Chinese ‘Sex and the City’ series confronts awkward truths
SHANGHAI: A wildly popular drama likened to Sex And The City is breaking ground on China’s staid state television with content that strikes at the heart of life today for the nation’s urban women.
Ode To Joy has broached a range of topics typically offlimits in socially conservative China, including sex, sexism and status. The show, which just completed its second season, centres around five young women from different back- grounds who are neighbours on the same floor of a smart Shanghai high-rise apartment called “Ode To Joy.”
It made headlines in May with a scene in which character Qiu Yingying bursts into tears at the sudden breakdown of her relationship.
“He asked me whether I am a virgin,” she sobbed, after her boyfriend stormed out upon discovering she was not. In many countries such a scene would hardly register, but the normally hush-hush topic set off a furore in China.
“The show started plainly but it exploded with the virginity discussion. It is a reflection of reality and it struck a nerve,” said Luo Xiaoting, a blogger who comments about television under the name Feiluo. “The programme talks about the two things that Chinese care about the most: class and love. This show successfully puts the two in contrast - even if two people love each other, they need to be a match in class,” he told AFP.
“If you are not a virgin, your value is down. The show is like a sword, piercing through reality.”