China’s first all-AI long-form drama to air in satellite TV prime time premiered on Aug. 31, as Post-Journey to the West launched on Mango TV at 6 p.m. and then moved to Hunan TV’s prime-time slot at 8 p.m. The show was jointly produced by Hunan TV and Mango TV, with production supported by Seedance 2.0 and 2.5. According to the report, there are no human actors on screen.
Season one is planned for 30 episodes
The drama is adapted from the late Ming and early Qing dynasty mythological novel Post-Journey to the West, one of the three major sequel works to Journey to the West. The story is set 1,080 years after Sun Wukong became a saint. The original “Ten Elders” have disappeared, and a new group of protagonists led by Little Stone Monkey sets out on a second westward journey to recover the complete scriptures.
The first season is planned for 30 episodes, each 40 minutes long. The first batch released consists of five episodes under the “Huaguoshan” arc. Production was handled by Mango TV’s AIGC content center, the Mango Lingxi creative platform, with a director, art team, and AI production team working together.
An earlier case aired this year, but not in prime time
The report noted that Anhui TV had already aired Tao Hua Tan Ji earlier this year, making it a precedent of sorts. Still, that production did not match the scale or broadcast slot of a prime-time long-form series.
First “review-while-airing” series after the “21 Measures”
The timing of Post-Journey to the West comes as China adjusts television content policy. On Aug. 17, the National Radio and Television Administration issued a document titled “Several Measures to Further Enrich Large-Screen TV Content and Promote the Supply of Radio and Television Audio-Visual Content,” commonly referred to in the industry as the “21 Measures.”
According to the report, the changes include removing the 40-episode cap for TV dramas, piloting a “review while airing, revise while airing” model, allowing provincial satellite TV channels to broadcast micro-dramas, ending quotas for imported overseas dramas, and lifting source-country limits for adapted works.
Post-Journey to the West is described as the first series nationwide to adopt the “review-while-airing” process after the release of the “21 Measures.” In practice, that means production, review, and broadcast are moving ahead at the same time, while later plot developments can still be adjusted based on review feedback and audience bullet comments and reviews.
Related A-share stocks rose on Aug. 31
Market reaction was immediate. During Aug. 31 intraday trading, Mango Excellent Media (300413) hit its 20% daily limit and traded at RMB 16.98. China Guangbo Tianze and Huanrui Century also hit their daily limits, while Decai Co. at one point touched its limit.
Elsewhere, Zhangyue Technology, Kunlun Tech, China Literature, and Liujin Technology also moved higher.
Whether the format can keep producing remains unclear
The report said it is still difficult to tell whether all-AI long dramas can continue producing a next season or a next title. But one point is no longer hypothetical: prime time is no longer reserved only for live human actors.