| Author |
Message |
peecee
Lurker
Joined: Feb 06, 2005
Posts: 22
Status: Offline
|
 Posted:
Mar 08, 2005 - 12:21 AM |
 
|
| Post subject: why so much crying on TV? |
every time I watch local music videos (or TV drama or films) there seems to be an unusually high amount of crying! I'm no expert on drama or China, but this it a bit strange to me. Does anyone agree or could provide some rational explanation? Honestly, if you check Chinese music videos nearly all of them involve crying! |
|
|
|
|
cheesie
Newbie
Joined: Mar 08, 2005
Posts: 6
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Mar 08, 2005 - 08:10 AM |
|
|
People cry when they are said and they also cry when they are happy. |
|
|
|
|
|
peining
Reacher
Joined: July 24, 2004
Posts: 223
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Mar 08, 2005 - 11:18 AM |
|
|
if it weren't about suffering, it wouldn't be realistic. |
|
|
|
|
|
amega
Barker
Joined: Nov 18, 2004
Posts: 199
|
 Posted:
Mar 09, 2005 - 04:09 AM |
|
|
That's a part of culture difference between the east and the west. I believe the Japanese and Korea TV shows do the same. In reality, life isn't a happy path for many. Crying for sad or happiness, in the east, you remember the sad part, in the west, you try to forget it 
In the west, there is less crying on the TV shows as it may not sell well with the audience. |
|
|
|
|
|
Edgewood
FooSlinger
Joined: Jan 28, 2004
Posts: 3906
Location: Colonial Shanghai
|
| Posted:
Mar 09, 2005 - 07:17 AM |
|
|
No, westerners just don't grow up believing that we can cry to get anything we want. |
_________________
Conlige suspectos semper habitos |
|
|
|
|
peecee
Lurker
Joined: Feb 06, 2005
Posts: 22
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Mar 10, 2005 - 12:13 AM |
|
|
I can understand crying on TV dramas or films, but these music videos are doing it to death! Usually the singer (male or female!) is 'poignantly' weeping over something pointless. I even saw one video from some local boyband, and one guy was lying on a beach crying hysterically in the waves - I mean come on its comical! Western countries have produced some terrible cheesy tearjerking videos too, but not ALL AT ONE TIME. |
|
|
|
|
|
zhw7
Reacher
Joined: Mar 01, 2005
Posts: 220
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Mar 10, 2005 - 12:42 AM |
|
|
Rubbish people enjoy those rubbish dramas and films. Of course lot of Chinese are disgusted with the rubbish dramas and films by rubbish directors and rubbish news by rubbish reporters. Good works are so few. |
|
|
 |
|
MaomingMaster
Board Legend
Joined: Feb 03, 2004
Posts: 11059
|
| Posted:
Mar 10, 2005 - 12:24 PM |
|
|
I get the impression that the Chinese aren't easily moved to tears. They seem quite cold emotionally. The same for the Japanese and Koreans.
Maybe that's why they do it on tv to give the impression that they are emotional people.
What I don't understand is why Chinese tv seems to revolve around revenge, deceit, deception, lying, backstabbing and underhandedness. Sure, I don't understand the script but you don't have to be a genius to pick this up. It's strange. Why should these things figure so largely in Chinese tv drama? |
|
|
|
|
|
cheesie
Newbie
Joined: Mar 08, 2005
Posts: 6
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Mar 12, 2005 - 04:56 AM |
|
|
| zhw7 wrote: |
| Rubbish people enjoy those rubbish dramas and films. Of course lot of Chinese are disgusted with the rubbish dramas and films by rubbish directors and rubbish news by rubbish reporters. Good works are so few. |
Mind your words! You don't have to stay in the rubbish. No one asked you to.
