3 sources filed · ZH 3
Launched 21 August 2026; season 4 topped the Hongguo AI new-drama chart; season 10 heat reached 82.06 million; about 4 million people booked unaired episodes.
about RMB 1 millioncost figure circulating in media, which the team confirms covers compute only; it rejects the RMB 10 million return estimate
Background: left school at 14, built marketing short-video accounts to RMB 1 million a month in his early twenties, then lost it in stocks and property.
RMB 600 + 800compute cost plus regeneration ("card draws") for an average 50-minute drama, per the creator
2025 boom: lead actors earned RMB 50,000 a day; a 7-8 day shoot rose from RMB 200,000 to 1.2-1.5 million.
about 90%share of staff one Zhengzhou studio moved to AI production in April 2026; monthly output then rose to 5,000-8,000 minutes