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"You may not like her, but it's hard not to know her." Someone recently expressed this sentiment online.
The "she" referred to here is Ye Chu, who plays Li Yiming, the protagonist of the recently popular spy drama "Tianban".
Since its premiere on July 15th on Ruguan Satellite TV's prime-time slot, "Half a Day" has enjoyed phenomenal success, consistently achieving top ratings. Related topics have been trending on social media. Whether on the streets, while queuing for meals, or watching the show on large TV screens in cafeterias, screenshots and screen recordings shared by people of all ages on social media are ubiquitous.
On the day of its finale, "The Half-Day Show" achieved a viewership rating exceeding 8%, becoming the highest-rated domestic drama in the past decade. Considering the date this figure was achieved, in today's world of abundant film, television, variety shows, and all sorts of programs, this achievement is almost legendary.
Even more astonishingly, the television ratings seemed to have no impact on the online streaming popularity. According to official data released by Tuiqi Video, by the day the finale aired, "Tianban" had officially surpassed 10 billion views online, becoming the first Chinese drama to enter the 10 billion view club during its broadcast.
How much Tuiqi Video profited from "Tianban" remains a mystery. However, I once chatted with a friend who works at Tuiqi Video. My friend said, "The boss (referring to Tuiqi Video's president, Zhang Qishan) has recently gained six pounds from being so happy."
On Douyin (TikTok), the total views of the hashtag for "Tianban" have exceeded 30 billion. The individual hashtags for the protagonist Li Yiming and the important character Lu Huaizhang have also surpassed 8 billion and 5 billion views respectively. On Pixiv, the most viewed parody video featuring Li Yiming and Lu Huaizhang has exceeded 25 million views. As for related topics and discussions on platforms like Weibo and Green Leaf, the numbers are countless.
Memes like "The Ninth Thief Saint," "Even with clean hands, one can still catch silver," "Such important matters can be discussed another day," "The Party and the State's confidant—a major threat," "One bureau, seven undercover agents; two pillars of the National Government," and "Capitalist poison" have flooded social media. Memes featuring Li Yiming and Lu Huaizhang have become essential accessories for online communication.
Young netizens have paired up the characters from the show, creating many hilarious "CPs" (couples). Examples include "Dawn Couple" (Li Yiming and Li Ruhui), "Drip Couple" (Li Yiming and Diting), "Green Pear Couple" (Li Yiming and Cheng Daiqing), "Life-Saving Couple" (Li Yiming and He Xi), and even "Principal Kou's Left and Right Arms" (Li Yiming and Lu Huaizhang). These pairings have become trending topics on social media.
The popularity on the internet platform has spread beyond the screen.
A novel about officialdom titled "Surpassing Heaven's Half-Chance" was mistakenly identified as the original work of the TV series "Tianban". It sold nearly 300,000 copies in a week. Due to the extremely high return rate, the merchants and publishers had to add a statement in the introduction: "This book has no connection with the currently airing TV series 'Tianban'. Please purchase with caution."
In response, screenwriter Zheng Bohan stated that "Tianban" is a script adapted from real historical materials and will be filmed directly without a "source novel." According to staff at Ruguan TV, the revision of the original script for "Tianban" is in its later stages and is expected to be published in early October, available for sale on online platforms. The novel adaptation is also currently being written, with Zheng Bohan personally overseeing the process.
The berets, scarves, Parker gold pens, brooches, eavesdropping-style earrings, and cipher-embroidered wristbands worn by Li Yiming became instant internet sensations as soon as the show aired. Often, the same products would appear on Taobao and Pinduoduo as soon as a new episode finished airing. Among them, the berets, scarves, and wristbands featuring Ruguan's specialty patterns sold out even during the hot summer months, requiring pre-orders. The proliferation of counterfeit and pirated products on shopping websites is causing headaches for local merchants in Ruguan.
An anonymous merchant complained, "The pattern on Li Yiming's scarf is from a type of grass unique to Ruguan, with leaf patterns different from other places. That scarf is clearly hand-knitted and quite expensive. The pirated version online has a blurry pattern, messed colors, and is of very poor quality. If people from other provinces saw it, they would think that people from Ruguan have no taste!"
Sales of the Ruguan traditional musical instrument, the Zhutong, surged by 1100% in a single month on Taobao. However, due to the extremely high learning difficulty of the Zhutong, most of the instruments purchased online ended up unused. A musician who livestreams Zhutong tutorials on Douyin (TikTok) had fewer than 10,000 followers at the beginning of July, but now has over 700,000.
