Streaming toward success

Han's signature work is The Golden Eyes, a 56-episode series about a young man who possesses X-ray-like vision. His special power enables him to distinguish authentic antiquities from fake ones, and he soon finds success dealing in expensive jade - a risky business where fortunes can be made or lost overnight. The Golden Eyes has been sold to the US streaming giant Netflix, and also earned Han the best producer award for online content at the 24th Busan International Film Festival.

Jointly sponsored by the China Television Drama Production Industry Association and the Capital Radio and TV Program Producers Association, the awards were presented at the Beijing Conference Center on Friday.

Ranging from directors and scriptwriters to producers, the winners were shortlisted from around 2,000 aspiring industry newcomers behind nearly 100 TV dramas, online series and internet movies.

Cai started working in the online drama industry in 2015, the same year that Han quit her job at a traditional TV drama studio and landed a new job at Linghe Media, a startup specializing in series tailored toward online streaming platforms.

Cai says she still clearly remembers the first day that her boss gave her a ride to the set of Falling Down, a fantasy series about two young women who manipulate time to change events.

When she arrived at the studio on the outskirts of Beijing, she felt like a novice when she set eyes on a group of young actors huddled around the director as he peered into a monitor.

"I didn't even realize that I should mute my phone until my boss reminded me. It's the No 1 rule that you need to obey on a film set," recalls Cai.