Guardians of the Dafeng

Guardians of the Dafeng (Chinese: 大奉打更人; pinyin: Dàfèng Dǎgēngrén) is a 2024 Chinese television drama adapted from the web novel of the same name by Maibao Xiaolangjun.^[1] The historical adventure fantasy series is directed by Deng Ke, and stars Dylan Wang, Tian Xiwei, Liu Yijun and Yan Zidong in the lead roles.^[2] The series started airing on CCTV-8 and streaming platform Tencent Video on December 28, 2024.^[3] It is also airing internationally on WeTV,^[4] Viu^[5] and Disney+ (Taiwan).^[6]

Guardians of the Dafeng
大奉打更人
Genre	Historical fiction Fantasy Comedy
Based on	Dafeng Dagengren by Maibao Xiaolangjun
Written by	Yang Yuchen
Directed by	Deng Ke
Starring	Dylan Wang Tian Xiwei Liu Yijun Yan Zidong
Country of origin	China
Original language	Mandarin
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	40
Production
Executive producer	Liu Wenyang
Producers	Hou Xiaonan Cao Huayi
Production locations	Hengdian World Studios Xinjiang
Running time	45 min
Production companies	CCTV New Classics Media China Literature
Original release
Network	CCTV-8 Tencent Video
Release	28 December 2024 (2024-12-28) – 25 January 2025 (2025-01-25)

Synopsis

The mixed-genre adventure fantasy drama series tells the story of Xu Qi'an (Dylan Wang), a police academy graduate who finds himself transported to an unfamiliar alternative historical reality filled with Confucians, Taoists, Buddhists, demons, and sorcerers. Upon waking up, he discovers he's in a prison cell and is set to be exiled to a remote town in three days. His second uncle in this new reality in the Dafeng Dynasty, Xu Pingzhi (Yue Yang), is framed for stealing tax money, leading to the imprisonment of the entire Xu family. To save his family, Xu Qi'an uses his knowledge from criminal investigation books and his understanding of mathematics, physics, and chemistry to uncover the truth behind the theft and clear their names.

Xu Qi'an catches the attention of the city's law enforcement organization (Guardians) that reports to the emperor and becomes one of their members. He was also recruited into the Realm Society, a secretive group composed of anonymous members from various factions and sects. In the demon and magic-filled world of Dafeng, Xu initially aims only for self-preservation and a leisurely life as a wealthy man. However, his sense of justice propels him to act when his superior attempts to rape the female members of a guilty minister's family during a house search. Although he knows intervening could lead to his death, he draws his sword to uphold justice.

Chief Guardian of the night watch Lord Wei Yuan (Liu Yijun) then tasks Xu Qi'an with investigating the Sangbo Lake explosion case. Xu Qi'an successfully identifies the mastermind, removes corruption from the court, and restores peace. Unbeknownst to him, other forces were behind the Sangbo Lake explosion, and a sealed object from the lake has entered his body. Feeling like a pawn in a larger game, Xu Qi'an resolves to become a player instead, determined to uncover and confront the hidden powers.^[7][8][9]

Cast

Main cast

Actor	Character	Description
Dylan Wang	Xu Qi'an	The protagonist is a modern-day office worker who finds himself transported to an alternate historical reality, taking over the life of a constable Xu Qi'an (courtesy name Ning Yan). There, he navigates a web of political intrigue and supernatural beings, using his investigative skills to uncover hidden mysteries and survive the complex dynamics of this new world.[10]
Tian Xiwei	Princess Lin'an	The second daughter of Emperor Yuanjing, with the title of Princess Lin'an. She is a long-suffering princess yearning for validation within the imperial family, who persists despite numerous setbacks.
Liu Yijun	Wei Yuan	Lord Wei commands the night watch patrol dubbed the "Guardians of Dafeng". Known as the Military God of Dafeng, Wei is deeply strategic and excels in political scheming.
Yan Zidong	Xu Xinnian	The eldest son of Xu Pingzhi and the cousin of Xu Qi'an, with courtesy name Ci Jiu). Smart and sharp-tongued, he studies at Yunlu Academy under Zhang Shen, specializing in military strategy.

