xiàn  zài  chuān  yuè jù tè bié huǒ，dàn shì tā mén yě yǒu zì   jǐ de wēi  jī。

现在穿越剧特别火，但是他们也有自己的危机。

Time travel TV series are hot right now, but they have their critics too.

ɡuān yú  chuān yuè jù de diàn shì jù zuì jìn hěn shòu huān yínɡ

关于穿越剧的电视剧最近很受欢迎， 

dàn shì yì xiē  zhuān jiā zhǐ chū chuān yuè jù mínɡ xiǎn quē fá chuànɡ zào lì。

但是一些专家指出穿越剧明显缺乏创造力。

yóu qí shì zhè liǎnɡ ɡè  diàn shì jù  ɡōnɡ bù bù jīnɡ xīn   

尤其是这两个电视剧——《宫》和《步 步  惊    心》，

dōu shì zài hú nán wèi shì tái bō chū

都是在湖南卫视台播出。

liǎnɡ bù xì  de nǚ zhǔ jué dōu shì cónɡ xiàn dài chuān yuè dào qīnɡ dài                        

两部戏的女主角都是从现代穿越到清代（1644—1911），

yǔ dānɡ shí de wánɡ zǐ mén xiānɡ ài

与当时的王子们相爱。

TV serials about time travel have become popular but appear to show a lack of creativity among scriptwriters, some experts say. Two TV series in particular - Palace and Startling by Each Step - both first shown on Hunan TV, center on a female protagonist who goes back in time to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), where they become romantically involved with princes.

zhè   liǎnɡ bù xì  de chénɡ ɡōnɡ xī yǐn le xǔ duō diàn shì zhì zuǒ shānɡ

这两部戏的成功吸引了许多电视制作商

mǎi xià xiānɡ sì de chuān yuè jù  bǎn  quán tí ɡāo 2012 nián de shōu shì lǜ

买下相似的穿越剧提高2012 年的收视率。

kàn  dào zhǔ jué chuān yuè cháo dài hé jiě jué xiàn dài yǔ ɡǔ dài zhī jiān de chōnɡ tu shì yì jiān hěn hǎo wán de shì

“看到主角穿越朝代和解决现代与古代之间的冲突是一件很好玩的事。

tā chuànɡ zào le quán xīn de jià zhí zài shànɡ hǎi wài qǐ shànɡ bān de xiāo xiǎo yàn shuō

它创造了全新的价值。”在上海外企上班的萧晓燕 说。

Their success has inspired TV production companies to buy up similar time travel tales for 2012. "It's fun to watch characters travel back in time and deal with the conflicts between modernity and ancient times. It creates a novelty value," says Xia Xiaoyan, a loyal fan of both shows, who works for a foreign-owned enterprise in Shanghai.

"I'm hooked by the shows because they are characterized by dramatic and poetic love and have eye-pleasing actors."

Cai Yinong, the producer of Startling by Each Step, says time travel series are not new but the genre offers room for imagination and connects both today and the past.

"Many people are facing tremendous pressures in their fast-paced lives, so this genre is more relaxing than other shows as it provides people with a terrific outlet to escape reality," Cai says.

"Most time travel series are set in the Qing Dynasty, especially during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, which is familiar to viewers from TV dramas," Cai continues. "Basically, it takes viewers no time at all to understand the historical context."

Many time-traveling stories are adapted from popular online novels, which have already established a solid fan base, Cai says. This also helps ratings.

Time travel TV programs have their critics, however. In previous guidelines issued by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), they have been discouraged because they "casually make up myths, have weird plots and use absurd tactics".

Du Yingjie, a PhD student of Radio and Television Art at Communication University of China, says one of the ridiculous elements of these shows is blending modern catchphrases and old-fashioned language.

"Time travel series are more about entertainment. Many characterizations, scenes and lines are not in accord with historical facts," Du says. "If we focus on authenticity, quite a few episodes are shoddy products."

Cai agrees. "Traveling back in time involves looking at history from a modern perspective, so it is inevitable to mix new elements with old ones," she says.

"If the authors and screenwriters who edit the original work do not do their research properly, there is a good chance the show will be misleading in terms of historical facts."

Cai says a team of Qing Dynasty experts was hired to lower the likelihood of contradicting historical facts when shooting Startling by Each Step.

"Although time travel series are made for their entertainment value, being entertaining does not necessarily mean making a farce filled with nonsense. So producers should not ignore the issue of authenticity," she advises.

"Shows of such kind, in the future, should be careful about such details such as language styles, characters' titles and court etiquette."

To Gui Dongming, a veteran scriptwriter, the popularity of time travel series indicates an absence of originality among screenwriters.

"It's much easier for a screenwriter to absorb and transform an antecedent text than to think of a brilliant idea and complete it by himself," Gui says.

Gui says TV producers are more likely to green light projects that have a proven track record, so adaptations and imitations of bestsellers are given the go-ahead, while an original story may be sidelined. That makes writers more willing to take shortcuts.

But in the long run, Gui argues, this will not be good for China's TV because audiences will get tired of the same formulas.

"Essentially, screenwriters should adopt a down-to-earth and painstaking approach, pouring in enough time to do research and to enrich personal experiences to make a unique story that is close to people's lives," he says, adding young scriptwriters, in particular, need to be patient and widen their horizons.

"Since most time travel TV dramas now tell of characters traveling back in time, we should start to depict ancient characters traveling forward in time to the present day, or traveling back and forth," he says.

"It's important to learn to be creative, even if we are in the adaptation or imitating phase."