Xiao Zhan is once again becoming one of the most talked about stars in Chinese entertainment after attracting huge attention with two major upcoming drama projects, despite the current stagnant state of the Chinese drama market.
On May 11, Youku officially confirmed the launch of The Legend of Zanghai 2 during its annual content conference, immediately sending the drama soaring up China’s entertainment trending charts.
What surprised many observers was that the project generated explosive enthusiasm despite only a conceptual poster having been revealed so far. According to statistics circulating on Chinese social media, keywords related to The Legend of Zanghai 2 surpassed 100 million reads and over 133,000 discussion posts within approximately 24 hours of the announcement.
Filming on the drama has not yet begun, the official cast has not been confirmed and no teaser trailer has been released. Even so, the excitement surrounding the project is already overwhelming.
The sequel was also listed among Youku’s major flagship productions for 2026, fueling speculation that the original cast and production team may reunite. Many viewers believe that the huge attention mainly reflects Xiao Zhan’s powerful influence combined with the popularity of the first chapter.
At the same time, Xiao Zhan also officially unveiled another project completely different from the title Die Bao Shang Bu Feng Ding (temporary English title: Unlimited spying).
Directed by Zhang Kaizhou, the drama belongs to the genre of espionage and political thriller.
In the series, Xiao Zhan plays Ren Shaobai, an undercover agent working at the Ministry of National Defense in 1948. After a major intelligence network is exposed, the character is forced into a series of dangerous missions to protect allies and continue covert operations in increasingly deadly circumstances.
The production is billed as a tense psychological spy drama that focuses heavily on strategic mind games and political conflict. In addition to the spy plot, the drama will also explore Ren Shaobai’s emotional relationship with Lan Youren, played by Zhou Yutong.
The supporting cast also 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 about his status in the industry.
While many recently released Chinese dramas have struggled to create widespread enthusiasm, Xiao Zhan continues to demonstrate exceptional commercial influence and audience-pulling power even during the early announcement stages of his projects.
Since he became internationally famous The IndomitableXiao Zhan has remained one of the most commercially valuable actors in Chinese entertainment. His projects consistently dominate online discussion metrics, advertising charts, and streaming anticipation charts, regardless of genre.
Industry watchers now believe that 2026 could become another big year for Xiao Zhan if both succeed The Legend of Zanghai 2 AND Unlimited spying successfully maintain their current momentum leading to release.
Sources: Netizenbuzz
