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‘Fifteen of Us’: This is the Chinese Utopia

Fifteen people with different backgrounds build a new society: one place, hundreds of camera’s, starting from scratch. The format of Dutch reality TV programme Utopia has now made it to China. The question is: what will Chinese Utopia look like? Who are the contestants? Will their society be communist or capitalist?

Manya Koetse

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Fifteen people with different backgrounds build a new society: one place, hundreds of camera’s, starting from scratch. The format of Dutch reality TV programme Utopia has now made it to China. The question is: what will Chinese Utopia look like? Who are the contestants? Will their society be communist or capitalist? What’s on Weibo brings you an overview of the show thus far.

In the Netherlands, Utopia first aired on December 31st, 2013. The reality show is a social television experiment that puts 15 people from different backgrounds together to create a new society. The contestants have to start from scratch, and learn how to make survive as a group. They can decide on their own rules or laws, but there is an important general restriction: contestants cannot leave the premises, that cover around 1,5-2 hectare. The show is recorded 24 hours per day, and can be followed by viewers through online live streams on the Utopia app. Besides the live streams, there are daily 30 minute recaps on TV. Every month, the contestants have to vote on their least favourite resident, who will then be eliminated from the show and replaced by a new contestant. Contestant are supposed the stay in the show for one year. If they decide that they want to leave earlier without being eliminated, they will be fined by the television company. Apart from sporadic letters, they cannot communicate with their friends and family.

Utopia is produced by Talpa, a top-notch Dutch production company that has launched various popular TV formats, such as The Voice, which also became a huge success in China (中国好声音). The Chinese version of Utopia is called  ‘The Fifteen of Us’ (我们15个), and first aired on June 29 this year. It is a joint production of Talpa and the Chinese online group Tencent.

In the Netherlands, Utopia has seen a rich variety of participants; gay and straight, black and white, young and old, religious and atheist. The contestants had different backgrounds as artists, singers, accountants, philosophers, carpenters, psychics, some jobless, one homeless.

Besides an official website, the Chinese show also has an official Weibo account, that regularly updates with everyday developments on the show.

According to Variety, as many as 100,000 people applied to take part in the the Chinese Utopia. The show’s selected fifteen contestants have diverse backgrounds and ages.

UTOPIACHINAThree of the 15 contestants, from left to right: Yi Qiu (the vagabond), Tan Limin (feisty auntie), Zheng Hu (wannabe singer).

The show’s oldest contestant is Tan Limin (谭利敏) a retired 61-year-old Shanghai woman with a young mind and feisty nature. The other participants range from 21 to 51 years old. Yi Qiu (易秋), with his unique look, is a vagabond with no stable job. Zheng Hu (郑虎) is a chubby 26-year-old music lover from China’s northern Shanxi province, who wants to lose weight and work on his career as a singer.

utopia2Three of the contestants, from left to right: Deng Biying (the model), Liu Zhixuan (the fashion designer), Taiwanese 44-year-old Zhang Tingxuan (the perfectionist mum).

Deng Biying (邓碧莹) is the young and sexy 24-year-old car show model. The extravagant Liu Zhixuan (刘志轩) from Zhejiang is a 27-year-old fashion designer. Zhang Tingxuan (张婷媗) is the show’s only Taiwanese participant. She is 44 years old, a ‘hot mother’, and a perfectionist with extreme willpower.

chineseutopia3From left to right: Sun Ming and Nie Jiangwei (both veterans), and Liu Fuhua (divorced dad).

The youngest is the 21-year-old veteran Sun Ming (孙铭), for whom discipline is the main thing in life. Nie Jiangwei (聂江伟) is also a veteran, 51 years old. Electrician and daddy Liu Fuhua (刘富华, 30 years old), is trying to get over his failed marriage. Furniture maker Guo Daohui (郭道辉) from Qingdao is the rebellious one of the group. The handsome Qiu Zijian (丘子健) is a professional boxer and model.

utopiachina4From left to right: Rebel from Qingdao, Guo Daohui, professional boxer Qiu Zijian and fashionista Liu Xi.

Another fashionista is the 26-year-old woman Liu Xi (刘希), who majored in fashion at Shanghai University. Liu Luoxi (刘洛汐) is an ambitious 25-year-old super model and business woman from Chengdu, who is active in the online game industry. Song Ge (宋鸽) is a 27-year-old female Harvard graduate, majoring in psychology. Xiao Fanfan (肖凡凡) is the last one of the group: a young and pretty university student who loves make-up and cherishes her freedom.

utop5From left to right: Liu Luoxi the super model/business woman, the academic (Song Ge) and Xiao Fanfan, the sexy student.

