By Afifah Adi
Edited by Harith Syafiee
Nirvana in Fire (2015)
Voice dubbing is a technique in media production where the original or real dialogues spoken get replaced or overlayed with another voice. The Chinese drama industry is known for its extensive use of Chinese voice dubbing, which is prevalent throughout its dramas, whether using the actual actors’ voices or hiring other voice actors. A great example is the Chinese drama Nirvana in Fire, where all the cast are voiced by voice artists.
While many fans of Chinese dramas have mixed feelings regarding this—some are unbothered by it, while others have their reservations—there are several reasons why Chinese productions opt for dubbing their casts, ranging from budget restrictions to actors' lack of training.
Chinese voice dubbing in local dramas started to gain popularity in the early 2000s. It was a time when production crews began to collaborate more with teams from Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as other foreign countries. This created a need for dramas or films to dub the voices to overcome dialect variations that would confuse large audiences and to stick to the supposed reality that characters living in the same place should be speaking in the same language and accent.
The Chinese voice dubbing industry has since soared, with many Chinese voice actors gaining their loyal fanbase. The question is, how is it even possible? Imagine if Tom Holland were dubbed in American English just because he sounds too British, instead of having him master the American accent first. Such a practice might come off as odd to some considering that voice is an essential part of the acting performance, and if the actor doesn’t speak the accent, they are generally expected to take the initiative to learn it.
Jiang Guangtao, a famous Chinese voice artist, mentioned in an interview that the voice dubbing industry is continuously thriving thanks to actors’ substandard line deliveries. Even those who come from Mainland China have difficulties speaking the desired standard Mandarin, and most are chosen because of their appealing visuals where voice is the least priority. As a result, production crews find it wise to dub over the voices.
Notable Voice Actors: Ji Guan Lin, Bian Jiang, Qiao Shi Yu, Zhang Jie
At the same time, the choice is made simply because the crew prefers to have a different kind of voice to match the character’s personality and role in a story. Even if the actor checks all the boxes of what perfect acting constitutes, sometimes a voice actor may still be hired to make the character more appealing and fitting to their role.
Another reason why voice dubbing is popular in China is due to the challenging conditions of the shooting sets. When a scene is filmed outdoors, the background noises disrupt actors’ line deliveries and the flow of dialogue. This issue is particularly common in Chinese historical-period dramas where the filming is often done in large studio complexes such as the Hengdian World Studios—the largest and most frequently used studio in China.
Hengdian World Studios
Hengdian World Studios is open to the public and has become a famous tourist destination, especially for Chinese drama fans. During the shooting, the voices of the tourists, coupled with the yelling of tourist guides and even fans who come to simply watch their favourite actors, have made it almost impossible for on-set recordings to be used in post-production.
The set may also be fully utilised by other productions that could be shooting a couple of blocks away from one, or a single production may decide to shoot multiple scenes at a time. To overcome this disturbance, voice dubbing is used, either dubbed by the real actors themselves or by the professional voice actors. This practice allows production crews to save a lot of time by brushing off actors’ minor mistakes, such as mispronouncing words and forgetting lines, ensuring that there won’t be many retakes and still staying on schedule. It also helps save their budget on rent, accommodations, food, wages, etc.
However, this has also disrupted the viewing experience because of the lack of background noise. The silence becomes more apparent when the characters are not speaking their lines when the scene is full of other extra characters doing their stuff in the background.
On the other hand, voice dubbing becomes a go-to choice when dramas or films must adhere to requirements set by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television (SAPPRFT). For a drama to receive SAPPRFT's approval, one requirement is that the dialogue must be spoken in standard Mandarin. SAPPRFT also holds the authority to order changes in the lines when they deem necessary, and corrections are easier to make through voice dubbing instead of reshooting the scenes.
All in all, the reasons behind the widespread use of voice dubbing in Chinese in local media are understandable, and many Chinese drama watchers appreciate this approach. Some think that it makes the characters all the more memorable when they have voices that perfectly match the characters’ personalities, often more so than the original actors’ voices. Voice actors are also professionally trained to convey emotions through voices, amplifying the feelings expressed by the characters. Although there are issues of bad syncing and the overuse of certain voice actors across different dramas, it is clear that the Chinese voice dubbing industry will be around for a long time as it appears to be cost-efficient and time-saving.
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