Over the years, there have been many rankings of favorite American TV shows on the Chinese Internet. Friends is always at the top of the list. One might start to wonder, Why is F.R.I.E.N.D.S. so Popular in China?

New York City maybe 7,000 miles from China, but the lives of Chandler, Monica, Ross, Joey, Rachel, and Phoebe hold a dear place in the hearts of the Chinese millennials. 

In China, F.R.I.E.N.D.S is known as a variety of Chinese titles- most notably “老友记” (lǎo yǒu jì or “Chronicle of Old Friends”) and “六人行” (liù rén xíng or “The Ways of Six People”). The show, however, has never been aired on Chinese television networks, nor approved for distribution by Chinese censors.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S arrived in China on the heels of then-President Deng Xiaoping’s “Reform and Opening”. Reform and Opening brought China a barrage of American technology, trade, businesses and, most importantly, sitcoms to China. China’s lax copyright infringement laws also made this era a golden age of piracy– with pirated DVDs sold in every major city. You could pop into just about any video store and find the latest season of F.R.I.E.N.D.S, albeit with sloppy and inaccurate subtitles. Then, the rise of the Internet gave Chinese millennials greater access to non-syndicated content. 

Because of this, “老友记” has found a special place among Chinese millennials. On Douban (a Chinese television review site) the first season of F.R.I.E.N.D.S has a score of  9.6 out of 10, with glowing reviews from many viewers. 

Maybe life is also about being sincere and authentic. It is about being honest to the people around you. And keeping it all together, even when it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or even your year.