...And It Isn't Even On TV!

Who would have guessed the Chinese were so fascinated with zombies?

It’s true! THE WALKING DEAD has become the most watched western television program in the world’s most populous country. And it’s not even available on TV.

AMC’s post-apocolyptic cable drama has already been viewed over 250 million times on Youku (the Chinese version of YouTube) and other video sharing sites, according to news agency Xinhua.

In case you’re wondering, the show’s Chinese name is TRAVELING CORPSES, WALKING MEAT (or “xingshi zourou”).

Per The Seattle Times:

Most Chinese-language reviews of “The Walking Dead” laud the show for its excellent acting and moving story lines. The Oriental Morning Post, a popular Shanghai-based daily, wrote on Nov. 1 that “The Walking Dead” “has gone beyond the boundaries of traditional zombie shows,” tackling questions about “how human nature and society change in extreme conditions.” The show is especially attractive to Chinese fans because there’s no domestic equivalent on cable television. China lacks a ratings system for film or television, so shows with more violent content are rarer. Authorities have banned some television shows for being too violent for any viewer, and on Oct. 13, China Central Television, the state-run television network that often acts as a mouthpiece for government authorities, criticized the popular children’s cartoon “Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf” for excessive violence and adult language. China’s morbid fascination with the apocalypse is another likely factor driving “The Walking Dead’s” popularity. According to a May 2012 survey by the global market-research firm Ipsos, 20 percent of Chinese respondents said they believed that the world would end Dec. 21, 2012, compared with 12 percent of U.S. citizens and 4 percent of Germans. In December 2012, a user on book- and movie-review site Douban wrote a short takeoff of Max Brooks’ tongue-in-cheek book “The Zombie Survival Guide” that accounted for China’s “special characteristics.” These included a lack of weapons (Chinese citizens are banned from carrying guns), a huge population and environmental pollution.

Are you a fan of THE WALKING DEAD? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.