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Photos: Chinese fans heartbroken as Friends sitcom goes off the air

Millions are of fans of the 90s US sitcom Friends are heartbroken after a video site pulled streams of the show beloved by millennials in China for its endearing young characters and as an English conversation resource, with a vague “copyright issues” notice. Gaining popularity first through pirated DVDs and downloads, the Emmy-winning show became a window into American culture and lingo once streaming sites were secured. The show’s disappearance from China has even begun hashtags on Chinese social media.

Updated on: May 03, 2018 11:28 AM IST

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Staff members stand behind a counter as a television plays the US sitcom Friends at the “Central Perk” coffee shop in Shanghai. Millions of Chinese Friends fans are heartbroken after a video site pulled the show, beloved by millennials in China for its endearing young characters and as an English conversation resource. (AFP)

Updated on May 03, 2018 11:28 AM

Staff members stand behind a counter as a television plays the US sitcom Friends at the “Central Perk” coffee shop in Shanghai. Millions of Chinese Friends fans are heartbroken after a video site pulled the show, beloved by millennials in China for its endearing young characters and as an English conversation resource. (AFP)

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Top portal Sohu had broadcast reruns of Monica, Rachel, Chandler and the gang since 2014, but abruptly stopped in April, citing only unspecified “copyright issues”. The move has touched off anguish on Chinese social media sites such as the Twitter-like Weibo, where a “Friends offline” hashtag has generated millions of posts. (AFP)

Updated on May 03, 2018 11:28 AM

Top portal Sohu had broadcast reruns of Monica, Rachel, Chandler and the gang since 2014, but abruptly stopped in April, citing only unspecified “copyright issues”. The move has touched off anguish on Chinese social media sites such as the Twitter-like Weibo, where a “Friends offline” hashtag has generated millions of posts. (AFP)

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The sitcom first gained a following from pirated DVDs or illegal downloads before streaming rights were secured. Millions of Chinese youngsters identify with the theme song’s lament -- “your job’s a joke, you’re broke, your love life’s DOA” -- and relish the chance to burnish their American-style English. Some English training courses in China even assign the show as teaching material. (AFP)

Updated on May 03, 2018 11:28 AM

The sitcom first gained a following from pirated DVDs or illegal downloads before streaming rights were secured. Millions of Chinese youngsters identify with the theme song’s lament -- “your job’s a joke, you’re broke, your love life’s DOA” -- and relish the chance to burnish their American-style English. Some English training courses in China even assign the show as teaching material. (AFP)

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Having lunch in Shanghai’s Friends cafe, a spot-on facsimile of the show’s Central Perk hangout, Guo Yujin, a longtime fan, called the programme “a window through which Chinese can learn American culture.” “I learned so much conversational English, things that you can’t learn from books. Books only have the most boring grammar, but this is very life-like,” she said. (AFP)

Updated on May 03, 2018 11:28 AM

Having lunch in Shanghai’s Friends cafe, a spot-on facsimile of the show’s Central Perk hangout, Guo Yujin, a longtime fan, called the programme “a window through which Chinese can learn American culture.” “I learned so much conversational English, things that you can’t learn from books. Books only have the most boring grammar, but this is very life-like,” she said. (AFP)

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Updated on May 03, 2018 11:28 AM

The proprietor is 39-year-old Du Xin, a Friends fanatic who calls the show his faith. He opened his first cafe in Beijing in 2009 and also has one in Guangzhou. They feature Central Perk’s signature window logo, big orange couch, and a TV that loops episodes all day. (AFP)

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A staff member makes coffee at the Central Perk coffee shop in Shanghai. Coffees come with messages like “I (heart) Rachel” and “I’ll be there for you” traced into the foam, and customers frequently queue up outside on weekends. (AFP)

Updated on May 03, 2018 11:28 AM

A staff member makes coffee at the Central Perk coffee shop in Shanghai. Coffees come with messages like “I (heart) Rachel” and “I’ll be there for you” traced into the foam, and customers frequently queue up outside on weekends. (AFP)

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Photos left by patrons are stuck on a board at the Central Perk coffee shop in Shanghai. Tammy Cai, a friend of Guo’s visiting from Hong Kong, said the cafe was the most important stop on her itinerary. “I only need to come here. The rest I can just glance through,” Cai said. (AFP)

Updated on May 03, 2018 11:28 AM

Photos left by patrons are stuck on a board at the Central Perk coffee shop in Shanghai. Tammy Cai, a friend of Guo’s visiting from Hong Kong, said the cafe was the most important stop on her itinerary. “I only need to come here. The rest I can just glance through,” Cai said. (AFP)

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Many have called for Sohu to re-up on its Friends rights, with others offering advice on where to download pirated episodes of the Emmy-winning show, which originally aired in the United States from 1994-2004. (AFP)

Updated on May 03, 2018 11:28 AM

Many have called for Sohu to re-up on its Friends rights, with others offering advice on where to download pirated episodes of the Emmy-winning show, which originally aired in the United States from 1994-2004. (AFP)

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