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 The drama -- "The Story of Yanxi Palace" -- has attracted a huge
following in China for its colorful depiction of Qing
Dynasty-era politics and the tale of a brave and plucky young
concubine who outsmarts her rivals.
The first 56 episodes of the show are being aired for free on
Chinese video streaming platform iQiyi, which holds exclusive
rights to the drama. For a fee, iQiyi members can watch eight
more episodes.
But a Vietnamese website somehow obtained extra episodes which
have not yet been broadcast in China.
Chinese drama fans flocked to bomtan.org, which hosts online
copies of Asian television dramas, only to be met with a
challenge which pits patriotism against the insatiable urge to
binge watch television.
The website, which did not appear to have rights to broadcast
the drama, asks users to answer questions confirming their
Vietnamese identity before the website loads.
"This service is for Vietnamese people only. Please answer the
following questions: To which country do the Hoang Sa (Paracel
Islands) belong? Vietnam, China, Philippines or Japan?".
The only correct answer to the question, according to the
website, is Vietnam.
The Southeast Asian country has long been embroiled in maritime
disputes with China in the South China Sea, or "East Sea", as it
is known locally, and claims sovereignty over the Paracels,
which the Chinese military currently occupies.
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"This is nonsense!," said one Chinese drama fan, commenting on the
Weibo microblogging platform. "Who gave Vietnam the courage to
challenge China's territorial sovereignty?"
"While stealing Chinese TV dramas, Vietnam has also stolen Chinese
territory," said another viewer.
The show's official Weibo account released a statement on Aug. 20
asking other online streaming services to respect copyright, and to
remove unauthorized copies of the drama from their websites.
A request for comment sent to a contact email listed on the
Vietnamese bomtan.org website went unanswered on Friday. Copies of
the drama had been removed from the platform.
The quiz, however, remained.
(Additional reporting by Khanh Vu in HANOI and the Beijing Newsroom;
Editing by Darren Schuettler)
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