Internet drama The Lost Tomb,  an adaptation of China's popular "grave robbing" novel, will air its first episode on streaming site iQiyi on June 12. Written by author Nanpai Sansu (birthname Xu Lei), the novel Daomu Biji (Grave Robbers' Chronicles) has gained huge popularity among young readers, while the stage play versions of the book have been entertaining theater fans since last year.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Dai Yin from iQiyi's Self-Produced Production Center said that The Lost Tomb will mark a new era in which streaming sites will no longer need to stay in step with domestic broadcast stations or Japanese and American TV series.

"The Internet era needs its own shows," she added. The seasonal drama, starring a young cast that includes actors Li Yifeng and Liu Yang, centers on the adventures of Wu Xie, a young man with great interest and talent in archaeology, his uncle Wu Sansheng, friend Panzi and the mysterious Zhang Qiling.

According to the show's script writer, Bai Yicong, the special effects and fantasy scenes in the movie will not let fans down. Looking at the previously released trailer, this seems to be the case as the special effects used for two key scenes in the novel, the so-called "Corpse Waterway" and the "Seven-Star Lu Palace" look to solidly represent their depictions in the novel.

Global Times