Fantasy tale finds new fans​

Dressed in a flowing white gown styled in ancient Chinese fashion, a musician sits gracefully on a street in Italy, her eyes veiled by a green cloth. As her bow glides across the erhu — a traditional two-stringed instrument — a haunting melody fills the air, drawing a crowd of curious onlookers, many of whom lift their smartphones to record the moment.

The scene, captured in a viral clip, has amassed over 34,000 likes on the social media platform Xiaohongshu, also known as Red-Note. The artist is playing the music of the theme song from Feud, a popular xianxia drama, a genre exclusive to China that blends mythological, fantastical, and martial arts elements.

As one of the most popular costume dramas this year, the series starring actress Bai Lu and actor Zeng Shunxi has been released domestically and overseas on multiple major platforms like Netflix and Rakuten Viki, reaching foreign markets including North America and South Korea.

It topped ratings in 15 countries and regions during its streaming period, according to Dongyang Huanyu Entertainment, the producer.

Guo Hao, who codirects the drama with Zhi Lei, tells China Daily that he received the script two years ago and was instantly captivated by its twist-filled storyline. He quickly finished the entire script of around 400,000 Chinese characters.

Unlike most traditional fantasy dramas, Feud takes an innovative approach by incorporating suspense and overlapping timelines, presenting the story through a nonlinear narrative.