‘Nirvana in Fire’ is a big hit on the small screen

A visitor at China Pavilion at the recent 2015 Discop Africa, during which participants showcase their latest and most popular TV content.[Photo by Zhai Jianlan/Xinhua]

Adapted from a namesake online novel, it chronicles the revenge of Mei Changsu, a strategist who risks his life to clear his name in a treason case.

The series premiered in China on Sept 19 through two major satellite TV channels in Beijing and Shanghai. North American viewers started seeing the drama three days later on Chinese-language channels.

The cast (led by top TV actor Hu Ge), its story and picturesque scenes have won the series a huge following in recent months.

Followed by nearly 520,000 fans on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, the series has also garnered critical acclaim and commercial success.

China's most popular review site Douban.com gives it 9.3 out of 10 and it topped viewership ratings across 50 cities in October.

A number of illustrations, short pieces of footage and follow-up novellas have been created by enthusiasts on popular Internet forums.

Currently, audiences in South Korea and China's Taiwan are following the series, and it is likely to be shown in Singapore and Japan from early next year, says Li Huabing, vice-president of Daylight Entertainment, a Zhejiang-based studio producing and distributing Nirvana in Fire.