SINGAPORE：一位年輕而機智的中國皇后踏上尋求公正與向毀壞她王國的敵人報仇的史詩旅程。
正是這段來自2016年熱門中國劇《The Princess Weiyoung》中的情節，讓 Nadhiroh Napri 入迷於中國電視劇。
本是閒暇觀賞，卻迅速演變成她這位27歲的馬來西亞人深厚的熱情，如今她開始學習普通話，並計劃日後訪問中國。
“我太喜歡了。我在校時常因為追劇而錯過作業，因為我忙於追劇。” 她向 CNA 表示。
另一位粉絲、27歲的新加坡人 Cheryl Goh，喜歡浪漫向的中國劇，例如 2023 年的《Till the End of The Moon》，主演她喜愛的偶像、中國演員羅雲熙。
“華人明星是重要的推動力，” Goh 說。 “（看完劇集後）我便開始喜歡他們，想去追隨他們。”
“C-劇有時比韓劇或日劇更易理解……沒有語言障礙，” 這位華裔新加坡人補充道。
“它們相當有趣，(包含) 傳統中國文化、文字遊戲和節日元素。”
從 AI 技術與 DeepSeek、TikTok、小紅書等社交媒體應用，到打破紀錄的動畫電影，以及廣受追捧的玩具與收藏品，中國一直在運用新興潮流和科技，提升其軟實力。
專家表示，這一策略對北京在塑造區域觀感、微妙地建立影響力尤為重要——尤其在領土爭端與地緣政治緊張情況逐步升溫、互信下降之時。
透過文化輸出之鏡頭
結合中國的歷史、文化、語言與價值觀，C-劇已成為重要的文化輸出之一。
這些適合一口氣追看的劇集——通常圍繞浪漫與中國歷史等主題——正在迅速在東南亞的新觀眾中走紅。
像 2024 年的《Legend of Shen Li》，由資深女演員趙麗穎飾演一名中國將領，逃離包辦婚姻，正在為區域觀眾開闢小眾市場，這是新觀眾的最佳寫照，ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute 新加坡的 Gwendolyn Yap 表示這類劇集正為區域觀眾開闢小眾市場。
“觀眾總是在尋找新鮮內容，” Yap 說，並指出有些觀眾可能對無止境的韓劇感到疲倦。
對 Nadhiroh 來說，C-劇以歷史情節與壯麗視覺見長的公式，”效果不錯”，她覺得中國內容比韓國節目更熟悉、也更易接觸。
“作為東南亞人，中國文化對我而言並不陌生，” 她說，”其中有出色的歷史敘事與推動情節的角色。”
The popularity of Hong Kong and Taiwanese drama shows in Southeast Asia during the early 2000s paved the way for C-drama success in the region, Yap said. “C-dramas are well-positioned for regional audiences.”
“Popular Hong Kong and Taiwanese dramas have already seasoned audiences in the past, creating a sense of nostalgia and familiarity for the viewer so that may make C-dramas more easily adoptable for regional audiences.”
Shows like the 2001 idol drama Meteor Garden proved popular in Southeast Asia in soft launching the careers of its four male actors who went on to form the popular Taiwanese boy band F4 and left a lasting cultural impact.
Tran Hoang Bao Chau, a 27-year-old from Ho Chi Minh City, grew up with Hong Kong dramas and Chinese martial arts movies.
“(The shows) shape my perceptions about China,” she told CNA.
C-dramas like 2022’s Wild Bloom depict early struggles of Chinese entrepreneurs during the 1990s, according to Tran. “It shows how people from lower classes struggled a lot,” she said.
The lives of characters can seem so “vivid and real”, she added. “I sometimes even see myself in them.”
Yap said that much of China’s cultural expansion is part of its push for cultural diplomacy and “telling China’s story well”.
“The Chinese government has made it easier – through domestic policies – for local production companies to expand and develop the technology necessary to create good content.”
At the same time, regional expansion – including creating streaming platforms and promoting dramas and animations – “is largely down to the entertainment companies themselves”, said Yap, who added that the Chinese government had “bigger things to worry about”.
