Pokémon in Greater China

The Pokémon (') franchise first reached ' in 1998.

Names
Since the release of in 2016, the official Chinese translation of Pokémon has been unified under the name, a combination of the words  (creature) and  (approximate transliteration of Pokémon). According to Tsunekazu Ishihara, the intention of the rename is to keep the pronunciation of "Pokémon" consistent throughout the world. However, the new name still takes its former translations into account by incorporating parts from the two into it.

The current name was first introduced in Mainland China on December 2010. Following the announcement of the rename, Pokémon Adventures received a reprint with updated translations, while iQiyi gradually uploaded the anime series for streaming under the new title. In addition, Takara Tomy had also released a new line of Pokémon toys from the Best Wishes series. On July 10, 2015, a special event was also held during the premiere of M17 in Shanghai to promote the new name. In Mainland China, from 1998 to 2000, the Cantonese name was used; from 2000 to 2010, starting when Jilin acquired the rights to publish Pokémon Adventures, the Taiwanese name  was used; in 2010, the name was changed to the current name,.

Prior to Sun and Moon, Pokémon was officially translated as in Taiwan and  (commonly abbreviated as ) in Hong Kong. According to the opening text and narrations in the Taiwanese dub, the term 神奇寶貝 is a contraction of the phrase 「」 ("the magical creatures in the pocket"). Nintendo had previously used both translations on its official website prior to X and Y. The Pokémon.com page for Hong Kong used the former Hong Kong name in early 2016, while the Japanese website used the former Taiwanese name in its FAQ page before 2014 and the Chinese-langauge Pokémon Store page continues to use it.

However, since the announcement of the new Chinese translation of Pokémon (精靈寶可夢 / 精灵宝可梦), the Pocket Monsters XY&Z season, M19 and Adventures manga distributed in Taiwan and Hong Kong remains translated under their respective former translation. However in late 2017, the Adventures manga distributed in Taiwan and Hong Kong gradually adapts the official translations provided by Nintendo HK despite the translation of Pokémon (神奇寶貝 / 寵物小精靈) remain unchanged. The Pocket Monsters Sun & Moon anime released in Taiwan and Hong Kong was the first media to fully use the new Chinese translation of Pokémon (精靈寶可夢), along with the other official translations that are used in provided by Nintendo HK. In September 2018, the Pocket Monsters anime was re-dubbed in Hong Kong using official translations that are used in, however, many Gen I translations remain unchanged from the previous dub version, despite them being changed in Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.

Previously, the anime, manga, and various guidebooks have also given names to the Pokémon, characters, locations and other important terminologies. With the release of Sun and Moon, Nintendo has provided a new set of names for the first 151 Pokémon, with some receiving completely new names. For more information on these localized names for Pokémon, see List of Chinese Pokémon names.

Due to the lack of official Chinese translations of games prior to Generation VII and the proliferation of bootlegs in the market, the unofficial name (literally meaning "pocket monster") is commonly used by fans in Mainland China. The name is also trademarked by Nintendo in Mainland China and Taiwan, but remains unused by official media.

The rename of the series has met some criticism among the fanbase, particularly in Hong Kong where it became a topic of socio-cultural and political controversy. Fans have taken complaints the name change to Nintendo HK's Facebook page, pointing out that its Cantonese translation did not match local pronunciation and citing examples of other franchise where various regions received its own localization. On May 31, 2016, members of a radical political group named protested 's name change outside the Japanese consulate in Central, Hong Kong, as its original Cantonese name  was changed to its Mandarin name. To avoid public backlash, all anime episodes and movies released in Hong Kong afterwards, as well as all public events, use the English pronounciation of 'Pikachu' instead of its Mandarin name 'Pèihkāyāu'.

