''Top Gear'' or ''Zhuigaodang'' is a 2011
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
Hunan TV TV series adopting the format as made popular in the
2002 ''Top Gear'' reboot, Zhuigaodang best translates into "Highest Gear". The attempt is noted as being a toned down version of its British counterpart, and usually ran about 30 minutes in length.
History
In February 2011, rumors started circulating that the Chinese TV station,
CCTV
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...
, was looking to adapt the Top Gear format for the local market. The following week, it was confirmed that not only were they looking to adapt, but had in fact already finished a pilot, by host Cao Yunjin. Cao Yunjin went on to reveal that the pilot episode included a race between a
Cadillac
The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...
and a
donkey
The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a ...
to see which would be better suited and more efficient as farming equipment, he continued that they would not be able to emulate many of that which had made the original famous, but that they would still be doing "fun" stuff. After almost a month of no further development, the first fifteen minutes of the pilot was uploaded to
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
, but was swiftly taken down by
BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetises BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...
. While it was largely reported to have been made for
CCTV
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...
, the eventual series premiered on
Hunan TV on the 23rd of April 2011, and featured
Huang Zheng,
Cao Yunjin Cao or CAO may refer to:
Mythology
*Cao (bull), a legendary bull in Meitei mythology
Companies or organizations
*Air China Cargo, ICAO airline designator CAO
*CA Oradea, Romanian football club
*CA Osasuna, Spanish football club
*Canadian Associ ...
, and Li Rui as hosts, and also featured a local version of The Stig.
Episodes
References
{{Top Gear
Top Gear
Chinese television series based on British television series
2011 Chinese television series debuts
2011 Chinese television series endings