The Longest Day in Chang'an

Synopsis

A 2019 historical suspense drama adapted from Ma Boyong's novel. Set in Tang Dynasty Chang'an, a condemned prisoner and a young official must foil a devastating conspiracy within twenty-four hours.

Overview

"The Longest Day in Chang'an" is a 2019 Chinese historical suspense drama adapted from the novel of the same name by acclaimed author Ma Boyong. Directed by Cao Dun and starring Lei Jiayin and Jackson Yee (Yi Yang Qian Xi), the series premiered on Youku on June 27, 2019. It consists of 48 episodes, each approximately 45 minutes long.

Set on the eve of the Lantern Festival during the third year of the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty, the entire story unfolds within a single day — twelve shichen (twenty-four hours). A condemned prisoner named Zhang Xiaojing is pressed into service and teams up with Li Bi, the young deputy head of the Jing'an Bureau, to foil a conspiracy to destroy the city of Chang'an. The tight narrative pacing, exceptional production quality, and meticulous recreation of the Tang Dynasty's splendor made it one of the most celebrated Chinese dramas of 2019.

Upon release, it received a Douban rating that peaked at 8.8 before settling at 8.1, based on over 510,000 user reviews. The drama sparked a nationwide viewing frenzy in China and also attracted significant international attention to Chinese history and culture.

Synopsis

In the third year of Tianbao, the city of Chang'an is preparing for its annual Lantern Festival celebrations. However, the Jing'an Bureau intercepts alarming intelligence — a mysterious force is plotting a devastating attack on Chang'an during the festival night.

Li Bi, the young prodigy who heads the Jing'an Bureau, defies convention by pulling Zhang Xiaojing, a former constable of Chang'an and a veteran of the Eighth Regiment who fought in the Western Regions, out of death row to lead the investigation. Zhang Xiaojing knows every street, every alley, and every community in Chang'an. Though condemned to die and with his life hanging by a thread, his deep affection for the people of Chang'an compels him to accept this seemingly impossible mission.

As the investigation deepens, the conspiracy's contours become clearer: from the Wolf Guards of the Western Market to the power struggles of the imperial court, from assassins lurking in the shadows to powerful ministers operating in plain sight, every layer of intrigue is deeply entangled. Zhang Xiaojing and Li Bi must unravel the web of deception within twelve shichen, unmask the mastermind, and save the lives of a million Chang'an residents.

Cast

Production and Cultural Restoration

"The Longest Day in Chang'an" is widely regarded as setting a new benchmark for production quality in Chinese period dramas. The production team pursued authenticity in multiple aspects:

Architecture and Urban Layout: The crew consulted extensive Tang Dynasty archaeological records and historical documents to recreate Chang'an's ward system at full scale. Street widths, ward wall heights, and watchtower designs closely match historical accounts.

Costumes and Makeup: The costume department studied numerous Tang Dynasty murals, ceramic figurines, and surviving paintings. Every garment, from aristocratic finery to commoner's cloth, was meticulously researched. The actresses' Tang-style makeup was so elaborate that the foundation stage alone took an hour.

Details of Daily Life: Food, musical instruments, festival customs, and the twelve-shichen timekeeping system were all rigorously researched to present the most authentic picture of Tang Dynasty life.

As producer Liang Chao stated in a People's Daily interview: "We want to restore Chinese culture, let modern people see what our Tang Dynasty looked like, and let the essence of history and culture be passed on."

Cultural Impact

The broadcast of "The Longest Day in Chang'an" sparked widespread cultural discourse:

• Rediscovery of Tang Culture: Professor Chen Shangjun of Fudan University noted that the drama offers rich and interesting depictions of Tang people's food, clothing, housing, transportation, quality of life, and cultural taste.
• Museum Engagement: Institutions such as the Chengdu Museum organized Tang Dynasty artifact exhibitions tied to the drama, displaying real historical objects alongside their on-screen depictions.
• Academic Research: Renmin University's Digital Humanities Review published academic papers analyzing the drama's spatial reconstruction of Tang Chang'an.
• International Reach: The drama drew global audiences to Chinese history and culture, sparking extensive discussions about the Tang Dynasty on Reddit, Quora, and review blogs.
• Genre Innovation: Critics praised the series for breaking established conventions of Chinese period dramas by seamlessly blending suspense and thriller elements with historical drama. Some Western viewers compared it to "China's Game of Thrones."

Ma Boyong summarized the series in four characters — hua tuan jin cu ("a tapestry of splendor") — capturing the magnificent grandeur of the High Tang that the creators sought to convey.

References

1. Douban - The Longest Day in Chang'an https://movie.douban.com/subject/26849758/
2. People's Daily Overseas Edition http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/html/2019-08/05/content_1939575.htm
3. Fudan University Professor Chen Shangjun Interview https://wenhui.whb.cn/zhuzhan/xinwen/20190709/275789.html
4. IMDb https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10551640/
5. MyDramaList https://mydramalist.com/28435-the-longest-day-in-chang-an