Fantasy novel about antiques becomes hit online series

"Television and the film industry are a bit special. You cannot reuse the formula that succeeded in previous hits, as the audience will get bored," he explains.

So, Bai's strategy was to make The Golden Eyes a convincing yet eye-popping fantasy story.

As most sequences feature antiques, the crew spent months building a replica of the Panjiayuan Antique Market, a landmark for collectors and traders in downtown Beijing.

The film set－which also included replicas of a Myanmar village, a Beijing courtyard and Mongolian tents－covered an area of nearly 30,000 square meters.

Besides, the crew of nearly 300 members also traveled over 25,000 kilometers to Ruili and Tengchong in Yunnan province; Yinchuan in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, and Kiev in Ukraine to shoot scenes.

Coincidentally, director Lin Nan is an enthusiast of curios.

"So, when Lin is not busy, he often visits antique markets like Panjiayuan and Gaobeidian. Most of the curios in my home are gifts from Lin," says Bai.

"We hope the series will also spark interest in Chinese history and culture, as well as raise awareness of antique protection," he adds.

A graduate from the directing department of the Central Academy of Drama, Bai shot a few independent films in the early 2000s but soon switched to TV dramas, a much bigger industry where it was easier for then struggling Bai to "earn a living".

He established his reputation from serving as a co-scriptwriter on hits such as director Zhang Jizhong's martial arts epic Semi-Gods and Semi-Devils, but it was the unprecedented expansion of the internet that pushed him into the upper echelons of online series producers.

Bai founded the Beijing-based film and TV production company Linghe Media in 2016, producing several popular online dramas such as The Mystic Nine, a phenomenal hit which garnered more than 11 billion views online, and The Sand of Sea, starring heartthrob Wu Lei.

In 2018, China saw the uploading of 7,674 episodes of 330 online series, a jump of 29 percent compared with 2017, according to a report released by CSM Media Research.

Speaking about the future of online series, Bai says that cash-rich investors backed by internet giants invested a lot but also suffered big losses between 2013 and 2015.

So, the fact that financers have turned more cautious in recent years is a blessing in disguise as online series producers are now compelled to tell better stories.