#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
#93 Invisible Summit: One Blind Person's Journey to 8,848 Meters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:03
Send us Fan Mail 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…
#91 How to Publish a Magazine for 100 Issues [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:21
Send us Fan Mail 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 h…
#90 Women in China’s Cultural Industries [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:44
Send us Fan Mail 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 art…
#88 Is Anyone Tipping China's Content Creators? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:35
Send us Fan Mail 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?…
#87 How local government & foundations sponsor culture in China [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:19
Send us Fan Mail 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 r…
#85 How “patriotic influencers” gain millions of fans in China [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:57
Send us Fan Mail 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 th…