Chu Bin: problems facing & suggestions for Taiwanese popular culture
”Popular. I know about popular.“
The following article, originally published in Issue 5, 2024 of the Reunification Forum by the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification, presents an interesting cultural perspective on cross-strait relations.
The author, Chu Bin, Researcher at the Graduate Institute for Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan Studies of Xiamen University and Fellow at the Collaborative Innovation Center for Peaceful Development of Cross-Strait Relations, claims that while Taiwan’s pop music remains a dominant force in the Chinese-speaking world, its influence in the film, television, and gaming sectors has diminished. With the Chinese mainland leveraging its rapid economic growth and surpassing Taiwan in both creative output and market reach, Taiwan’s cultural dominance of the 1990s and early 2000s has been reversed.
Chu attributes the decline of Taiwanese pop culture to factors such as “de-Sinicisation” policies that sever cultural ties to its roots and the loss of talent driven by the economic advancements of the mainland.
Nonetheless, recognising the innovative potential of Taiwan’s cultural domain, Chu offers recommendations for its future development. Expectedly, the mainland researcher advocates adopting a clear political stance that reflects national sentiment by upholding the One China principle and opposing “Taiwan independence.”
Chu didn’t have a comment on the cultural market in the Chinese mainland, where, for example, the box office dived to its lowest since 2015 and 34% down on the pre-Covid peak in 2019.
储斌：当前台湾流行文化现状、问题与启示
Chu Bin: The Current Status, Problems, and Lessons Learned of Taiwanese Pop Culture
Taiwanese pop culture developed earlier than that of the Chinese mainland. Later, taking advantage of the opportunities brought by reform and opening up and cross-strait exchanges, it was introduced into the Chinese mainland, profoundly influencing the development of mainland Chinese culture. However, in the second decade of the 21st century, the development trend of pop culture across the strait reversed: mainland Chinese pop culture became increasingly strong, while Taiwanese pop culture gradually declined.
Current Status of Taiwanese Pop Culture
Status One: Overall Stability but Uneven Distribution
Currently, Taiwanese pop culture maintains a relatively high overall level, with development being relatively stable but unevenly distributed.
On the one hand, the regional distribution is imbalanced. Over the past decade, Taiwanese pop culture has developed steadily, contributing approximately 5% to Taiwan's total GDP. Among the sectors, media (including film, radio and television, publishing, advertising, pop music, etc.) accounts for the highest share at 54.7%. However, from the perspective of regional distribution, there is a severe imbalance, with Taiwan's "five major metropolitan areas" (Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taichung City, Tainan City, and Kaohsiung City) comprising 72% of the total, among which Taipei City alone accounts for 30% of Taiwan's total. From the perspective of revenue distribution, the imbalance is even more pronounced, with Taipei City's pop culture revenue accounting for 62% of Taiwan's total.
On the other hand, the development of various fields within Taiwan's pop culture remains uneven. In the Greater China region and East Asia, Taiwan's pop music continues to hold a dominant position, while its film, television, and gaming industries are increasingly being overtaken by other regions.
Taiwan's pop music in the 21st century is marked by high industrialisation, standardisation, and systematisation, creating a distinctive model where the music industry chain fuels the growth of pop culture. Taiwanese pop music currently holds an 80% market share in the Chinese-language pop music market, making it a major regional influence.
However, in the film and television industry, productions from the Chinese mainland have rapidly caught up with—and often surpassed—Taiwanese content. Mainland Chinese films and dramas not only dominate their domestic market but have also gained considerable popularity among Taiwanese audiences, frequently entering the Taiwan market. Moreover, productions from South Korea, Japan, and Thailand have undergone substantial transformation and innovation, further diminishing Taiwan’s position in the industry and leaving its market relatively stagnant.
Similarly, Taiwanese online games are struggling to remain competitive in the global gaming industry. In terms of technology, they lag behind international advancements, particularly those from the Chinese mainland. Furthermore, the Taiwanese gaming market faces severe product homogeneity and a limited user base, allowing both domestic and international competitors to steadily erode their market share.
Status Two: The Glory Has Passed, but the Influence Remains
In today's Chinese-speaking world and the broader Asian region, although Taiwanese pop culture has passed its peak, it continues to wield a certain degree of influence, particularly across the strait. From the 1970s through the early 21st century, Taiwan was a powerhouse of Chinese pop culture, excelling in pop music, films, television dramas, idol groups, and variety shows, and producing numerous works that became household names.
