Today's Highlights：
1. Let Ancient Intangible Cultural Heritage "Come Alive": Nuo Xi 2 (Nuo Opera 2) Resonates with Young Audiences
2. Mini Series Li Xian Qian Nian Yan (The Millennial Feast of the Litchi Fairy) Premieres
3. Changjiang Cloud's Mini Series Xi Cong Tian Jiang (A Surprise from Heaven) and Qin Chao Xiao Li Dang Lv Shi (The Qin Dynasty Clerk Becomes a Lawyer) Set to Premiere
4. The 2025 Shanghai Premium Mini Series Industry Promotion Conference Held in Shanghai
5. The Overseas Mini Series Boom Creates a New Path, A Slavic Actor's Real-Life Journey in Shanghai
Let Ancient Intangible Cultural Heritage "Come Alive": Nuo Xi 2 (Nuo Opera 2) Resonates with Young Audiences
Recently, Nuo Xi 2 (Nuo Opera 2), a new work produced by Shanhai Group under the Taohuali Theater brand, was officially released. As an important pioneer of mini series based on intangible cultural heritage (ICH) themes, the first season Nuo Xi told a story about how, 200 years ago, a group of people prevented foreign forces from stealing the traditional Nuo Opera. Nuo Xi 2 further focuses on new stories and issues surrounding the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage today. It addresses the cultural communication challenges in the current context, expressing a cultural statement for contemporary society. Focusing on contemporary issues, the main storyline of Nuo Xi 2 explores, on one hand, internal struggles of heritage transmission. Through the crisis of a traditional Nuo Opera festival, it reveals real problems such as the lack of attention and commercial value for intangible cultural heritage. At the same time, it introduces external crises, placing Nuo Opera at the center of a "cultural theft" storm. This juxtaposition allows the Nuo Opera in the story to confront cultural issues that the audience clearly recognizes in real life. This creates a more tangible and resonant tension, helping viewers directly experience the urgency and importance of protecting intangible cultural heritage.
Mini Series Li Xian Qian Nian Yan (The Millennial Feast of the Litchi Fairy) Premieres
On December 10, the mini series Li Xian Qian Nian Yan (The Millennial Feast of the Litchi Fairy), produced by YangCheng Evening News (Group) and co-produced by Zhujiang College of South China Agricultural University, officially premiered on Tencent Video. The series was entirely filmed in Gaozhou, Maoming, Guangdong—a region known as the "Millennial Hometown of Litchis." It blends lighthearted supernatural comedy with fantastical elements rooted in the traditional culture of western Guangdong to tell a love story spanning thousands of years.
Li Xian Qian Nian Yan follows an emotional journey that transcends time and space. The male lead, Liang Yichuan, is originally a programmer from Guangzhou who becomes lost and despondent after the mysterious disappearance of his lover, Lin Suisui. During his search, he accidentally rescues a bunch of talking litchi fruit, thereby embarking on an adventure that traveling through thousands of years.
The premiere of the series not only offers viewers a visual feast, but also injects new vitality into the local cultural tourism development. As the series gains popularity, cultural symbols of Lingnan such as Gaozhou's litchi heritage and the legacy of Lady Xian are expected to reach a broader audience, drawing more visitors to the drama's filming locations. This initiative aims to showcase the essence of Lingnan culture while contributing new momentum to rural revitalization.
Changjiang Cloud's Mini Series Xi Cong Tian Jiang (A Surprise from Heaven) and Qin Chao Xiao Li Dang Lv Shi (The Qin Dynasty Clerk Becomes a Lawyer) Set to Premiere
On December 10, at the "Bamboo Slip Elegance: Reading Yunmeng · Qianmo Chapter" event, which was part of the 2025 National Model "Village Gala" and "Four Seasons Village Gala of Jingchu," the first teaser trailers for the mini series Xi Cong Tian Jiang (A Surprise from Heaven) (vertical version) and Qin Chao Xiao Li Dang Lv Shi (The Qin Dynasty Clerk Becomes a Lawyer) (horizontal version) were released, attracting nearly a thousand on-site spectators. The Yunmeng Qin Bamboo Slips, dating back over 2,200 years, represent the earliest and most complete legal code discovered in China to date. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the bamboo slips' excavation, Changjiang Cloud New Media Group has partnered with Yunmeng County to explore a "mini series + legal education" model, promoting the development of the mini series Xi Cong Tian Jiang Zhi Qing Chao Xiao Li Dang Lv Shi (A Surprise from Heaven: The Qin Dynasty Clerk Becomes a Lawyer). Utilizing the highly popular mini series format, the project aims to integrates ancient legal wisdom with contemporary legal concepts, showcasing the continuity and evolution of China's legal culture.
