Downloads go global
Chinese TV drama hit Princess Agents sweeps market abroad
Princess Agents has set a record for YouTube views — at over 230 million — making it the most-watched Chinese TV drama internationally, as overseas audiences have been showing a growing interest in the genre in recent years.
That’s not to mention a record 42 billion-plus clicks on Chinese streaming sites.
About half the clicks abroad have come from the United States, according to a report the producers released on Tuesday.
California topped the list of states watching the series, having viewed 117 million minutes, the report says. The main age demographic ranges from 25 to 34.
The series has also proven popular in non-English-speaking countries like Russia, Japan and Vietnam, media reports.
The show has scored 8.4 points out of 10 on IMDb, a barometer of popularity.
The series set in the Western Wei Dynasty (535-556) is adapted from a popular online novel. It tracks the coming-ofage of a legendary female military leader, whose personal struggles are interwoven in the epic chronicling a regime’s rise.
Many foreign netizens say they enjoy the complex twists and picturesque landscapes.
Some have even expressed interest in learning Mandarin so they won’t have to wait for subtitled versions to be released.
“It’s amazing to see so many foreigners love the series,” says Cai Danxiang, an overseas business department director of China International TV Corp.
The Beijing-based company, which is backed by State broadcaster China Central Television, is a leader in international distribution of domestic content.
It acquired the sole overseas-distribution rights earlier this year, according to Ciwen Media Ltd Co, one of the bigbudget drama’s main producers.
Cai says the series will be broadcast on DramaFever, a US video-streaming website owned by Warner Bros.
She adds that it is still in negotiations with Netflix.
But it has an even more ambitious plan — to translate the show into nine foreign languages for export to 85 countries and regions in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
“The schedule depends on the translations. For Japan, it may take about six months,” says Cai.
Unlike The Legend of Zhenhuan, Princess Agents will translate all episodes with subtitles or dubbing.
The Legend of Zhenhuan is a 2011 series about conflicts among royals that condensed the original 76 Chinese-language episodes into six to be streamed in the US under the title Empresses in the Palace.
Wei Lili, the vice-president of the producer, Ciwen, says appealing to overseas audiences has been a longtime marketing strategy for the Beijingbased company, which also produced the 2015 hit, The Journey of Flower.
Led by Taiwan heartthrob Wallace Huo and Chinese mainland actress Zhao Liying, The Journey of Flower was welcomed overseas. It has racked up 40 billion views on Chinese streaming sites.
It held that record until it was recently overtaken by Princess Agents, which also stars Zhao as the heroine.
“We’ll produce content that better resonates universally when we consider overseas markets,” says Wei.
“Princess Agents tells a story about love, betrayal, freedom and faith, which are easily understood across nations and cultures. We have rich experience producing such series. In the past, the favorite dramas among overseas markets, especially those in Southeast Asia, were adapted from Louis Cha’s novels.”
The Hong Kong author, who’s hailed among the most influential martialarts writers, has produced 15 novels that have inspired over 100 films and TV series in recent decades.
Meanwhile, despite popular adulation, industry insiders and critics give Princess Agents mixed reviews.
Tsinghua University scholar Yin Hong points to a reliance upon stardom.
“Some picky viewers may complain that the actors’ faces appear clean after deadly battle scenes,” he says.
Zhao has nearly 56 million followers on the Chinese Twitter-like Sina Weibo.
Her role’s bittersweet romances with a general and an ambitious king — played by heartthrobs Lin Gengxin and Shawn Dou, respectively — have touched many fans.
Yin approves of the modern values in the story.
He says most of the previous hit Chinese TV series were built on the traditional value that kingship usurps civilian rights. But Princess Agents features a heroine, who fights for the people and equality.
“I believe that TV series adapted from popular online novels have brought something modern and fresh,” he says.
China TV Arts Committee deputy secretary-general Yi Kai says the series is beautifully crafted in terms of costumes, sets and action sequences.
The series’ historical set makes the story convincing, as the heroine Hua Mulan — a legendary warrior, who disguised herself as a man to replace her father for military service — lived in a similar period in the fifth century.
“Women’s status was high then, making a female general’s rise credible,” says Yi.
We’ll produce content that better resonates universally when we consider overseas markets.”
Wei Lili, vice-president, Ciwen Media Ltd Co