Actor's hero role is a license to thrill

Understanding context gives star of Awakening of Insects a deeper insight, Xing Wen reports.

It set the template for success and spawned many attempts to match its appeal, but few came close. Lurk, the smash hit 2009 TV series, highlighted the work and lives of underground Communist heroes before the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Many other series tried to copy its formula for success but found that repeating history is difficult. Lurk received a rating score of 9.3 points out of total 10 on review site Douban.

Actors could only dream of becoming as bright and popular a star as Yao Chen, lead actress in Lurk.