Dramas spread wings

For Hou Hongliang, producer of Ode to Joy and chairman of the Zhejiang-based production firm Daylight Entertainment, the numbers are encouraging.

"In the past and even in recent years, Chinese producers had to travel to Japan or South Korea to negotiate deals about remaking their popular productions," says Hou.

"But things have changed. South Korean companies are contacting us to buy series like Nirvana in Fire and The Disguiser, proving that Chinese titles are gaining influence in overseas markets," he adds.

And while shows about modern life in China are increasingly grabbing attention overseas, dramas that re-create the country's spectacular past are also growing in popularity.

"Foreign audiences, especially those in Southeast Asia, are drawn to these kinds of stories as they can better understand Chinese history and culture," says Li Qian, deputy director of international cooperation at Dongyanghuanyu Film and Television Culture Co Ltd, which has been distributing its television programs overseas for more than a decade.

According to Li, actress Yang Mi's Palace: The Lock Heart Jade and Zhao Liying-starring Legend of Lu Zhen are two of the company's bestselling dramas in overseas markets.

Palace: The Lock Heart Jade - a royal romance series set in China's Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) - has been distributed to eight countries and regions, including South Korea, Malaysia, Japan and Thailand. Legend of Lu Zhen, which chronicles a female palace doctor's romance with an emperor in seventh-century China, has been sold to six countries and regions, including South Korea, Malaysia and Japan.