DOMESTIC TV series were often regarded as tedious, uncreative and poorly made by many young Chinese people who preferred American, British and South Korean productions. Middle-aged and elderly people in China usually accounted for a major share of the audience for a vast number of televised family dramas and war sagas.

The situation is changing, however, with the emergence of a batch of high-quality productions in recent years. The younger generation of Chinese people is now showing rising enthusiasm for homegrown dramas.

Jack Wu, a 20-something middle-school teacher has been stunned by the visual artistry and suspenseful storyline of the epic Chinese series “Nirvana on Fire.”

Wu and his girlfriend are devout followers of American TV suspense series, but they are now fully hooked by the lavish sets, spectacular battle scenes and refined cinematography of the domestic drama.

“We noticed that each main character in the series has many sets of exquisite, ancient Chinese costumes and accessories for varied occasions,” Wu says. “The properties, Chinese ancient style music and traditional Chinese etiquette displayed in the series all combine to take audiences back to ancient times.”

Adapted from the popular online novel “Langya List,” the series about revenge, tactics and brotherhood is often regarded as China’s “The Count of Monte Cristo” by netizens.

“Nirvana on Fire” also received praise from foreign audiences for its charming, distinctive Chinese elements when it was released in South Korea and on popular video websites in North America. The series will also be introduced to Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia.

A lot of acclaimed Chinese TV dramas have sprung up in the past few years. Some of them are phenomenal and have aroused heated discussion among young audiences.

Experts note that the wide popularity and diversity of online novels have made it now a golden time for the creation of domestic series, especially mega-productions.

A few competitive production teams have also caught the public’s attention by presenting compelling works catering to young viewers. Many of their productions are adapted from hit online literary fiction which has a large fan base. Popular genres include suspense thrillers, crime, romance and historical epics. They usually feature charming star-studded casts, poetic scenes and creative cinematographic style.

The success of the historical epic “Empress in the Palace,” a 2011 production by veteran director Zheng Xiaolong, is considered a strong boost to young people’s confidence in domestic series.

A rising number of young dedicated followers of domestic dramas have been nurtured since the series’ airing. Its artistry and extensive connotations have also changed people’s perception about dramas based on online novels.

Zheng’s latest offering, “The Legend of Mi Yue,” is scheduled to air on November 30 on Dragon TV and simultaneously on Tencent Video.

Starring mainland actress Sun Li and Hong Kong actor Alex Fong, the epic, also based on an online novel, is set against the backdrop of the turbulent Warring States Period (476-221 BC).

The legendary life and love of Mi Yue, the first Empress Dowager in China’s history, is portrayed against the in-depth depiction of a time of chaos and intense political intrigue.

More licence

Producer Cao Ping says there isn’t much historical material about female politicians in ancient China, a situation which allows more licence to depict the character. The drama is also expected to appeal to viewers across a very wide age range due to its integration of online novel and history.

Young netizens are so enthusiastic about the series that its 26-minute trailer on Tencent Video received over 15 million click-throughs within 24 hours.

SMG Pictures and Shandong Film and TV Group are also remarkable forces in domestic TV production.

They recently jointly presented the new weekly suspense drama “Love Me, If You Dare,” the highest-rating series for the time slot.

Starring heart-throbs Huo Jianhua and Wang Kai, the series revolves around a young crime psychologist’s efforts to uncover a series of mystery cases.

A lot of the two companies’ productions have managed to reach out to young viewers, including “Battle of Changsha,” “All Quiet in Beijing,” “The Disguiser” and “Tiger Mom, Cat Dad.”

SMG Pictures has recently announced a collaboration with Fuji Television Network Inc to co-produce over the next three years the Chinese remake of a successful Japanese series.

SMG general manager Chen Sijie says it is a strategic cooperation that covers a wide range of sectors including early incubation, planning, production and distribution.

“Good stories in popular Japanese films, dramas and animation will be explored for inspiration for Chinese adaptations,” Chen adds.

The first Chinese remake of a Japanese series will be the comedy romance “What Is Love,” an urban love story of a young couple who have zero experience in dating and love.

Sincere story

Hou Hongliang, celebrated producer from Shandong Film and TV Group, said the company usually spends a lot of time and money on a TV series’ visual artistry. They also try to tell a balanced and sincere story in each production.

“When we decided to produce ‘Nirvana on Fire,’ many friends felt very surprised because it was a story based on an online novel,” Hou says.

“However, it didn’t shake our resolution to adapt the novel into a refined work featuring traditional Chinese culture, values and etiquette.”

The young audience is a demographic Hou and his team always try to attract and foster.

Hou realized that Internet thinking is crucial today for a series’ production, marketing and distribution. And it also helps to reach new, particularly young, audiences.

Hit series have also led to the development of new business models on e-commerce websites and pushed the traditional marketing and profit model of television toward a novel T2O (TV to online) mode.

Earlier this year, viewers of the popular romantic series “My Sunshine” could easily find online all the fashion, bedding and home decoration items in the series by scanning Dragon TV’s logo.

The collaboration between Dragon TV and Alibaba Group has enabled TV audiences to get quick access to Tmall selling items related to the dramas.

Industry insiders note that it is an innovative approach to extend the age range of today’s TV viewers and enhance the series’ appeal with young audiences.

Karen Tsai, president of Chinese Entertainment Shanghai, said the focus on producing original online series doesn’t mean they will give up producing series catering to TV viewers. “Venturing into online dramas is a strategy to diversify our business,” Tsai says.

Flourishing online dramas

More than 2,200 episodes of Chinese online series were released in the first half of the year. About 20 new online series have a budget of over 20 million yuan (US$31.34 million) each. Major Internet video-sharing websites are now engaged in shooting experimental and original series.

Tencent Online Video has produced the first two seasons of online thriller series “Darker” which is based on the Internet novel “The Death Notice.”

Next year it will cooperate with famous producers and broadcasting companies to produce an array of original series including “Revive,” a fashionable serial about urban love, police drama “Line Walker 2,” and fantasy series “Jade Dynasty.”

Youku is airing the third season of the popular comedy sitcom “Unexpectedness.” Viewers can post comments on the side of the screen while watching the series.

Production of a new youth series “Pains of a 17-Year-Old” is also underway. The series, adapted from an online novel by Rao Xueman, will provide insight into the lives and emotions of teenagers.

IQIYI will present more than 30 new big-budgeted online dramas next year following the success of online series “The Graver Robbers’ Chronicles” and “Evil Minds.” Leading Chinese producers and directors will be invited to create projects covering genres of romance, spy thrillers and costume dramas.

The website now offers the second season of suspense thriller “The Ferry Man” which is about a young man who has supernatural skills to see ghosts. It has already been streamed over 400 million times.