“It would be worth pointing out that what made Chinese dramas more popular in the region is based on the decision of the production companies, and the state has remained largely hands-off,” said Yap.
She cited hit C-drama The Untamed – starring popular actors Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo – which paved the way for greater attention towards Chinese dramas in the region.
CULTURAL STORYTELLING FUELS SOFT POWER
Apart from C-dramas, other cultural influences include social media, cuisine, and popular games such as Genshin Impact, developed by Shanghai-based studio miHoYo.
China also saw success with the release of Black Myth: Wukong – a role-playing video game which took the gaming world by storm, selling more than 10 million copies globally within days and cementing China’s position in the global gaming leagues.
Experts have also noted that the effectiveness of soft power depends on multiple factors.
“From a creator’s perspective, there isn’t a formula that can simply be imitated,” said Sheng Zou, an assistant professor and interdisciplinary media scholar at Hong Kong Baptist University’s School of Communication.
“You must have a compelling story that resonates emotionally with people, offers an experience and aesthetics that are engaging and accessible – for cultural products, these elements are crucial.”
He also spoke about the record-breaking global success of Chinese animation Ne Zha 2 which ignited a sense of national pride among Chinese cinema-goers.
The show’s selling power is in its characters who are beloved “Chinese cultural symbols”.
“Audience preferences and responses are often highly unpredictable. Using these familiar cultural symbols can help mitigate some of that uncertainty,” he said.
“They inherently possess strong communicative power … and are extremely familiar and popular among Chinese people both at home and abroad, even among non-Chinese audiences.”
Still, even though these cultural influences have won fans across the region, they don’t necessarily shift perceptions – especially when politics comes into play.
A recent annual ISEAS survey, which polled over 2,000 respondents across 11 Southeast Asian countries, found that most countries remained “divided in their trust toward China”.
Distrust levels were especially high among respondents from countries like Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, who believed China’s economic and military power continues to threaten national interests and sovereignty.
“These evolving perceptions reflect a mix of optimism about China’s economic prospects and pessimism surrounding geopolitical tensions, which are important factors that will continue to shape ASEAN’s long-term perceptions of the country,” the ISEAS report said.
Speaking to CNA, Nadhiroh said Chinese entertainment “in general doesn’t change (her) perception or sentiments towards China”.
“I probably love the aspect of culture integration in their daily life, but other than that, that’s just it.”
Nadhiroh also felt that in recent years, C-dramas have been showing “quite (a) concerning amount of propaganda or patriotism of China”.
A WIN FOR CHINESE STREAMING GIANTS
C-dramas have translated into lucrative overseas viewership for Chinese streaming giants – a sign of Beijing’s successful strategy to aggressively promote its streaming services and platforms in the region.
“The Chinese government has actively pursued partnerships with Chinese-owned streaming platforms to facilitate the global distribution of Chinese dramas,” said Thammasat University’s Dr Kornphanat Tungkeunkunt, writing in a commentary for Fulcrum.
Thailand in particular, has become a “prominent consumer market for Chinese streaming services in Southeast Asia”, she noted.
Thailand: A regional entertainment hub
Of all the countries in Southeast Asia, Thailand stands out as a go-to destination for Chinese production companies.
Jeff Han, a spokesperson for Chinese tech giant Tencent, told CNA that Thailand was a natural hub for talent and entertainment production.
In 2024, Tencent filmed its popular reality idol competition series Chuang Asia in Thailand.
Filmed in Bangkok, the 10-episode series saw 70 trainees from countries around the region like Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, vying for spots in a new multinational girl group.
Season 2 was also filmed in Bangkok, beginning last December, and featured appearances by several Thai celebrity mentors, including singer Jeff Satur, rapper BamBam – more famously known as a member of the K-pop boy band GOT7 – and Blackpink’s Lisa.
The show, which aired from Feb 2 to Apr 6, saw 60 aspiring trainees from nine countries and regions competing to form the new seven-member boyband NexT1DE.
Thailand’s “dynamic entertainment industry”, “well-established idol culture” and global appeal made it ideal to host and film the reality show, Han said.
“With many successful Thai stars gaining international fame, the country offers an ideal environment to discover and nurture new talent.”
