Chinese Style Divorce (Zhong Guo Shi Li Hun/中国式离婚) is a 23 episode TV series originally broadcast in 2004 that was shot in Qingdao. It was adapted from the novel of the same name by acclaimed author Wang Hai Ling.
The plot tells the story of a married couple who, natch, want to get a divorce. There are not many major landmarks shown in the soap opera but it’s obvious that the locations are Qingdao. However, the license plates on the cars do not show the 鲁 B (Lu stands for Shandong and B for Qingdao) as is standard for cars registered in Qingdao, instead 平 (Ping) is used, perhaps in a nod to the old nickname for Beijing, which is Beiping (北平).
At any rate, Chinese Style Divorce has been called “extremely watchable” and is a great tool for learning Chinese while being entertained. It’s also an informative source for some cultural background on modern Chinese life in the meantime. The box set can be purchased online, and the series pops up now and again on TV channels around the dial, from CCTV to QTV.
An analysis of the plot and accompanying social themes can be found on the Women of China website by the All China Women’s Federation and a synopsis of the series on the Drama Wiki for Asian language TV.
Watch all episodes of Chinese Style Divorce on Youku.
Hesky
It was a great TV-series. I watched it.