Songs like 龙的传人 Descendants of the Dragon, 橄榄树 Olive Tree, and 月亮代表我的心 The Moon Represents My Heart, television dramas such as 新白娘子传奇 The Legend of the White Snake, 包青天 Justice Bao, and 家有仙妻 My Fairy Wife, idol groups like S.H.E, Fahrenheit, and F4, as well as variety shows like 康熙来了 Kangsi Coming and 超级星光大道 One Million Star, were not only immensely popular at the time but have since evolved into cherished shared memories, fondly reminisced about by compatriots across the strait, transitioning from "pop" to "classic."
These iconic elements of Taiwanese pop culture have become cultural bridges linking the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. They have made positive contributions to fostering mutual understanding, promoting cross-strait exchanges, and advancing the healthy development of cross-strait relations.
Status Three: Aesthetic Fatigue Bottlenecks Development
Entering the second decade of the 21st century, audience expectations for the quality of pop culture have risen significantly. Taiwanese pop culture, however, has faced a developmental bottleneck due to inflexible creative approaches, a lack of innovation, and increasing audience aesthetic fatigue. This stagnation is particularly evident in films and television dramas, especially idol dramas centred on romance between attractive actors. Viewers have grown disenchanted with stereotypical characters, formulaic plots, predictable storylines, overblown sentimentality, and a largely fixed roster of actors. In contrast, South Korean and Japanese television dramas have evolved and diversified, exploring a broader range of themes and thereby attracting a substantial portion of Taiwanese drama audiences.
Meanwhile, the economic dynamics across the Taiwan Strait flipped, further impacting Taiwan's entertainment industry. The Chinese mainland has capitalised on its rapid economic growth and expansive market to upgrade its film and television productions, creating a strong siphoning effect. Many talented Taiwanese production staff and actors have relocated to the mainland, which has almost entirely dominated the production of period dramas and blockbusters.
The era when Hong Kong and Taiwanese dramas dominated mainland screens is now a thing of the past. High-quality film and television productions from the mainland have started to "reclaim" the Taiwanese market, achieving remarkable viewership records.
Status Four: Seeking New Paths Amidst Challenges
From the late 20th century to the early 21st century, during a period when mainland Chinese film and television dramas had not yet fully marketised, Taiwanese TV dramas—particularly idol dramas—crossed the strait and led mainland Chinese viewing trends for nearly a decade. The year 2011 marked the last golden moment for Taiwanese idol dramas, after which their popularity began to wane.
Since 2012, Taiwan's film and television industry has struggled with issues such as talent loss, declining investments, clichéd themes, and the erosion of a seller's market. In stark contrast, mainland Chinese period dramas, marked by substantial investments and high production quality, have garnered increasing popularity among Taiwanese audiences. Many high-quality productions from the mainland became top-rated on Taiwanese screens, reversing the earlier trend of Taiwan-to-mainland imports. Major Taiwanese television networks increasingly imported dramas from the mainland, while domestic productions saw a sharp decline, sparking reflection among Taiwanese directors.
In response to this downturn, in 2014, eight veteran Taiwanese directors, including Tsai Ming-Liang, launched the "Qseries" project in collaboration with Taiwan Television (TTV), Gala Television Corporation (GTV), and Taiwan Broadcasting System (TBS). This initiative united acclaimed scriptwriters and Golden Bell Award-winning actors [Taiwan's equivalent of the Emmy Awards] to lead productions aimed at revitalising Taiwanese dramas, nurturing talent, and elevating production standards. The "Qseries" also introduced the "Q Place Performing Classroom," selecting 24 promising newcomers from over 300 applicants for systematic training. These efforts were seen as a "gentle revolution" in Taiwan’s television industry.
Through the "Qseries" project, Taiwanese films and television dramas shifted away from the dreamy and formulaic settings of idol dramas, instead adopting storylines more grounded in everyday life. This approach not only earned impressive viewership but also laid the groundwork for revitalising Taiwanese creativity in film and television. Since then, Taiwanese dramas have embarked on a path of self-transformation, focusing on high-quality, niche-oriented productions.
Major Problems and Challenges of Taiwanese Pop Culture
The Prominent Shortage of Talent and the Gradual Loss of Talent Diversification
From the 1970s to the 1980s, although most creators and performing artists of Taiwanese pop culture were trained locally, quite a few were descendants of mainland Chinese who fled to Taiwan along with the Kuomintang following its defeat, growing up in culturally diverse military dependents' villages. These diverse cultural influences enriched the forms and categories of Taiwanese culture.
