#37 Mahua FunAge: Building a comedy empire

#37 Mahua FunAge: Building a comedy empire

Author: The World of Chinese July 30, 2020 Duration: 29:30
Send us Fan Mail 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 Chin...

Hosted by Aladin Farré and presented by The World of Chinese magazine, Middle Earth-China’s cultural industry podcast goes beyond the headlines to explore the vibrant, complex engine of creativity in the world's second-largest cultural market. This isn't a surface-level tour; it's a series of conversations with the people actually making things-the writers, directors, producers, and strategists shaping television, film, art, and broader society. Each episode delves into the realities of production, the nuances of storytelling for a massive audience, and the unique challenges and opportunities that define the contemporary Chinese cultural landscape. Listeners get a front-row seat to discussions about how projects come to life, what trends are emerging, and what it means to create content within this dynamic ecosystem. For anyone curious about the forces driving modern Chinese cinema, television, and arts, this podcast offers an essential, ground-level perspective. Tune in for thoughtful, insider dialogues that illuminate the fascinating intersection of commerce, art, and culture in China today.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Middle Earth - China’s cultural industry podcast
Podcast Episodes
#102 Remote Creatives [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:23
Send us Fan Mail 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 a…
#101 When (True) Crime Pays [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:46
Send us Fan Mail 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 prop…
#99 How AI is disrupting China’s cultural industry [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:55
Send us Fan Mail 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 ethic…
#97 China’s (high-end) fashion industry [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:44
Send us Fan Mail 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 bra…
#94 Traditional Chinese Medicine – The Needling Truth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:56
Send us Fan Mail 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 attract…