Similar to the Dutch version, contestants of Fifteen of Us are allowed to bring one wooden case with some items (cooking utensils, rice, sleeping bag, etc) upon arrival.

The show is recorded in the scenic lush green area of Tonglu, in southern China’s Hangzhou. At the start, the contestants only have one shared empty hangar, a grass field, a total of 5000 RMB (about 816 US dollar), and one basic mobile phone. There are also two cows and some chickens.

In the first episodes, the fifteen contestants struggle with their new surroundings, where they have no beds or proper toilets. They spend the days milking the cows, making fire, cooking basic food, talking about how to make money and survive, and arguing on how to divide the tasks ahead. Chubby Zheng Hu practices his singing skills at all hours of the day (check video below).

Supermodel/business woman Liu Luoxi takes on a leader role, much to the disgruntlement of divorced father Liu Fuhua. Veteran Nie Jiangwei, the oldest man of the group, balances her business-like leadership with his own views (“We came here as one group, we will act as one group!”). Besides an apparent leader, supermodel Liu Luoxi is also a dramaqueen. As shown in the video below, she breaks out in tears when the vet comes to Tonglu to check on one of the cows and then states it is sick and needs to take medicine. Although Liu cares for the cow’s health, she also cares about the little money the residents currently have. The medicine costs 200 RMB (32 dollar), and Liu cries out that there is no money.

The humid and basic surroundings already take their toll on the health of the contestants. Within the first week of airing, two participants already had to leave the show to go to the hospital. Young carpenter Guo Daohui suffered from severe backache, and vagrant Yi Qiu was wounded when broken glass cut through his hand (see video below). The chubby and extravagant Zheng Hu seems to suffer mentally, as he cannot stop crying after seeing a snake outside the hangar (video).

Vagrant Yi Qiu severely cuts his hand on a broken window.

Yi Qiu has just cut his hand and is taken to hospital. Zheng Hu is crying because he saw a snake. While some support him, others get angry because of his dramatic cries (see 1:20).

So far, Fifteen of Us has been lacking the more political discussions the Dutch version of the show sometimes had at the beginning, when contestants would have to decide if they would choose for a communist or capitalist-run society. These kind of debates might be too sensitive for the Chinese version, where the show is undoubtedly censored. But censorship of this reality show is not typically Chinese. Viewers of the Dutch show have complained about censorship of the show, and the German version (‘Newtopia’) became the centre of a scandal earlier this year when an allegedly drunk producer was heard on livestreams giving directions to the contestants.

China is not the first to follow Dutch Utopia. The show also has its own version in Turkey. Although there was also an American version, it turned out to be a flop and was cancelled after airing for two months.

So far, the Dutch version has been airing for 1,5 years. The contestants have managed to rebuild the hangar that now holds bedrooms, a bathroom, two kitchens and a gym. There is also a swimming pool and wellness centre. Contestants receive money by letting guests pay for indoor concerts, parties or weekend markets. The show’s storyline has seen some highlights, with an unexpected romance between two young female contestants, a resident caught stealing, one couple having live sex on TV, a number one hit, some fights, the occasional drunken party, and conflicts over homosexuality, religious beliefs and political systems.

China’s Utopia might not get too political, but it could nevertheless offer some interesting insights in today’s society. Contemporary Chinese societal issues such as the rich-poor gap, migrant workers, leftover women or the growing generation gap are bound to come up as items of discussion within this diverse group of people. A lesbian couple? Unlikely, but who knows. We will be watching – and’ll keep you posted.

By Manya Koetse

[box type=”bio”] koetse.148x200About the Author: Manya Koetse is the editor of What’s on Weibo. She’s a Sinologist who splits her time between the Netherlands and China. She earned her bachelor’s degrees in Literary Studies, Japanese & China Studies and completed her MPhil in Asian Studies. Contact: manya@whatsonweibo.com, or follow on Twitter.[/box]

©2015 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

Manya Koetse is the founder and editor-in-chief of whatsonweibo.com. She is a writer, public speaker, and researcher (Sinologist, MPhil) on social trends, digital developments, and new media in an ever-changing China, with a focus on Chinese society, pop culture, and gender issues. She shares her love for hotpot on hotpotambassador.com. Contact at manya@whatsonweibo.com, or follow on Twitter.

