Ciwen Media unveils upcoming productions

As one of the country's biggest privately-owned drama production companies, Ciwen Media unveiled its upcoming works and a new AI-powered film and television production platform at a strategic conference in Beijing on Sept 23, outlining its plans to combine content production with emerging technologies.

The company's latest release is Kai Biao Zhi Zhan (The Battle of Bid Opening), the country's first anti-corruption micro-drama centered on public bidding and tendering. It debuted on China Media Group's streaming site Yangshipin, iQiyi and Tencent Video on Sept 26.

Adapted from a real bidding-related corruption case, the 12-episode drama — each lasting 10 minutes — tells the story of how, four years after a tunnel collapse, a contractor livestreams his suicide and reports shady dealings in the project's public bidding, triggering an investigation into a major corruption case.

Another highlighted micro-drama scheduled for release in late 2026 is Tiexue Xinshi (Iron-Blooded Courier), based on the real-life story of Xiang Yunian, a Communist Party of China underground agent who in 1934 disguised himself as a beggar — even knocking out four of his own front teeth — to trek over 440 kilometers and deliver pivotal intelligence personally to Zhou Enlai.

The intelligence was crucial in buying precious time for the Red Army, which decided to begin the Long March about half a month before Chiang Kai-shek's encirclement closed, averting the danger of being wiped out by Kuomintang forces. The drama, a tribute marking the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March (1934-36), will be released in mid-October.