TV & film

tv-&-film

Top-Ranked Chinese Netflix Series Divides Viewers at Home

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

“The Early Spring” is among the top 10 series in over 20 countries, but viewers at home have criticized its depiction of China’s workplace culture as well as the male protagonist’s belittlement of his female counterpart.

Jiang Xinyi

Chinese Cinema Turns Its Lens Outward

Contributions from individuals with unique perspectives to share. Hear from everyone, from experts and commentators to those whose voices are often marginalized.

VOICES & OPINION

“Once Upon a Time in the Middle East” is something new in China: a film about the outside world that treats its location as more than just a backdrop.

Wu Haiyun

Behind China’s Unlikely Box-Office Hit, Indie Filmmakers Struggle to Be Seen

The amateur-made “Niu Lai” found an audience against the odds. Thousands of other low-budget Chinese films never get the same chance.

Cai Yineng

Eye of the Storm: Viral Podcaster Breaks Silence Over Plagiarism Scandal

Translations, cross-publications, and collaborative projects from Sixth Tone’s external partners. 

SIXTH TONE ×

A Chinese podcaster famed for grilling filmmaker Christopher Nolan takes shelter from claims she lifts content from overseas sources.

Jiefang Daily

Inside the Chinese AI Studio Shrinking Short-Drama Crews to One

Articles that cut to the core of contemporary China. In-depth, informed, and carefully crafted, every piece is carried by the voices of the story’s participants.

FEATURES

Former animators, cinematographers, and VFX artists are helping build AI systems that can script, storyboard, generate, and revise short dramas with unprecedented speed.

He Qitong

China’s Short-Drama Boom Was Built on Speed. Then AI Got Faster.

AI-powered production is upending China’s ultrashorts market, cutting shoots, budgets, and specialized crew work while forcing companies to find cheaper ways to keep live-action production viable.

After Nolan Interview Fame, Chinese Scholar Accused of Plagiarism

Zhuge Yiyang was catapulted to international academic stardom for her viral interview with Christopher Nolan. Now, Chinese social media users say they’ve found evidence she plagiarized others’ works.

Cash Cow: China’s Most Mocked Cartoon Is Suddenly a Viral Hit

The film, made by a mother-son duo with no industry experience and without the use of AI, is projected to earn tens of millions of dollars at the box office.

A Chef Caught in a Middle East War Is China’s Latest Hit

“Once Upon a Time in the Middle East,” one of China’s top-grossing films this summer, centers on a Chinese restaurant owner who saves local orphans during a war in the region.

Li Xin

China’s Short-Drama Boom Calls for a New AI Crew

AI is shrinking crews and production times while opening film jobs to workers trained in fields far beyond cinema.

Fan Yiying

China’s Summer Hit Recasts the Eight Immortals as Con Artists

The blockbuster animation “All Wishes Come True!” places Taoist legends in a fairyland where gods are assigned temples, ranked by incense offerings, and judged by KPIs.

The Many Lives of Chaoshan

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Once known mainly for its merchants and overseas networks, Chaoshan is back in the spotlight. This series examines how the region’s past and present offer insights into modern China.

Sixth Tone

Cai Yiwen

All-Women ‘Shaolin Soccer’ Tribute Scores Big, Divides Fans

The film drew large audiences but disappointed those hoping for the heights of the Hong Kong action star’s past kung fu comedies.

The Chinese Story Behind Chaoshan’s Big Screen Moment

Once pushed to the margins, Chaoshan culture has become a symbol of China’s changing relationship with regional identity, tradition, and belonging.

Xu Zhenhua

A Yunnan Lake, Three Generations, and the Director in Between

Your questions, answered. In-depth interviews with the minds and makers shaping today’s China.

Q & A

Sixth Tone sits down with the director for an interview about how his life, and in particular, his relationship with his grandfather, helped shape the internationally acclaimed film.

Chen Yiru

At the Shanghai Film Festival, AI Gets Its Mainstream Break

The festival, one of the largest in Asia, has brought together AI content creators and traditional filmmakers to spur dialogue and collaborations around the latest technology.

Title Fight: China’s New TV Credit Rules Target Toxic Fandoms

To ease fandom and legal disputes, names will now be listed according to the number of brushstrokes in actors’ surnames.

Livestreamed Readings of Hit Chinese Novel Spark Copyright Debate

The recent TV adaptation of Chen Yan’s “The Protagonist” has inspired hosts to read the novel aloud during livestreams, potentially infringing on copyright.

Boy in the Frame: The Chinese Filmmaker Who Captured Luigi Mangione

A documentary director who set out to explore the lives of Chinese and American teens revisits unreleased footage of the murder suspect when he was 16.