Rural period drama enjoys harvest of success

Many drama fans favorably compare it to this year's South Korean international hit TV series When Life Gives You Tangerines. The intergenerational family saga follows the trials and triumphs of Ae-sun, a poor girl born in Jeju in 1951 who dreams of being a poet, and Gwan-sik, a young man who cherishes and loves her. Confronting societal limitations and harsh realities, Ae-sun holds fast to her childhood dream until she realizes it in her later years.

Dai notes that both TV series found widespread resonance with audiences because they, albeit set in different backgrounds, show that people yearn for genuine emotional connections and believe in their own strength to rise above hardships through faith and love.

Dai also deems that both series, not shying away from portraying suffering in life, interpret people's vitality when grappling with misfortune and highlight the kindness and mutual support among extended family and neighbors in dire circumstances.

A new title to iQIYI's Masterpiece Theatre, This Thriving Land is adapted from part of writer Zhao Defa's 1996 novel Qianquan Yu Juejue (literally Deep Attachment and Decided Severance), which won the prestigious People's Literature Award in 2001. Part of the writer's farmer trilogy, the book, set against the backdrop of the Yimeng Mountains in Linyi, Shandong province, spans four generations and tells of farmers' evolving relationship with the land as times change.

Dai says that iQIYI decided to bring the novel to the small screen because productions focusing on the land and family have been lacking for years in the domestic market. "Such themes may seem old, but they possess great strength and can find strong resonance with people," she says.

Director Liu Jiacheng expressed a similar view.

"Rural area-themed dramas are few, and period dramas of this theme are even fewer. Rural period dramas written with great depth are few and far between," Liu told China Daily in an exclusive interview, saying that he decided to take on the project after reading the first 10 episodes of the screenplay.

TV audiences rave about the drama's vivid presentation of traditional farming customs and farmers' reverence for the land.

"All the agricultural customs that farmers religiously observe in tending their land left a deep impression on me," Yang recalls.

"For example, on the day of lichun, the Beginning of Spring (the first solar term of the year), Feng Er (Xiuxiu's father-in-law, played by actor Lin Yongjian) buries a bamboo tube in the ground to test the soil's vibrancy. The feather, after a moment, floats out of the tube, indicating the pulse and vitality of the earth," Yang says.

Many drama viewers comment that they have seen similar rituals in childhood.

Other customs — "circling the granary" on the second day of the second month in the lunar calendar (people using charcoal ash to draw circles on the ground, in the shape of a granary, to pray for a bumper harvest) and "starting harvest" (people worshiping the land and ancestors before harvesting wheat) on the day of mangzhong, Grain in Ear, the ninth solar term of the year — also inspired nostalgic reverie.

The creators attribute the drama's instant success in part to having evoked Chinese people's collective memory related to farming because the country hails from a deep-rooted agricultural civilization that traces back millennia.

"The land gives life to a myriad of things, and it is the basis for human survival. We want to awaken Chinese people's deep-seated love for the land through this production," says Liu.

He adds that the drama, portraying various characters living on the land, who wrestle with life's struggles, such as natural disasters and war, intends to highlight and salute their diligence, optimism and fortitude.

The director views these qualities as the foundation for the Chinese nation to develop continuously for thousands of years and stand tall among the nations of the world.

"I hope characters in the show can inspire today's people, especially the young, to stay upbeat in difficulties and hardships and never crack under pressure," he says.

Since its premiere on Aug 13, the series has achieved notable highlights. Its content popularity index on iQIYI peaked at 11,018, making it second only to the 2023 smash hit The Knockout, the platform's most popular title up to date.

On Aug 21, the drama topped the streaming charts with a staggering 46.1 percent market share and became this year's first long-form drama that amassed more than 100 million views on demand in a single day, according to data from Enlightent.

This Thriving Land has also been launched globally, available on iQIYI's international app in 10 foreign languages, including English, Arabic, Korean, and Malay.

Yang Xiaoyu contributed to this story.