Blossoms Shanghai — TV series created, produced & directed by Wong Kar Wai (Criterion Channel)
06-18-25 | 06:13 PM
#1
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DVD Talk God
Blossoms Shanghai — TV series created, produced & directed by Wong Kar Wai (Criterion Channel)
Coming later this year to make its U.S. premiere. Wong introduces it here. Had no idea he created a TV show. 30 episodes produced.
06-18-25 | 06:21 PM
#2
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DVD Talk God
Re: Blossoms Shanghai — TV series created, produced & directed by Wong Kar Wai (Criterion Channel)
Here is the YouTube link
06-19-25 | 01:57 AM
#3
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Blossoms Shanghai — TV series created, produced & directed by Wong Kar Wai (Criterion Channel)
I posted about this in the Criterion HD thread earlier because I mistakenly assumed that it would otherwise go in the Criterion Channel thread in Streaming Talk – which is kinda dead – but now that DJariya as rightly mentioned it in TV talk, here’s my old post with some (hopefully) interesting links for context when the show does air:
It took Wong and company three years to make the series (not surprising knowing his cinematic history). This trailer debuted in 2021, nearly 2.5 years before the series actually aired in December 2023:
And this trailer is from 2022:
Wong Kar-wai’s 30-episode 2023-24 China TV series BLOSSOMS SHANGHAI is debuting on the channel. This one’s more for subscribers but since the the thread in that forum is pretty dormant I’m putting it here. 
I’ve seen some folks online hoping for a physical release, but I really hope Criterion doesn’t go down that path for TV shows just because they’re made by auteurs that everyone knows because their film work is already in the collection. That’s not an automatic signifier that one TV series is better than countless others nowadays. By many accounts, this one’s pretty good, and there’s some conjecture that a ‘western’ presentation might be different from the China version with its inherent restrictions (at the very least, it’s being regraded), but who knows.
It’s about characters in the post-1994 economic boom when Shanghai’s stock market first went ‘live’ and made swaths of people rich and influential in very short order (the original book follows characters from the Cultural Revolution to the 1990’s, but it sounds like that aspect was turfed, naturally). Reviews seem somewhat mixed though generally ok, and the series was hugely popular domestically (keeping in mind that many TV series are in China). Some reviews and essays I’ve found make stark comparisons between the ‘to get rich is glorious’ 90’s era in the country (both in reality and in the series) and the crushing economic woes and international pushback that have only increased since then, thus the frequent nods to wistful nostalgia for ‘better times’ that the show has evoked for domestic audiences. Could be interesting in that context, although additional reading would be necessary, and there’s some decent stuff out there.
https://youtu.be/i-sJDo7H1zM?si=i3iO6i1eB6RqqFNQ
[same WKW announcement video DJAriya posted]
Other takes:
Wong Kar-wai's first TV series revisits Shanghai's economic boom - 'Blossoms Shanghai,' by the acclaimed Hong Kong director, has been enthusiastically received, particularly by a city nostalgic for the 1990s and its era of opportunity.
(No paywall: https://archive.is/PnGqW)
Wong Kar Wai's Blossoms Shanghai stirs up nostalgia for Shanghai of the 1990s
Director Wong Kar Wai’s first TV series stokes nostalgia for 1990s Shanghai
Nostalgia for China’s boom years drives a TV hit - A drama series presents 1990s capitalists as heroes, not villains
(No paywall: https://archive.is/ArMqw)
Or, in a nutshell, it’s gorgeous propaganda.
(from the last article above):
I’ve seen some folks online hoping for a physical release, but I really hope Criterion doesn’t go down that path for TV shows just because they’re made by auteurs that everyone knows because their film work is already in the collection. That’s not an automatic signifier that one TV series is better than countless others nowadays. By many accounts, this one’s pretty good, and there’s some conjecture that a ‘western’ presentation might be different from the China version with its inherent restrictions (at the very least, it’s being regraded), but who knows.
It’s about characters in the post-1994 economic boom when Shanghai’s stock market first went ‘live’ and made swaths of people rich and influential in very short order (the original book follows characters from the Cultural Revolution to the 1990’s, but it sounds like that aspect was turfed, naturally). Reviews seem somewhat mixed though generally ok, and the series was hugely popular domestically (keeping in mind that many TV series are in China). Some reviews and essays I’ve found make stark comparisons between the ‘to get rich is glorious’ 90’s era in the country (both in reality and in the series) and the crushing economic woes and international pushback that have only increased since then, thus the frequent nods to wistful nostalgia for ‘better times’ that the show has evoked for domestic audiences. Could be interesting in that context, although additional reading would be necessary, and there’s some decent stuff out there.
https://youtu.be/i-sJDo7H1zM?si=i3iO6i1eB6RqqFNQ
[same WKW announcement video DJAriya posted]
Other takes:
Wong Kar-wai's first TV series revisits Shanghai's economic boom - 'Blossoms Shanghai,' by the acclaimed Hong Kong director, has been enthusiastically received, particularly by a city nostalgic for the 1990s and its era of opportunity.
(No paywall: https://archive.is/PnGqW)
Wong Kar Wai's Blossoms Shanghai stirs up nostalgia for Shanghai of the 1990s
Director Wong Kar Wai’s first TV series stokes nostalgia for 1990s Shanghai
Nostalgia for China’s boom years drives a TV hit - A drama series presents 1990s capitalists as heroes, not villains
(No paywall: https://archive.is/ArMqw)
Or, in a nutshell, it’s gorgeous propaganda.
(from the last article above):
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.
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.
And this trailer is from 2022:
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DJariya (06-19-25)
