Just as the latest season of Game of Thrones is starting, a Chinese liquor company figured out a way to recut and rework the show's opening credits.
Jian Nan, a brand of baijiu, substituted the names in the Game of Thrones credits with a quick look at Chinese history. Westeros locations, like King's Landing and Winterfell, were turned into Chinese locations, such as Inner Hangu Pass and East of Yellow River.
As pointed out by website That's, the subtitles read:
"One of the Chinese Dynasties with the vastest territory Was divided into districts called Zheng Guan Shi Dao ['The Real 10 Paths']
[lists four of them] Inner Hangu, Pass East of Yellow River, North of Yellow River, and Long Mountains
A Millennium Later,
She Remains In Our Mind
Only the Jian Nan
Not for Administrative Reasons
But as a Brand of Liquor"
The name "Jian Nan", That's continues, means "only those who persevere", which explains the last few lines.
The commercial's animation is different, but many of the motifs, such as the swords, the spinning globes, the way the buildings are constructed, and the text, look like Game of Thrones.
Online in China, people are quick to point out that the commercial looks like a copy or a rip-off. "It's quite a feat that they're even able to copy this," wrote one user on Chinese video site Youku. "It shows improvement." Some agree, writing that "imitation is part of innovation." And, of course, this could be more parody than anything.
Others were far more critical: "This is a blatant rip-off," wrote one user in Chinese. "This ad agency and Jian Nan are stupid assholes. It's disrespecting their consumers and it's such a loss of face. HBO should sue them."
While yet another wrote, "This commercial makes no sense! What does government districts have to do with liquor? Such a far-fetched link!"
So, why would a Chinese liquor company borrow the Game of Thrones opening? The show and the books do have a following in China. Perhaps, there's another reason: At times, Chinese history can seem as complex and confusing as the popular drama. That, or it could be something far more straightforward: The Game of Thrones opening is cool.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN [That's]
Eric Jou contributed to this story.
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