BEIJING, Nov. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- iQIYI, an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China, will premiere its original drama Luoyang on Dec. 1 exclusively on the iQIYI main app, iQiyi International app, and www.iQ.com. The launch marks Luoyang the first city to be featured in the iQIYI Chinese Historic City Universe (iCHCU), which, encompassing a variety of content drawing inspiration from Beijing, Guangzhou, Longxi county of Dingxi, Dunhuang, Nanjing, and other Chinese cities, aims to bridge between China's local culture and iQIYI's global audience. At the press conference held on Nov. 26 in Shanghai, the company emphasized the significance of iCHCU as the company continues to explore and diversify the business value of IPs.
Posters of series Luoyang worldwide
As the first production of "iCHCU of Luoyang," the TV series Luoyang has so far attracted more than 3.55 million users to register their interest in viewing on the iQIYI main app. Overseas audiences also indicated strong interest in the show, which hit seven trending topic charts on Twitter in Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. Before the announcement of its premiere, the show was already successfully distributed in seven countries and regions, including Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia. After the premiere, the show will be released in more local mainstream channels and platforms in other countries and regions.
iQIYI officially announced the IP development plan for iCHCU at its iJOY Conference in October, as part of the company's continuous innovation and diversification of its monetization model. iCHCU represents the latest in iQIYI's attempt to build an IP universe and create an integrated IP development model that offers new kinds of content and fresh opportunities for cultural consumption.
At present, twelve projects and counting—including drama, variety show, documentary, animated series, games, merchandise, VR, and commercial real estate projects—are under development as part of the iCHCU of Luoyang. In addition to the comic series and variety show already released, iQIYI announced that the company's original documentary ShenDu Luoyang and the iQIYI original animation Luoyang (Anime) will also be available to viewers in December.
WANG Xiaohui, President of Professional Content Business Group (PCG) and Chief Content Officer of iQIYI, highlighted the breakthrough iCHCU's launch represents: "With its release, the iCHCU shows iQIYI breaking new ground in cinematic expression, original IP development, and business model innovation." For example, in terms of cinematic expression, underlying the iCHCU's integration of a variety of stories and forms of expression are iQIYI's creativity, ability to execute, and expertise in film industrialization—all of which the company spent over a decade on honing. "Years of hard work laid a solid ground for the company's boundary breaking attempt today," Wang said.
In terms of business model innovation, Wang reiterated iQIYI's commitment to IP development. Wang said, "Robust IPs come from developing a value chain, which will provide long-term sustainable business return."
Luoyang tells the story of a group of heroes who, despite challenges, bravely defended the city of Luoyang and protected the people there. In real life, the city of Luoyang is of great historical and cultural significance in China and was named one of the famous historical and cultural cities by the State Council.
The story was adapted from the novel Luoyang by MA Boyong, one of the most acclaimed authors in China and winner of the prestigious People's Literature Prize. At the press conference, Ma shared his inspiration for creating the story: "I like history. As a person who studies history, I find that no matter what period of history you study, Luoyang is a city you can never miss. Then I realized we should do something for a city so rich with legends."
The show showcased a talented crew and cast. Jointly produced by iQIYI and Liubai Entertainment and created by iQIYI Rising Studio, the show was directed by XIE Ze, with screenwriting by QING Mei and WU Cong. The show also stars HUANG Xuan, WANG Yibo and SONG Qian, acclaimed Chinese actors and actresses with global reach.
With the demand for Asian content steadily on the rise across the world, Chinese-language content (C-content) is also becoming increasingly popular among viewers worldwide. Working with industry talents, iQIYI hopes to introduce more C-content to more international audience through its IP universe.
