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 - FounderTo 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 Yang Yaling)With thanks to Yang Yaling of Following the yuan for co-producing the episode and Middle Kingdom Wrestling for poster’s picture.Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影

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 - FounderTo go further- Middle Earth episode #93 Invisible Summit: One Blind Person’s Journey to 8,848 Meters- Middle Earth episode #24 Dealing with the diaspora: Catering to Chinese clients abroad- Talking Shop, article by Emily Conrad for The World of Chinese Magazine- Turning the Tide, article by He Yingzi- Vintage Values, article by Hatty LiuMiddle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next film or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影With thanks to Ren Jiayin for production assistant, Sean Calvo for music support and Lucrezia Seu for poster picture.

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: TWOC - JournalistTo go further- Middle Earth episode #59 China micro-series’s boom- Middle Earth episode #08 How to Make a Movie in 14 Days- High Stakes in Short Takes: China’s Booming Micro-Drama Business, article by Yang Tingting- the international micro-series "The Double Life of My Billionaire Husband"- the chinese micro-series 《我在八零年代当后妈》Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next film or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support.The World of Chinese MagazineA magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

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- Middle Earth episode #90 Women in China’s Cultural Industries- Middle Earth episode #79 Exploring Wuxia (think "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") - Bitter No More: How Young Chinese Became Obsessed With TCM, article by Shao Yefan- China is reinventing the way the world reads, article by Yang ZeyiMiddle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next film or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影With thanks to Ren Jiayin for production assistant, Li Muyuan for voice over and Sean Calvo for music support.The World of Chinese MagazineA magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

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-founderTo go further- Middle Earth episode #82 Understanding China’s national park & scenic areas - Bitter No More: How Young Chinese Became Obsessed With TCM, article by Shao YefanMiddle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next film or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影With thanks to Ren Jiayin for production assistant, Wu Daozhi for fact-checking, Kian2018 for picture illustration and Sean Calvo for music support.The World of Chinese MagazineA magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

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): ProducerTo go further- Middle Earth episode #78 Revving Up China’s New Biker Culture - Middle Earth episode #72 Film Distribution: How to Succeed at China’s Box Office How to support the film?- Tell your friends living in China to buy a ticket for the week-end of the 27th of October- Find the film on 猫眼 app and click on 想看- And if you know an international TV commissioner that could be interested by the film, let's be in touch ;)Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next film or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. The World of Chinese MagazineA magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

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) - OwnerTo go further- Middle Earth episode #95 Chinese Web Novels: The Hidden Golden Goose? - Middle Earth episode #91 How to Publish a Magazine for 100 Issues- Middle Earth episode #25 How to publish a book in China- "The Dark Room Problem" short story written by Chen Qiufan (陈楸帆) and published by The World of Chinese Magazine- How China’s Small-Town Bookstores Innovate to Survive, article by by The World of Chinese Magazine- Bookish Dreams: The fantasy of owning an independent bookstore lingers for China’s idealists, article by by The World of Chinese MagazineMiddle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. The World of Chinese MagazineA magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Not sure if you could stand my broken Chinese, but I started a new show regarding China's latest box office called 票房指南 as a part of an ongoing effort to become a true 网红...The Middle Earth Podcast will return next week.LinksSubscribe to 票房指南 on podcast app 小宇宙 : LinkSubscribe to 票房指南 on social media Bilibili : Link原本担心这会是一部古装特效烂片，看过后却成为今年暑期的一大惊喜。 但是，《封神第一部》还有哪些地方可以改进？号称30亿预算的封神三部曲能实现盈利吗？涉及到的电影： 《阿修罗》2018年《指环王》2001-2003年《蜘蛛巢城》1957年《七武士》1954年

It's not every day that a magazine publishes its 100th issue—but Middle Earth's distributor, The World of Chinese, has reached this important milestone after 17 years of publication. We want to look at how an English-language magazine based in Beijing sustains itself and evolves into a multimedia platform (including podcasts) for human-centered stories from China.Featuring - Hatty Liu: TWOC - Former managing editor 2019-2023- Liu Jue: TWOC - co-managing editor- Doug Hughes: International education expertBuy your ticket for The World of Chinese's 100th issue event in Beijing on the 31th of August : https://yoopay.cn/event/89241330 Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support.

