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Blossoming Controversy

Wong Kar-wai’s acclaimed drama “Blossoms” faces screenwriter credit controversy amid workplace bullying allegations and legal disputes.
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The 2023 Chinese television drama “Blossoms” (繁花), directed by Hong Kong film legend Wong Kar-wai (王家卫), won plaudits for its sole credited screenwriter, Qin Wen (秦雯). But the series faced its own drama last week as anonymous writer “Gu Er” (古二) alleged they were denied acknowledgement for their involvement and faced workplace bullying. Gu Er released recordings on WeChat claiming to have written significant script portions while receiving only 3,000 yuan monthly and no screenwriting credit. The production team issued a September 20 Weibo statement supporting “creators’ legal rights” without addressing any concrete allegations. Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao reported that Qin Wen has engaged lawyers and called the allegations false and defamatory.

Lingua Sinica is an interactive online resource under the China Media Project (CMP) that explores the capacity and sustainability of Chinese-language media environments globally in their full domestic context and traces the lines of impact and engagement by PRC media and institutions.

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