The Artifice of Reality in East Asia
The Artifice of Reality in East Asia
This chapter examines the influence of reality-television formats in East Asia and looks at how they function as alternative models of program investment and production. While reality television is a product of European and North American television systems, it has a different provenance in East Asian society. Reality television provides a fresh alternative to documentary, an expository form that state-owned broadcasters actively exploited for the explicit purpose of state-building. In 2002, the first survival reality show in East Asia, Into Shangrila, was conceived in China. Within a short time, other programs emerged such as Perfect Holiday and Indiana Jones. Most of these shows were promoted as exercises in documentary anthropology rather than just escapist game shows.
Keywords: reality television, documentary, reality show, Into Shangrila, China, Perfect Holiday, Indiana Jones, documentary anthropology
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