And we do have very good movies and TVs. The fact that you don't understand them doesn't mean they are bad. If you have to say that, let me tell you I think Hollywood movies are rubbish among rubbish! |
|
|
|
|
|
Edgewood
FooSlinger
Joined: Jan 28, 2004
Posts: 3906
Location: Colonial Shanghai
|
| Posted:
Mar 12, 2005 - 08:16 AM |
|
|
| Quote: |
| The fact that you don't understand them doesn't mean they are bad |
True. It's the fact that they are so crap, that makes them bad. |
_________________
Conlige suspectos semper habitos |
|
|
|
|
good4kicks
LoopKicker
Joined: Jan 20, 2004
Posts: 955
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Mar 12, 2005 - 08:58 AM |
|
| Post subject: Re: why so much crying on TV? |
| peecee wrote: |
| every time I watch local music videos (or TV drama or films) there seems to be an unusually high amount of crying! I'm no expert on drama or China, but this it a bit strange to me. Does anyone agree or could provide some rational explanation? Honestly, if you check Chinese music videos nearly all of them involve crying! |
If you were able to understand the lyrics of most of the popular music here, you would find that they are almost always sad love songs. chinese and Taiwanese seem to be obsessed with this type of music and have been for as long as I can remember. Typical lyrics go something like this, "I love you, you love me, why did you leave me?.. blah blah blah" and there are many variations to this theme.
This is why they cry in the music videos. |
|
|
|
|
|
fukuman
Wonder Wit
Joined: Sep 18, 2003
Posts: 3699
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Mar 12, 2005 - 03:18 PM |
|
|
Chinese dont have emotion - look into thos black pools of their eyes. its takin 5000 years of beating. very hard to find now.
the crying is crocodile tears, they can put it on like a tap. like everything here its a charade to get more money.
truth hurts? cry me a river |
|
|
|
|
|
can'tbelieveit
Squeeker
Joined: Mar 13, 2005
Posts: 11
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Mar 13, 2005 - 01:43 AM |
|
|
| MaomingMaster wrote: |
I get the impression that the Chinese aren't easily moved to tears. They seem quite cold emotionally. The same for the Japanese and Koreans.
Maybe that's why they do it on tv to give the impression that they are emotional people.
What I don't understand is why Chinese tv seems to revolve around revenge, deceit, deception, lying, backstabbing and underhandedness. Sure, I don't understand the script but you don't have to be a genius to pick this up. It's strange. Why should these things figure so largely in Chinese tv drama? |
Chinese, Japanese and Koreans share very similar cultural backgrounds. They are not as emotional as westerners, but they are not cold. They are not used to showing their emotions in an obvious way. Maybe your parents say that they love you all the time, and you think this is the way things are. It's totally different here. Parents would never say "I love you" to their kids, but does it mean that Chinse parents don't love their children or their love is not as deep as yours? |
|
|
|
|
|
Edgewood
FooSlinger
Joined: Jan 28, 2004
Posts: 3906
Location: Colonial Shanghai
|
| Posted:
Mar 13, 2005 - 11:47 AM |
|
|
| Quote: |
Parents would never say "I love you" to their kids, but does it mean that Chinse parents don't love their children or their love is not as deep as yours?
|
Yes, it does mean exactly that. |
_________________
Conlige suspectos semper habitos |
|
|
|
|
peasant
Reacher
Joined: July 24, 2004
Posts: 323
|
| Posted:
Mar 13, 2005 - 12:08 PM |
|
| Post subject: Re: why so much crying on TV? |
| peecee wrote: |
| every time I watch local music videos (or TV drama or films) there seems to be an unusually high amount of crying! I'm no expert on drama or China, but this it a bit strange to me. Does anyone agree or could provide some rational explanation? |
Films, TV dramas are relatively new in China while various operas have a much longer history. Acting in the plays such as those traditional operas and other formats on the stage, at least in China, is more exaggerating than that on the silver screen that is more natural and closer to the real life. Though it’s getting better and better in the last two decades or so, the “acting” in the Chinese films and TV dramas is still more obvious than those from the West due to the influence of the theory and practice of the Chinese opera performance. There might be other reasons but this might be one of the reasons you see more crying on the Chinese films and TV dramas. |
|
|
|
|
|
Edgewood
FooSlinger
Joined: Jan 28, 2004
Posts: 3906
Location: Colonial Shanghai
|
| Posted:
Mar 13, 2005 - 01:27 PM |
|
|
The voice of reason.
