Headlines from China: John Cena Impresses Chinese Fans with Fluent Mandarin

John Cena Impresses Chinese Fans with Fluent Mandarin

Paramount’s Bumblebee, which opened in Chinese theaters on January 4, brings Chinese moviegoers’ attention to the film’s lead actor John Cena. Similar to Dwayne Johnson, who is well loved in China, John Cena also established himself as a successful professional wrestler then transformed himself into an actor. In addition Cena’s acting and wrestling career, Chinese fans are especially impressed by his Chinese language skills. Cena reportedly has been learning Chinese for five years and can handle press conferences and interviews in Chinese. On his Weibo (Chinese social media platform) account, he posts lots of videos, in which he speaks to Chinese followers in mandarin. Read more on Mtime

Alibaba Pictures Invests In Writer-director Han Han’s Film Studio

Recently, famed Chinese writer-director Han Han‘s Shanghai Tingdong Film received an investment from Alibaba Pictures. The two companies will form a strategic partnership to co-produce 20 films over the next five years and also collaborate on film promotion, merchandise and talent management. Founded in 2015 by Han Han, Tingdong Film successfully completed three rounds of financing. Its most recent film is Pegasus (飞驰人生), which is written and directed by Han Han and has been set to release during the lucrative Chinese new year holiday. Read more on Sina Finance

China to Remake Japan’s  ‘Hikaru no Go’ and ‘Unnatural’ 

China’s Transmit Media Entertainment recently hosted a press conference in Beijing, announcing that the company has acquired remake rights to hit Japanese manga Hikaru no Go and TV series Unnatural. Chinese versions of the two works will meet the audience soon. The company also announced several other web movies and drama series that involve Tencent and top Chinese actors such as Yang Mi. Read more on Mtime