100 episodes

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.

Middle Earth - China’s cultural industry podcast The World of Chinese

    • TV & Film
    • 4.8 • 12 Ratings

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.

    #95 Chinese Web Novels: The Hidden Golden Goose? (Publishing industry - part 2)

    #95 Chinese Web Novels: The Hidden Golden Goose? (Publishing industry - part 2)

    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 Zeyi

    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 Ren Jiayin for production assistant, Li Muyuan for voice over and Sean Calvo for music support.

    • 38 min
    #94 Traditional Chinese Medicine – The Needling Truth

    #94 Traditional Chinese Medicine – The Needling Truth

    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 park & scenic areas
    - Bitter No More: How Young Chinese Became Obsessed With TCM, article by Shao Yefan

    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 Ren Jiayin for production assistant, Wu Daozhi for fact-checking, Kian2018 for picture illustration and Sean Calvo for music support.
    The World of Chinese Magazine A 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.

    • 39 min
    #93 Invisible Summit: One Blind Person's Journey to 8,848 Meters

    #93 Invisible Summit: One Blind Person's Journey to 8,848 Meters

    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): Producer
    To 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. 

    • 41 min
    #92 How writers, bookstore owners, and printers survive in China’s publishing industry (Publishing industry - part 1)

    #92 How writers, bookstore owners, and printers survive in China’s publishing industry (Publishing industry - part 1)

    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
    - Su Wan (苏皖): Maziren Bookstore (码字人书店) - Owner
    To 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 Magazine

    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. 
    The World of Chinese Magazine A 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.

    • 44 min
    A new show!【票房指南09】《封神第一部》中国电影终于打造出自己的指环王了吗?

    A new show!【票房指南09】《封神第一部》中国电影终于打造出自己的指环王了吗?

    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.

    Links
    Subscribe to 票房指南 on podcast app 小宇宙 : Link
    Subscribe 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

    • 36 min
    #91 How to Publish a Magazine for 100 Issues

    #91 How to Publish a Magazine for 100 Issues

    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 expert

    Buy 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.

    • 44 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
12 Ratings

12 Ratings

Ms39xwwww ,

👍🏻 Diversified perspectives!

Always good to find such a pod with interesting topics and diversified voices. Thank you for putting all these perspectives together!

Ssttoo ,

Not enough episodes!

A nice and condensed show, just wish there would be more episodes per month !

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