The popularity of the TV series has boosted the tourism industry. According to backend data from a travel website, search rates for keywords such as "Ruguan" and "Li Yiming's Former Residence" have surged. On the lifestyle website Hongshu, posts such as "Go to Ruguan to see snow," "Ruguan snow viewing guide," and "Tianban filming route reconstruction" have emerged one after another, with the most popular post reaching over 50,000 favorites.
During the summer vacation after the college entrance examination, many young students visited Ruguan. A student named Xiaohong said, "I participated in the red tourism activities organized by Ruguan and visited many historical sites. I felt a deeper spiritual and meaningful experience!"
Alongside its astonishing popularity comes a dazzling array of positive reviews. As of the date of this report, "Half a Day" has garnered over 390,000 ratings on a certain video-sharing platform, reaching a score of 9.0. It has officially entered the realm of "masterpieces." This is also the only domestically produced drama in the past five years to surpass a 9-point rating.
The cast of "Half a Day" is truly dazzling. Director Lu, who is very popular among the older generation, Team Leader Di Ting, who is loved by young people, and Li Ru Hui, a character with a highly talked-about growth story... However, in this sea of stars, the one who touches the audience's heartstrings the most is still her—the protagonist Li Yiming.
In a series of Weibo polls with nearly 200,000 participants, 170,000 people chose "hope Li Yiming survives," and 120,000 people chose "hope there will be a second season of 'Tianban'." In the poll for the most beloved character in "Tianban," Li Yiming received a staggering 110,000 votes, accounting for more than half of the total votes, exceeding the combined votes of the other nine characters.
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—Excerpted from the official account of Huayang Morning Post, September 2018.
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Interestingly, unlike Li Yiming's excellent online reputation, Ye Chu, the actor who plays Li Yiming, seems to be quite controversial online.
How did this phenomenon come about? After interviewing some netizens and reviewing some information, I was surprised to find that Ye Chu's rise to fame was not an overnight success, but rather the result of hard work and foreshadowing.
Ye Chu's performance in "The Legend of Yun Qing" was already quite impressive. Her portrayal of Emperor Pingzhao sparked considerable controversy online. Even now, netizens are still debating whether she ultimately executed the palace servants, and whether she could have been a good emperor.
Although it has generated a great deal of discussion, this is just the first stone that Ye Chu has thrown onto the internet.
Subsequently, Ye Chu took on her first leading role in the CTS digital film series "Xiao Feng Que," portraying the chivalrous hero Xiao Feng Que, who served his country and its people. This film series achieved considerable success, consistently scoring above 8 on GreenBan and enjoying excellent viewership ratings. The finale, "Xiao Feng Que: Return," even broke CTS Channel 6's viewership record.
This film series became the flagship of CTS's "172010 Flowers Bloom" project, hailed by the industry as a classic example of successful adaptation of national popular works. Even today, CTS Channel 6 still occasionally rebroadcasts the "Xiao Feng Que" series. On CTS Channel 6's official website, the "Xiao Feng Que" series is listed first in the "172010 Flowers Bloom" project's series of works section.
Ye Chu's portrayal of Xiao Fengque has not only won the hearts of a wide audience but also the approval of the original author, Jiang Shang Nong Chao Sheng, and fans of the novel. Xiao Fengque's personal Weibo account has even followed actor Ye Chu. Jiang Shang Nong Chao Sheng also celebrated Ye Chu's birthday this year, writing, "May the thousand-year-old Ye Chu forever offer a cup of eternal wine." In an interview, she jokingly remarked that Ye Chu perfectly captured her ideal image of Xiao Fengque.
Jiang Shang Nongchaosheng revealed that a classic collector's edition of the "Phoenix Playing with Dragons" series of novels will be published to commemorate its 60th anniversary. The title will be officially changed to "Xiao Feng Que," and Ye Chu will write the preface for the classic collector's edition.
But Ye Chu's exploration of film didn't stop there. That same year, she starred in the art-house film "The Mute Woman," which grossed 100 million yuan. In the realm of art-house films, this box office performance places her among the top tier.
In the film, Ye Chu broke through his previous roles, portraying Guan Yue, a complex and typical young Chinese man, and interpreting the struggles, confusion, and efforts of a generation of Chinese youth. Ye Chu also won the Best Newcomer Award at the Ying Shi Awards for this role.
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—Excerpt from The Phoenix Daily, September 2018.
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