When director Zhang Ting was conceiving the script for The Long River, a historical drama that retells the story of two Chinese officials' devotion to preventing Yellow River floods, he tried to deeply understand their struggle and dilemma from more than 300 years ago.

During a recent conference held in Beijing, Zhang, a veteran scriptwriter-director known for the 2019 hit Ming Dynasty, shared his attempt to seek a balance between artistic creation and historical reality while writing the tale.

Unfolding with a disastrous flood during the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the 40-episode TV series chronicles the decades-long effort of Chen Huang and Jin Fu, two close friends and capable officials whose efficient methods to prevent floods had benefited millions of Chinese people residing in areas along the Yellow River. However, the two protagonists are treated unfairly and pass away with regret because they were framed by the emperor's courtiers.

Intriguingly placing the two heroes' personal ups and downs into the 17th-century turbulence, the acclaimed TV drama has earned 8.5 points out of 10 on the popular review aggregator Douban after topping the ratings of seven provincial-level channels consecutively for 32 days, according to the producers.

Shen Wei, publicity department head of Linping district of Hangzhou, said the drama takes governing the Yellow River as the main line to propel the twists, making it distinctive to most domestic historical series that centers on palace schemes and royal conflicts.