jian (崔健) the “Father of Chinese Rock”
- Tang Dynasty (唐朝乐队) often credited as the first Chinese heavy metal band

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support. 

The stark cultural differences between China and the West are frequently identified as key barriers in productive professional exchanges. However, the mechanisms by which people can actually improve their cultural understanding — or “cultural literacy” — are less clear. How can professionals in China and the West bridge gaps in understanding ensuring that business can sail smoothly?   

Featuring
Vincent Vierron : Director
Beatrix Frisch : General Manager at Mackevision
Joey Wang : Scriptwriter

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch!

Three main takeaways from this week’s episode:      
1) In Chinese workplaces, flexibility is key.   
Partially as a result of China’s incredibly competitive labor market, workplaces in China tend to be much more flexible than their counterparts in the West. Media professionals should be ready at any moment for a change in a script or the editing of a commercial, with little notice or supporting budget. At the same time, Chinese workers will almost always respond to their emails on a Saturday evening or late at night (a habit that is far from widespread in Europe, for example). All of this results in sky-high rates of employee turnover as burnout and ambition take their toll.   

2) Top-down approaches are standard in China.
In the office, the boss is king. He (or she!) will always get the last word, no matter how much work went into a project beforehand. However, if an employee is flexible and patient, they can hopefully avoid the worst surprises.

3) Chinese work culture is constantly evolving.
Whether the workplace is a state-owned enterprise or a private, international firm, internal procedures will inevitably vary wildly. What remains constant is that China has come a long way since the beginning of the reform and opening up period, so “middlemen” who take commissions only to put people in contact tend to be less important. 

Recommended watching and listening
- The Flower of War (2011)

Quiz's answers
- Matteo Ricci (1552–1610) was an Italian Jesuit priest who became the first European to enter the Forbidden City of Beijing in 1601, when the Wanli Emperor (万历帝) sought his services in court astronomy and calendrical science. He converted several prominent Chinese officials to Catholicism and translated Euclid's Elements into Chinese as well as the Confucian classics into Latin.
- Da Shan (大山), or Mark Henry Rowswell, is a Canadian comedian and television personality who is one of the most famous Western personalities in China. He has appeared several times on CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala since 1988.
- The Flower of War (2011) is the second-biggest flop at the Chinese box office after The Great Wall (2016). Zhang Yimou directed both films. 

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support.