Hit Chinese shows gain popularity in overseas markets

The Chinese costume drama Who Rules the World, starring Yang Yang and Zhao Lusi, became a sensation in Thailand after airing on WeTV in May. It tells of the love story between a young woman and a man competing with each other in martial arts who finally fight against the world together. The romantic drama received hundreds of millions of views.

The most popular Chinese stars in Thailand, including Yang Yang, Xiao Zhan, Yang Mi and Dilraba Dilmurat, also often play the leading roles in popular costume romances.

Wang said, "We really hope to bring these stars to Thailand for their adoring fans to meet them," adding that previously, pandemic policies made it impossible for Thai fans to meet their favored stars.

In 2019, when WeTV held an offline event at a shopping center in Bangkok that featured two leading actors from a Chinese romance series, fans packed the center, Wang said.

"There were so many people. It was very impressive. The two Chinese stars were not that popular at home, but because they played protagonists in the romance series, the Thai people loved it so much," Wang added.

This series, Put Your Head on My Shoulder, is a small production that relates the love story between a young man and woman who have just graduated from college. It was the first Chinese drama introduced to Thailand by WeTV.

Many popular Chinese dramas have since been introduced by the streaming platform, which in 2019 formed a team of about 30 people in Bangkok.

"Although we couldn't organize offline promotional activities after 2020 due to the pandemic, our subscriber numbers have grown steadily each year," Wang said.