A Roller Coaster of Emotions: Zanilia Zhao Breaks Her Own Record with “Princess Agents”

Zanilia Zhao Liying (赵丽颖) has another big hit in her hands, breaking her own record.

Produced by Ciwen Media and Croton Media, Zanilia’s latest television drama Princess Agents <楚乔传> has been breaking records left and right since its world premiere on June 5, 2017. The historical fiction drama, which is set during the Northern Wei dynasty, also stars Lin Gengxin (林更新) and Shawn Dou (窦骁).

According to CSM Media Research, Princess Agents has exceeded three percent in ratings, becoming the first non-holiday weekday television drama on Hunan TV to break past three. The previous drama to break a non-holiday ratings record was The Journey of Flower <花千骨> in 2015, which also starred Zanilia.

As of July 17, Princess Agents has reached 30 billion hits across all video sharing platforms, dethroning the critically-acclaimed political thriller In the Name of People <人民的名义> as the second most-watched television drama online. Still sitting in first place is the fantasy romance Eternal Love <三生三世十里桃花>, with 39 billion viewers.

However, it is expected that Princess Agents would dethrone Eternal Love soon, as Princess Agents is also the first television drama in history to exceed 30 billion views during its original run.

A netizen praised, “Princess Agents is like Chu Qiao (Zanilia Zhao) herself, always steadily rising and breaking her own limits. It’s a surprise.”

Critics said they expect to feel a “roller coaster of emotions” after watching the previews of this week’s episodes. The shocking factor of Princess Agents is believed to be one of the reasons why it has managed to attract so many loyal viewers.

Princess Agents will air its final episode on August 1, 2017.

Sources: (1, 2, 3)

This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.