Beginning in 1984, Chen Peisi and Zhu Shimao became fixtures on the New Year's evening variety show for their comedic sketches. The two broke with CCTV in 1998, and Chen ran his own film production company. Apart from detailing the two actors' careers, this week's films highlight issues of royalties in the arts and of the difficulty of making it outside the state-run broadcasting world. If Chinese TV is a bit too dramatic, then consider an interview with C
hina broadcast on Phoenix TV. Finally, we attach a link to the original comedy sketch ????? from the 1984 New Year's variety show that launched Chen and Zhu's pathway to stardom.
