In the sweltering heat of midsummer, alongside rising temperatures, another phenomenon grips the hearts of viewers—the summer spectacle of ancient costume idol dramas, affectionately known as "gu-ou dramas".
From the exhilarating finale of "Ink Rain Among Clouds" (云中墨雨), dubbed the "nation's stress-relieving drama", in late June to the current dominance of screens by "The Year of Duhua" (度华年) and "Chang Xiangsi 2" (长相思2) across various platforms, high-quality series are ceaselessly capturing audience interest. This surge in popularity marks a significant revival for ancient puppet dramas, positioning them once again as the paramount genre during the summer season, igniting a fervor among viewers.
For Tang Tang, a self-proclaimed "avid enthusiast" of ancient puppet dramas among women born in the 1990s, titles like "Cang Lan Jue" (苍兰诀), "Chang Feng Du" (长风渡), and "Zhou Sheng Ru Gu" (周生如故) hold special significance. Since 2013, she has closely followed the release of various ancient puppet dramas in the entertainment market. "Overall, the market for ancient puppet dramas is a mixed bag," she comments. "While there have been hits like 'Dream Record' and 'Chang Xiangsi', there's also a fair share of poorly made, repetitive 'assembly line products'."
Ancient puppet dramas, blending traditional costume dramas with idol drama elements, seamlessly merge two distinct filmmaking styles, creating a highly commercialized and youthful category of television drama. They have long held a prominent position in the television ratings charts. However, the prevalence of homogeneous works and the formulaic approach of "star power + intellectual property (IP)" has led to aesthetic fatigue among viewers, trapping ancient puppet dramas in a kind of "creative quagmire".
"In recent years, there have been some refreshing changes in ancient puppet dramas, breaking away from the usual clichés," Tang Tang observes. "The narratives of male and female protagonists are no longer confined to romantic relationships but now encompass broader themes such as 'career-building'." She cites the example of the 2022 summer blockbuster "Dream Record", where the female lead Zhao Pan'er pursues her own life goals and career aspirations, transforming a small teahouse into the largest restaurant in Bianjing through her efforts, inspiring many viewers with her story of economic and personal independence.
As consumer tastes evolve, Tang Tang highlights the growing popularity of growth stories centered on female empowerment in recent ancient puppet dramas. "In 'Ink Rain Among Clouds', for instance, the drama positions itself as a 'costume inspirational internet drama', starting with the female protagonist in dire straits and following her journey of reversal," she notes.
Quality and Emotional Resonance
Discussing the success of "Ink Rain Among Clouds", Zhou Jing, the general manager of the Cool Rice Studio under Alibaba Entertainment, the drama's producer, attributes its popularity to a strong reflection of contemporary concerns. "There's no magic formula for popularity, we simply captured the emotions of our audience and struck a chord with the times," Zhou Jing told the Workers' Daily.
Zhou Jing believes that creators must consider three questions: "What are creators trying to express? What do they want the audience to empathize with? What is the real significance behind the empathy reflected in reality?" She explains that audience aesthetics are constantly evolving, attention spans are becoming scarce, and the market is saturated with an abundance of long videos. In this context, the key to the success of ancient puppet dramas lies in seizing audience attention, making their time valuable, and creating emotional resonance.
In addition to generating resonance, beloved ancient puppet dramas also emphasize the relentless pursuit of quality and the ultimate pursuit of Eastern aesthetics. Today, an increasing number of high-quality ancient puppet dramas, characterized by meticulous design and craftsmanship, not only convey the profound beauty of Chinese traditional culture but also make the entire story more realistic and relatable.
"Compared to traditional ancient puppet fairy dramas, 'Chang Xiangsi' is distinguished by its unique national style aesthetics," explains Zhang Fan, a fan of Chinese national style. She tells reporters that the drama's scenes, costumes, special effects, and other visual and auditory elements have left a deep impression on her: the magnificent royal palaces are grand and stunning, full of classical beauty; Wang Ji Xiaoyao's exquisite costumes are adorned with traditional Eastern patterns, brimming with national style imagery.
"In recent years, almost all ancient puppet dramas have relied on three types of viewers: fans of the protagonist, original fans, and enthusiasts of ancient puppet dramas," Tang Tang says. She points out that this tends to create a situation where the initial popularity of ancient puppet dramas is high, but they lack sustainability and have limited reach, making it difficult for them to truly break into the mainstream.
Zhang Fan also told reporters that although there have always been high-quality dramas, there has been little innovation in terms of genre. "The combination of 'star power + special effects accumulation + assembly line plot' has become the standard for ancient puppet dramas in recent years. Audiences can predict the ending from the first scene. While this approach captures fans of idols, it fails to accumulate casual viewers and positive word-of-mouth," Zhang Fan said.
On the one hand, there is an overflow of ancient puppet dramas, causing a flood of dramas, while on the other hand, the aesthetic level of the audience has improved, and attention is scarce. Many industry insiders believe that the ancient puppet drama race has become a red ocean, and if it wants to truly break through and innovate, it needs to continue to exert efforts in innovation, run out of the market as a dark horse with differentiated characteristics, and tap the untapped potential of the ancient puppet red ocean race.
Zhou Jing told reporters that to stand out in the vast sea of ancient puppet works, it is crucial to have uniqueness in both content and aesthetics. "To create uniqueness in content, creators must embody the renewal and iteration of values, the reflection of reality, and the capture of user emotions in their dramas, designing unique character sets and relationships. Additionally, they should construct visual spectacles in the drama that reflect the unique aesthetic expressions of creators, as much as possible, to satisfy and lead the aesthetic demands of current users, creating aesthetic uniqueness."
Zhou Jing believes that user thinking by creators is also crucial. "Users are the last link in creation. During the playback of the drama, there are many user participation discussions, expression demands, and feedback on demand to creators." She said that respecting users and truly listening to their needs, providing more personalized services in drama creation, broadcast, and promotion for users, can smoothly connect ancient puppet dramas with the market.
In addition, reporters learned that in recent years, the wave of "going overseas" in Chinese film and television has made ancient puppet dramas an important category for online dramas to "go overseas". "Qing Qing Daily" and "Nian Nian Without Ming" and other ancient puppet dramas have been launched on streaming media platforms in North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and other regions, receiving high praise and pursuit from local audiences.
