A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains: Tencent's Literary Epic

What is confirmed

Tencent Video is adapting A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, a novel that won one of China's most prestigious literary awards, as a 2027 drama. Zhang Ruoyun stars and Wang Juan, a writer associated with several major Chinese genre hits, is handling the script. That combination signals a prestige production rather than a quick commercial adaptation.

Why the title matters

The name refers to a famous Song dynasty landscape painting, a handscroll that depicts an idealised empire of rivers, mountains and ordinary life. A novel using that title is likely to be about the gap between the painted ideal and the actual country. That makes it a natural fit for a large historical production with literary ambitions.

What to expect

Chinese literary adaptations at this scale tend to be slow, character-driven and visually careful. They also tend to cast actors who can carry long dialogue scenes rather than pure action stars. Zhang Ruoyun is known for playing clever, verbal characters, which suggests the drama will lean on negotiation and investigation rather than battles.

How it fits the slate

Tencent's 2027 line-up mixes sequels like Joy of Life Season 3 with literary projects like this one and Wencheng. The strategy is to cover both the audience that wants familiar characters and the audience that wants prestige. Whether both can succeed in the same year is an open question.

Current status

Announced, not dated. Production schedules for literary dramas are long, and the platform has not confirmed an episode count. We will update this page when a first trailer appears.