'Nirvana in Fire' is a big hit on the small screen

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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]

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.

Adapted from a namesake online novel, it chronicles the revenge of Mei Changsu, a strategist who risks his life to clear his name in a treason case.

The series premiered in China on Sept 19 through two major satellite TV channels in Beijing and Shanghai. North American viewers started seeing the drama three days later on Chinese-language channels.

The cast (led by top TV actor Hu Ge), its story and picturesque scenes have won the series a huge following in recent months.

Followed by nearly 520,000 fans on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, the series has also garnered critical acclaim and commercial success.

China's most popular review site Douban.com gives it 9.3 out of 10 and it topped viewership ratings across 50 cities in October.

A number of illustrations, short pieces of footage and follow-up novellas have been created by enthusiasts on popular Internet forums.

Currently, audiences in South Korea and China's Taiwan are following the series, and it is likely to be shown in Singapore and Japan from early next year, says Li Huabing, vice-president of Daylight Entertainment, a Zhejiang-based studio producing and distributing Nirvana in Fire.

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