China Central Television, the flagship network of the country’s propaganda machine, has a new hit on its hands. “Blossoms Shanghai”, a big-budget melodrama in 30 parts, has enjoyed huge audiences since its first episode aired on December 27th. The show’s success—boosted by approving coverage in official and commercial media outlets—is at once unexpected and revealing. It is a surprise because its heroes are swashbuckling capitalists in the Shanghai of the early 1990s. A hard-living bunch, they cut deals, swap stock tips and scheme against rivals over an endless succession of boozy late-night banquets, filmed in demonic shades of black, gold and red. It is all a far cry from the prim, flag-waving dramas that have become the norm on state tv during Xi Jinping’s rule. Typically, such series depict crime-fighting police officers, Communist Party officials toiling to serve the masses, brave Chinese soldiers or other model citizens.

Enthusiasm for the drama, the first tv series to be directed by Wong Kar-wai, a pillar of Hong Kong’s film industry, sheds light on the Chinese public’s mood. Much praise for the show has a distinctly backward-looking feel to it. Online, fans share their memories of boom years when ordinary Chinese could transform their fates with a lot of luck, good connections and hard work.

At the same time, the show’s endorsement by government media is revealing about the hopes and fears of the country’s rulers. This official embrace is rather tactical and forward-looking. Boosterish coverage of the drama is in line with a broader campaign by party leaders to cheer up Chinese consumers, whose post-pandemic caution is one reason why the economy is in a funk. Party newspapers credit the drama with sparking a measurable surge in Shanghai hotel and restaurant bookings. Arguably, a show whose stars are heroic entrepreneurs also aligns with current official efforts to reassure China’s private sector. Business types have been battered by heavy-handed regulation in recent years and left feeling generally unloved.

Our October Titles

Coming in October: a provocative deconstruction of the American action hero; a deliriously perverse portrait of obsessive love; a mind-expanding cinematic head trip; and a noirish vision of the world as a carnival of corruption. Plus: an influential horror masterpiece and a resurrection of a tortured, enigmatic heroine—now on 4K UHD. And from Criterion Premieres: a heady thriller about grief, mortality, and love.