Following the success of soap opera The Fierce Wife (犀利人妻) in Latin America last year, another Taiwanese TV drama is set to debut in the region this month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Friday.
The award-winning drama The Way We Were (16個夏天) is to be broadcast on 13 TV channels in Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic — seven of Taiwan’s 22 diplomatic allies — and in Argentina, Colombia and Mexico, the ministry said.
The Fierce Wife — the first Taiwanese TV show to be broadcast in the region — was a hit among Latin American audiences, and many viewers were eager to see other Taiwanese TV dramas, Department of International Information Services acting director-general Jeremy Liang (梁洪昇) said at a news conference.
MOFA in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture selected The Way We Were from several Taiwanese contenders, he said.
In an effort to promote popular Taiwanese culture, the two ministries provided funding for TV channels that broadcast the show so that the show could be dubbed in Spanish, a process that took about half a year.
The TV channels broadcasting the show do not have to pay for the rights, MOFA said.
The show focuses on friendship and love, Liang said, adding that he believes it will touch the hearts of many in the region.
The show stars Taiwanese actresses Ruby Lin (林心如) and Ann Hsu (許瑋甯), Taiwanese actors Weber Yang (楊一展) and Jason Tsou (鄒承恩), and Malaysian-Chinese actor Melvin Sia (謝佳見).
The show follows a romantic story that spans 16 years, from the summer of 1998 to 2014. It is set against historical events that occurred during the 16 summers, such as a massive earthquake on Sept. 21, 1999, the outbreak of SARS in 2003 and the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009.
It won three awards at the Golden Bell Awards last year, including for best TV series and best director for a TV series. Ruby Lin was also nominated for best lead actress at Singapore’s Asian TV Awards last year.
Taiwan is not the first Asian country to export its TV dramas to Latin America, with South Korean TV shows having been popular in the region for many years.
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