A TROOP of armored soldiers corners a young woman on horseback to the edge of a cliff. This forces her to tighten the reins of the horse, and then she rushes onto a hanging bridge which suddenly breaks. Unfortunately, an arrow hits the woman, knocking her off the horse and into the abyss.

This thrilling encounter is the opening scene of popular period drama “The Long Ballad.” With action-packed stunts and a gripping storyline, the 49-episode series has recently become one of the most popular Chinese dramas online both at home and abroad.

The series premiered on online streaming site Tencent Video on March 31, and it is also being broadcast in South Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia, as well as on several international streaming sites.

The first 20 episodes with English and Vietnamese subtitles have already accumulated more than 20 million views online. The distributors said the drama will be translated into more than 20 languages.

“The Long Ballad” tells the tale of a fictional Chinese princess who flees the capital city after surviving a palace coup during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Dilraba Dilmurat stars as Li Changge, the daughter of the crown prince, seeking revenge for her slaughtered family.

In an attempt to overthrow the emperor, Li escapes and tries to assemble an army. However, she changes her mind after witnessing the sufferings of people struggling to live in the war-torn era. She finally puts aside her personal grudges to join hands with a prince of a powerful nomadic tribe to restore peace.

Yan Bei, the drama’s executive producer, says most of the drama’s foreign fans are from Southeast Asia. The production team hopes the drama could reach a wider international audience as the Chinese TV industry makes more effort to expand overseas distribution.

“The story is set in a golden age of Chinese arts and culture,” Yan says. “With geographical closeness and cultural affinity, overseas viewers may be willing and curious to learn more about the culture and customs of ancient China through historical tales.”(China Daily)