Historical epic dramas are in vogue again
Print Edition
THERE was a time when historical epic dramas in China would attract the middle-aged or the elderly audiences, while the youngsters were invariably hooked on to Western series such as “Rome,” “Spartacus” and “Game of Thrones.”
But that may now be changing with the emergence of home-grown dramas of high artistry, including “The Advisors Alliance” and “The Qin Empire” that have been pulling in the young Chinese intellectuals. With the renewed craze for dramas, the old productions are attracting fans on the Internet.
Till date, “The Advisors Alliance” has received over 6.7 billion clicks on Youku (one of China’s top online video and streaming service platforms) with more than 220,000 comments since it started airing in June this year. It has become the most-watched Chinese historical epic series.
The second season started airing on Youku on Thursday. Set against the backdrop of the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220-280), the new season will focus on the battle of wits between Chinese military strategists Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang.
Among the existing three installments of “The Qin Empire,” the first one directed by Huang Jianzhong in 2008 received the highest score of 9.1 out of 10 on the film and TV review website Douban from more than 17,000 viewers. The second (2013) and third (2017) installments were both directed by Ding Hei.
Now, the fiction series’ author Sun Haohui is trying to turn the six-volume masterpiece, one of the most popular historical novels in China, into a film and TV franchise, collaborating with Ciwen Media.
Sun, who will be the scriptwriter, says they will shoot a 100-episode drama about Yingzheng who unified China. A film series is also planned on the legendary Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC) emperor who conquered the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). They are looking out for the best candidate for the role of Yingzheng. The casting will be done in the following months, and the TV series is expected to be finished by 2019.
Sun describes the TV series as the Chinese answer to “Game of Thrones,” claiming the war scenes will surpass Mel Gibson’s film “Braveheart.”
“It will be a spectacular production about Chinese civilization,” Sun says. “War and political tactics of the Warring States Period will be depicted along with giant weapons and tactical deployment they used in wars. Also, we will have a systematic study of ancient Chinese aesthetics and culture, including costumes, accessories and living goods of that period.”
The series’ producer Yuan Xiangyang, vice president of Ciwen Media, says the franchise will cater to the tastes of young people.
China’s long history of around 5,000 years is considered a huge pool for great stories and scripts.
Wang Beibei, CEO of the data analytics company Guduo Media, says that the historical epic drama genre is being revived with a steady increase of fans from various age groups.
“With refined artistry and touching storylines, historical dramas are winning the hearts of a wider audience,” says Wang. “The genre is very appropriate in portraying different kinds of emotions such as brotherhood, patriotism and love.”
But not all productions with ancient Chinese costumes, characters and backdrop fall under the genre of historical epic drama. Some are actually soap operas. “A historical epic drama should stay true to history and convey positive values to the audience,” says Sun. “However, a historical soap drama often focuses on imperial palace intrigue that mainly attracts the female audience.”
Previously, there were only a few outstanding historical epic dramas in China that were favored by the young viewers, and the rising popularity of this genre is mainly due to fatigue from soap dramas.
“Many historical soap dramas combine elements of romance, suspense, fantasy and time-travel,” says Emma Zhu, a local post-graduate student. “They are just like a youth drama set in ancient times. Many have very similar storylines and settings, and the protagonists are all perfect and charming. For the viewers, they are fast-food productions.”
Ai Lian, a film and TV critic from the Literature and Art Critics Association of Sichuan Province, says that a successful historical epic drama is always inspiring and thought-provoking. With the help of historical anecdotes, a lot of Chinese young people will learn to respect history and tackle real-life problems, and foreign viewers will be enlightened about China’s cultural origin, heritage and philosophy.
However, shooting a good historical epic drama is very challenging especially in lines and sets. Actors should have deep understanding of the dialogue which is often condensed and hard to remember. It usually takes a scriptwriter a long time to conceive a story after spending months researching them. Details of the setting and costumes should also be exquisite and impressive.
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