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China Celebs

Fandom Meets Matrimony: Sea of Brides at Roy Wang’s Concert as Female Fans Show Up in Wedding Gowns

After showing up as brides at Roy Wang’s concert, some female fans attempted to return their gowns within the store’s 7-day ‘No Questions Asked Return Policy’.

Manya Koetse

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A recent concert by Chinese celebrity Roy Wang (Wang Yuan 王源) has become a hot topic on Chinese social media as female fans attending the show collectively decided to wear wedding dresses to express their love for the singer.

Born in 2000, Roy Wang is best known as a member of the hugely popular TFboys idol group that debuted in 2013, but his solo career has also been thriving for years. Wang is an award-winning musician, who is now among China’s most influential young celebrities. On Weibo, he has nearly 85 million followers.

The sight of so many fans coming to Wang’s Chongqing concert wearing wedding dresses was already remarkable, but it garnered even greater attention when it turned out that some of the women’s boyfriends were so upset over their girlfriends wearing a wedding dress for another man that they ended the relationship because of it.

On Douyin (China’s TikTok), the related discussion made it to the top 5 trending daily topics list.

Female fans partying in their wedding dress. Photo posted on Weibo.

The story gained further traction when reports emerged that some female fans who had recently purchased wedding dresses for the concert attempted to return them to the store the next day, taking advantage of the store’s policy that allows returns within seven days without requiring a specific reason (7天无理由退货).

“I already wondered why business was suddenly booming,” one Chongqing wedding gown seller wrote on social media, complaining how the return policy was being abused by some of Roy Wang’s fans.

Others saw the fact that they wore the wedding dress to the concert as a unique selling point, and tried to resell their gowns online for more than the original price, claiming that the dress still had “a hint of the concert’s aroma.”

Scene of the concert.

Commenters bombarded these women with negative comments, as the topic also drew wider discussions on how far some fans are willing to go to show their love for their idols.

Some social media users expressed that a wedding dress has a symbolical or even sacred function, and that tying the concept of fandom to matrimony is inappropriate. They condemned the women for showing up to the concert as brides.

Given that many of the commenters criticizing the women were male, there were also feminist voices that condemned these men for their pettiness and chauvinistic attitudes. One comment stood out: “There will always be men whose ego is bruised when women they don’t even know won’t wear a wedding dress and save their chastity for them. Thanks to Roy Wang’s concert, I once again realize the diversity of species.”

In an online poll asking people “Can women only wear a wedding dress once in their lives” (#女生一生只能穿一次婚纱吗#) the majority of people replied that they should just wear whatever they like.

“My first thought is that this is romantic,” one popular entertainment blogging account (@娱大蜀黍) wrote: “My second thought is that it’s actually quite moving. In the midst of their youth, they are writing a passionate chapter for themselves. They will treasure it as a beautiful memory later on in life. They do what they love and they’re not bothering anyone. It’s perfectly fine.”

By Manya Koetse & Miranda Barnes

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Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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China Arts & Entertainment

Let’s Plant: China’s Variety Show “Become a Farmer” Is Harvesting Success Online

As iQIYI’s ‘Become a Farmer’ gains momentum, it highlights China’s growing trend of embracing rural themes in mainstream entertainment.

Wendy Huang

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With its focus on hard farm work and meeting actual targets, Become a Farmer is a fresh breeze of air for China’s variety show business, especially among young Chinese viewers who appreciate the show’s authenticity and the calmness of the rural scenes that pose a stark contrast with stressful urban life.

The Chinese variety show Become A Farmer has achieved tremendous popularity in China recently through the iQIYI platform, which is often hailed as the Chinese equivalent of Netflix. Become A Farmer recently gained over 4.6 billion (!) views on Weibo through the hashtag #种地吧# (Zhǒng dì ba), which translates to “Let’s Plant” or “Let’s Farm” in English and also happens to be the show’s name in Chinese.

Produced by iQIYI and Blue Sky Media Group (BSMG), Become A Farmer (Young Men edition) is a documentary-style interactive reality show that revolves around the theme of farming, with actual farm work as its central focus.

The show handpicked ten young men out of 300 candidates to assemble a “farming team.” With unwavering dedication, they toiled for over 190 days, diligently cultivating 142.8 mu (approximately 95,200 square meters) of land. They actively engaged in every aspect of farm work, starting from planting a single seed and guiding the audience through the complete journey of rice germination, growth, flowering, and ultimately reaping the harvest.

