Hunan TV’s period fantasy drama, Xuan Yuan Sword 3: Scar in the Sky <轩辕剑之天之痕>, adapted from the Chinese RPG game of the same name, has been breaking mainland China’s TV ratings records since its release earlier this month. Starring popular Chinese actors, Hu Ge (胡歌), Jiang Jingfu (蒋劲夫), Cecilia Liu (刘诗诗),Tiffany Tang (唐嫣), Gulnazar (古力娜扎), and Lin Gengxin (林更新), Xuan Yuan Sword 3 premiered on Friday, July 6th. The second episode aired on Saturday, July 7th, and the two episodes achieved an average rating of 1.86%, debuting at number one in many of China’s various nationwide TV ratings charts. Xuan Yuan Sword 3 is the first Chinese drama to air at a weekend night time slot, and has stayed number one on the charts every week since its premiere week. Triangle Love Receives Most Attention Ratings for Xuan Yuan Sword 3 skyrocketed last week with the broadcast of the drama’s romantic side plot, “Shennong Tripod” (神农鼎), breaking China’s weekend TV rating records. The story involved Cecilia’s character, Yu’er, having to give up her romantic interest Zhang Lie (portrayed by Lin Gengxin) to her older sister due to her father’s orders. Although Yu’er initially refused to be submissive, she finally decided to end her relationship with Zhang Lie. Yu’er soon begins to develop feelings toward Chen Jingchou (portrayed by Jiang Jingfu), who has been by her side when Zhang Lie was not. When discussing about her role’s love life in the drama, Cecilia said, “Yu’er has it much better than Scarlet Heart’s <步步惊心> Ruoxi.” When asked if her character will have happy ending, Cecilia ambiguously replied, “You will find out later!” Chinese Entertainment Shanghai Considers Sequel In an earlier press conference for the drama, Hu Ge joked that if ratings for Xuan Yuan Sword 3 reach 3%, he will publicly make out with costar, Tiffany Tang. Fans immediately forwarded the actor’s statement to many Baidu forums and other social media sites, which aided in the drama’s gradual increase in ratings. Xuan Yuan Sword 3’s main producer, Chinese Entertainment Shanghai, also expressed that if ratings break 3%, the company will green-light a sequel. With one more month of broadcast left to go, Xuan Yuan Sword 3 has a high chance of achieving even higher ratings, and may even reach to the 3% ratings that Hu Ge had hoped for! Creds: sohu
