He then announced that he had their graphics department create a new opening for Dapeng featuring Chinese elements such as a dragon and Chinese zodiac creatures.
The latest Dapeng show on March 7 used the new opening, while Dapeng hosted the show in broken English to express his gratitude.
"My grandpa gave me a jade, and asked me to give it to my soul mate. I think that's you, Coco," he said.
He even "shot" four men in black because Conan had been "killed" by four men in black in one of his early shows.
But behind the light-hearted China-US interaction, senior critic and insider Tan Fei sees a serious issue of respect for copyright.
"We can see the Internet has made former boundaries porous," he said. "Although both sides have smartly turned a possible conflict into an entertaining interaction with a lovely sense of humor, in the long run you need to have something original and creative, something of your own, to be a really great, lively show."
Liu Chun, head of Sohu's video channel, said he feels sorry for the copying, and asked for tolerance from viewers.
"Online talk shows are still in their infancy in China. We have done something improper, no doubt," he said. "We appreciate Conan's tolerance and sense of humor so much."
liuw@chinadaily.com.cn
