Editors' Introduction

Abstract

At the beginning of the nineties when the world was still enthralled by the dramas unfolding in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, as well as the Gulf War, the Chinese people were engrossed in a television series called "Kewang" (Aspirations). This was the second television series to cause a sensation throughout the country within a few years, the first one being "Heshang" (River Elegy), which was a big hit in 1988. What is intriguing is that these two very different television series could both find a niche in China, one before the 1989 upheaval, and one after.