‘Nirvana in Fire’ is a big hit on the small screen

Actor Hu Ge portrays the strategist Mei Changsu in Nirvana in Fire, one of the most popular TV series in recent times.[Photo provided to China Daily]

A new Chinese TV series, set in a fictionalized dynasty around 1,600 years ago, about a military strategist who risks his life to clear his name in a treason case, is making waves in China and abroad. Xu Fan reports.

Copyright dealer Sun Ying was surprised by the number of inquiries for Nirvana in Fire, a TV series about contenders for a throne in ancient China, at a fair in Johannesburg recently.

Most of the inquiries about this series at the just-concluded 2015 Discop Africa, the continent's largest television marketplace, came from traders from Africa and the Middle East.

The producers confirmed to China Daily that a Chinese-language channel in Africa will air the series, and that commercial discussions to air it on major local channels are underway.

The series, China's most popular TV series in recent times, is among 21 TV programs representing China－this year's guest country－at the event where participants showcase their latest and most popular TV content.

Sun, a copyright cooperation manager with Beijing-based cultural exports firm Startimes, tells China Daily that Africa is showing growing interest in Chinese TV series, animated programs and documentaries, but their budgets are limited.

Set in a fictionalized dynasty around 1,600 years ago, the 54-episode serial narrates a Chinese-style tale similar to French author Alexandre Dumas' novel The Count of Monte Cristo.