Song of Phoenix (Chinese: 思美人) is a 2017 Chinese television series adapted from Liang Zhenhua's namesake novel, focusing on the legendary life of great Chinese poet Qu Yuan from the Warring States Period (475-221BC). It stars Ma Ke as the titular protagonist, alongside Viann Zhang, Qiao Zhenyu and Jackson Yi from TFBoys.[1] It aired on Hunan TV from 28 April to 10 June 2017.
It tells the story of Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet and government official known for his accomplishments during the Warring States Era. In the fictionalized dramatization, Qu Yuan falls in love with a slave girl named Mo Chou Nu. Their love is a forbidden romance, which is complicated by palace politics and the affairs of the nation. Motivated by his love for his country, Qu Yuan embarks on a difficult endeavor to save his people.
Though the series premiered with 2.18% ratings and ranked first in its time slot, its ratings rapidly dropped in the next few episodes. It was criticized for distortion of history, absurd plot and characters as well as poor CG effects. Despite the criticism, Phoenix was popular among teenagers and young viewers in their early 20s and the series averaged 18 million views per episode.[citation needed] The series earned a 3.3 out of more than 13,000 user reviews.[2]