In “China in Ten Words”, novelist Yu Hua claims that “copycat”, pronounced in Chinese as shanzhai (山寨), has more of an anarchist spirit than any other word in the Chinese language. The dizzying varieties of copycat products have managed to corner the lower end of the consumer market through freedom from official control.

After magic-realist romantic comedy “Miss Granny” proved a huge success in South Korea following its release in January 2014, copyright holder CJ E&M pledged to make a movie with the same premise for the Chinese market, where romantic comedies are all the rage.

Directed by Leste Chen – best known for “The Heirloom” (2005) and “The Great Hypnotist” (2014) – and starring Yang Zishang, the Chinese version adapts the story of a nagging, abrasive Grandmother who suddenly returns to the body of her 20 year-old self after wandering into a magic photography studio. CJ E&M insists that the Chinese version is a differentiated project from the original and like nothing that has been seen in China before. “It set ‘Miss Granny’ as a motif but will be adapted and produced to suit the taste of Chinese viewers,” said an official from the company during pre-production.

The new version contains some amusing observations about Chinese society. There is an old lady whose idea of success is having a son who emigrated to America. There is the clash between the Mandopop of the 1980s and the rock music that is popular in Beijing’s underground scene. There is the phenomenon of those born in the 1980s and 90s feeling closer to their grandparents than their parents.

However, the transition of the story from Korea to China is far from neat. The main character is aged around 70 and is at least 60. She claims to have been a huge fan of singer Teresa Teng when she was 20, which would push the Teresa craze in mainland China back by at least a decade. One subplot is a severed love story that would have taken place in the 1960s or 70s yet the Cultural Revolution is completely airbrushed and military service during that period is romanticized.

However, this movie is aimed at the lower end of the consumer market – the only people laughing at the screening I attended were children – and it is likely to do a very good job of winning it. This is largely due to the strong performances all around, especially from 29 year-old actress Yang Zishang, who plays a 20 year-old with grandmotherly characteristics, beautifully imitating the older actress Gui Yalei.

Yang Zishan and Gui Yalei, who play the same character

It is sensitive in the way it deals with how people sacrifice their own happiness for their family members. This is a major theme in Chinese popular culture, the biggest music hit of 2014, “Little Apple” by The Chopstick Brothers, contains the line: “Like a candle I will burn myself out to give you light.” Self-sacrifice is the force that drives the story to its climax.

“Citizen Kane” it ain’t, but “Miss Granny” is a well-paced and emotionally involving portrayal that covers some of the lighter side of Chinese society. This is something that very few serious works of art are doing well.

This article is reproduced with permission from Shenzhen Daily.