Reality show a domestic hit
BEIJING — The yawning gap between rich and poor in China has been brought into sharp relief by, of all things, a reality show.
QLTV in Shandong province has broken new ground with “Wife Swap,” in which a city-dwelling domestic engineer and a rural housewife switch places and live in each other’s household for two weeks.
Show is almost identical to the format created by Blighty’s RDF, which first aired in the U.K. on pubcaster Channel 4 before being sold to ABC Stateside.
Proving that will be tricky in China — and doesn’t concern Chinese viewers, who are mad for reality skeins.
“Wife Swap” has been running for several months at 9:30 p.m. Fridays documenting the efforts of the women to deal with the realities of shopping, washing, cleaning and educating children in households where the income gap is extreme.
Popular on Variety
This gap between rich urbanites on the eastern and southern coasts and the impoverished peasantry of the hinterland is China’s hottest political potato these days, making the show all the more controversial.
China aims to cut this inequality but it has a long way to go.
A report issued last week by the Asia Development Bank showed that incomes in the rich cities of Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing are often comparable with U.S. average incomes, but around 800 million of China’s 1.3 billion people still live on around $1 a day.
Jump to CommentsMore from Variety
Ken Page, Voice of Oogie Boogie and Original Cast Member of Broadway’s ‘Cats,’ Dies at 70
What Film Fund From AI Startup Runway Means for Content’s Future
JD Souther, Singer Who Co-Wrote Eagles Classics Like ‘New Kid in Town,’ Dies at 78
Chad McQueen, ‘The Karate Kid’ Star and Steve McQueen’s Son, Dies at 63
Cloud Adoption Key to Media Business Exploiting AI
James Earl Jones, Distinguished Actor and Voice of Darth Vader, Dies at 93
Most Popular
Inside the 'Joker: Folie à Deux' Debacle: Todd Phillips ‘Wanted Nothing to Do’ With DC on the $200 Million Misfire
‘Menendez Brothers’ Netflix Doc Reveals Erik’s Drawings of His Abuse and Lyle Saying ‘I Would Much Rather Lose the Murder Trial Than Talk About Our…
‘Kaos’ Canceled After One Season at Netflix
‘Joker 2’ Axed Scene of Lady Gaga’s Lee Kissing a Woman at the Courthouse Because ‘It Had Dialogue in It’ and ‘Got in the Way’ of a Music…
Saoirse Ronan Says Losing Luna Lovegood Role in ‘Harry Potter’ Has ‘Stayed With Me Over the Years’: ‘I Was Too Young’ and ‘Knew I Wasn't Going to Get…
Kamala Harris Cracks Open a Miller High Life With Stephen Colbert on ‘The Late Show’
Kathy Bates Won an Oscar and Her Mom Told Her: ‘You Didn't Discover the Cure for Cancer,’ So ‘I Don't Know What All the Excitement Is About…
Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried to Star in ‘The Housemaid’ Adaptation From Director Paul Feig, Lionsgate
‘Skyfall’ Director Sam Mendes Says James Bond Studio Prefers Filmmakers ‘Who Are More Controllable’: ‘I Would Doubt’ I’d…
Kamala Harris Watches Maya Rudolph’s ‘SNL’ Impression, Praises the Mannerisms: ‘She’s So Good!’
Must Read
- Film
COVER | Sebastian Stan Tells All: Becoming Donald Trump and Starring in 2024’s Most Controversial Movie
By Andrew Wallenstein 3 weeks
- TV
Menendez Family Slams Netflix’s ‘Monsters’ as ‘Grotesque’ and ‘Riddled With Mistruths’: ‘The Character Assassination of Erik and Lyke Is Repulsive…
- TV
‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Part 2 to Air on CBS After Paramount Network Debut
- TV
50 Cent Sets Diddy Abuse Allegations Docuseries at Netflix: ‘It’s a Complex Narrative Spanning Decades’ (EXCLUSIVE)
- Shopping
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Sets Digital and Blu-ray/DVD Release Dates
Sign Up for Variety Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Variety Confidential
ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXGDjqyanqaVZLqivsqeq6xllprAtbXVmqOsZ5Odtq%2BtjJ2Ys7KcmrFurthmrqKelWLAuK3PZmhqaWduhHGAlW5m