Recently, a large number of TV serial dramas about the romantic lives of young women and men have drawn large audiences as well as disputes among the media and the public.
"The bones of Chinese TV serials are becoming softer and softer," said a Beijing Daily article, offering a typical attitude towards the TV shows.
The TV dramas have been euphemized by some as "pink-colored drama" as one of the popular serials is titled Pink Ladies. However, some critics called them "petty bourgeoisie dramas", making no attempt to hide their distaste.
In these TV serials, young people embrace their lives, whether in modern times or old days. But some people believed that these dramas were not comparable to their original scripts, despite the help of modern film-making technology and equipment.
But not all local critics are negative.
Zhang Yongchen, a local playwright, attributed the "Pink" boom to market reality. People are getting richer in China and the cozy life depicted in these dramas is not very far from reality, he noted.
"I don't want to say whether they are good or not," said Professor Peng Jixiang, from Beijing University, "I just care about their artistic value."
Coincidentally, throughout May and June, these TV serials were telecast by the majority of local TV channels and helped relieve local residents in Beijing and other SARS-hit cities of their fears and worries about the epidemic.
(Xinhua News Agency July 16, 2003)
