Tang-era detective finds cases elementary

"The entire adaptation is based on eight characters: renshi wuchang, yili yongcun, meaning 'nothing is permanent, but justice and righteousness remain', which is the essence of both the books and the TV drama," Jing says.

To better capture the social landscape, conditions and customs of the Tang Dynasty, chief designer Zhao Hai says that his team did a lot of research, taking inspiration from paintings from the period, such as the murals at the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Gansu province, and cultural relics unearthed at the Famen Temple, which was first built during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) and later became the royal temple of the Tang, in what is now Baoji in Shaanxi province.

Zhao and his team use red as the primary tone. Clothes and props like screens are also brightly colored and elaborately designed to capture the greatness of the Tang, he says.

"Audiences can see scenes of the different classes during the Tang era," Zhao says.

The series includes re-creations of the Tang capital Chang'an, and other cities like Luoyang and Penglai, royal palaces, the bedroom of Empress Wu Zetian, and the houses of senior officials and ordinary people, and the audience is treated images of China's diverse climates, from the desert in the arid northwest to bamboo and streams in the warm, humid south.