Tientsin Mystic (Chinese: 河神) is a 2017 Chinese television series based on the novel He Shen (河神1·鬼水怪谈) by Tianxia Bachang. It is produced by iQiyi, and stars actors Li Xian, Zhang Ming'en, Wang Zixuan and Chen Yumi. The first season aired on iQiyi on July 19, 2017,[1] and Netflix in 2018.[2] The series won a Silver Medal for Best Visual Effects & a Bronze Medal for Best Direction at the 2018 New York Festivals World's Best TV & Films Competition.[3]
Tientsin Mystic | |
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Genre | |
Based on | He Shen by Tianxia Bachang |
Written by |
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Directed by | Tian Li |
Starring |
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Country of origin | China |
Original language | Mandarin |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 24 |
Production | |
Running time | 45 mins |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | iQiyi |
Release | July 19, 2017 |
In September 2018, iQiyi and Kongfu Pictures announced that a second season is currently under pre-production.[4] The second season began filming on November 20, 2018, with Jin Shijia replacing Li Xian as the lead actor.[5] Season 2 is streaming now with multi-languages subtitles on iQIYI.
Synopsis
editSet in the 1920s Republican era, flooding ravages the land of Tianjin and conjures up numerous strange tales about the river. Guo Deyou is a part of the river salvage team, who retrieves bodies from the water. His master is nicknamed 'Old River God'; as the 'Little River God', Deyou has inherited his ability to use tobacco to uncover the truth, however, his body cannot handle smoke in large amounts. He ends up being suspected for the murder of a distinguished chairman, whose son Ding Mao, a trained forensic investigator, joins forces with him to uncover the truth. With their female partners - Gu Ying, the daughter of a sorceress and Deyou's childhood friend, and Xiao Lan-lan, a journalist, whose father is a rich local businessman - they begin an investigation that leads them to an incident twenty years ago, and a cult whose presence is still affecting the city in increasingly sinister ways.
Cast
edit- Li Xian as Guo Deyou
- Zhang Ming'en as Ding Mao
- Wang Zixuan as Gu Ying
- Chen Yumi as Xiao Lanlan
Soundtrack
editThe series' soundtracks are sang by Jam Hsiao and lead actress Wang Zixuan.[6][7]
No. | Title | Singers | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "River (河)" (Theme song) | Jam Hsiao | |
2. | "Little Godly Woman (小神婆)" | Wang Zixuan |
Reception
editThe series received critical acclaim for its exciting plot, suspenseful storyline and high quality production.[8] It also received positive reviews for its faithful and skillful adaptation from a novel, by successfully keeping the "essence" of the original novel while also leveraging its content and characters.[9] It has a score of 8.1 on Douban, and over 2 billion views online.[10] China Daily named Tientsin Mystic as one of the series which marks big improvement of quality of Chinese web series in 2017.[11]
Accolades
editAward | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
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New York Festivals - TV & Film Awards | 2018 | Best Drama | Tientsin Mystic | Nominated | |
Best Director | Tian Li | Bronze Medal | [12] | ||
Best Visual Effects | Silver Medal | ||||
China TV Drama Awards | New Generation Web Actor Award | Wang Zixuan | Won | ||
The Actors of China Awards | 2017 | Best Web Drama Actor | Li Xian | Nominated | |
Outstanding Actor | Won | ||||
Best Actress (Web series) | Wang Zixuan | Won | |||
iQiyi All-Star Carnival | Best Newcomer | Won |
Censorship
editThe drama was briefly taken off air in February 2018 from iQiyi.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ "《河神》定档 "顽痞河神"李现赤身秀水性". Netease (in Chinese). July 5, 2018.
- ^ "Netflix bulks up on Chinese content from iQiyi, Youku". Screendaily. December 4, 2017.
- ^ "iQIYI Original Content Wins Awards at New York Festivals World's Best TV & Films Competition". PR NewsWire. April 11, 2018.
- ^ "爱奇艺举办《河神》庆功会 将与工夫影业再度携手打造《河神2》". People's Daily.
- ^ "《河神2》开机,金世佳代替李现主演". Sina (in Chinese). November 20, 2018.
- ^ "萧敬腾献声《河神》主题曲 再现热血摇滚". Tencent.
- ^ "超级网剧《河神》推出顾影人物曲《小神婆》 精灵女孩王紫璇已上线". Phoenix Media.
- ^ "爱奇艺《河神》热度不断飙升 电影质感锻造超高口碑". 消费日报网 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
- ^ "从"鬼水怪谈"到"灵奇探案" 《河神》改编获好评". People's Daily (in Chinese). July 31, 2017. Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- ^ "播放破亿、口碑飘红 爱奇艺超级网剧《河神》掀起暑期档"剧浪"". ifeng (in Chinese). July 22, 2017.
- ^ "Dramatic improvement". China Daily. April 18, 2018.
- ^ "iQiyi Dramas Win Awards and American Viewers at New York Festivals". Capital Watch. April 11, 2018.