What are some famous contemporary Chinese variety/game shows?

What are some feminist Chinese TV shows?

• I'm an ABC and want to improve my Chinese by watching Chinese TV, but as a feminist most of the TV shows my parents recommend make me nonplussed. Are there Chinese TV shows with strong female characters that I could conceivably look up to? (if not, why not?) Extra bonus if there's science or engineering content.

• Answer:

  I actually don't watch that many Chinese TV shows. But here's a few I enjoyed. 甄嬛传 It came highly recommended from almost all my friends (and relatives of every age). It's about several very strong and resourceful women struggling against each other to survive in the palace harem. If you want something modern, you could try this one: 杜拉拉升职记 It's about a OL raising from a lowest administrative assistant to top HR director. I read the online story (it started out as a blog), watch the movie, and I really like the story. If you don't want to watch the TV show, you could check out the movie. And my own personal favorite: 大明宫词 It follows the story of Chinese only female empress Wu Zetian and her daughter Princess Taiping. The clothing and set is magnificent, and the dialog is very well written. It's relatively old TV show, you end up seeing a lot of actor/actress when they're younger. However, it is worth mentioning that while these TV shows are all about strong female characters, they're not necessarily promoting feminism ideals. The women are strong and smart, but their triumph are usually defined by their relationship with men, instead of their own achievement. This is especially true for most of the period shows with several women fighting for the favoritism of one man. Eventually, the value of women are represented not by their own individuality, but rather by the recognition of men. We can't blame the show for writing in such way, since it is what the society was like back then. But I think it is important to be mindful about such treatment for female characters. That being said, these are all great TV shows with high production value, and very well written script and dialog. So Enjoy~