Chinese Soap Operas in the Reform Era

This article aims to investigate the impact of the emergence of television soap operas during the 1980s and 1990s in the People’s Republic of China, with an emphasis on Yearnings (渴望, 1990) and Year after Year (一年又一年, 1998). This period comprises the first two decades of “reform and opening up” (Gaige kaifang 改革开放), when the country underwent a series of radical changes leading to market economy. As I will discuss, both soap operas employ a similar structure by presenting family sagas as a vehicle for the articulation of China’s transformations through decades of history – including the introduction of television and other media.