The series will be released in two versions, Xi Cong Tian Jiang (vertical) and Qin Chao Xiao Li Dang Lv Shi (horizontal), and will premiere simultaneously across platforms including Hongguo Short Drama, iQiyi, the Changjiang Cloud app, Changjiang Cloud TV, and the Changjiang Cloud Mini Series Douyin account catering to different viewing preferences.
The 2025 Shanghai Premium Mini Series Industry Promotion Conference Held in Shanghai
On December 11, the "2025 Shanghai Premium Mini Series Industry Promotion Conference," themed "Gathering Hundreds of Stories, Shining Through Mini Series," was held at the GKIC Sphere of the Yangpu GKIC Innovative Development Demonstration Zone in Shanghai. At present, the mini series industry has entered a new stage of "high-quality, professional, and systematic" development. Against this background, the conference officially launched the "Premium Mini Series Showcase" event. On the broadcasting side, Shanghai has taken the lead in breaking down barriers between long and short videos and traditional media. The conference announced that, starting from December 11, 2025, under the guidance of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism (Shanghai Municipal Administration of Radio and Television), "Shanghai Premium Mini Series Showcase" event will be launched for a month. This showcase is linked with eleven major platforms and twenty-one institutions, including Hongguo, BesTV, Dragon TV, Bilibili, iQIYI, Xiaohongshu (RedNote), Qimao, Migu Video, E-surfing Media, The Paper, and others, creating a matrix effect of joint exhibitions and broadcasts on both large and small screens. On the production side, the collaboration between high-quality IPs and leading companies has brought strong industrial momentum to Yangpu District. At the conference, Shanghai Baiding Zaoxiang Film and Television Co. Ltd., the exclusive production company for Ma Boyong IP short drama, officially announced its settlement in Yangpu District.
The conference also officially announced the second batch of 2025 Shanghai Mini Series Development Special Fund Support Projects. The project evaluation focused on "premium production, industry promotion, technological empowerment, and international dissemination." After expert review, 22 projects were selected for funding, covering four categories: premium content, featured events, new-technology empowerment, and international expansion. The total amount of support is 11.97 million RMB, providing comprehensive support for the high-quality development of Shanghai's mini series industry.
The Overseas Mini Series Boom Creates a New Path, A Slavic Actor's Real-Life Journey in Shanghai
Eight years ago, when Daniu first came to China eight years ago, he couldn't speak any Chinese. Although basic communication for work and daily life could be solved with English, he instinctively felt that learning Chinese would help him get more opportunities in the Chinese market. He began learning Chinese through online courses. Before entering the film and TV industry, he had already laid a solid foundation. He studied theater acting, and also started to make a name for himself in stand-up comedy and rap. This year, Daniu participated in the show The Rap of China 2025. Over the past few years, he has acted in numerous overseas mini series, all of which are filmed and produced in China. The most common filming locations for overseas mini series are Hangzhou, Qingdao, Xiamen, and Zhengzhou, as the scenes required for these dramas can generally be found within China, eliminating the need for foreign shoots. Most of the actors in these overseas mini series are foreigners who have been working in China for an extended period, although some leading roles are occasionally cast from abroad. Among the actors he has worked with, many of the leads were from the U.S. and Australia, who came to China for short-term filming and returned once the shoot was over. To minimize costs, a typical mini series is usually completed within about one week. Each shooting day lasts 12 hours, with the main actors being featured in nearly every scene, leaving them with almost no time to rest during these 12 hours.
On the night of this interview, Daniu was supposed to have a stand-up comedy open-mic performance, but it was canceled at the last minute. He decided to go home and practice rap for another hour. He is a foreign youth living and working hard in Shanghai who, since the moment he arrived in China eight years ago, made up his mind to stay and build a long-term future here.