Pokémon video games
Pokémon Sun and Moon are the first set of games to be officially translated into Chinese, available in both and  characters. In the years prior to the release of the Chinese localizations, only the Japanese and English versions of the video games were made available in Taiwan and Hong Kong, while video games were banned in Mainland China around that period. The release came two years after the lifting of the 14-year ban of video games in Mainland China.

As a result of lack of Chinese localizations in the previous games, many Chinese-translated language hacks and bootleg versions of the series are distributed into the mainland. Interactions between these bootlegs and any official game cartridges are possible, but not recommended since the Chinese characters were never programmed into any official cartridges, and could result in file corruption on both cartridges, forcing the gamers to start over from the beginning.

In 2016, the Pokémon Video Game National Championships was held in Taipei on June 11 and in Hong Kong on July 3.

Pokémon anime
With the exception of summarizing episodes, side story episodes, the infamous EP038, The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, and the clip shows, all episodes and the first 21 s have been dubbed into both Mandarin and Cantonese.

In Taiwan, all episodes prior to the Pocket Monsters Sun & Moon season have been aired, with the Pocket Monsters Sun & Moon season currently on air. 21 Pokémon movies have also been released, with the thirteenth movie released just 20 days after the Japanese premiere. Subsequent films were released within a few months after the Japanese premiere.

In Hong Kong, all episodes prior to the Pocket Monsters Sun & Moon season have been aired, with the Pocket Monsters Sun & Moon season currently on air. The first episode of the Best Wishes series premiered on November 19, 2011, while the first episode of the XY series has premiered on July 13, 2014. 21 Pokémon movies have also been released.

In mainland China, the first 54 episodes (excluding the infamous EP038) and parts of the Orange League arc have been aired in the 2000s. Pokémon anime returned after three years of hiatus when the (精灵宝可梦 DP：钻石与珍珠) premiered on July 3, 2011. The show went on an indefinite hiatus after airing only 27 episodes. On December 2012, iQiyi put the first 84 episodes of the Taiwanese dub of Best Wishes up for online legal viewing, with episodes from the BW Season 2 and the original series added in the subsequent months. The series is released under the title 精灵宝可梦 超级愿望. Episodes of the original series, Advanced Generation series, Diamond and Pearl series, XY series, and Sun & Moon series were later added, these episodes are of the Taiwanese dubs but with simplified Chinese subtitles.

Music
Unlike the other dubs, the Mandarin dub subtitles the original Japanese opening and ending themes. However, for the Kanto saga of the original mainland dub, the localization team used an, with minor edits made to the original video. For the Taiwanese dub and mainland redub, both dubs had instead subtitled the original Japanese theme. However, due to the request of the Japanese officials, an original Mandarin theme song was used in the place of the Japanese theme when the is broadcast on YoYoTV. Nevertheless, the was used in the fourteenth movie. In addition, the anime tends to switch back to the original Japanese theme for unknown reasons. However, the new episodes in MOD continued to use the new Mandarin theme after the switch from the Japanese theme. As of the, the dub has fully returned to subtitling the Japanese theme.

For the Cantonese dub, it used Cantonese openings that are either original or based on the Japanese version. It continued up until midway through the (寵物小精靈超世代), before using the subtitled Japanese themes like the Taiwanese dub. However, a Cantonese version of  was used during the premiere of the new series. The dub later switched back to subtitling the Japanese themes. For more information on these theme songs, see List of Chinese Pokémon themes.

Cast and crew
Many voice actors and actresses have contributed to the production of the Chinese dubs of the Pokémon anime.

Distribution
In Taiwan, the Mandarin dub of the Pokémon anime and Pokémon movie is currently distributed by Mighty Media. Prior to BW130 and M17, the Mandarin (Taiwan) dub of both the anime and movie were distributed by Top Insight. The anime has aired in several different channels, such as, , MOMO Kids, , and.

