Chinese TV Dramas Grow Popular in Myanmar

“Recently I’ve been obsessed with a TV drama. Joann is a very inspirational character and I hope she is successful in her career，” said Kyaw Myo Sithu， a young man from Myanmar. He has fallen in love with the Chinese TV series Hello， Joann， which was shown on Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) this August.

On Aug. 22， China’s Guangxi Broadcasting Service (GXBS) launched a program called the Chinese TV Program in Myanmar in cooperation with MRTV. The Myanmar languge version of Hello， Joann， dubbed by joint efforts of both sides， began broadcasting on the same day as the first TV series aired on the program. About 160 episodes of co-dubbed popular Chinese TV dramas will be broadcast on the program each year.

First Fruits of Sino-Myanmar Media Cooperation

Chinese urban dramas are attractive to not only young people from Myanmar， but also Myanmar Minister of Information U Pe Myint， who once visited the dubbing studio of Hello， Joann.

Hello， Joann tells the story of two girls who leave university and start their new lives in the workplace， depicting the lives of young people in modern China. To better present the series to audiences in Myanmar， the GXBS and MRTV invited six voice actors to participate in the process of dubbing. The TV drama aired on the Chinese TV Program during primetime every Monday， Tuesday and Wednesday.

“The program represents an achievement in China-Myanmar media cooperation. Many Myanmar audiences are very fond of Chinese TV dramas. The series Hello， Joann is quite popular in China， and I hope it will entertain viewers in Myanmar as well，” said U Pe Myint in his speech at the launching ceremony of the Chinese TV Program.

He also noted that China and Myanmar have long enjoyed traditional “Paukphaw” friendship， and now the development of bilateral relations has reached a new level， as media cooperation has been further enriched through high-level visits， personnel exchanges and joint production.

Other distinguished guests present at the launching ceremony included Fan Xiaoli， member of the Standing Committee and director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Committee of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， MRTV Director-general U Myint Htwe， Director of the International Communication Office of the State Council Information Office of China Zhao Jianguo， Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Department of the State Administration of Press， Publication， Radio， Film and Television of China Zhou Jihong and Counselor of Chinese Embassy in Myanmar Yang Shouzheng.

Fan pointed out in her speech that as the first tangible result of Sino-Myanmar media cooperation， the Chinese TV Program is a concrete step in implementing the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries. It is not only a new model but also a successful example of deepened media exchanges and cooperation between the two sides.

“China-Myanmar media cooperation will be lifted to new heights after this ceremony，” Fan said. “With a new dubbing studio jointly established， we will introduce more popular Chinese TV shows to Myanmar people in the future.”

Common Family Life on TV

TV series are particularly popular among women in Myanmar. In 2013， Jin Tailang’s Happy Life， the first Chinese TV show dubbed in Myanmar language， became a hit in the country. Through this TV production， Myanmar audiences found that family life in China has many similarities to that in Myanmar. For example， Chinese parents are deeply attached to their children and willing to do everything they can to help them， as are Myanmar parents.

The dubbed version of Jin Tailang’s Happy Life played an important role in promoting China-Myanmar friendship and cultural exchanges. After watching two episodes of the TV series， then-Myanmar Ambassador to China U Tin Oo commissioned a counselor to deliver his handwritten letter to the producer of the dubbed version， China Radio International (CRI). In the letter， he expressed his appreciation to CRI for the efforts they made to promote friendship between the two countries. The same year， the DVD of the dubbed version of Jin Tailang’s Happy Life was selected as a national gift to Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi for his visit to Myanmar.

The voice actors of Jin Tailang’s Happy Life were carefully selected. Well-known Myanmar actor Sithu Maung and actress Thiri Shinn Thant were invited to dub the roles of male and female leading actors. Myanmar idol star Paing Zay Ye Tun and Miss Myanmar 2013 Khin La Pyae Zaw also joined the dubbing crew.

