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| Genre: | Spy War Revolutionary | ||||||||||
| Director: | Yao Xiaofeng | ||||||||||
| Starring: | Wang Yibo Li Qin Wang Yang | ||||||||||
| Endtheme: | Not What You Think by Zhou Shen | ||||||||||
| Country: | China | ||||||||||
| Language: | Mandarin | ||||||||||
| Num Episodes: | 38 | ||||||||||
| Executive Producer: | Zhang Shuwei | ||||||||||
| Location: | Shanghai Jiangxi | ||||||||||
| Camera: | Multiple-camera setup | ||||||||||
| Runtime: | 45 minutes | ||||||||||
| Company: | CCTV iQIYI Ruyi Pictures Enlightenment Pictures | ||||||||||
| Channel: | CCTV-8 iQIYI |
War of Faith is a 2024 Chinese spy war revolutionary theme drama directed by Yao Xiaofeng starring Wang Yibo, Li Qin, and Wang Yang. War of Faith is iQiyi's first drama to reach over 10,000 hits in 2024 and it is one of the most influential spy dramas in recent years. This drama does not focus too much on spy warfare, but more on the establishment of the protagonist's faith.[1] It tells the story of Wei Ruolai (played by Wang Yibo), a patriotic young man in the 1930s who witnessed the darkness of society, gradually found his life direction, and finally joined the historical torrent of the new revolution led by the Chinese Communist Party.
Set in 1930s Shanghai, the series tells the story of Wei Ruolai, a math genius from a small poor village, who became an ordinary employee of the Kuomintang Central Bank. He gradually gained the appreciation of senior adviser Shen Tunan (played by Wang Yang) for his outstanding workability and was accepted as a disciple. In the process, Wei Ruolai saw a lot of corruption and darkness in the Kuomintang's financial field and got pulled into the conflict between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Guided by Shen Tunan's sister, Shen Jinzhen (played by Li Qin), who has been working as an underground member of the CCP, different choices made Wei Ruolai and Shen Tunan eventually part ways. After Wei Ruolai's action to seek justice for the common people and Shen Jinzhen's identity became compromised, both of them escaped from Shanghai to Jiangxi. Under the CCP's leadership, Wei Ruolai participated in the smokeless war to smash the Kuomintang's economic blockade of the Central Soviet Area, and gradually grew into a red financier who was responsible for the party's economic front.
War of Faith was filmed from January 2023 to May 2023. The original script took five years in the making.
| Name of the song | Lyrics | Composer | Singer | Remark | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Not What You Think" | Chen Xi | Zhou Shen | theme song | ||
| "Looking at the Sparks" | Dong Dongdong | Aska Yang | Ending song | ||
| "Elder brother" | Zhang Zining | episode | |||
| "Dreamland" | Chen Xi | Dong Dongdong | Wang Zhengliang | episode | |
| "Light of Life" | Chen Xi | rural | episode | ||
| Opera "Make Way for the Busy Man" | Excerpt: Rossini's opera "The Marriage of Figaro" | Wang Dongjun | - | ||
| Pingtan "New Edition by Wei Ruolai" | Hou Xiaosheng, Zhang Yilin | Hou Xiaosheng | - | ||
The drama garnered many critical reviews, positive responses, and discussions among viewers. One of the most famous quote from the main character, Wei Ruolai:
“There is an old saying in China that you can take advantage of the long wind and break through thousands of miles of waves. The barren land you see, as long as you give time and patience, will definitely grow into a good economic land that is enough to support the world.”Were not only used for publicity by major cultural and tourism companies, but also used by China Nuclear Energy, Sinopec, China Energy Construction, China Shipbuilding Industry, China General Nuclear Power Corporation, China Three Gorges, China Grain Reserves, China Post, State-owned Assets, Xiaoxin Kirin Software, and other units.[3]
The Xinhua Daily Telegraph said that War of Faith is a "breakthrough the perspective of traditional spy war works" and "broaden the audience for espionage works".[4] The historical background related to the plot has triggered heated discussions among netizens. Following the clues such as the names of people and places appearing in the play, netizens relived history as the plot progressed. The perspective of the drama is very unique. It cuts into the spy war theme from a financial perspective, which has never been seen in previous spy war dramas.
The People's Daily praised the drama for its "cinematic quality from the shooting angle to the color tone" and "excellent character creation". From the protagonist to the supporting role, almost every actor used wonderful performances to bring the characters to life and let the audience "turn on this drama and feel as if they have traveled through time and space in person, gaining an immersive experience."[5]
The Guangming Daily applaud the drama for "skillfully weaves the interpretation of faith into a suspenseful story", triggering the audience empathy with the characters. The audience follows the life path of the protagonist, witnesses the growth process that reflects the ideological and emotional characteristics of young people in that era. Hence, allowing "the audience to see from him that faith is really tested in the face of danger, the strength of faith is tested in the rain of bullets, and the beauty of faith is shown in the close connection between personal fate and the future of the country and nation."[6]