Web offers 'new life' for sitcoms

[Photo/China Daily]

I Love My Family (1993)

China's first sitcom, directed by Ying Da and inspired by the hit American series The Cosby Show, chronicles the Jia family's lives in downtown Beijing in the 1990s. The family's grandfather, played by Wen Xingyu, is an old-fashioned retired official struggling to adapt to the rapid changes in society and the younger generation growing up around him. The first 40 episodes aired in 1993 received high ratings, so the producers decided to broadcast another 80 episodes the next year.

[Photo/China Daily]

The Railway Station (1997)

The 40-episode production, also directed by Ying Da, is set in a resting hall inside a railway station. Passengers waiting to depart or to transfer rest in the hall, and it reflects the mind and spirit of Chinese from every walk of life. The series, broadcast by CCTV in 1997, was applauded for its humorous dialogue and won both young and old viewers.

[Photo/China Daily]

My Own Swordsman (2006)

The 81-episdode series, set in a fictional hotel, Tongfu Inn, during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), is a spoof on traditional Chinese kung fu productions. The inn's owner, Tong Xiangyu, is a stingy widow raising her husband's younger sister. Her friendship with her employees and romance with Bai Zhantang, the hotel's waiter and a former thief, are touching and filled with laughs. The show was broadcast CCTV during prime time in 2006, and received the highest rating of any sitcom.