New and old dreams

• Source: Global Times
• [10:58 July 13 2010]
• Comments

Yu Xiaotong plays the young version of Jia Baoyu (left), Jiang Mengjie as Lin Daiyu (center), and Li Qin as Xue Baochai in the 2010 A Dream of Red Mansions. Photo: Courtesy of East Movie Channel

By Huang Xi

The recently released television series A Dream of Red Mansions on the Shanghai East Movie Channel, adapted from the 18th century novel written by Cao Xueqin, is seeing a great deal of criticism from some very disappointed viewers.

This is the second time the classic novel has been made into a television series; the first was in 1987 and is now considered a TV classic.

And in that shadow, the new version is taking serious heat from critics and from fans of the previous version.

Audiences are complaining that the plot follows too closely to the novel, that the makeup and costumes are just plain odd, and that the music is corny.

But Li Shaohong, the director of Mansions, seems quite calm facing the negative reviews: "The ratings say it all."

Even with some bad reactions, the ratings for Mansions hit three-year highs among the throngs of vapid costume dramas on the East Movie Channel, even with the World Cup siphoning off large audience numbers.

"The data analysis says that 34 percent of the audience are college-educated, which is much higher than the previous television series," said Chen Jiayong, the channel's marketing director.

The supporters

Literary experts are praising the new version of Mansions and largely support the drama because of its close relationship to the book.

Based on the 120-chapter book, more commonly known as A Dream of Red Mansions, the new version of television series is considered a near complete adaptation of the novel.