Hit Chinese TV series The Longest Day in Chang’an coming to a screen near you
- Singapore, Malaysia and streaming subscribers in US are about to see the latest hit Chinese TV series, a period drama about investigators who thwart a rebellion
- Starring Chinese pop idol Jackson Yee, the series, a huge success in China, has won praise for its production values, attention to detail, and pacy direction
High production values, a tight plot and pacy direction have all contributed to the phenomenal success of The Longest Day in Chang’an, one of the hottest TV dramas in China this summer.
“OMG the details! This is like a polished diamond, every scene was so carefully crafted,” wrote a fan using the name sehyoon of the show on the Asia Fans Net forum.
Another online poster, pinkpoodle, on US-based video streaming website Viki, wrote: “Beautifully produced in all details, from settings and scenery, costumes, lighting, filming techniques with intriguing overall storylines and well-acted this high-quality action-packed series looks very promising!”
The 48-episode series, which has scored 8.6 out of 10 on Douban, a review aggregation platform for Chinese TV shows and movies, is scheduled to go on air in the next few weeks in other Asian countries, including Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei, according to PingWest, a marketing and media company.
Chinese TV dramas are often criticised for being excessively long, especially when compared with Japanese and Korean productions, which usually have around 20 episodes. The longest Chinese TV drama series, Daughter-in-Laws, for instance, ran for more than 3,000 episodes from 2000 to 2018.
However, The Longest Day in Chang’an – which was launched on Chinese online platform Youku on June 27 – is a lot shorter, and action-packed.