China Charms ~ Starter Kit and FAQ

Lynne · August 21, 2020

Step 1 – Basic Guidelines

Please check our directory list before creating a new thread.
If you cannot find the title, or title is already on the list but no thread is created yet, you may proceed to create the new thread.
Please take note that duplicate threads will be merged.
Dramas / Shows to be opened need to have at least a confirmation from one cast member or from the respective company.
Don’t hesitate to ask moderators for help, if you are unsure how to setup the thread, We’ll be happy to set you up.
Please check our FAQ for help on how to insert images, videos etc.
Once the thread is created, don’t forget to tag our moderators to update the directory.

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Step 2 - New Thread Creation

We also encourage everyone to be creative. There is no limit on what you do to create the thread.

How you arrange the post is up to you. But, we also would like to ask your help to make it as informative as possible and structured.

Here are few of our templates as a reference: Sample 1, Sample 2, Sample 3.

Thread Title

English name Chinese name [Status]

Status: Pending, Year-Current Airing, Complete

First post - Drama / Show introduction
•   First post should contain : Details, Cast and Synopsis
•   Please check on the directory list if an info card has been created or not for this drama.
•   If the info card is not available at the time, you are welcome to create your own introduction post.

Second – Fifth post

Contain: Airing Sites, Schedules, Trailers, Ost. Episode Guides etc

You are welcome to arrange and reserved the posts as you see fit.

Five posts are just an estimation, it can be shorter or longer depending how much information you want to share in the first page. Please refer to the templates as guidance.

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Step 3 – Crediting the Source

There are few sites that can help you in finding the basic cast information, synopsis etc. So once you’re done, don’t forget to give credit to the sites you use as the source material.

Here are a few English sites as reference Wiki d-addicts, Mydramalist, Chinese Drama Info, Wikipedia, and various other sites.

And that's it! Have fun to all you wonderful creators!

@NiteWalker @Lynne

Tofu · July 28, 2021

Chinese Dramas FAQ

It's been asked a few times in a couple of drama threads on how Chinese dramas are released so we decided it'll be good to include a small FAQ on drama releases in China. If you would like a full comprehensive explanation on Chinese drama production, filming, and releases, the people at Dramapotatoe have written a very nice article on it here --> Dramapotatoe CDramas FAQ

What are the major streaming platforms?

When will a drama be released?

It's unknown when a drama will get a release date. China has a huge queue of dramas waiting to be released. Some may take years, and some may take months. Modern dramas will usually air quicker than costume (historical) dramas because post production for modern dramas are less time consuming.

Outside of post production work, a drama has to go through the censorship board before it can be released. If they find anything wrong, it has to be fixed and resubmitted. If a platform wants to display the drama in the main banner of their streaming site, it goes through another round of submission. The same happens if the production company decide they want to air the drama on TV (TV and online streaming have different regulations).

Because of all of this, there are times a drama will suddenly be released without much promotion prior. One of the most popular drama released this year (2021), Word of Honor, announced it's airdate the same day it was due to air. Sometimes, air dates are not even announced and a drama can drop with no promotion.

Will a drama have English subtitles?

As an international forum, this question is asked a lot. It's also something our China Charms moderators focus on when updating the threads.

Most Chinese dramas will come with English subtitles. Dramas produced by iQIYI and Tencent will usually be released with English subtitles immediately. Dramas produced by Youku, MangoTV, or another platform, may not always be released with English subtitles. In the recent years, international fanbase have grown. Many platforms are trying to offer English subtitles at some point during the release of the drama.

Based on observation, if a drama produced by a smaller platform have a current popular actor/actress, it may release English subtitles quicker.

Why do Chinese dramas release so many episodes at once?

The releases of episodes are usually broken down based on the type of member you are on their platform.

Free -- You have an account without a paid subscription.
VIP -- You have the most basic subscription.
VVIP -- You have a premium subscription.

As a free member, on the first day a drama is aired, you will have around two episodes available to you to watch. In order to get people to upgrade to a paid subscription, most platforms will offer advance episodes to their VIP members. This means that a VIP member may have 6-8 episodes available to them on the first day. After the first day, a drama usually release another two episodes every day it's scheduled to air.

VVIP members' privileges varies across the platforms (I will talk about Tencent/iQIYI below because I'm the most familiar with them), but the one consistent thing is that VVIP members are given even more episodes to watch.

TencentVideo VVIP: At some point during the airing of a drama, a VIP member can purchase additional episodes to watch at the cost of around $0.99 USD. These additional episodes will NOT have English subtitles even though it's a Tencent production.
iQIYI VVIP: iQIYI has three membership levels (Free, Standard, and Premium). The premium level is considered their VVIP subscription. Anyone with a VVIP subscription, if a drama offers additional episodes at some point during their airing, members at this level will automatically have access to these episodes. A VIP member can unlock these episodes by sharing their unique link and having other iQIYI subscribed members "like" their link. These additional episodes from iQIYI typically will come with English subtitles.

In October 2021, both platform ended their VVIP programs and will no longer be releasing advance episodes.

Hopefully, this small FAQ was helpful for anyone who's starting to watch Chinese dramas! If you have any questions, feel free to tag @NiteWalker, @Lynne, @SilverMoonTea or @Tofu in your post in the thread of the drama you're watching. :smile: