The Legend of Zang Hai is a 2025 Chinese television series produced by Youku, Quantum Entertainment, and Chunyu Film and Television. It was directed by Zheng Xiaolong and Cao Yiwen, and written by Zhao Liuyi.
The series was originally released on Youku and CCTV8 on 18 May 2025.CCTV Weibo post on The Legend of Zang Hai broadcast success. 9 June 2025 https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5175708310833194 It was later made available on streaming platforms like Viu, Disney+, and Viki.
Plot After experiencing the massacre of his family, the main protagonist Zang Hai goes through decades of ambush and precipitation, and finally completes revenge with exquisite and reasoned calculations. In the process, after gaining more power, Zang Hai gradually put down his obsession and sought the welfare of the people of the world.
Cast and characters Main Xiao Zhan as Zang Hai / Zhi Nu Jiang Rui Lin as young Zhi Nu Zhang Jingyi as Xiang An Tu Zhou Qi as Zhuang Zhi Xing Huang Jue as Zhuang Lu Yin / Duke Ping Jin
Supporting Liang Chao as Master Gao Ming Song Yuan Fu as Guan Feng Yang Bo Xiao as Shi Lei Liu Chao as Zhuang Zhi Fu Wang Kun Lun as Master Zhang Sha Bao Liang as Chu Huai Ming Xing Min Shan as Cao Jiang Xian Yang Yu Tong as Zhao Tong Er / Ba Gong Zi [8th young master] Jin Tie Feng as Shi Yi Ping Qiao Zhen Yu as Lord Yong Rong Tian Xiao Jie as Shi Bing Wen Michelle Bai as Liu Chu Yu Nan as Xiang Yu Su Ti Zhao Zi Qi as Jiang Xiang Zhang Guo Qiang as Emperor Xu Ling Yue as Shen Wan Liu Ming Ming as Shi Quan Tan Yang as Zhuang Shan and many others
Guest Wallace Chung as Kuai Duo [Zang Hai's father] Michelle Chen as Zhao Shang Xian [Zang Hai's mother] Huang Jun Peng as Ji Qun Lin Ya Dong as King Yan Shao Wen as Yang Zhen Shi Yu as Eunuch Sun Zhang Duo as Master Xing Dou Sun Zheng Yu as Song Xin [Old man] Lin Ya Dong as King Yan
Production It started filming in Hengdian on December 30, 2023 and wrapped up mid June 2024. The series tells the story of Zang Hai's life.
Television soundtrack The Legend of Zang Hai television series features a number of original soundtrack pieces. Below is a list of the tracks included in the official soundtrack release: +The Legend of Zang Hai Original Television SoundtrackNo.TitleLyrics ByComposed ByPerformed By1"It's Me" (Theme Song)Yi Chu ZhenHu XiaoqiuSun Nan2"Hidden Star" (Insert Song)Zhou JieliHu XiaoqiuYuan Yuwei3"Blooming Cang Mang" (Insert Song)Yang Sili, He LanYang SiliWang Xinye4"Who Waits" (Insert Song)Yang Sili, He LanYang SiliLiu Yuxin5"Moon Song" (Insert Song)Zhou JieliHu XiaoqiuDan Yichun6"Amidst the Wind and Moon" (Insert Song)Gu XingChen Xinqing, Mo QiaoXilinnayi Gao7"Returning to the Moonlight"—Yan Qingsai—
Reception The Legend of Zang Hai was one of the most highly anticipated Chinese dramas of 2025. It is the first drama to break 9.7 million reservations on Youku. The drama achieved explosive ratings and critical acclaim upon its premiere, exceeding 100 million views and surpassed 10,000 in popularity heat index on Youku just 38 hours after its premiere, becoming the fastest drama to reach this milestone setting a record in the history of the platform. The final episode reached a peak market share of over 40.1%, topping the charts for 23 consecutive days. It also ranked highly on several charts, including the overall online drama series effective viewership ranking and the ranking of newly released drama series with 30 days of effective viewership.
On the first day of the broadcast of Legend of Zang Hai, the peak ratings of CCTV reached 2.4666%. In the first week of its launch, the drama swept the ratings on various major streaming charts: it topped the Disney+ chart in Taiwan for 7 consecutive days. It also topped the charts in Hong Kong. X trends: "Legend of Zang Hai" entered the Trends charts in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Egypt, Ukraine, India and other places on the day of its launch. #Legend of Zang Hai ranked in the top 12 of the global trend, #ZangHaiZhuan ranked in the top 1 of the Thai trend, and multiple entries related to Legend of Zang Hai and Xiao Zhan ranked in the top 5 in Thailand. It ranked in the top 10 in Vietnam, Malaysia and other regions. In addition, the title and starring related entries entered the top 5 and top 9 of the longest-lasting tag list in Ukraine within 24 hours. The Legend of Zang Hai has exceeded 1 billion views (currently at 3 billion views) and its popularity has skyrocketed. Xiao Zhan's performance was highly praised by the director and he wanted to work with him again.
