Peppa Pig trailer strikes a chord with Chinese ahead of Lunar New Year
- Five-minute clip tells story of the British cartoon character from perspective of old Chinese man living in mountain village, and it’s winning hearts in China
- Grandson wants ‘Peppa’ for the festival
A trailer for an upcoming film starring Peppa Pig, co-produced by a Chinese company, has taken the country’s social media by storm with its bittersweet story about family bonds.
Telling the story of the British cartoon character from the perspective of an old Chinese man living in the remote mountains whose grandson in the city has asked for a present called “Peppa”, the five-minute clip has won the hearts of hundreds of millions of internet users in the country.
It is co-produced by British media company Entertainment One and Alibaba Pictures, which is part of the Alibaba Group that owns the South China Morning Post.
Peppa Pig, a preschool animated television series that has been a hit globally since it first aired in 2004, has been gaining attention in China since last year as it became a subversive symbol of a Chinese online subculture.
The character has been taken on by shehuiren, which translates as “society people”, and refers to young adults who are anti-establishment and reject mainstream values.
