92-Year-Old You Benchang Stars in Mini Series, Reviving the Classic 40-Year-Old IP Ji Gong 

On September 23, the poster for the mini series Ji Gong Zhi Mao Pai Xiang Long (Ji Gong: The Impostor Dragon Slayer) was officially released, announcing that the 92-year-old performing artist You Benchang would serve as the artistic director. This news was confirmed on-site by You Benchang's daughter, You Sihan, at the Mini Series Conference held in Zhengzhou. The series will incorporate digital human technology to restore You Benchang's portrayal of the young "Ji Gong" character, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the 1985 TV series Ji Gong.

In 1985, You Benchang brought the legendary folk figure Ji Gong to life with his witty and unpretentious performance, turning him into a classic character in Chinese television history. The series achieved a viewership rating of over 90% upon its release, and its theme song became a hit across the country. Over the past four decades, the Ji Gong IP has been reconstructed multiple times, but none have surpassed the national popularity of You Benchang's version. This new mini series, Ji Gong Zhi Mao Pai Xiang Long, takes a playful approach to deconstruct the classic by using the "impostor" angle. It is both a tribute to the original work and an exploration of the boundaries of IP innovation.

Mini Series An Du Chun Hua (Spring Fever) Premieres on September 20 

The costume, romance, and suspense mini series An Du Chun Hua (Spring Fever), directed by Sun Jiayang, written by Wang Kun, with Hong Miao and Wen Cong serving as chief producers, and starring Zhu Lilan, Geng Yeting, Chen Minghao, and Song Zhaoyi, has officially premiered exclusively on Tencent Video on September 20.

More than a costume romance, An Du Chun Hua delves into the complexities of human nature and the clash of interests. Beneath Ningzhou's calm facade lies a grand conspiracy. With the arrival of the imperial inspector, the false masks of powerful clans are torn away, unleashing a storm of intrigue. With its gripping plot and suspenseful atmosphere, the series draws viewers into a high-stakes game of secrets and survival.

Guangdong-Produced Mini Series Wo Bi Nai Nai Da San Sui (I Am Older Than My Grandmother) Begins Airing

On September 19, the Guangdong-produced anti-Japanese war mini series Wo Bi Nai Nai Da San Sui (I Am Older Than My Grandmother) launched on the Hongguo short drama platform. With a youthful narrative style, the series uncover little-known stories from the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. 

Created to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of these wars, the series revolves around the real historical event of the mass migration of cultural figures from Hong Kong. It follows a female university student Zhai Xingxing, who accidentally time-travels to the anti-Japanese war battlefield in South China in 1942, where she meets her grandmother Chen Fengying, who was young at that time and served as the head of an underground traffic station. Together with guerrilla fighters, they work to rescue trapped cultural figures in Hong Kong. 

Director Xiong Yifan explained that the time-travel element was introduced to enhance the audience immersion: "Zhai Xingxing acts as a pair of 'eyes,' enabling the audience to look back on the history of the South China resistance efforts from a modern perspective."

Filming Begins on Adaptations of the Novel Qian Xing De Qing Chun (Forward Youth)

On September 21, the film Qian Xing De Qing Chun (Forward Youth) and the mini series Wang Qian Zou De Qing Chun, Mo Hui Tou De Ai Qing (Keep Moving Forward, Love Without Looking Back) officially began filming in the Malanshan Video Cultural and Creative Industrial Park in Changsha, Hunan. Both works are adapted from the author Zeng Gaofei's campus-themed novel Qian Xing De Qing Chun and are jointly produced by Hunan Dikasi Film and Television Culture Co., Ltd. and Hunan Shiyi Culture Technology Co., Ltd.

Set in the vibrant internet-famous city of Changsha, the novel Qian Xing De Qing Chun revolves around the studies, lives, and other experiences of contemporary university students, represented by characters like Qiu Xiaomei, Zeng Xiao, and He Yi. It vividly interprets their growth process and mental journey from immaturity to maturity, from dispute to reconciliation, and from shirking to taking responsibility.

Xinxiang Pingyuan Demonstration Zone Establishes a Closed Industrial Loop for the Mini Series Industry

Recently, the Henan Mini Series Review Service Sub-center was officially launched in the Pingyuan Demonstration Zone of Xinxiang City. This marks a new phase in the development of the mini series industry in the zone, advancing towards enhanced standardization and efficiency. On September 19, the first mini series, Xing Fu Chong Feng Hao, passed the review, completing the full process from evaluation to filing. The series focuses on everyday life and showcases the spirit of striving in the new era. The review was conducted by experts from Xinxiang City's mini series committee to ensure the content complies with national regulations.

Currently, the Pingyuan Demonstration Zone in Xinxiang City is home to four specialized mini series filming bases, covering more than 170 indoor sets, including those for era-specific, modern, and historical dramas. These bases are capable of supporting multiple filming crews simultaneously. The sub-center collaborates closely with the filming bases to offer a one-stop "filming and review" service, significantly reducing costs and improving efficiency for production companies.

Baoding Becomes a Growth Hub for the Mini Series Industry in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region

In April of this year, Baoding City in Hebei Province released 20 measures to support the high-quality development of online mini series. The city's proximity to Beijing has led to the establishment of a mini series industry base in Zhuozhou, a county-level city within Baoding. So far, 25 companies have registered, with around 70% of them coming from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

At the same time, Baoding is actively promoting local talent involvement in the mini series industry. With its advantageous location, the Zhuozhou Mini Series Industry Base can attract a large number of high-end professionals from Beijing. Baoding is also home to several vocational colleges offering programs in acting, directing, and computer science, which help provide a steady supply of intermediate-level talent needed by the film and television industry. The local government is working to connect these vocational colleges with film and television companies, encouraging more local students to gain practical experience and part-time work with mini series enterprises.