Restoration of classic TV series sheds light on nostalgia

Generations of Chinese people growing up between the 1980s and the early 2000s will no doubt share fond collective memories of spending the long afternoons of their childhood summer vacations squeezed in front of small TV sets watching their favorite shows.

Most people will be able to reel off the names of these productions, which have been broadcast over and over again: the historical detective drama The Arbiter, the martial arts saga Legend of the Dragonslayer Sword, the fantasy New Legend of Madame White Snake. You name it, we've all seen them.

Nevertheless, for the content managers at Youku, one of China's leading video streaming platforms, one problem has been bothering them for a long time.