csmonitor.com - The Christian Science Monitor Online
 
(Photograph)
Got talent? Ben Ross on the 'Superstar' variety show in China, where foreign 'talent' is popular.
Courtesy of Ben Ross
up
  • (Photograph)
  • (Photograph)
down

In China, fame comes easier with a foreign face

In China, Westerners are plucked from the streets for television and movie roles.

Page 1 of 3

If you've got the looks, the talent, and the Mandarin, forget Hollywood – the Chinese entertainment industry wants you.

And even if you're a foreigner in China who doesn't have any of those things, don't worry. You've got a decent chance of getting on television, anyway.

(Photograph)
Reporters on the job: Andrew Miller shares the story behind the story.
Courtesy of Andrew Miller

In cities nationwide, recruiters are prowling university campuses and expatriate hangouts in search of aspiring variety show performers, game show contestants, and film extras.

Pretty much any kind of foreigner will do, with one exception: "They definitely prefer people that don't look Asian," says American expatriate Ben Ross.

Westerners are cropping up on all kinds of television shows – literally plucked from the street. Some foreign entertainers see their moment in the sun as an opportunity to help Chinese people better understand the West. But their Chinese audience is just as interested in how the outside world views the rapid economic advances of their homeland.

"We like watching these shows because they have foreigners speaking Chinese," says Beijing retiree Wu Yuqing. "They show us that the world is getting smaller."

And China's television and movie producers are eager to cater to this desire. "Chinese people really want to know what foreigners here are thinking," says Beijing casting agent Li Erwei. "They want to know what foreigners think of China and how they view our culture."

And sometimes, the appeal of a foreigner on television in a homogenous society is more basic.

"On my first show, the idea was basically to get laughs out of foreigners doing silly things," says Mr. Ross, a blogger and former English teacher who has appeared on Chinese television with a spiky wig and fake guitar while singing well-known Chinese pop songs.

Page 1 | 2 | 3 | Next Page

Get Monitor stories by e-mail:
(Your e-mail address will be protected by csmonitor.com's tough privacy policy.)

In Pictures Fun on the Fourth
Things to do to celebrate Independence Day

ELECTION '08 Patchwork Nation
The American voter beyond red and blue

FISHERIES Empty Oceans Series
The sea is no longer so vast.


Daily podcast

Monitor Reports

Pat Murphy hosts today's podcast with Monitor reporters from around the world.


Today

Pat Murphy

In today's podcast, we focus on Zimbabwe and how its African neighbors feel about what's going on there. Pat Murphy has a conversation with Monitor reporter Scott Baldauf.




Today's print issue
Today's Issue of The Christian Science Monitor