Taking center stage

When asked about Chinese producers' long-held concerns that American audiences may be unwilling to watch foreign content with subtitles, Bommel says, "The situation has changed a lot and the barrier has been lifted".

With the popularity of some Chinese dramas on major streaming sites such as You-Tube, Americans－especially those growing up in the internet era－have grown accustomed to watching tales with subtitles.

Michael Tear, CEO of the New Zealand production company Wildbear Entertainment, which coproduced the epic documentary The Long March with the China International Television Corp, believes more Western viewers are now interested to learn about China.

As a milestone military retreat that was key to the triumph of the Communist Party and the founding of New China, The Long March is about that Red Army forces traversing more than 9,000 kilometers in around 370 days to avoid encirclement by the Kuomintang from 1934 to 1935.

Tear says the epic tale of the founding of China and its related national pride will be relevant to the Western audience.