TITLE:
Exploring the Differences in Chinese and American Audiences’ Understanding of Chinese Costume Dramas — The Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan as an Example
AUTHORS:
Baijia Ding
KEYWORDS:
Chinese Costume Drama, Legend of Zhen Huan, Cultural Differences
JOURNAL NAME:
Chinese Studies,
Vol.13 No.1,
February
22,
2024
ABSTRACT: The
Legend of Zhen Huan, the pinnacle of Chinese costume dramas, is still enduring
after a decade. It has received unanimous praise from Chinese audiences since
its release. Before its release in the United States, the Legend of Zhen Huan
team first got it to the Cannes Film Festival to test the waters and gained
success. The drama has also received mixed reactions from American audiences
after its release in the US. Therefore, as one of the representatives of
Chinese costume dramas, this article focuses on the different audience
reactions generated by Chinese costume dramas at home and abroad, focusing on
The Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan, and doing research and study between the
audience feedback in China and the United States. This article compares and
contrasts three episodes of Legend of Zhen Huan: the blood-testing link, the
protagonist’s killing with a borrowed knife, and the love for King Guo and Zhen
Huan. Through the comparison, we find that the audiences of the two countries
have different or opposite views on these three episodes due to the influence
of different cultures.