In Hong Kong, the anime is currently distributed by i-CABLE. Prior to the Pocket Monsters Sun & Moon season, the Cantonese of the anime was distributed by Mighty Media Hong Kong. Between BW123 to BW143 and SS027, the anime was distributed by. Prior to BW123, the Cantonese of the anime was distributed by Top Insight. Moreover, the Cantonese was initially distributed by Medialink Animation International Ltd., but had already lost the rights to distribute the anime after EP076. The anime has aired in several different channels, such as, TVB Kids, Hong Kong Open TV, and.

Prior to M20, the Cantonese dub of the movie was distributed by Universe International Financial Holdings Limited. Universe Films Distribution Co., Limted held the license to distribute the Pokémon movies in cinemas, while Universe Digital Entertainment Co., Limited holds the license to distribute DVDs for the Pokémon movies prior to M20 and the Pikachu shorts. Currently the Cantonese dub of the movie is distributed by, a subsidiary of i-CABLE.

The most recent Mandarin (Mainland China) dubs are recorded and produced by Beijing DynamicMedia Co., Ltd.. The anime was aired on.

All dubs of the anime are mainly based on the original Japanese version.

Pro-Insight International Co., Ltd. (博英社國際股份有限公司), a subsidiary of Top Insight International, was the former distributor of anime and movie-related merchandise such as toys and DVD sets in Taiwan. As of January 2014, all Pokémon-related content have been removed from both its corporate and commercial website, while its Pokémon-related merchandise have now been pulled out from the Taiwanese market.

Pokémon manga
Pokémon Adventures has been translated into various versions in Chinese. The Traditional Chinese (Taiwan) version is translated by Ching Win Publishing Co., Ltd. (青文出版社有限公司), while the Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong) version is translated by its subsidiary, Hong Kong Ching Win Publishing Co., Ltd. (香港青文出版社有限公司). The Simplified Chinese (Mainland China) version is translated by Jilin Publishing Group (吉林出版集团).

CoroCoro was also distributed within the three regions under the names (Taiwan),  (Hong Kong), and  (Mainland China). As of 2015, CoroCoro has ended serialization in all three region. Since February 2015, a digital version of the magazine (無限誌) has taken CoroCoro's place in the serialization of various manga, which includes the Traditional Chinese (Taiwan) version of X & Y chapter of Pokémon Adventures.

In Taiwan, the manga are currently translated by Ching Win Publishing Group. Pokémon Pocket Monsters, Magical Pokémon Journey, The Electric Tale of Pikachu, and Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All were all translated by Da Ran Culture (大然文化). As the company had become defunct since 2003, the sequels of Pokémon Pocket Monsters such as Pocket Monsters Diamond and Pearl were taken over by Ching Win Publishing Group. Ching Win has also translated Pokémon Zensho, Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys, Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl Adventure!, Pokémon Try Adventure, and several movie manga adaptations and guidebooks.

In Hong Kong, most of the manga sold in Taiwan are also sold there, as Ching Win Publishing Group also owns the distribution rights of the manga in Hong Kong. However, the names are given some changes due to difference in the dialect and terminologies between the two regions, and is translated completely seperately by its Hong Kong subsidiary, Hong Kong Ching Win Publishing Co., Ltd., with changed to  being one of the major changes. Pokémon Pocket Monsters, Magical Pokémon Journey, The Electric Tale of Pikachu, and Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All were all translated by Da Ran Culture (Hong Kong) (大然文化（香港）). As the company had become defunct since 2003, the sequels of Pokémon Pocket Monsters such as Pocket Monsters Ruby and Sapphire were taken over by Ching Win Publishing Group. However since 2018, Ching Win no longer distribute Pokémon manga in Hong Kong exclusively possibly due to the new translation issue. Rightman Publishing Ltd. (正文社出版有限公司) has since published Pokémon Horizon, Pocket Monsters the Movie: Everyone's Story Side Story - Episode Zeraora and Pokédex guidebook using the new Chinese translation of Pokémon (精靈寶可夢).

