China falls for the Downton Abbey effect

The exploits of the Earl of Grantham and life on an Edwardian country estate are proving hypnotic to the booming middle classes of the superpower.

China may be dominating the globe with industrial muscle and business strength but it is now importing a British cultural revolution to feed its society?s rush for anything that reeks of status.

The nation, whose image has been trademarked by the drab Mao suits of its one-party political elite, is now hooked on symbols of British class structure. DVDs and internet showings of Downton with subtitles are now required viewing as both a route to a British accent and to respectability.

The ITV drama, with its depiction of the landed classes and their servants redolent of China before the Cultural Revolution, is a hit with educated and aspirational Chinese who want to emulate the British way of life and perfect their English language skills.

Young, educated Chinese mobbed a recent film event organised by the British Council in Shanghai to promote cultural links and the audience ?went berserk? when they were shown an image of Dame Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess of Grantham. Downton is joined in the popularity stakes by pheasant shooting, polo matches, the Royal Family, public schools and James Bond.

?There is a voracious appetite for British culture because it is seen as a status symbol of wealth and success. It used to be something restricted to the higher echelons of Chinese society but it is spreading rapidly,? says businessman Richard Craig, who has been trading in China for eight years.

?The nation is developing so quickly that the wealthy middle classes that numbered about million a decade ago have now risen to 400 million and they are all looking for badges of their new-found wealth and status. It can be anything from watching a British TV period drama to being a member of a whisky club but the thirst for British symbols of success is growing by the year. They are obsessed with the Royal Family and I must have had more than 100 calls congratulating me on the birth of Prince George.?

The Chinese craving for British culture takes a bizarre turn in the replica English market town, complete with mock Tudor buildings, a statue of Winston Churchill, red telephone boxes, a Gothic church and cobbled streets, that was built 19 miles from Shanghai. Thames Town, intended for a population of 10,000, was colonised by wealthy families who use the properties as second homes.

The British Polo Day enterprise which takes the game, and its supporting luxury brands, around the world will be at the Sunny Times Polo Club, just outside Beijing, in September where the order of the day will be blazers and old school ties.

Chinese families are desperate to get their children into top British schools and universities and one Shanghai company organises three-week summer study programmes at Eton College that cost ?7,000 per child.

British universities already have bases in Chinese cities and Wellington College is setting up its second branch in Shanghai with an international campus designed to copy the Berkshire public school?s grand buildings and lawns. The British Council?s UK Now arts festival, which featured events from dance to design across 29 cities, drew more than four million visitors last year.

?There is a huge appetite for British culture particularly among young, fashionable Chinese,? says Briony Hanson, director of film for the British Council.

?We took a collection of films from the British film archives and I was very nervous about it. I thought we might be playing to 20 people and a dog, particularly as it was advertised as Old British Film Night but we were pushing people out of the door. They were sitting on the fire exits, cramming to get in.

?We did a presentation about what was in the archive and the photographic still we put up to illustrate TV was Maggie Smith and the audience went berserk. I had no idea what was happening but subsequently found out that Downton Abbey is one of the most searched for items on social media in China. The interest in Downton is incredible.? The Council also ran a presentation of nine silent Alfred Hitchcock films. ?It was completely sold out,? says Briony. ?We took a pianist along as the films were silent and he was mobbed at the end of every screening.

?The most popular film figures out there are Daniel Radcliffe, because of Harry Potter, and Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddlestone because of their films and what they represent. They are well-spoken, charming, gentlemanly and erudite which are aspirational qualities for young Chinese.

?It is a relatively new thing for them to get a glimpse of western culture. Only 20 non-Chinese films are allowed into the country each year and I think we are have the same gentlemanly qualities as the characters.?

The ?soft power? of British culture is strengthening links between the two nations, which resumed diplomatic relations only 40 years ago and politicians hope it will lead to greater trade opportunities. Sentimentality for a bygone way of life should not be seen as a sign of weakness though. ?It is obviously a great opportunity and being British opens a lot of doors but there is still a strong feeling that China is supreme,? says Richard Craig, who runs the company EastWestEye.

?If you go to China expecting an easy ride just because you are British then think again. The old ties are still very strong and there are huge numbers who know Britain for its shopping and are more aware of Bicester Village than Buckingham Palace.?

Only six per cent of British schools teach Mandarin yet more than 300 million Chinese are currently learning English, according to the British Council, and 90,000 Chinese students now study in Britain, contributing ?2.25billion a year to the economy.

Source: http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/419508/China-falls-for-the-Downton-Abbey-effect

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