“A Bite of China 2” Documentary Brings Food and People Together
The second season of the phenomenally popular and widely acclaimed Chinese food documentary series A Bite of China <舌尖上的中国> has finally returned to Chinese television screens this month. The first episode of the weekly series premiered on April 18, 2014.
“The A Bite of Food series is really CCTV’s most outstanding and representative documentary to-date,” said critics.
A Bite of China is a documentary on the history of food, eating, and cooking in China. The series traveled to more than 60 locations in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, aiming to introduce different kinds of local delicacies and cuisines among the Chinese food culture.
The first season of A Bite of China, which consisted of only seven episodes that aired from May 14 through May 22, 2012, inspired a boom of online food shopping in Mainland China. The CCTV-produced documentary attracted high ratings throughout its seven-day broadcast, accumulating over 100 million viewers. The ratings outperformed popular television dramas that aired at the time, and online viewership shot to an all-time high.
“Viewers were drowned with tears and drools after watching the first season,” the production stated. “Compared to season one of A Bite of China, the second season is even more of a true documentary.”
According to director Chen Xiaoqing (陈晓卿), an estimated 30 million RMB was invested in A Bite of China 2, a 30 percent budget increase from the last season. It also features 20 percent more foods than the previous season, covering over 300 foods from more than 150 locations in China. According to official sources, the second season aims to be more international in its approach to Chinese food – rather than showing just the dishes and its preparation, the second season also gives a glimpse of the people behind them.
“It’s not just about the food anymore, but also about the people,” online reviewers stated. Instead of concentrating on the science of food preparation, A Bite of China 2 also talks about the philosophies of life, and how the relationships between people and nature manifest into food. “You won’t see the food the same way as before. After watching the documentary, you’ll have the strong urge to return home.”
Chen said, “A Bite of China has gotten people to become interested in China’s small documentary market. A Bite of China 2 was filmed in a dramatic B2B style. Each episode is told in various storytelling methods, some like Hollywood family films, some like road films, and some even like gangster films.
“Food is where we start our journey, but it’s not where we end. The goal is to bring more understanding to Chinese culture through food.”
A Bite of China 2 plays every Friday through CCTV and its online affiliates. The last episode is expected to air on June 6, 2014.
“A Bite of China 2” Promo Clip #1
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“A Bite of China 2” Promo Clip #2
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Source: QQ.com
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
I only saw a couple of episodes of first series.Might catch seconds series.
I love the first series. In fact I replay it at least 10 times since first screening. Can’t wait for 2nd series. My mouth watering already.
Saw the first series, Will definitely watch the sequel!
wow that’s good and hope that people would
like to watch it on CCTV
and i think it would be good to watch it
and it might be interesting
I watched the first season in HD/English, real interesting – I went to China for work once but the hotel’s food was not that great.
“A Bite of China” makes the simplest foods look delicious. What I find to be the most interesting is that it documents the traditional methods in how rural villagers prepare foods, which have been passed down from generations, but may soon become lost due to urbanization. These methods are prepared painstakingly and the sweetest part is watching the family gathered to eat in delight over these laborious meals. A lot of the food we cook tastes better when we cook for people we love.