Xiao Zhan is once again becoming one of the most talked-about stars in Chinese entertainment after drawing enormous attention with two major upcoming drama projects despite the currently sluggish state of the Chinese drama market.
On May 11, Youku officially confirmed the launch of Legend of Zanghai 2 during its annual content conference, immediately sending the drama soaring across entertainment trending charts in China.
What surprised many observers was that the project generated explosive buzz despite only unveiling a concept poster so far. According to statistics circulating on Chinese social media, keywords related to Legend of Zanghai 2 surpassed 100 million reads and over 133,000 discussion posts within roughly 24 hours of the announcement.
The drama has not yet started filming, no official cast lineup has been confirmed and no teaser trailer has been released. Even so, excitement surrounding the project is already overwhelming.
The sequel was also listed among Youku’s key flagship productions for 2026, fueling speculation that the original cast and production team could reunite. Many viewers believe the enormous attention mainly reflects Xiao Zhan’s powerful star influence combined with the popularity of the first installment.
At the same time, Xiao Zhan also officially unveiled another completely different project titled Die Bao Shang Bu Feng Ding (temporary English title: Unlimited Espionage).
Directed by Zhang Kaizhou, the drama belongs to the espionage and political thriller genre.
In the series, Xiao Zhan plays Ren Shaobai, an undercover operative working within the Ministry of National Defense in 1948. After a major intelligence network becomes exposed, the character is forced into a series of dangerous missions in order to protect allies and continue secret operations under increasingly deadly circumstances.
The production is being introduced as a tense psychological spy drama focused heavily on strategic mind games and political conflict. Alongside the espionage storyline, the drama will also explore Ren Shaobai’s emotional relationship with Lan Youren, played by Zhou Yutong.
The supporting cast additionally includes Feng Hui, Gu Zhixin, Zheng Jiabin and Shen Jiayu.
The fact that Xiao Zhan is simultaneously leading two large-scale productions with completely different genres has further strengthened discussions surrounding his status in the industry.
While many Chinese dramas released recently have struggled to create widespread excitement, Xiao Zhan continues demonstrating exceptional commercial influence and audience-pulling power even during the earliest announcement stages of his projects.
Since rising to international fame through The Untamed, Xiao Zhan has remained one of the most commercially valuable actors in Chinese entertainment. His projects consistently dominate online discussion metrics, advertising rankings and streaming anticipation charts regardless of genre.
Industry observers now believe 2026 could become another major year for Xiao Zhan if both Legend of Zanghai 2 and Unlimited Espionage successfully maintain their current momentum leading into release.
Sources: Netizenbuzz