From the 1990s to the early 2000s, Taiwan's booming economy and thriving pop culture scene attracted an influx of artistic talent from across the Chinese-speaking world. Many artists flocked to Taiwan seeking opportunities, further diversifying its cultural landscape. Notable examples include American-born Wang Leehom, Malaysians Eric Moo and Fish Leong, Singaporeans Stefanie Sun and Tanya Chua, and mainland Chinese artists Li Ronghao and Hu Xia, who debuted in Taiwan. Regardless of their origins, these emerging stars were significantly shaped by Taiwan's mature pop culture industry, giving rise to a successful formula: Artist + Training in Taiwan + Marketing in the Chinese Mainland = Pan-Asian Popularity.
However, by the second decade of the 21st century, the rapid economic growth and cultural development in the Chinese mainland, coupled with the rising influence of pop culture from countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Thailand, began to erode Taiwan's appeal. The once-diverse talent pool grew more homogeneous, and a noticeable talent shortage further signalled Taiwan's waning dominance.
The Shortage of Institutions for Training Specialised Professionals and the Lack of Specialised Research Organisations
Although pop culture may appear to be merely an artistic form favoured by young people, its prosperity fundamentally embodies strong economic power, a mature industrial system, flourishing cultural arts, and a confident, positive, and diverse lifestyle among the populace. The development and expansion of pop culture require not only a high standard of living and a thriving social culture but also specialised institutions to train professionals and in-depth research into related pop culture, industries, and technologies. However, Taiwan has relatively few specialised institutions for cultivating pop culture talent, and even fewer for master's and doctoral programs, making it more reliant on institutions in Europe and the United States. Moreover, Taiwan tends to view pop culture primarily as a profit-driven industry, neglecting its artistic aspects, which has resulted in a scarcity of organisations dedicated to conducting in-depth research on pop culture.
The Problems of High Fragmentation, Difficulty in Integration, Small Scale, and Limited Market
Taiwan's pop culture industry is highly fragmented and small in scale, making it uncompetitive compared to those of South Korea, Japan, and the Chinese mainland. In the field of film and television dramas, Taiwan's population of just 23 million supports over 100 television organisations, leading to intense competition and severely constrained production budgets and resource allocations. Declining viewership ratings, driven by a drop in television drama quality, further compress budgets, perpetuating a vicious cycle.
Moreover, government support for related industries often fails to align with the needs of the private sector, resulting in largely ineffective policies. Despite its dynamism, the private sector struggles to compete with larger enterprises, leading to challenges such as abundant vitality but insufficient strength, high creativity but limited manufacturing capacity, and an oversupply of products exceeding market demand.
As a result, the challenges of fragmentation within pop culture enterprises, industries, and fields, along with integration difficulties among them, small-scale operations, and a limited market, remain unresolved.
Impact of the Internet and Intense Market Competition
Pop culture is not merely a form of entertainment; it is a cultural phenomenon sustained by modern industry and the service sector. In the 21st century, Taiwanese pop culture has faced significant challenges from the rise of the internet and intensified market competition. In 2004, the emergence of music ringtones and online platforms disrupted an industrial ecosystem previously dominated by physical record sales. This disruption deepened with the widespread adoption of mobile phones and new media.
By 2017, global streaming subscription sales surpassed physical record sales for the first time, accounting for 38% of the music industry's total revenue. This trend accelerated, with streaming subscriptions reaching 65% of total revenue by 2021, while physical record sales declined to just 19% in the same year. These shifts in business models have profoundly impacted the global record industry, particularly Taiwan's once-dominant record industry, which experienced a sharp decline after nearly 30 years of growth.
In contrast, mainland Chinese pop culture has undergone a rapid transformation, making significant strides in the internet and new media sectors. Since 2011, mainland Chinese pop songs, TV dramas, variety shows, short videos, and online games have gained popularity, driven by continuous improvements in creativity and production quality, and have been introduced to Taiwan with increasing frequency.
Lessons Learned from the Development of Taiwanese Pop Culture
Foundations: Taiwan's pop culture development can't be separated from the Chinese mainland.
It is an undeniable fact that the people on both sides of the strait are one family, that Taiwan is a part of China, and that its culture is a part of Chinese culture. The origins, cultivation, and generation of Taiwanese pop culture are deeply connected to the Chinese mainland. During the peak of Taiwanese pop culture, whether in pop music or hit TV dramas, the cultural materials, sources of creativity, markets, and audiences were all deeply reliant on the Chinese mainland. Without the nurturing and enrichment of Chinese culture, Taiwanese pop culture would not exist; without the support of the hundreds of millions of Mainland Chinese, Taiwanese pop culture could not have reached its peak prosperity. The development, growth, and significant international influence of Taiwanese pop culture are inseparable from the Chinese mainland.
