Long live 'Outlaws'

The popular Chinese screenwriter Ning Caishen, who has entertained audiences with productions such as the TV series My Own Swordman and films Big Movie and Crazy Stone, has released his latest TV show, Long Hu Shan. Highly anticipated by viewers, the 12-episode serial drama is the first production written and directed by Ning.

And unlike other serial dramas conventionally broadcast first by TV stations, Long Hu Shan made an exclusive premiere on Tuesday on the movie channel Vodone, the top Chinese website providing movies, videos and popular TV programs with legal copy.

According to Ning, Long Hu Shan is adapted from the Outlaws of the Marsh, one of the "four great classical novels of Chinese literature". But unlike the martial arts epic, Ning's production focuses on some minor characters in the original work. Also, by subverting the comedic style of My Own Swordman that earned Ning overnight fame, the new TV series has breathtaking plots, black humor and suspenseful spy games. One of the drama's leading actresses, He Jiayi starred in the recent hit movie If You Are The One. The launch ceremony this week was studded with actors and actresses, including Li Shengyu, Liu Guanlin, Huang Yingxuan and He Jiayi.