In The Fallen Leaf, the special identity and miserable plight of Nira has drawn sympathy from Chinese audiences. What's more, the depth of the film reflected the class differentiation and education issues in Thailand. The 2017 Thai film Bad Genius made huge waves in China, earning 271 million yuan ($39.38 million) at the Chinese mainland box office with a story about students setting up and organization dedicated to cheating on exams.Īudiences found the theme innovative, and appreciated how the director added suspense through the use of music and cinematic camera angles. 'Some Thailand dramas dare to write stories about some topics that other people avoid,' noted Mianbao.īesides dramas, Thai film also explores risky subjects. The reason that Thai dramas are popular in China is not just due to handsome actors, pretty actresses and odd plots, but also because of the social problems that are reflected in these shows. It is very relaxing, isn't it?'Ĭhinese drama fans are very picky when it comes to shows. 'There are only a bunch of good looking boys and girls putting on an imaginary story. 'There are no heartbroken romances like in South Korean dramas and no intense gun fights like in US drama,' said Mianbao. 'They promote the unique feature of Thailand dramas,' said Mianbao. Mianbao said she believes that many viewers in China enjoy watching Thailand dramas because these types of stories do not often appear in dramas from South Korea or the US. It is not unusual to see LGBTQ themes in Thailand dramas. 'That's one of the reasons that I can tolerate these insane stories.' 'The actor and actress in the drama both have the perfect look,' a Thailand drama fan who goes by the net name Supier Mianbao, told the Global Times. Their unique style and content help set them apart from other popular dramas from other countries. Thailand's television shows and films have always held a certain amount of fascination for Chinese audiences. The show stars Thailand actress Pimchanok Leuwisetpaibul, who is a quarter Chinese, and actor Puttichai Kasetsin, both famous young stars in Thailand. On media review site Douban, more than 85 percent of the 3,700 reviews of the show have given it four or five stars out of five. The excited and complicated story has riveted Chinese audiences, with related topics even appearing on Sina Weibo's trending list. This tragic love gets even more complicated after Nira's aunt, who always looked down on Nira, discovers the truth and begins to go out of her way to hinder Nira. Due to her beauty, he starts to fall for her, as does her father after he runs into her. One day, Nira coincidentally runs into Chatchavee, who doesn't recognize her. Fortunately, the kind doctor Benjang takes her into his home, where she starts living as his sister.

Overwhelmed by the news, Nira flees the hospital. Unfortunately, Nira's mother dies in a car accident while Nira is still in the hospital. Supported by his mother, Nira makes a decision what changes his life, he undergoes sex reassignment surgery, which completely transforms him into a gorgeous woman. Chatchavee realizes what is happening and rejects Nira, which breaks the young man's heart. Spending more time with Chatchavee, Nira starts to fall in love with him.

Nira hopes that his father could be like Nira's uncle-in-law Chatchavee, who loves and understands him. His father in particular is unable to accept this and often tortures Nira and his mother. Except for his mother, Nira is not accepted by those around him due to this feeling. Nira - derived from Niranam, which means the anonymous one - feels that he is a girl at heart. The Fallen Leaf tells the story of a young man in a rich family. The hashtag for the show has been used more than 33,000 times and viewed 260 million times on Sina Weibo. The Thailand drama's unique topic and characteristics, which sets it apart from South Korean and US shows, has captured the attention of Chinese viewers. Recently, a Thailand LGBTQ-themed drama, The Fallen Leaf, has become a hot topic of discussion among netizens in China, who have given the show a high mark of 8.6/10 on Chinese media review site Douban. A screenshot of a poster for The Fallen Leaf

The fallen leaf