iQiyi has officially launched its first Southeast Asian Original The Ferryman: Legends of Nanyang at a virtual press conference held on 20 August. The event was attended by Ferryman cast members Lawrence Wong, Qi Yuwu, Kate Kinney, Tay Ping Hui, Jeanette Aw, Debbie Goh, Jojo Goh, and Koe Yeet. The launch also saw the debut of the global trailers for upcoming dramas Danger Zone and Rainless Love in a Godless Land.

During the launch, Kuek Yu-Chuang, iQiyi’s Vice President of International Business highlighted that there is a growing appetite for Chinese language content globally. Kuek said that iQiyi is encouraged by the number of global users who want and are willing to watch Chinese drama.

“As Chinese content represents a cutting-edge entertainment trend, I’m thrilled to share that our SWEET ON collection, launched in May 2021 saw an encouraging viewership of over 59 million views globally. iQiyi is committed to offering our fans worldwide the best-in-class Chinese language entertainment,” Kuek said.

The Vice President of International Business reported the findings of an online survey that the streamer conducted in August via Pollfish. The pilot study surveyed 5,200 respondents across 26 countries and showed that 76% of global respondents started sampling Chinese dramas within the past two years, with 43% watching these content on streaming platforms. 1 in 2 of those surveyed also claimed to enjoy watching C-dramas and will recommend C-dramas they like to others. In particular, iQiyi saw the most number of respondents enjoying C-content in Thailand (80%), Singapore (70%) and Malaysia (71%). More than 40% consider it important for a streaming service to offer Chinese language content. In addition, 18.92% of respondents said that they have not watched Chinese dramas in the past year.

“In the coming quarters, we will have exciting content in addition to being the authoritative home for pan-Asian content. We want to make sure that the Chinese content we bring to you is best in class,” Kuek added.

Special previews of upcoming Chinese language dramas

At the event, iQiyi premiered special sizzles of Danger Zone, and Rainless Love in a Godless Land, alongside a 12 minute-long exclusive preview of The Ferryman: Legends of Nanyang, showcasing iQiyi’s niche in catering to diversity in tastes and genre preferences, innovative storylines, and premium production quality.

The Ferryman: Legends of Nanyang – Aug 24 global premiere

Take a peek into the underworld through the “Yin Yang eyes” of the protagonist Xia Dong Qing (Lawrence Wong) as he, along with his trusty partners Zhao Li (Qi Yuwu) and Xiao Ya (Kate Kinney), communicates with and helps distressed, wandering souls in the mortal world with their unfinished business. The Ferryman: Legends of Nanyang is iQiyi’s first Southeast Asian Original, and is also iQiyi’s first international Original available in both Dolby Atmos and 4K.

Danger Zone – Sep 3 global premiere

iQiyi’s first original Chinese language prison series Danger Zone tells the story of a series of homicide cases breaking out in a coastal town by the name of Donglin. With no hard clues to follow, rookie criminal investigator Ren Fei (Berant Zhu) one day received an anonymous tip from Liang Yandong (Vic Chou), who was calling from within the prison.

Rainless Love in a Godless Land –  Coming Soon

“This is a love story between the God of Rain and a mortal before Armageddon.” Rainless Love in a Godless Land tells a story based on mythology from the indigenous Amis tribe, where an unlikely romantic relationship between a tour guide and the God of Rain sprouts in parallel with the countdown to Armageddon. Produced and directed by industry veterans and starring an award-winning cast Chiao Chiao Tzeng, Paul Fu, Kenny Yen, Alice Ko (Special Appearance), Joseph Cheng (Special Appearance).

Continued partnerships to accelerate growth

Held virtually on-location at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre, the “iQiyi Leads C-Wave” APAC press conference and The Ferryman: Legends of Nanyang launch event were a resounding success made possible by Marina Bay Sands.

As part of iQiyi’s continued partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), three Singaporean artists – Adam Wang, Clogtwo, and Trase One have been commissioned to create pop art murals in the heritage precincts of Little India, Katong/ Joo Chiat and Chinatown. Inspired by the show’s depiction of Southeast Asian folklore, the three murals will marry these elements with the distinctive highlights of the individual precincts. Similarly, audiences can play with a specially created TikTok filter three characters from the show and key landmarks of these precincts, which will be launched on September 10. The filter aims to reach out to younger audiences to encourage them to check out the murals that will be unveiled in September too. Tours inspired by the show will also be organised to bring participants on an immersive journey to learn about Singapore’s cultural precincts, and admire the murals based on the show.

iQiyi has also teamed up with Singapore cocktail bar Nutmeg & Clove to bring you a taste of the underworld with the legendary concoction – The Ferryman – an infusion of Hendrick’s gin, matcha, apple, citrus and clarified milk. Founded by industry veteran Colin Chia, the bar reinterprets classic cocktails with a Singaporean inflection and the drink will be available for purchase from August 24 while stocks last.