Women perform up to 50 percent of the jobs in China's cultural industries, but are they getting equal opportunities and compensation as men? In this episode, guests from the world of film, TV, visual arts, and journalism discuss the barriers female leaders and employees still face in their industries, and the benefits of more gender diversity in the workplace.Featuring - Li Muyuan : Gushi FM - Producer- Hatty Liu :  Journalist & Former TWOC Managing Editor - Luka Yang : Visual Artist & FilmmakerTo Go Further- "Women’s Work" article by The World of Chinese Magazine- "Getting Rights Wrong" article by The World of Chinese Magazine- "Hidden Harassment" article by The World of Chinese MagazineMiddle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré.  If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary or looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support.The World of Chinese MagazineA magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Today I plug in a new show that I'm working on where we interviewed Georges Berne, a true master in the art of lighting design who worked on the Mona Lisa. Today, he reflects on his long career and shares his thoughts on his work.Winland Art PodcastArchitecture is solidified art, and art is the soul of architecture. Created by the Carte Blanche art team from in Beijing, Winland Art Podcast show focuses on the global art stage. In our show we discuss the challenges faced by those working in the art field with a focus on hot issues in the art world such as cross-cultural creation and China’s current art world scene.The Carte Blanche space was founded in 2019 and is located at Winland IFC, 7 Finance Street, Beijing.Subscribe to the Winland Art Podcast wherever you listen to your podcast or at : https://podcast.winlandcorp.comTo know moreWebsite: https://winlandcenter.com/en/here WeChat Account: 英蓝集团 WinlandInstagram: @WinlandCorp

A billion internet users means a lot of followers for some content creators in China. But with ad revenue dropping China’s economy is slowing down, are tips and patrons a viable alternative for creators? Featuring- Lulu | 璐璐 : LHH Speak Easy ( 璐璐的英文小酒馆 ) - Founder- Luigi Liu :  BtoZ-Movie - Founder To go further- "Career Fans" article by The World of Chinese Magazine - Middle Earth episode #87 How local government & foundations sponsor culture in China - Middle Earth episode #50 Xiaohongshu : Marrying content and e-commerce - Middle Earth episode #29 Online KOL marketing in ChinaMiddle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support. The World of Chinese MagazineA magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Culture is expensive, and China makes no exception to that. Without the support of public and private entities, many artists could not create anything or be overly commercial. After getting through the regulations hurdle, what kind of art are supported by the big companies and local governments? Featuring- Yilin Chen : Winland Group - Art Project Director - Elie Rosenberg : Impromptu - Co-Founder - He Xin : former real estate consultantTo go further- "Dream Factory" article by The World of Chinese Magazine - Middle Earth episode #36 Transforming a Chinese movie studio- Middle Earth episode #60 The Golden Age of China's Museums?- Middle Earth episode #82 Understanding China’s national park & scenic areas  Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影With thanks to Ren Jiayin for production assistant,  Sean Calvo for music support, Eleven Labs for the AI voice and Leeluv for the poster picture. The World of Chinese MagazineA magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

For a decade or more, rural Chinese have been setting up online stores in their homes, hoping to make a living through e-commerce rather than factory work or farming. But any easy money there was in online selling is beginning to dry up. Village neighbors have been pitted against each other in competition for customers, unscrupulous merchants copy products and images from competitors with impunity, while rural residents also struggle to keep up with evolving trends like livestreaming. For over 10 years Dr Lin Zhang followed several of these rural entrepreneurs and their families, culminating in her latest book The Labor of Reinvention - Entrepreneurship in the New Chinese Digital Economy.Featuring- Dr Lin Zhang : University of New Hampshire Professor, author of The Labor of Reinvention - Entrepreneurship in the New Chinese Digital EconomyWhere to buy the book -  The Labor of Reinvention, published by Columbia University Presshttps://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-labor-of-reinvention/9780231551298 To go further- Middle Earth episode #01 How to be internet famous in China (Part 1 of "China's internet and creation") - Middle Earth episode #29 Online KOL marketing in China Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影With thanks to Sean Calvo for music support.

