Anniversary production

She says they set out with the aim of building it into a successful work in spite of the difficulties and the unknown consequences, and the team paid a lot of attention to and investment into the content and the production, in terms of sets, actors, special effects and background music.

She says besides history and diplomacy, the drama is also a tribute to the country.

"We will continue to shoot more mainstream TV and film products," Zhao said at a forum in Hangzhou on Nov 17.

Huace has been exploring effective ways to create productions that are enjoyed by the younger generation, Zhao added.

"We took young people's tastes and viewing appetite into consideration and tried our best to make the drama both attractive and historic."

Huace will explore more works like these to convey the spirit of the era to its audiences, she said.

Wu Mengjie, a young scriptwriter, was surprised that a lot of men born in the 1990s and 2000s showed great enthusiasm for the series.

"People who were born in the 1950s and 1960s, like my father, might have some knowledge about diplomatic matters and could recall these events as they watch the episodes, but I found young people also expressed a love for it on social media," she said at a workshop in Hangzhou on Sept 29.

"I myself also binge-watched the drama series," she added.

"Diplomatic Situation represents an ice-breaking journey through Chinese diplomacy and the highlights of Chinese diplomats' careers," says Ding Lili, a professor from Zhejiang University of Media and Communications.

Founded in 2005, Zhejiang Huace Film and TV Co has been dedicated to the production of TV dramas, films and TV shows over the past 14 years with an annual output of about 1,000 drama episodes, many films and over 10 TV shows.

Last year, the company set up a research center for TV series and films that "will uphold people-oriented concepts and prioritize social benefits instead of economic ones", which will account for almost 30 percent of the company's total future output.

Qin Jirong contributed to this story.