Is Yao-Chinese Folktales the best Chinese anime of 2023? Show on Bilibili tackles workplace culture and Chinese folklore using slick art and ‘unique’ style

Yao-Chinese Folktales, featuring stories and creatures from Chinese folklore, has been viewed more than 72 million times on video-streaming platform Bilibili

One viewer, watching it on January 1, called it the best Chinese anime of the year. Others have praised it for making ancient stories relatable to modern life

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A pig demon in a still from Yao-Chinese Folktales, an animated anthology series that has been viewed more than 72 million times this month on video-streaming platform Bilibili. Photo: Bilibili

Sam Li

Published: 6:15pm, 16 Jan 2023Updated: 10:01am, 17 Jan 2023

Fresh takes on Chinese folklore and a unique aesthetic have made a new online anime series a monster hit in China.

Yao-Chinese Folktales, which features creatures and beings from the literary classic Journey to the West and various “strange tales”, has been viewed – at the time of writing – more than 72 million times on the video-streaming platform Bilibili since the first episodes dropped in early January.

The animated anthology series, jointly produced by Bilibili and Shanghai Animation Film Studio, is made up of eight fantastical tales created by 10 directors and has been rated 9.5/10 on the Chinese review platform Douban.

“Even though it is the first day of 2023, I am sure that this is the best Chinese anime of the year,” one user commented on Douban on January 1.

The series opens with Journey to the West as told by one of its characters — the pig demon. This “entry-level” member is unappreciated at work and exploited by his leader, which results in him losing all his hair.