Espionage drama sparks historical interest

Tan Songzhi, director of the TV Drama Department of Jiangsu Provincial Radio and Television Administration, noted that the drama has piqued the interest of young audiences, prompting them to explore history and even leading to an increase in the sales of Karl Marx's Capital: A Critique of Political Economy.

Ma Jun, deputy head of the TV program department at China Media Group's documentary center, highlighted that the drama has consistently topped the ratings of all new dramas nationwide for 19 days since its premiere on CCTV-8 and iQiyi on March 21, with a viewership of around 100 million.

Dai Ying, senior vice-president of iQiyi and producer of the drama, shared that filming commenced on Jan 9 last year and took four months to complete. As the show is slated for international release, Dai revealed that they have produced translated versions in various languages, including English, Thai, Malay, Vietnamese, Korean, and Arabic.

Despite espionage tales traditionally appealing more to male audiences, Dai added that their research surprisingly found the drama has attracted more female viewers, with 65.45 percent of the audience being young women.