Life is a battlefield

Wu Zongwei works in a government intelligence department and knows how to get ahead. His boss has told him and his colleagues to watch television.

Not any TV show, of course, but Lurk (Qianfu), which is set in 1945, the year China won the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and fell into a four-year civil war between the Communists and Kuomintang. The show only hit the small screen recently but is already a smash hit, especially among younger viewers.

Wu became a fan after watching it by chance and soon found his boss and colleagues were also tuning in. His boss suggested that anyone who had not seen the show tune in right away.

"My boss told us to learn from the main character's devotion to faith," says Wu. "Yu Zecheng, the protagonist, survives in a dangerous environment largely thanks to his strong faith, which provokes his wisdom and courage."

Saleswoman Yu Hong, 29, is also a Lurk devotee. Her boss has asked all the staff to watch and learn from the spy thriller.

"He told us to observe our rivals, clients and environment, and to note details like a spy," Yu says. "He says the business world is like a battlefield."

Yu is a streetwise Communist agent planted in a Kuomintang secret spy organization. He uses his wits to exploit his colleagues' conflicts, quickly becomes his boss's favorite and gets much useful inside information.

The 30-episode series has been the talk of the town since first screening in late March. Its premiere had an audience rating of 8.01 percent in Beijing TV, the highest first-day rating of any TV series broadcast by the network.

Most interest concerns the show's office politics.

Netizens summarized the 10 dos and don'ts that they think have helped the main character to be a winner in the office.