Middle Earth - China’s cultural industry podcast
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.
Episodes
18 months ago, we released our episode #99 examining how AI was being used in films, documentaries, and advertising. At the time, most of the more compelling AI-driven work was confined to short-form content. But Chinese content creator and storyteller are doing leapfrog on that area.
As AI tools advance rapidly, they are increasingly taking on more complex roles in filmmaking, including generating entire featur...
China's building boom can now be declared over. Yet what awaits for the 940 million city dwellers living in Chinese cities?
Featuring
- Éric LE KHANH : architect
- LIU Jue (LJ) : managing editor at TWOC
- Jingqiu ZHANG: IARA - Co-founder & Architect
To go further
- Middle Earth episode #108 - The Memorabilia Economy: Why Some Can’t Stop Dreaming of the 90s
- Middle Earth episode #102 Remote ...
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?
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
- ...
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 highes...
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-...
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: Scriptwrit...
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 con...
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...
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 O...
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: Indepe...
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 ...
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 N...
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 Pod...
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 Invisib...
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 T...
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 SAI...
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: Scriptwr...
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 publis...
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 ...
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