Middle Earth - China’s cultural industry podcast
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Your source of insight into China's culture industry: Hear from people creating and producing content in the world's second biggest cultural market. Hosted by Aladin Farré, and presented by The World of Chinese magazine.
116 Episodes
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Send us a text As the Cannes festival ends, we interviewed some key player regarding how the biggest film festival in the world impacts Chinese cinema. Featuring - Cao Liuying : Parallax Films - Sales Agent - Clément Magar : Fortissimo Films - General Manager - Qu Zhizheng : Director & Cinematographer To go further - Middle Earth episode #44 Does China still make indie films? Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cul...
Send us a text Nostalgia isn’t just a feeling—it’s also a powerful selling tool. Right as China's GDP growth slows and the future feels uncertain, consumers are increasingly drawn to products and stories that evoke the past. Whether it’s retro snacks or hit TV shows reviving bygone eras, some are tapping into a deep emotional connection. Featuring - Chu Dandan: TWOC - former editor-in-chief - Yaling Jiang: Consultant - Haoyue : Film Producer To go further - Middle Earth episode #54 What is th...
Send us a text In recent months, China’s box office has faced significant challenges, making a recent development all the more remarkable. Recently the animated film Ne Zha 2 has skyrocketed into the global box office top 10 in just one month. With currently over 1.9 billion in revenue, the film has achieved two groundbreaking milestones: - It’s the first non-English film to break into this elite category. - It’s now the highest-grossing animated film worldwide, surpassing Inside Out 2, the p...
Send us a text It has been a crazy week following the non-TikTok ban and witnessing real 'positive energy' on both sides of the Pacific. How did over 1 million Americans flock to RedNote/小红书? What hurdles lie ahead for us, and are there any potential business opportunities for international content creators? Featuring - Jim Fields: Relay Video - CEO (小红书: Jim技术咨询) - Lucy Lv: Culture news reporter (IG-TT: nihaolucylv) - Wang Zichen: Policy Expert (www.pekingnology.com) To go further - Middle ...
Send us a text When the Middle Earth Podcast started years ago, it was hard to find any feminist mainstream cultural products. But recently, movies like HER STORY (好东西) and LIKE A ROLLING STONE (出走的决心), along with female stand-up comedians and influencers, have been making their way into the mainstream. How did these success stories come to be? Featuring - Xiaotong Jiang: Kudos Comedy - Founder - Jiaxi Wang: Scriptwriter & Director - Hayley Zhao: TWOC - Journalist & Editor To go furt...
Send us a text Hello everyone, the Middle Earth Podcast will continue as we enter 2025, but I call on all of you dear listeners as I’m great need of freelance work (or a full time position, let’s dream !). In case you are in needs of a: - corpo video creator - podcast expert - researcher - film editor - freelance producer - or PR expert Here is my company presentation (Link) and we can also connect on Linkedin (Link), it would always be great to know more of you. Wishing you all in a...
Send us a text Episode gracefully passed over by Jiang Jiang (JJ) from the Inside the China Room podcast show in order to have a second window of distribution ;) Enjoy ! To go further - Middle Earth episode #72 Film Distribution: How to Succeed at China’s Box Office - Middle Earth episode #44 Does China still make indie films? Original message This week on Inside the China Room, Jiang Jiang (JJ) welcomes Annie Song (宋晓佳), a young Chinese film producer and art director of 林象文化 Jungl...
Send us a text Despite China's reputation for having difficulty selling cultural products due to local regulations and the audience's taste, some do manage to bridge the Chinese audience with international content. Where do such opportunities lie, and how has the Chinese audience evolved over the years? Featuring - Marion Bertagna: MB Projects - Founder & Director - Sun Wenxin (aka Yoyo): Global Concert Organizer To go further - Middle Earth episode #87 How local government & foundat...
Send us a text China's first AAA game Black Myth: Wukong certainly caught the world's attention for its production value, commercial success, and controversies. How did the creative team pull that off, and why was this game considered the "perfect package"? Featuring - Daniel Ahmad: Niko Partners - Director of Research & Insights - Lundy Lan: Video Game Technical Artist - Jesse Young: Independent Researcher To go further - Middle Earth trilogy about Chinese video games industry : ...