“Jin Tailang’s Happy Life was not only the first Chinese TV series dubbed in the Myanmar language， but also the first dubbed TV drama broadcast in the country ever. Before this one， foreign TV productions with subtitles were the only choice for the Myanmar audiences，” explained Dong Jie， who worked with CRI in her role at the Communication Center for Southeast Asia.

Dong was the executive producer of the dubbed version of Jin Tailang’s Happy Life. She also dubbed for a number of supporting actors in the drama， so she has a good understanding of difficulties encountered in the dubbing process. For instance， when one-page Chinese lines were translated into Myanmar language， they would take up three pages. In order to keep the actors’ voice in sync with their lip movements， the translated lines had to be condensed. In addition， the Myanmar language is generally softly spoken， but the lines of some characters in the TV show are often stiff and aggressive. “In the beginning we had to teach the Myanmar voice actors how to quarrel with each other，” Dong laughed.

In fact， the people of Myanmar are quite familiar with Chinese TV series. Famous period dramas， such as Justice Bao， Journey to the West and Outlaws of the Marsh， have long been popular in Myanmar. Among them， Justice Bao has been aired for more than a decade in the country. Today， characters like Lord Bao and Zhan Zhao are still well-known across Myanmar.

The First China-Myanmar Co-production

In addition to Hello， Joann and Jin Tailang’s Happy Life， the TV series Legend of the Dancing Prince is also of great significance for Sino-Myanmar media cooperation. Starring well-known Chinese actors Lin Gengxin， Yu Rongguang， Tang Guoqiang， Zhao Wenxuan and Korean actress Choo Ja Hyun， the period drama is based on the true story of Prince Shwenandaw of the ancient Kingdom of Pyu， a state in the valley of the River Irrawaddy in Myanmar. In the year 802， he visited Chang’an (modern Xi’an， Shaanxi Province)， the capital of the Tang Dynasty (618-907)， and brought with him a troupe of musicians that were highly welcomed in the city. The TV series Legend of Dancing Prince is a faithful representation of China-Myanmar exchanges in ancient times.

Shot in Bagan of Myanmar and Chinese cities and towns like Ruili， Jianchuan， Dali， Chuxiong， Kunming and Hengdian， the drama traveled along the historical route of Prince Shwenandaw to reproduce the actual outdoor scenes at the time.

At the same time， renowned Myanmar director Sin Yaw Mg Mg was invited to lead the shooting in Myanmar. He carefully selected well-known Myanmar actors to portray the king and queen of the Kingdom of Pyu.

As the cast members came from different countries， the language barrier became a big problem in shooting the TV series. To overcome this difficulty， the crew prepared scripts in Chinese， English and Myanmar language. Poor road conditions were another challenge for the crew. In order to protect their shooting property， crew members were often forced to carry their heavy equipment over fairly long distances. Traveling to many different places in both Myanmar and China over the course of four years， Legend of the Dancing Prince finally wrapped up shooting in Hengdian World Studios in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province.

“Legend of the Dancing Prince is the first China-Myanmar co-production of TV series， as well as the first attempt of cooperation between the two sides in a cultural field， initiating the comprehensive cultural exchanges and cooperation between the two countries，” noted former Myanmar Minister of Culture and Information U Kyaw San.

Legend of the Dancing Prince is a truthful reproduction of the frequent cultural exchanges along the southern Silk Road more than 1，200 years ago， as well as the historical origins of Sino-Myanmar friendship. The TV drama also depicts the common pursuit of peace of the two peoples. It is Myanmar’s first co-produced TV series with a foreign country.

From Hello， Joann and Jin Tailang’s Happy Life to Justice Bao and Legend of the Dancing Prince， from urban dramas about modern China and common family life to period dramas promoting values of justice and integrity， these TV productions are very popular among both Chinese and Myanmar audiences. In these years， the two peoples have not only enjoyed the same TV series， but also have been struck by similar feelings in their hearts.