Quality makes the world watch

Wrapped in a gray long-sleeve T-shirt emblazoned with the title of his latest television series, See Her Again, Hong Kong actor William Chan strode into the interview room at a luxurious downtown Beijing hotel on Nov 20, in high spirits.

It was a warm winter afternoon. A little more than an hour earlier, the 18-episode drama had debuted simultaneously on Tencent Video in China, and on Netflix internationally, respectively the largest streaming services in the country and the world.

In the hopes of reaching a wider global audience, the series will also be streamed on major platforms in a number of countries, including Singapore and Malaysia, as well as broadcast on television channels in overseas markets like Japan and Thailand.

The Hong Kong native, who shifted his career from his home metropolis to the Chinese mainland in the early 2010s, says the drama provided him a chance to return to the environment that shaped his childhood.

"There are several reasons why I chose to appear as lead in this show. The first is that I have always liked time travel-themed films and TV series," Chan says, giving the example of the 1985 sci-fi film Back to the Future, as one of his favorites.