Poster for Ancient Love Poetry Photo: Courtesy of Fiona

China's xianxia dramas, inspired by Chinese mythology, folklore, martial arts, Taoism, Buddhism and more, continue to be popular among young audiences in China and even countries like Thailand and Malaysia. 

The success of dramas like The Untamed, Eternal Love: Ten Miles of Peach and The Romance of Tiger and Rose has inspired an increasing number of studios to explore the beauty of Chinese culture from the perspectives of young people. 

The latest example is the drama Ancient Love Poetry, which debuted on China's streaming platform Tencent Video on Thursday. With all the glamorous costumes, set design and CGI effects, the drama has gone viral on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo, with the related hashtag earning 540 million views and 448,000 posts.

Poster for Ancient Love Poetry Photo: Courtesy of Fiona

Starring Zhou Dongyu and Xu Kai, Ancient Love Poetry, produced by Yang Xiaopei and Fang Fang, tells a fantastic romance between Shang Gu, once a leader of the four immortals, and her lover Bai Jue, who waited for her for 60,000 years after Shang sacrificed herself during a trial. 

In order to create the drama's four worlds of gods, immortals, demons and monsters, the production crew visited Dunhuang in Northwest China's Gansu Province to capture the key elements of the city's vast cultural treasures like the Mogao Caves, a vast repository of Buddhist art. 

 

Poster for Ancient Love Poetry Photo: Courtesy of Fiona

Not only are the flying cloud and water spirits at the Mogao Caves represented, but also other elements like the warm colors found in the cave murals can be seen in the drama's set dressing. 

Thanks to these elements and stories, the drama has been well-received in overseas. 

"I got really hooked onto this drama from the start due to the beautiful scenery and production. I first saw Xu Kai in Legends and I am quite happy to see him in serious/non-comedic roles again! So far this drama has hit all the right notes for me," writes a review on rating site mydramalist.com, where the show has an 8.8/10. 

Other comments from viewers focus on the show's "epic battles" and great work from the CGI team.

Global Times