Its overseas cooperation map spans 15 regions, covering platforms such as Singapore Singtel, Malaysia Astro, Thailand Truevision, Vietnam FPT, Philippines and Indonesia Viu, North America Viki, Cambodia PPCTV, Japan C7, and South Korea SBS. The head of Disney Asia Pacific said: "The Legend of Zang Hai broke the cultural barrier. The data proves that it is not only a hit in China, but also a common choice of audiences around the world."
When asked to comment on the mainland TV series Legend of Zang Hai, which has ranked in the "Top 10 Hot Broadcasts of the Day in Taiwan" for seven consecutive days and media reports from the island indicating that the series is so captivating that viewers cannot bear to stop watching, and they have highlighted the memorable quotes from the series, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said that a large number of original cultural masterpieces have emerged, receiving high market recognition and widespread appreciation from audiences.
In 2025, the Beijing Television Artists Association, with support from the Beijing Municipal Broadcasting authorities, released a curated list of innovative and recommended television works across genres. The Beijing Television Arts Innovation 推优 honors outstanding productions that demonstrate artistic innovation, cultural impact, and industry significance in both content and craft. Inclusion on this list signifies that Legend of Zang Hai is recognized as one of the most noteworthy and artistically innovative dramas of the year by a respected television arts organization in China.
Accolades Award Category Nominee Results Ref.Weibo TV & Internet Video Summit Award (2024)Most Anticipated TV Series of the YearLegend of Zang HaiChina Television Annual Ranking Award (2025)Jury Award for Anticipated Television Series of the YearLegend of Zang Hai11th Wenrong AwardsOutstanding Drama Series of the Year Legend of Zang Hai rowspan="4" Outstanding Young Director of the YearCao YiwenOutstanding Young Creative Producer of the YearZhang BenQuality Organization of the YearYoukuWeibo Annual Blockbuster CertificationMost Popular Drama of the Year Legend of Zang Hai Hengdian Film Festival of ChinaBest Art Direction for a Television Series Legend of Zang Hai rowspan="3" Best Net DramaBest Young Director for a Television SeriesCao Yiwen Golden Angel AwardsBest TV Series of the Year Legend of Zang Hai rowspan="2" Outstanding Young Director of the YearCao Yiwen 8th 初心榜 (“Initial Heart List”) 2025Annual Outstanding Drama (“年度杰出剧集”) Legend of Zang Hai rowspan="3" Outstanding Young Director of the YearCao YiwenOutstanding Young Producer of the YearZhang Ben Weibo Vision Conference (2025)Most Influential / Annual Influential WorkLegend of Zang Hai Golden Lotus Awards (Macau International Movie Festival)Best TV Series Legend of Zang HaiBest DirectorZheng Xiaolong, Cao Yiwenrowspan="5" Best ActorXiao Zhan Best ActressZhang JingyiBest Supporting ActorHuang Jue Best CinematographyPan Xing Best ScreenplayZhao Liu YiSohu Fashion Awards (2025)Annual Domestic TV DramaLegend of Zang Hai 4th CMG China TV Drama Annual CeremonyOverseas Influential TV Drama of the Year Legend of Zang Hai rowspan="2" Newcomer of the YearCao YiwenBest ActorXiao Zhan rowspan="3" Breakthrough ActressZhang JingyiPowerful Actor of the YearHuang Jue Producer of the YearCao Ping rowspan="3" Art Director of the YearLiu ChengyiOutstanding TV Series of the Year Legend of Zang Hai Beijing Daily's Film and Television AwardsMost Popular Male Actor of the Year Xiao Zhan rowspan="2" Most Popular Drama Series of the YearLegend of Zang Hai 2026 SMG TV Series Quality AwardsAnnual Quality Role Model Drama Legend of Zang Hai rowspan="9" Quality Director of the YearZheng Xiaolong, Cao YiwenAnnual Excellent Quality StarXiao Zhan Annual Quality ProducerCao PingAnnual Quality Art DirectorLiu ChengyiAnnual Quality Rising StarZhou QiAnnual Quality Highlight Drama StarHuang JueOutstanding Performance Drama Star of the YearMichelle ChenAnnual Quality Highlight Drama StarWallace Chung Shanghai Television FestivalBest Drama Legend of Zang Hai rowspan="6" Best DirectorZheng Xiaolong, Cao YiwenBest Leading ActorXiao Zhan Best Supporting ActorHuang Jue Best Art DirectorLiu ChengyiBest CinematographyPan Xing
References
External links The Legend of Zang Hai on Douban
The Legend of Zang Hai on Weibo