Chinese netizens have drawn comparisons between the show and the British television documentary series Clarkson’s Farm. Playfully, they remarked that if Clarkson’s Farm were to be introduced in the Chinese market, it could aptly be renamed “Become A Farmer (Old Men Edition).”

Become A Farmer released its first episode on February 4 of this year, initially receiving limited attention. However, as subsequent episodes were released, the show started garnering increased interest, with the audience discovering the genuine dedication of the ten young men towards their farming endeavors – and that it was not just for show.

The show’s nomination for the Shanghai TV Festival, and its current rating on Douban.

Its rating on Douban, China’s IMDB, has climbed up to 8.9 out of 10. Meanwhile, the series has been nominated for the prestigious Magnolia Award for Best Variety Program at the 28th Shanghai TV Festival.

A Fresh Take on Chinese Idol Survival Shows

Become A Farmer initially caught the attention of many Chinese netizens through the humorous jokes of veteran comedian Pang Bo during the fifth season of the stand-up comedy competition Rock & Roast.

At that time, the show had not yet been aired but its format had already been introduced during a media conference, and Pang Bo (庞博) had heard about it.

In Pang’s joke, he compared the show to a farmer version of idol survival shows, proposing that the four individuals who made the greatest contributions to the final harvest could come together as a group, forming a new generation of F4 (referring to the popular Asian boy band), playfully dubbed “Farmer 4.”

Pang Bo joking about the upcoming show.

While Chinese netizens were initially amused by this joke, little did they realize that iQIYI was actually turning it into a reality, albeit without the comedic intent.

“Food is not something we can take lightly with jokes and banter, especially considering the size of our farmland, which spans approximately 140 mu and has the potential to provide sustenance for many people. This is a matter of responsibility and morality,” stated Yang Changling (杨长岭), the show’s director.

Normally, Chinese entertainers are compensated for their involvement in reality or variety shows, as they play a crucial role in generating engaging content. Such shows often seek out celebrities with a large online fan base to ensure a favorable viewership.

But Become A Farmer is different. Among the ten young men, no one is a typical celebrity that has a huge fan base online. Moreover, they are not paid for filming the show but have to earn from the land rented from local farmers through their own hard work.

To legally sell the products grown on their farmland, the ten young men took the step of registering an official company. This registration allowed Chinese netizens to verify the company’s information on the government website, providing evidence of the project’s authenticity. As the information about the company circulated, the related hashtag (#种地吧 开公司#) gained traction on Weibo, eventually trending when the ten young men received their official company certificate.

(Snapshot from the show /The ten young men received the certificate of their company)

Become A Farmer leans more towards being a documentary rather than a traditional entertainment program. To underscore its authenticity, a novel approach has been adopted in China’s variety show landscape. It airs live for one hour every day, beginning at 9:30 am, synchronizing with the young men’s start of work. This timing allows netizens, who typically commence their own workday around that time, to actively participate as ‘online supervisors,’ overseeing the ten young men’s daily tasks while starting on their own tasks of the day.

Through livestreaming on both Weibo and Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), the show creates a natural teaser for the edited reality series while embodying its interactive nature.

As an additional element, the ten young men occasionally share vlogs on Weibo and Douyin during the filming process. This unique combination of long-form reality show footage + livestreaming + vlogs allows the audience to closely follow and stay updated on the progress of the ten young men’s work over the span of more than 190 days.

The show’s concept of gathering relatively unknown young men aspiring to make a breakthrough in the entertainment industry bears resemblance to popular shows like Youth With You, also produced by iQIYI. However, Youth With You‘s third season was suspended in 2021 for wasting large amounts of milk amid the China’s strengthened efforts in eradicating wasting food; viewers were ecouraged to buy bottled Mengniu milk and scan QR codes inside the caps to vote for their favorite trainees, which led to fans buying tons of bottles only to vote and getting rid of the milk.

Clearly, iQIYI has learned from the past and taken a different approach with Become A Farmer. In this show, there are no milk-wasting competitions or cutthroat rivalries. Instead, the ten young men are united in their goal to complete the farm work together and to run the company and get rid of its debt.

Focus on Vital China Topics: Empowering Youth, Food Security, and Rural Revitalization

Various topics that are relevant in today’s China come together in Become a Farmer. The show also explicitly addressed its objectives in producing this diverse variety show and released a pre-episode to emphasize the importance of food security and shed light on the challenges faced by Chinese youth upon entering the workforce.

