Crime dramas arrest attention of audiences nationwide

In addition to entertaining, such programs and movies are helping people understand the judicial system and the rule of law. Cao Yin reports.

A TV drama based on real-life cases of organized crime has been heatedly discussed by national lawmakers, political advisers and cultural experts. It also prompted them to call for more high-quality work to be produced to create a sound environment for the culture of the rule of law.

"It's good to see The Knockout receive huge attention and applause from the public. Its creation and broadcast are part of a process to educate the producers and audience about the rule of law," said Jiang Shengnan, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body.

She made the remarks while attending the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing last month, and suggested that people in the film and TV industries should focus more on legal issues because the rule of law is close to everyone's interests.

Jiang, who is also a scriptwriter, said, "I'll put some legal issues in my work, and hope more creators will jointly produce high-quality dramas to help more people understand the judicial process."

The Knockout, which was produced under the guidance of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is the first drama to detail the country's constant battle against organized crime and educate people about the judicial system.

It tells the story of a police officer's 20-year journey in combating such crime, and also shows the rise and fall of underworld figures and corrupt officials.

The 39-episode drama began screening on China Central Television and iQiyi, a provider of streaming services, on Jan 14. It received a rating of 8.5 out of 10 on Douban, one of the country's most-visited review platforms.

Even though more than a month has passed since the series ended, discussion continues on China's social media platforms, with many people lauding the plot, the actors' performances as well as police efforts in the battle against crime.

For example, by the time of going to press, a topic with a hashtag of the drama's name had been discussed more than 18 million times and viewed nearly 7 billion times on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform.

Talking about the drama's success, Jiang highlighted the professional nature of the scripts, adding that such qualities are vital to attracting audiences and helping further enhance people's legal awareness.