Cultural Mindsets in Sound: A Cross-Cultural Study of Theme Songs of The Legend of Zhen Huan and Empresses in the Palace

Cross-cultural interactions between China and the global community have intensified, notably marked by the expanding international reach of Chinese films and television productions. Given the diverse cultural backgrounds of different regions, the task of making adapted TV series resonate with the values of the audiences in the target regions has presented a substantial challenge. As the popular Chinese TV series The Legend of Zhen Huan and its American adaptation Empresses in the Palace garnered acclaim within their respective domestic markets, they exhibited rating disparities in cross-cultural acceptance, which offers a novel perspective for analyzing intercultural communication. Building on this phenomenon, this study employs Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory and Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck’s Values Orientation Theory to conduct a comparative analysis of the theme songs from the two series. By deconstructing the contextual contents embedded in these musical compositions, the research aims to elucidate the underlying cultural and cognitive differences between Chinese and American audiences, which lead to their distinct acceptances of the series.

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