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...It is widely believed in the industry that although Ye Chu's most famous role was Li Yiming in "Tianban", his best acting, most emotionally expressive, most groundbreaking, and most typical role was Guan Yue in "The Mute Woman". This character filled a gap in Chinese film history and is still talked about by many filmmakers today.

When "The Mute Woman" was first released, some directors questioned whether it was a "sack movie" with a harmful influence. However, the director of "The Mute Woman" quickly clarified this. Currently, the industry generally believes that "The Mute Woman" is a relatively realistic work that reflects the changes of the times and the mental journey of a young person's growth. It does not have the sycophantic tone of sack movies. On the contrary, it reflects the progress and development of the times through the growth of a young person.

Following "The Mute Woman" and "Xiao Fengque," the highly anticipated "Tianban" finally made its official debut, bringing Ye Chu unimaginable popularity and making her a household name across the country.

In 2015, after director Liu Yongqing produced his final spy drama, "The Lonely Willow," some lamented that the door to domestic spy dramas had been closed!

This means that "The Lonely Willow" was too successful and too perfect, and that the formula for domestic spy dramas has been exhausted, leaving nothing to film in the future.

However, just three years later, "Tianban" emerged, proving to everyone that domestic spy dramas have not ceased to exist.

The character Li Yiming has become a representative figure in red spy dramas. A generation of young people are captivated by her, and older viewers are deeply moved, as if transported back to an era of burning ideals. Furthermore, while traditional spy dramas often feature male protagonists, Li Yiming, as a woman, brings a refreshing and gentle touch to this overly masculine genre. This is truly rare.

Even today, when we talk about spy dramas, "Tianban" remains an unavoidable topic.

What Ye Chu did afterward was even more astonishing. 2018 was considered the inaugural year of the fan economy, and that year, Ye Chu shot her first magazine cover. As is often the case, her fans went all out to boost sales…

At this critical juncture, Ye Chu openly stood up and called on her fans to consume rationally, which can be described as defying public opinion... Ye Chu's fan circle was in great turmoil...

Ye Chu, as a "top influencer" among the new generation of artists, has such courage that it is astonishing even today.

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However, soon after, the infamous "Clean Up" announcement of 2018 was issued, triggering a major earthquake in the Chinese entertainment industry. Many artists were brought down, and numerous variety shows were taken off the air or shut down. Ye Chu's "unwise move" quickly reversed public opinion, turning him into a "role model for youth" and a "model artist." He was highly praised by online marketing accounts at the time. Many artists and magazines followed suit, issuing statements in the same format as Ye Chu after the "Clean Up" announcement was released. The current online magazine purchase limit mechanism basically originated from that incident.

Furthermore, Qingping Entertainment was a tax-conscious company, one of the very few in the entertainment industry at the time without any tax issues, which ensured Ye Chu's "legitimate lineage"...

After clarifying these points, it's not so surprising that CTS invited Yeh Chu to star in a public service advertisement on "Practicing Thrift and Resisting Waste".

This incident had a profound impact on Ye Chu. To this day, people still debate whether the most important turning point in Ye Chu's acting career was "Half a Day" or this public service advertisement...

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Looking at Ye Chu's acting career, it seems to have been smooth sailing. However, a little research reveals that Ye Chu's popularity is not accidental.

As is well known, before playing Emperor Pingzhao in "Yun Qing Ji", Ye Chu had worked as an extra on more than two hundred different film sets in a year.

These minor roles provided Ye Chu with solid acting skills and a strong foundation, laying a firm groundwork for her future roles. Xu Hanwen, the director of "Half a Sky," once revealed that Ye Chu was the best-performing, most talented, and most diligent actress he had ever seen in her age group. Otherwise, the role of Li Yiming would never have fallen to Ye Chu.

In addition to individual efforts, seizing opportunities in the times is also extremely important. From 2017 to 2018, with the increasing popularity of the internet, traditional television stations were already showing signs of decline.

"Half a Day" boasts a top-tier production team, including renowned TV director Xu Hanwen, top screenwriter Zheng Bohan, and Ru Guan, along with a massive marketing campaign. Add to that Ye Chu, who has just finished her roles in "The Mute Woman" and "Xiao Fengque," showcasing her talent, confidence, and ambition… such a dream cast is hard to replicate to this day.

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Besides its high quality, the daytime rebroadcast system was also a crucial factor in the success of "Tianban". Daytime rebroadcasts allowed "Tianban" to reach different audiences at different times, creating an immersive communication environment, strengthening collective memory, and increasing memorability through repeated exposure. This significantly boosted the online and offline discussion surrounding "Tianban".

Such an effect is unimaginable today. With internet users switching content on average every six minutes, viewers' attention spans are highly fragmented. Furthermore, it's unlikely that any other drama can capture the viewer's attention as quickly as "Half a Sky," no matter when you start watching…

The rebroadcast strategy of "Half a Day" is the last successful textbook case study of the traditional media era. Its core logic is to forcefully shape a national topic of discussion by controlling broadcast channels and using high-quality content. This ability is now extinct.

Furthermore, at the joint suggestion of the "Half a Day" production team, Ru Guan adopted a combined TV and online promotional approach for the first time. The online broadcast time was also adjusted to coincide with the TV broadcast. For the next two years, prime-time dramas generally adopted the 11 PM broadcast schedule, establishing it as an industry norm.

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Opening up to secondary creation was undoubtedly a very bold move at the time. Undeterred by the potential for online streaming, it demonstrated both Ruguan's confidence in "Tianban" and Ruguan TV's ambition as a dominant force in the television era…

The short video marketing campaign for "Tianban" is widely recognized in the industry as the first successful case of derivative works driving the original work, and it remains one of the main methods of online drama marketing. It has even become a standard practice for publicity and distribution.

Furthermore, Li Yiming's label as a spy hero greatly facilitated official endorsement. "Li Yiming" has become a cultural symbol, representing an idealist.

Favorable timing, advantageous location, and harmonious relationships led to the unparalleled success of "Tianban" and made Ye Chu an unrepeatable figure.

Professor Luo Qing of the Department of Media Studies at Ruguan University commented: "After Li Yiming, no other TV drama character has emerged that evoked a collective memory for the entire nation. This is not only a glory for the actors, but also the last great victory for traditional television media."

"Half a Day" was hailed as "the last glimmer of the television era." And Ye Chu became the last superstar of the television era.

—Excerpt from an article in the New Era Daily, “Why Ye Chu?”, Month X, 20XX.