In recent years, China has placed significant emphasis on food security, with leaders repeatedly stressing the need to ensure that “the Chinese rice bowl is firmly held in our own hands.”

The China Agricultural Outlook Report (2023-2032), released on April 20, outlined the ongoing consolidation of China’s food security foundation for the next decade. Notably, all 103 million hectares of permanent farmland will be transformed into high-standard farmland. The report also highlighted plans to diversify import channels for agricultural products, improve the trade structure, and reduce grain imports by 19.7 percent over the next decade.

During the pre-episode of the show, an expert who provided training courses to ten young men emphasized the need to address the aging agricultural workforce in China’s agricultural development.

Simultaneously, in 2023, China witnessed a record-breaking number of graduates, reaching 11.58 million.

Given the increasing digitalization in agriculture, encouraging young people to pursue farming careers emerges as a viable solution. By becoming New Era Farmers (新农人) and actively participating in the nine tasks outlined in China’s “No. 1 central document” for 2023, which promotes rural vitalization comprehensively, young talent can contribute to the development of rural areas instead of solely pursuing white-collar jobs in urban areas.

A Rural Trend in Chinese Entertainment

The increasing appeal of rural life among young people in China is reflected in a survey conducted by the Social Survey Center of China Youth Daily (中国青年报社社会调查中心) in September 2022. The survey revealed that 70.9% of the respondents believed that the countryside has become more attractive to young individuals. Factors such as a slower pace of life, lower pressure, and reduced costs were cited as the main reasons why young people find rural areas appealing.

As transportation and internet connectivity have gradually improved, rural life in China is no longer seen as isolated and cut off from the rest of the world. This transformation has sparked a growing interest in living in the countryside, particularly among young people. The countryside’s allure lies in its simplicity, natural beauty, and the chance to escape the fast-paced and hectic city life.

This growing interest in rural life may explain the popularity of shows like Become a Farmer. The commitment demonstrated by the ten young men to their farm work has garnered applause from Chinese netizens. Overcoming challenges such as working in adverse weather conditions, assisting with difficult births for animals, and engaging in physically demanding tasks have showcased their dedication and hard work. These aspects have resonated with the audience and contributed to the show’s success.

(The ten young men are diligently digging drainage ditches in the farmland during chilly weather, working hard to ensure they meet the planting season deadline.)

Snapshot from the show: Jiang Dunhao, the oldest among the ten young men and chairman of the company, joins forces with He Haonan to support in the challenging task of aiding the delivery of difficult births for ewes. Together, they strive to save the life of a premature lamb, seeking guidance from a professional veterinarian through online assistance.

Originally planned to conclude after 39 episodes, the show’s production team has decided to extend it to 50 episodes due to the abundance of material gathered from over 190 days of farm work and the increasing interest and positive feedback from viewers. This extended episode count goes beyond the typical duration for a variety show, highlighting its exceptional popularity.

It is evident that iQIYI, the broadcasting platform behind the show, is keen on fulfilling its alleged social responsibility to promote the importance of food security and sustainable food production, farming, and showing that young individuals that they can thrive in rural areas.

Capitalizing on the success of the reality show, iQIYI has also released a teaser for an upcoming drama called Romance on the Farm (田耕纪), which also revolves around farming. This drama portrays a contemporary woman unexpectedly finding herself in the countryside during the Song Dynasty and embarking on a journey of farming, prosperity, and love alongside the enigmatic Shen Nuo.

In the last couple of years, there were several countryside-themed dramas that showcased China’s rural revitalization efforts and highlighted the involvement of younger generations in supporting their rural hometowns, such as On The Way to Hope (在希望的田野上) or The Story of Xing Fu (幸福到万家) which starred the renowned Chinese actress Zhao Liying.

The success of Become a Farmer, the upcoming Romance on the Farm, and the overwhelming enthusiasm among Chinese viewers for these shows suggest that farming has become the latest ‘hip’ trend in China’s entertainment industry. It seems that plowing fields and tending to crops have now found their place in the limelight. With the growing interest and excitement surrounding these shows, it’s safe to say that we can expect a blooming harvest of more Chinese productions focused on farm work and rural life in the near future.

Watch “Become a Farmer” on Youtube here (including English subtitles).

By Wendy Huang

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. Please note that your comment below will need to be manually approved if you’re a first-time poster here.

©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com

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