The rise of Chinese streaming services has driven the growing consumption of C-dramas across Southeast Asia, especially in countries like Thailand and Malaysia, a spokesperson from Chinese streaming giant iQiyi told CNA, citing statistics from consulting firm Media Partners Asia.
In 2023, C-dramas accounted for up to 20 per cent of streaming viewership in five Southeast Asian countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand – according to the firm. Thai viewers alone made up 50 per cent of the total viewership.
iQiyi, which held a special screening of its sleeper hit Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty in Singapore last July, said online searches for C-dramas have risen annually over the past five years and “recently showed signs of surpassing Korean dramas”.
Thailand remains its biggest market, with the highest number of monthly active users, the spokesperson said, followed by Vietnam and Indonesia.
Thailand has also emerged as a regional entertainment hub, attracting major international productions. Tencent, for instance, chose Thailand as the filming location for both seasons of its popular reality idol competition series Chuang Asia.
Thammasat University’s Dr Kornphanat, in her Fulcrum commentary, called it “a strategic move” that not only allowed Chinese companies like Tencent to bypass strict domestic regulations in China, but also “opened new opportunities” in international markets.
But even as Chinese pop culture offerings gain traction in the region, Chinese entertainment companies still face great hurdles navigating Southeast Asia’s diverse and “uneven technological terrain” to cater shows and other offerings for local audiences, Yap said.
“Products will have to be accessible to all audiences.”
C-DRAMA TOURISM BOOM
While Japan remains the region’s favourite travel destination, a growing number of Southeast Asian travellers are naming China as their top holiday choice, according to the 2025 ISEAS survey.
Among the respondents, 6.7 per cent chose China as their favourite holiday destination, up from 5.9 per cent the year before.
And many Southeast Asian fans have been living out their dreams, travelling to destinations in China to immerse themselves in C-drama experiences.
Just like K-drama fans who visit South Korea to rent traditional hanbok and dress up like their favourite stars, C-drama enthusiasts are flocking to iconic locations such as the historic Hengdian World Studios in eastern Zhejiang province, donning ancient flowy hanfu to reenact scenes from their favourite shows.
Chongqing in southwestern China might be renowned for hot pot but for Thai C-drama fans, the city is a major draw because of Chinese actor and singer Xiao Zhan, known for his roles in popular fantasy and romance dramas, who was born there in 1991.
It was also the setting for popular Chinese romantic drama The First Frost. Fans have paid pilgrimage, visiting various locations featured in the show including the Yangtze River Cableway and the Liziba train station – famous for spotting metro trains driving through and disappearing into a block of flats.
One Thai TikTok creator in Chongqing named Pocky, filmed a video of herself in the city, recreating a promotional video that Xiao had once done for his home city. The video went viral, garnering more than 6,000 likes and left an impression on starstruck fans who said they wished to visit Chongqing for this reason.
“Younger audiences are making China the destination to visit, next to South Korea and Japan,” Yap said, noting that many would go on to share their experiences on social media.
Another location popular among C-drama fans is the Xiatianxia Tourist Area in the southeastern Fujian province, where tourists and fans alike can dress up in hanfu and “live out their wuxia dreams” – “flying” in the air hoisted up by wires like characters in popular C-dramas and kungfu movies.
Desirae Tan from Singapore said that her love for C-dramas was “a catalyst” for her to visit China. “I want to live my C-drama dreams,” the 29-year-old told CNA.
Traditional Chinese hanfu is a must for any C-drama fan visiting China, Tan said. “You want your own photoshoot. It’s affordable and you even have added bonuses like videos.”
“If you want to live out your C-drama dreams, China is the place to go – you have the scenery and it’s cheap.”
“They make it work – nowhere else caters to (this experience) authentically.”
“However, while Chinese dramas may increase the interest in tourism to China, it may not necessarily influence viewers’ perceptions of China and their political values,” said Yap from ISEAS.
In the end, while cultural exports like C-dramas may not reshape every perception, they serve as powerful tools of soft power – sparking curiosity and drawing regional audiences into stories that bring Chinese culture to life.
