No Kidding!

A children's theater director finds young viewers more eager for good narratives rather than flash-bang technology, Chen Nan reports.

Like many Chinese children, who grow up with the story of the Monkey King, He Jiguang's 7-year-old daughter He Jinyao likes watching Journey to the West, the Chinese TV series that was adapted from the classic Chinese novel by the same title. To the father's surprise, instead of the new versions, which were produced with high technology, his daughter enjoys the old version of the TV series, which was first broadcast on China Central Television in 1986. She also likes watching old cartoon movies, which were adapted from Journey to the West, such as Uproar in Heaven and Princess Iron Fan, which were made in the 1960s.

"I once asked her why she doesn't like the new productions, which have special-effects technology and showed Monkey King's 72 transformations in a much more eye-catching way than the old version. She simply said that the old version is much more interesting," says He, 37, an actor-turned-director of China National Theater for Children. The most established children's theater in the country was founded in 1956.