Send us a text 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 and the artistic community around them, they offer a testimony to creatives' never ending resourcefulness. Featuring - Guo Xiadong : Film Producer (in Songzhuang - near Beijing) - Ryan LaBar : Artist (in Jingdezhen - Jiangxi province) To go further - Middle Earth episode #20 Mak...
Send us a text 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 propose to Chinese audiences? Featuring - A Yi (阿乙) : Writer - Eric Changan : Content Creator - Wapi : Content Creator & Writer To go further - Middle Earth episode #95 Chinese Web Novels: The Hidden Golden Goose? - Middle Earth episode #92 How writers, bookstore owners, and pr...
Send us a text After 224 guests, 4,439 minutes of content and 1 pandemic we are shamelessly celebrating Midde Earth – China’s cultural industry Podcast 100th episode! In order to make it big I have summoned all my supportive friends living in Beijing and we are today at Chill Bar for a live event to have quick introspection about the show, and so much more. Featuring - Aladin Farré : Content Producer & Middle Earth Podcast Founder - Sara Huang : Scriptwriter and Translator -...
Send us a text 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 ethical issues attached to such practices? Featuring - Fan : AI Startup - CTO - Erik Luo : Technical AI artist - Liang Chouwa : Documentary Director To go further - Middle Earth episode #93 Invisible Summit: One Blind Person's Journey to 8,848 Meters - Middle Earth episode #84 Are ...
Send us a text Before Covid, WWE and UFC were key to push the envelope of MMA in China, now, independent promotion companies like Middle Kingdom Wrestling are left to pick up the momentum. Featuring - Adrian Gomez: Middle Kingdom Wrestling - Founder To go further - Middle Earth episode #65 China’s winter sports market : How to get 300 million snow enthusiasts? - Middle Earth episode #51 Pop Mart : How to Make an Addictive Toy (featuring Jiang Yaling) With thanks to Yang Yaling of...
Send us a text 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 brands buying up international competitors. What can insiders share from that industry? Featuring - Li Boyan: Fashion Photographer - Lucrezia Seu: Plush Consulting - Founder - CK Zhang : 张本赛含之 SAIANZI - Founder To go further - Middle Earth episode #93 Invisible Summit...
Send us a text Potentially succeeding where Quibi failed, several Chinese apps (DramaBox, Reelshort) alongside others (Pocket FM, Good Novel) are pushing for 1-minute episodes of micro-series. Often depicted as being of trashy quality, they do seem to attract some eyeballs. Yet, what are the creative conditions to produce such Fifty Shades-esque stories, and is the market where we think it is? Featuring - Jack Li: Scriptwriter - Anaïs Clément : Actress and Theatre Maker - Yang Tingting: TWO...
Send us a text Started as a grassroots movement in the early Chinese internet, web novels slowly became a powerhouse of China’s cultural industry by producing powerful IPs. How did this industry came to be? Featuring - Tage : Author - Wei Xiaoma : IP Licensing Manager - Yang Zeyi : Technology Reporter To go further - Middle Earth episode #92 How writers, bookstore owners, and printers survive in China’s publishing industry - Middle Earth episode #69 The Seducing Power of IPs - Mi...
Send us a text 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 attracted by it? Featuring - Martin Eriksson : TCM doctor - ShaoYefan (邵叶凡) : TWOC - freelancer - Wu Yanmin : Ori-Bio - Co-founder To go further - Middle Earth episode #82 Understanding China’s national park & scenic areas - Bitter No More: How Young Chinese Became Obsessed...
Send us a text 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 HOME) discusses how he filmed Zhang’s extraordinary journey and what he learned during the making of the movie. Featuring - Fan Lixin (范立欣): Documentary Director - Liu Yuan (刘元): Producer To go further - Middle Earth episode #78 Revving Up China’s New Biker Culture - Mid...
Send us a text China’s book market is the second largest in the world, with people reading around 6 billion books a year. But how easy is it for small publishers, bookstores, and writers to get a piece of this pie? And how are digital alternatives to physical books impacting writers and small businesses and writers? Featuring - Chen Qiufan (陈楸帆): Writer & Futurist - Liu Jue: TWOC – Managing editor - Li Suwan (李苏皖): Maziren Bookstore (码字人书店) - Owner To go further - Middle Earth episo...
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Giving a shout out to Aladin and the team for his incredible effort hunting down gems in the Chinese culture/media market.