I am only part way through but I feel the Chinese have point. Anyone and everyone knows that there are more good people than bad in any society. To present people as caricatures in this way would be hurtful to any group of people. No attempt has been made to nuance the characters which is a missed opportunity.
The article says the Netflix adaptation isn't available in China, and that they are watching it through vpns or piracy. There have been domestic adaptations of it, that I assume are generally available.
I started this a few weeks ago and I knew it wouldn't be received well in China. Why? It shows the truth about how brutal the government was during the cultural revolution and how easily citizens can be swayed to become monsters.
"while others question why the series casts ethnic Chinese only as villains or poor people, which is not true"
If it was set in Nazi Germany during the 40s, the same could be said about the Germans.
"Others accused the show of exaggerating the level of violence in the struggle session"
Just by actual historical accounts, the actual violence that happened during this time wouldn't be able to be shown on Netflix today and received by any audience.
I'm glad we are showcasing the horrors of Communist regimes like Mao. They killed as many or more than the Nazis and aren't really taught enough in school. I knew of it when I was younger, but only when I took a Chinese history class in college did I understand the actual level of violence.
There is(was?) a restaurant in Los Angeles called “Mao’s Kitchen”. I wonder if they’d be able to pull off “Pol’s Pot” or “Hitler’s Schnitzel” as easily without people objecting.
I am only part way through but I feel the Chinese have point. Anyone and everyone knows that there are more good people than bad in any society. To present people as caricatures in this way would be hurtful to any group of people. No attempt has been made to nuance the characters which is a missed opportunity.