In the Name of the People (TV series)
Chinese TV series
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In the Name of the People (Chinese: 人民的名义; pinyin: Rénmín de míngyì) is a 2017 Chinese television drama series based on the web novel by Zhou Meisen.[1] Its plot revolves around a prosecutor's efforts to unearth corruption in a present-day fictional Chinese city. It drew large audiences in China, where its release coincided with Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign. It is the first broadcast political drama featuring high-level government corruption in China since 2004.
| In the Name of the People | |
|---|---|
| |
| Traditional Chinese | 人民的名義 |
| Simplified Chinese | 人民的名义 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Rénmín de míngyì |
| Genre | Political drama |
| Based on | |
| Written by | Zhou Meisen Sun Xinyue |
| Directed by | Li Lu |
| Presented by | Fan Ziwen Gao Yalin Chen Jingzhu Li Xuezheng An Xiaofen Li Gong Jiang Hao Li Lu |
| Starring | Lu Yi Zhang Fengyi Wu Gang Xu Yajun Zhang Zhijian Ke Lan Hu Jing Zhang Kaili Ding Haifeng Gao Yalin |
| Narrated by | Xu Tao |
| Ending theme | In the Name of the People (以人民的名义, Yǐ rénmín de míngyì) performed by Han Lei and Vivi Jiang |
| Composer | Dong Dongdong |
| Country of origin | China |
| Original language | Mandarin |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 55 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Meng Shouping Huang Lin Wang Yun Sun Heping Pei Yi Peng Cheng Chen Xunhua |
| Producers | Li Lu Gao Yalin |
| Cinematography | Cui Weidong |
| Editor | Cao Weijie |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Hunan Television |
| Release | 28 March – 28 April 2017 |
The production received significant government funding from the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the highest agency responsible for both investigation and prosecution in China.[2][3] The intervention from censors was much lighter due to the support of the authorities. The series is considered by some western observers as the Chinese version of House of Cards.[4]
The program's stars include Lu Yi as detective Hou Liangping, Xu Yajun as his antagonist Qi Tongwei, and Zhang Fengyi as Sha Ruijin, the provincial Party Committee Secretary.[2][5][6] Zhou Meisen and his wife Sun Xinyue adapted Zhou's book for television.[3][7] It was primarily filmed in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province.[8]
Synopsis
In the Name of the People chronicles the internal power struggle of the Chinese Communist Party in the fictional city of Jingzhou, Handong province. The series depicts fictional communist party disciplinary investigators seeking to bring corrupt senior cadre to justice.[9]: 47
Cast
- Lu Yi as Hou Liangping
- Zhang Fengyi as Sha Ruijin
- Wu Gang as Li Dakang
- Xu Yajun (许亚军) as Qi Tongwei
- Zhang Zhijian (张志坚) as Gao Yuliang
- Ke Lan (柯蓝) as Lu Yike
- Bai Zhidi (白志迪) as Chen Yanshi
- Li Guangfu (李光复) as Zheng Xipo
- Hu Jing (胡静) as Gao Xiaoqin
- Ding Haifeng (丁海峰) as Zhao Donglai
- Zhang Xilin (张晞临) as Cai Chenggong
- Li Jianyi (李建义) as Ji Changming
- Huang Junpeng (黄俊鹏) as Chen Hai
- Han Benben (阚犇犇) as Zheng Shengli
- Tang Wan (唐菀) as Lin Huahua
- Yue Xiuqing (岳秀清) as Ouyang Jing
- Ji Shuai (纪帅) as Zhou Zheng
- Xu Wenguang as Ding Yizhen
- Xu Guangyu (徐光宇) as Cheng Du
- Li Wei (李威) as Sun Liancheng
- Zhang Kaili (张凯丽) as Wu Huifen
- Li Xinyue (李昕岳) as Zhang Baobao
- Huang Pinyuan (黄品沅) as Yi Xuexi
- Hao Guang (郝光) as Qin Siyuan
- Zhao Ziqi (赵子琪) as Zhong Xiao'ai
- Hou Yong as Zhao Dehan
- Gao Yalin (高亚麟) as Liu Xinjian