Supporting cast

Actor	Character	Description
Yue Yang	Xu Pingzhi	Xu Qi'an's second uncle, married to Li Ru, with children Xu Xinnian, Xu Lingyue, and Xu Lingyin.
Zhang Xiaochen	Chu Yuanzhen	A former top imperial scholar who withdrew from officialdom, abandoned literature to pursue martial arts, and mastered the swordsmanship of the Human Sect.
Mao Xiaohui	Huaiqing	The eldest daughter of Emperor Yuanjing. A master strategist and supporter of Xu Qi'an.
Fan Shuaiqi	Nangong Qianrou	A top-ranked Golden Gong and a fourth-tier martial artist.
Liu Meihan	Chu Caiwei	Sixth disciple of the current Supervisor.
Zhang Miaoyi	Xu Lingyue	Eldest daughter of Xu Pingzhi.
Feng Hui	Zheng Xinghuai	The Administrative Commissioner of Chuzhou.
Ding Xiaoying	Wang Simo	Daughter of Grand Secretary Wang Zhenwen, engaged to Xu Xinnian
Yan Peilun	Song Tingfeng	A bronze member of the Guardians.
Wang Runze	Zhu Guangxia	A bronze member of the Guardians.
Wang Yiyao	Li Miaozhen	A leader of the Daoist Tianzong sect. She is highly skilled in martial arts, free-spirited.
Li Hongtao	Wang Zhenwen	The Grand Chancellor of the current Dafeng dynasty.
Li Mengyin	Su Su	A supernatural being, subordinate to Li Miaozhen.
Jiang Zhenyu	Fuxiang	A top courtesan in the capital.
Zhang Chenxiao	Zhou Li	The son of an official.
Kang Kang	Li Yuchun	Xu Qi'an's direct superior.
Ni Hongjie	Li Ru	Wife of Xu Pingzhi, Xu Qi'an's second aunt. Despite constantly complaining about Xu Qi’an’s expenses, she treats him as her own child.
Liu Jun	Emperor Yuanjing	Emperor of Dafeng Dynasty.
Fan Shiqi	Yang Yan	Wei Yuan's adopted son and a Golden Gong who is Xu Qi'an's superior.
Du Chun	Zhenbei (Prince of Northern Border)	The Prince of Dafeng charged with protecting the northern border.
Qiu Xinzhi	Supervisor	The enigmatic Supervisor of Dafeng and overseer of supernatural matters.
Chen Xiaoyun	Mu Nanzhi	The most beautiful woman in Dafeng, reincarnation of the Flower Goddess.
Chen Yihan	Princess Pingyang	Daughter of Prince Yu

^[11][12]

Production

Development

The serialized online novel Dafeng Dagenren by author Maibao Xiaolangjun was completed on Qidian in August 2021. Following its conclusion, the audio drama for the novel was released, together with the animation, comic and live-action adaptions set into motion.^[13]

Filming

Filming for the Tencent Video television series began in July 2023, with New Classics Media helming the production.^[14] The majority of the series was shot in Hengdian Studios, with some of the outdoor scenes filmed in Xinjiang.^[15][10]

Reception

Guardians of the Dafeng surpassed 30,000 points on the Tencent Video popularity index, an internal performance metric for audience and production companies. It also topped the Tencent paid subscription leads generation and on demand sales charts, as the platform provided several add-on packages on top of the VIP and SVIP packages for viewers of the show.^[16] According to the KuYun performance measurement metric, the drama was the most-watched drama in the evening time slot across all terrestrial channels in China for 26 consecutive days. Additionally, Yunhe Data reported that Guardians of the Dafeng held the top spot on China's overall streaming popularity rankings for more than 16 days.^[17]

Besides mainland China, the drama ranked first across several streaming charts in North America, Singapore and Taiwan.^[18] The show has been licensed in 13 overseas territories and is available on platforms such as Disney+, YouTube, Rakuten Viki, Viu, Astro, and TVB.^[19] It has been translated into 14 languages and has been broadcast in regions including North America, Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.^[17][20]

Soundtrack

Guardians of the Dafeng Original Soundtrack^[21]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Performer	Length
1.	"Xu Qing An" (Theme Song)	Zhou Jieying	Hu Xiao'ou	Zhou Shen
2.	"I Am Just an Ordinary Man" (Opening Theme)	GAI Zhou Yan, Fu Xiao	GAI Zhou Yan, Fu Xiao	GAI Zhou Yan
3.	"Poetry Immortal"	Zhou Jieying	Hu Xiao'ou	Yu Kewei, Zao'an
4.	"How Could I Know"	Zhou Jieying	Hu Xiao'ou	Curley G
5.	""Who Goes There""	Zhou Jieying	Hu Xiao'ou	Lars Huang
6.	"Utopia"	Zhou Jieying	Hu Xiao'ou	Xu Ziwei
7.	"Moon in Hand"	Zhou Jieying	Hu Xiao'ou	Bo Yuan