From global to local: The cultural complexities of Taiwanese popular TV dramas and their social implications

Abstract

Compet ing with Japanese and Korean popular TV dramas, Taiwanese popular TV drama occupies a peculiar position in the Asian TV industries. A comparison of two popular Taiwanese idol dramas (偶像劇) Romantic Princess (公主小妹) and Wei Hsiao Pasta (微笑百事達) may demonstrate the range of cultural elements involved in the local Taiwanese TV culture. Despite the differences in their sett ings and representations, both TV dramas generate similar messages through a discourse of love which gives rise to new gender roles. The use of multi-lingual elements and various dramatic devices reveal how the local cultural-political complex is represented via forms of daily cultural consumpt ion. All in all, these convey an additional and refreshing dimension to our understanding of contemporary Taiwanese society and the consumption patterns in its TV culture, as well as providing new insights into the daily pedagogies of the Asian classroom.