Costume dramas a result of cultural innovation

Costume dramas have become an important part of prime time in recent years and evolved into a prominent pop culture phenomenon, thanks to the rapid development of the digital cultural industry in China.

China's booming online cultural industry has given rise to tens of thousands of "web novelists" and tens of millions of readers. As a result, dramas based on top-notch novelists' works, mostly on wuxia (martial arts heroes), xianxia (immortal heroes) and xuanhuan (fantasy featuring adventures and wars), and starring A-list actors can attract huge investments and become overwhelmingly popular.

Plus, the large number of TV channels and online video apps provide a powerful platform for these dramas.