Reception
In the Name of the People was an instant success in terms of viewership.[9]: 47 The drama also surpassed 7% in ratings, breaking the single day ratings record for a Chinese drama.[10] The series also received the praise from People's Daily, the Communist Party's newspaper.[11]
However, some dissidents, such as cartoonist Rebel Pepper, treated the series as a way for the authorities to manipulate and fool the public.[12] The core of the series is that anti-graft efforts could only be conducted by a strong government rather than democratic elections or a free press, as The New York Times commented.[13]
Ratings
| Air date | Episode | CSM52 city network ratings | CSM National Network ratings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratings (%) | Audience share (%) | Rank | Ratings (%) | Audience share (%) | Rank | ||
| 2017.3.28 | 1 | 1.523 | 4.49 | 1 | 2.41 | 7.37 | 1 |
| 2017.3.29 | 2 | 1.490 | 4.69 | 1 | 2.30 | 7.31 | 1 |
| 2017.3.30 | 3-4 | 1.270 | 4.02 | 1 | 1.62 | 5.41 | 1 |
| 2017.3.31 | 5 | 1.084 | 3.370 | 1 | 1.61 | 5.66 | 1 |
| 2017.4.1 | 6 | 1.239 | 3.97 | 1 | 1.46 | 4.83 | 1 |
| 2017.4.2 | 7-8 | 1.505 | 4.77 | 1 | 1.60 | 5.30 | 1 |
| 2017.4.3 | 9-10 | 1.820 | 5.89 | 1 | 1.84 | 6.05 | 1 |
| 2017.4.4 | 11-12 | 2.024 | 6.34 | 1 | 2.03 | 6.82 | 1 |
| 2017.4.5 | 13-14 | 2.264 | 7.11 | 1 | 2.16 | 7.33 | 1 |
| 2017.4.6 | 15-16 | 2.444 | 7.70 | 1 | 2.18 | 7.47 | 1 |
| 2017.4.7 | 17 | 2.083 | 6.42 | 1 | 1.93 | 6.36 | 1 |
| 2017.4.8 | 18 | 2.275 | 6.94 | 1 | 2.06 | 6.59 | 1 |
| 2017.4.9 | 19-20 | 3.035 | 9.01 | 1 | 2.57 | 8.31 | 1 |
| 2017.4.10 | 21-22 | 3.287 | 10.30 | 1 | 2.77 | 9.29 | 1 |
| 2017.4.11 | 23-24 | 3.524 | 11.09 | 1 | 2.93 | 9.89 | 1 |
| 2017.4.12 | 25-26 | 3.649 | 11.79 | 1 | 2.87 | 9.91 | 1 |
| 2017.4.13 | 27-28 | 3.711 | 12.05 | 1 | 3.15 | 11.00 | 1 |
| 2017.4.14 | 29 | 3.020 | 9.670 | 1 | 2.41 | 8.19 | 1 |
| 2017.4.15 | 30 | 3.138 | 10.132 | 1 | 2.39 | 8.17 | 1 |
| 2017.4.16 | 31-32 | 4.202 | 12.80 | 1 | 3.20 | 10.50 | 1 |
| 2017.4.17 | 33-34 | 4.793 | 15.44 | 1 | 3.51 | 11.99 | 1 |
| 2017.4.18 | 35-36 | 5.061 | 16.70 | 1 | 3.78 | 13.35 | 1 |
| 2017.4.19 | 37-38 | 5.356 | 17.15 | 1 | 4.02 | 13.72 | 1 |
| 2017.4.20 | 39-40 | 5.465 | 16.97 | 1 | 3.91 | 13.33 | 1 |
| 2017.4.21 | 41 | 4.432 | 13.86 | 1 | 3.51 | 11.42 | 1 |
| 2017.4.22 | 42 | 4.311 | 14.18 | 1 | 3.04 | 10.84 | 1 |
| 2017.4.23 | 43 | 6.069 | 20.14 | 1 | 4.30 | 16.44 | 1 |
| 2017.4.24 | 44-45 | 5.801 | 18.65 | 1 | 4.39 | 15.06 | 1 |
| 2017.4.25 | 46-47 | 6.123 | 18.89 | 1 | 4.78 | 15.97 | 1 |
| 2017.4.26 | 48-49 | 6.682 | 20.78 | 1 | 5.27 | 17.45 | 1 |
| 2017.4.27 | 50-51 | 6.695 | 21.25 | 1 | 5.46 | 18.62 | 1 |
| 2017.4.28 | 52 | 6.666 | 20.13 | 1 | 5.58 | 17.76 | 1 |
| Average ratings | 3.661 | 11.53 | 1 | 3.03 | 10.24 | 1 | |
Awards and nominations
| Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23rd Shanghai Television Festival | Best Television Series | In the Name of the People | Nominated | [15][16] |
| Best Director | Li Lu | Nominated | ||
| Best Writing | Zhou Meisen | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Wu Gang | Won | ||
| Zhang Zhijian | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Hu Jing | Nominated | ||
| 22nd Huading Awards | Jury Award | In the Name of the People | Won | |
| 8th Macau International Television Festival | Best Television Series | In the Name of the People | Won | [17][18] |
| Best Director | Li Lu | Nominated | ||
| Best Writing | Zhou Meisen | Won | ||
| Best Actor | Zhang Fengyi | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Gao Yalin | Won |