Child performers spark fierce debate among Chinese public

Arecentremakeoftheclassicdrama"LadyWhiteSnake"hasnotonlybecomeaheadlineinChinesemedia,buthasalsosparkedafiercediscussionamongtheChinesepublic,mainlyduetothefactthatitsactorsareallagedbetween6and12.

Thelegendofwhitesnake,whichtellsthelovestoryofsnake-turned-womanBaiSuzhenandherhumanhusband,XuXian,isoneofChina'smostfamousancienttales.FirstadaptedasaTVseriesin1992,theshowhasbeenconstantlyrevivedandrebroadcastevenuntiltoday.

Thechildren’sversionoftheTVshowwasproducedbyaprogramcalledXiaoXigu,featuringchildrenintherolesoftheclassiccharactersfromChinesefolkloreandliterature.TheremakehasbeenahottopiceversinceitdebutedinOctober.Onlinediscussionshashtagged“XiaoXiguLadyWhiteSnake”havegarneredover17millionviewsasofpresstime,withmostpostsfocusingontheremarkableperformancesofthechildactors.

SomeInternetusersofferedsupportandaffectionforthesmallactors,withoneWeibousernoting, “Thechildren’sperformancesareremarkable,andtheyhaveofferedusanewanglefromwhichtointerprettheclassicstory.”Othersexpressedadifferentview,criticizingtheshowfor“tarnishingchildren’smindswithadultstories.”

TheshowhasalsogeneratedconsiderableinterestfromChinesemedia,withsomeoutletspublishingarticlesthatcriticizethe“over-consumptionofchildren”andcallforadultsto“returninnocencetothechildren."Atthesametime,othershaveshowngreatinterestinthis“newmethodofrevitalizingtraditionalculture.”

Despitemixedreactionsfromthepublic,theshowhasascoreof8.6outof10onChinesemediareviewsiteDouban.com,andhasgarnered180millionviewsonQQlive,aChinesestreamingvideosite.

Theshowhasalsoturneditschildactorsintoovernightcelebrities.TaoYixi,the10-year-oldLadyWhiteSnake,nowboastsmorethan160,000followersonSinaWeibo.

(PEOPLE'S DAILY ONLINE)