Cultural Roots: "De-Sinicisation" Affects the Landscape of Taiwanese Pop Culture
Chinese culture, with its profound history, rich meaning, and diverse forms, has long been the foundation for the development of Taiwanese pop culture and the fertile ground for its prosperity. However, in recent years, the Taiwanese authorities' implementation of "de-Sinicisation" policies has contributed to a decline in traditional cultural literacy within Taiwanese society. Emerging talents in the Taiwanese art scene are seldom influenced by historical culture, which impacts their mindset, vision, and connection to their cultural heritage, leading to a shortage of resources and inadequate capabilities for creative work.
Taiwanese pop culture has shifted from the prosperous "Greater China" era to the more constrained "Little Taiwan" phase. During its golden age, Taiwanese pop culture drew heavily from traditional Chinese culture or offered modern interpretations of it. These works not only preserved and promoted traditional culture but also actively explored its creative transformation and innovative development.
Today, under the influence of "de-Sinicisation," excessive localisation has narrowed the perspectives of Taiwan's pop culture creators, reducing the diversity of artistic materials and forms. Consequently, Taiwanese pop culture has lost much of its appeal to audiences in other Chinese-speaking regions, significantly diminishing its reach and influence.
Core Competitiveness: the Quality of Pop Culture Products Must be Prioritised
Pop culture, marketed as cultural products, must be rooted in quality. Emphasising product excellence is essential. Taking films and television dramas as an example, their core appeal lies in the storyline. In today's competitive landscape, where high-quality dramas are frequently produced and audience expectations continue to rise, only well-crafted works with tight logic, coherent plots, and engaging narratives can capture and retain audience favour.
Mainland Chinese audiences' appreciation for excellent Taiwanese dramas and disdain for low-quality ones underscore the universal consumer emphasis on cultural product quality, a principle equally crucial for pop culture practitioners on both sides of the strait. A common characteristic of outstanding Taiwanese dramas is the meticulous dedication across all stages of production—from script development to directing, acting, cinematography, art design, and post-production. This commitment is driven by the creative team's strong sense of social responsibility.
Similarly, while some mainland Chinese fantasy and romance dramas remain popular, it is realistic-themed works that genuinely capture nationwide attention. Thus, focusing on reality, immersing in it, and embracing it—while aligning with the psychological and emotional needs of the audience—constitutes the core competitiveness in film and television drama creation.
Accurate Positioning: Precisely Grasping Zeitgeist, Resources, Market, and Audience
The pop culture industry is highly competitive. The journey of Taiwanese pop culture from development to prosperity, followed by decline and eventual transformation, vividly demonstrates that cultural development requires a precise understanding of the zeitgeist, access to essential resources, awareness of market dynamics, and insight into audience preferences.
Currently, Taiwan's pop culture—particularly in film, television, and the idol industry—lags significantly behind the Chinese mainland, especially in terms of funding and audience reach. In recent years, Taiwan has attempted to replicate mainland Chinese idol talent competitions. However, after airing, these programs often struggle with limited budgets and inadequate funding. For an idol industry heavily reliant on fan purchasing power, this lack of financial support is akin to losing essential resources.
The Chinese mainland represents a market of immense potential for Taiwanese pop culture artists, offering vast resources and opportunities for artists to generate income quickly. However, success in this market comes with specific conditions:
1. Taiwanese artists and their management companies must take a clear political stance, demonstrating strong national sentiments by adhering to the One China principle and opposing "Taiwan independence." This is essential to gain acceptance and support from the mainland Chinese public.
2. To stand out in the mainland market, Taiwanese artists must exhibit high levels of professionalism. Unlike their mainland counterparts, who often benefit from training at well-established art institutions, many Taiwanese artists lack formal training, which can lead to professional shortcomings.
3. Sustained exposure and success in the Chinese mainland require reliable resource investment. Signing with influential mainland Chinese management companies is crucial to secure consistent funding, industry connections, and media coverage.
After decades of development, pop culture across the Taiwan Strait has undergone profound and transformative changes. In the new era, as mainland Chinese cultural products continue to advance in creativity and production quality, mainland Chinese pop songs, TV dramas, variety shows, short videos, and online games have surged ahead, gaining increasing appreciation and acceptance among Taiwanese compatriots.
Although mainland Chinese pop culture currently leads Taiwan in many areas, Taiwanese pop culture retains the advantages of an early start, abundant creativity, and extensive experience, offering valuable lessons for the mainland. At the dawn of a new era, both pop culture industries should uphold the principle that "the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family."
By fostering deeper cooperation, pop culture industry practitioners on both sides of the strait can create works beloved by audiences across the region, jointly promote Chinese culture, and drive mutual growth in the pop culture industries. Such collaboration will strengthen and expand the cultural endeavours of the Chinese nation, offering lasting intellectual and emotional support for the great dream of national rejuvenation.
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