As China becomes more assertive on the global stage with its diplomacy and state media, “patriotic KOLs” have appeared on domestic Chinese social media platforms, influencing the political opinions of their millions of fans. But how do KOLs craft their message to be successful, and who’s paying their bills?Featuring- Fang Kecheng : The Chinese University of Hong Kong - Assistant Professor- Miro Li : Double V. Consulting - Founder To go further- Middle Earth episode #50 Xiaohongshu : Marrying content and e-commerce- Nikkei Asia's article : China’s online nationalist army- 孤烟暮蝉 (Guyanmuchan ) on Weibo- 心医林霖 (xīnyīlínlín) on Bilibili- 周小平 (Zhou Xiaoping), WeChat ID : 平局- 占豪 (Zhan Hao), WeChat ID : 占豪- 北美留学生观察, WeChat ID : 北美留学生观察 Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影With thanks to Wen Jiayin for production assistance, episode's picture by maono闪克 and Sean Calvo for music support. The World of Chinese MagazineA magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

NFTS are legal to be bought in China, but reselling them is an all other matters. Yet a local scene of buyers and artists keeps growing, while some lost a great amount of money as they were hoping for a quick return on investment. How does the scene keep growing while local regulations are put into place?Featuring - Ellwood Chen : Digital Artist & Pills Labs Founder - Rory Mencin : Curator & Art Critic- Reva : Crypto artistTo go further with Chinese art collectors - Middle Earth episode #80 Contemporary art in Greater China- Middle Earth episode #77 Antiques: China first cultural industryMiddle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影With thanks to Wen Jiayin for production assistance, and Sean Calvo for music support. The World of Chinese MagazineA magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

While China struggles to export its cultural abroad, neighbors like Korea and Japan seem immune to this problem. Apart from local regulations in art, what are the issues creators from China face when trying to take their cultural products abroad, and what are some products that actually became hits? Featuring - Li Jianbin: Beijing Inmost Media - Senior BD Director- Alex Taggart: Outdustry - Head of International - Vivian Ying: Film International SalesTo go further- Middle Earth episode #67 Creating Games for the West- Middle Earth episode #26 China’s soft power in Africa Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! With thanks to Wen Jiayin for production assistance, Wendy Wei for illustration and Sean Calvo for music support.

In 2021, there were 2 billion visits to China’s outdoor tourism sites, such as nature reserves and natural scenic areas. How is this part of the tourism industry coping with a growing demand for outdoor experiences, and did that influence the creation of the country’s national park system? Featuring - Justin Culkin : A Trails - Business Development Director- Rose Niu 牛红卫 : Paulson Institute - Chief Conservation Officer - Yefren Nye : TWOC contributor & innovative Green Development Program communications specialist To go further - The Trails and Tribulations of China's Outdoors Boom article by Yefren Nye - Right to Roam article by Yefren Nye - The Myth of the Chinese Wilderness by Tina Xu (徐盈盈) - #55 Why is red tourism trending beyond the golden generation? By the Middle Earth Podcast - #60 The Golden Age of China's Museums? By the Middle Earth Podcast  Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! With thanks to Wen Jiayin for production assistance and Sean Calvo for music support. The World of Chinese MagazineA magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

As the year 2023 starts, we review our top 3 stories from 2022 and make a few predictions for trends in China’s culture industries in 2023. Featuring - Aladin Farré : Founder of Middle Earth Podcast - Hatty Liu : Managing editor at TWOC - Jesse Appel, Sara Huang, Yang Yu, & Jingtong ZhuTo go further- our podcast top 3 stories of the year #79 Exploring Wuxia #67 Creating Games for the West #64 Gambling in China : How Covid-19 helped the industry grow - Peter Chan's interview about his movie LEAP (2020)- The article Land of Milk and Honey: The Story of China’s Most Profitable Milk Tea Brand by TWOC- The article Boom, Bluff, Bust by TWOC- Wuxia novels published on TWOC:  Restaurant of The Thousand Arms, Martial Tea and Night Moves, by author Hu Yuesheng (胡月生).Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! With thanks to Wen Jiayin for production assistance and Sean Calvo for music support. The World of Chinese MagazineA magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Greater China is now the biggest art-market in the world, but thousands of galleries in the middle kingdom have closed up, while many artists are struggling to make a living. How are gallery curators, artists, and tech companies keeping up with this ultra-competitive art market? Featuring - Ashley Qin – YITIAO Art Director- Lin Zi – SANTO HALL Gallery curator - Sima Yuan – Artist To go further- The article Photo Shop: Art in the Age of the Influencer by TWOC- The article Zhao Xiaoli Blurs the Line Between Online Influencer and Artist by TWOC- Middle Earth episode 60 The Golden Age of China’s Museums?- Artists Wang Xingwei & Jia AiliMiddle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! With thanks to Wen Jiayin for production assistance and Sean Calvo for music support. The World of Chinese MagazineA magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.