Dammit! You sure know how to kill a thread.
Not that you're wrong, though, mate. |
_________________
Conlige suspectos semper habitos |
|
|
|
|
can'tbelieveit
Squeeker
Joined: Mar 13, 2005
Posts: 11
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Mar 13, 2005 - 01:41 PM |
|
|
[quote="Edgewood"]
| Quote: |
Yes, it does mean exactly that. |
Prove it, please. How did your parents love you? Will they sacrifice everything for you? How do you love your parents? You just SAY "love", but how much do you mean it? |
|
|
|
|
|
good4kicks
LoopKicker
Joined: Jan 20, 2004
Posts: 955
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Mar 13, 2005 - 04:24 PM |
|
|
| can'tbelieveit wrote: |
| How did your parents love you? Will they sacrifice everything for you? |
chinese parents "sacrifice" everything because they have only one child and need that child to be successful so that he/she will be able to look after them in old age. It is a kind of insurance policy or you can look at it as a kind of 人情 which the child is expected to repay when the parents are old. |
|
|
|
|
|
Edgewood
FooSlinger
Joined: Jan 28, 2004
Posts: 3906
Location: Colonial Shanghai
|
| Posted:
Mar 13, 2005 - 04:42 PM |
|
|
Chinease have children in the same way and for the same reason, that we have pension plans.
It's an investment in the future. That's it. |
_________________
Conlige suspectos semper habitos |
|
|
|
|
Nick-la
Wonder Wit
Joined: July 19, 2003
Posts: 3675
Location: Wasted on this site
|
| Posted:
Mar 13, 2005 - 08:36 PM |
|
|
"Parents would never say "I love you" to their kids, but does it mean that Chinse parents don't love their children or their love is not as deep as yours?"
Every chinese person knows that chinese parents see their children as financial investments for the future. They just want their child to support them in later life, they are less concerned about actually nurturing the child and making sure that the child leads the life it wants to.
Deny it.
And I agree with peasant - the dramas come out here so often that they're like
'hmm how can we express that this character is sad/annoyed/in love/.... , ah yes, make them scream and cry! genius!' |
_________________
I'm surrounded by idiots. |
|
|
|
|
magix
Newbie
Joined: Nov 24, 2004
Posts: 1
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Mar 18, 2005 - 11:01 AM |
|
|
it's interesting that u foreigners consider chinese parents-children relationship as a sort of investment or insurance policy. the chinese old saying does teach us that parents should bring up at least one boy so that they can be taken good care of when they are old. but in fact, what most parents invested--if u can call it as invest--is too much for children to repay, not only in the sense of money. for most chinese families, as i know, parents are rather "designing" their children than bringing them up. They want their children to gain what they had never gained, and they even want their children to become the persons they had never been. they would give their children everything they can give only because they want to see that their children walk on the path they already designed. few exceptions can be found among these chinese parents. and more and more children get accustomed with this way of growing up and will try it again on their children. it's bad, really bad. |
|
|
|
|
|
benkloepfer
PopStar
Joined: Sep 02, 2004
Posts: 1042
Status: Offline
|
| Posted:
Mar 18, 2005 - 03:17 PM |
|
|
I agree magix,
Its really sad seeing people try to live out their dreams by forcing their children to do it for them.
This isn't just a chinese trait, westerners do it to their kids too. Everyone wants their children to be richer and more successful than they were, but many don't consider whether or not their children are happy.
As to the over-acting, good call peasant! Sounds like you hit the nail on the head! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forum FAQ
Search
Preferences
Watched Topics
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