In mainland China, Pokémon Pocket Monsters and its sequel Pokémon Ruby-Sapphire have also been translated. Ash & Pikachu, Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All, and Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys have also been translated as well. Pokémon Adventures was also previously translated by China Light Industry Press (轻工业出版社) under its Cantonese name before 2000. While the Cantonese term of Pokémon is used in that translation, all other names and terminologies were based on the Taiwanese translation. As Jilin took over in 2000, it was renamed to the Taiwanese translation for consistency. As of 2011, it was renamed to its current name.

Pokémon Trading Card Game
The Pokémon Trading Card Games (集換式卡片遊戲) are available in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Mainland China with most of the cards, boosters, and theme decks nearly identical to the ones that were released internationally. Cards released in Hong Kong and Taiwan are printed in Traditional Chinese characters with minor grammatical and naming differences, while the mainland versions are printed in Simplified characters. In addition to the Hong Kong releases, English versions of the cards have also been released in Hong Kong as well, and are often displayed on Hong Kong's official Pokémon website. Although the Trading Card Games exist in all three areas, only Hong Kong actually takes part in the worldwide tournaments. Only two sets have ever been officially printed in Chinese: TCG Base Set and TCG EX Legend Maker.

Pokémon Battrio
Pokémon Battrio (神奇寶貝 三隻組對戰) was released in Taiwan in 2010, making it the only country outside of Japan to have released the arcade game. Many of the machines were found in department stores throughout Taiwan. Nine sets were released with the last being Rayquaza.

The merchandise ended in Taiwan on December 2012 due to lower-than-expected popularity, the end of the Taiwanese contractor's contract, and the earlier retirement of the machines in Japan. All Taiwanese versions of the arcade machine have been removed and it is still unknown whether the Taiwanese game chips were playable in Japan.

Pokémon Tretta (PokémonTRETTA) was released in Taiwan on April 2016 by SEGA Taiwan, and in Hong Kong in 2017 by Hit-Style Ltd..

Events
There are also several s held in Taiwan. One of the first events were featured in PokéPark during 2006, but only for the Japanese language games. , and  were distributed. Old Sea Map was also distributed for the pre-release ticket of the eighth movie. and were distributed in commemoration of the 15th movie during 2012, while  and  were distributed in 2013. Both and  were also distributed in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Nintendo HK currently handles the distributions in both regions.

A theme park was opened in Taiwan in 2006.

Related articles

 * List of Chinese Pokémon names
 * List of Chinese Pokémon themes

The Pokémon Company

 * Pokémon Asia (Mainland China)
 * Pokémon on Weibo
 * Pokémon on QQ
 * Pokémon on Youku
 * Pokémon Asia (Hong Kong)
 * Pokémon Hong Kong on Facebook
 * Pokémon Hong Kong on YouTube
 * Pokémon Asia (Taiwan)
 * Pokémon Taiwan on Facebook
 * Pokémon Taiwan on YouTube

Nintendo

 * Nintendo Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
 * Pokémon Sun and Moon minisite
 * Pokémon X and Y minisite
 * Nintendo Hong Kong (Taiwan)
 * Pokémon Sun and Moon minisite
 * Pokémon X and Y minisite
 * Nintendo HK on Facebook
 * Nintendo HK on Weibo

Video Games

 * Pokémon Sun and Moon website (Traditional Chinese)
 * Pokémon Sun and Moon website (Simplified Chinese)
 * Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon website (Traditional Chinese)
 * Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon website (Simplified Chinese)

Anime

 * Mighty Media
 * Pokémon Sun & Moon minisite
 * Mighty Media Hong Kong
 * Hong Kong Open TV
 * TVB Jade
 * XY season subpage
 * Universe Films on Facebook
 * Pokémon anime (Mainland China) official website
 * iQiyi
 * DynamicMedia

Manga

 * Ching-win
 * Rightman
 * Longman

Others

 * Takara Tomy
 * JFL Trading
 * Funbox
 * Pokémon Tretta