Pearl Axis" starring Truong Lang Hach and Dien Hi Vi is the most surprisingly successful Chinese TV series at the beginning of 2026.
Only 2 days after airing, according to Van Hop Data's data, the broadcast market share of "Jade Axis" reached 31.4%, with nearly 70 million views per day. In terms of data, this achievement has surpassed the 4th day of views when the hit work "Whirlwind" (2023) just aired, causing public discussion.
However, "Cuong phong" was once a "national blockbuster" with the highest views in a day reaching 400 million, an average of 178 million per episode, covering all ages and still maintaining its influence even 2 years after release.
Therefore, the achievements of "Axis of Jade" are being questioned. Many viewers believe that the film is being mediated as surpassing many works that have achieved "huge" achievements such as "Whirlwind", "The Legend of the Phoenix", "Khanh Du Nien", but lacks prominent scenes that cause fever and are discussed.
The level of discussion of "Pearl Axis" is said to have a clear gap compared to a "phenomenon" film that explodes across the nation. Audiences are questioning the achievements of "Pearl Axis" as something that the platform has "prepared".
Pearl Axis" was broadcast simultaneously on 2 platforms Tencent Video and iQIYI, with temperature indices reaching 29,183 points and 9,695 points respectively (as of the evening of March 8th).
According to Sohu, industry insiders suspect that to compete for advertising sources, platforms have pushed up the index according to the "explosive movie model", causing cumulative data to be exaggerated. Meanwhile, "Whirlwind" is iQIYI's exclusive film, so the data calculation method is more unified.
On social networks, many viewers also responded that "Trục ngọc" lacks symbolic scenes, trendy lines, or explosive movie soundtracks (OSTs). Discussions online mainly revolve around the appearance of the main cast or details such as "candy kissing scenes", not discussing the plot content in depth.
Conversely, "The Whirlwind" has created many spreading sayings such as "The bigger the wind and waves, the more expensive the fish" or "Sitting at a child's table". In terms of the spread of popular culture, "The Whirlwind" is completely superior.
Trục ngọc" belongs to the ancient costume - romance genre, the main audience is young women, while "Cuồng phong" covers audiences of all ages.
Data also shows that "Jade Axis" has a fairly low rate of new viewers, for example on Tencent there are only about 4,956 new users per day. In addition, views on pirated websites are 3 times higher than many other movies, indirectly showing the problem of viewership being inflated.
A rating research group revealed that the two platforms, due to "over-pumping data," have begun to lower the film temperature index. The industry is also concerned that if data is further inflated, it could lead to the Chinese Broadcasting Corporation's investigation, especially when it is close to "Consumer Rights Day - March 15th".
However, according to Sohu, considering the idol costume film genre, "Axis of Jade" is still a prominent work. Truong Lang Hach and Dien Hi Vi have a strong attraction; director Tang Khanh Kiet has a sophisticated visual style; along with the setting of the character "butcher's daughter - servant falling into poverty" which is unconventional - are all plus points.
The media commented that for a historical drama - romance film, reaching 50 million views is already a very good achievement. If trying to directly compare it with a real-life blockbuster like "The Storm", it is clearly unreasonable.
Currently, the conclusion that the viewership on the 2nd day of "Jade Axis" surpassed the data on the 4th day of "Whirlwind" is still highly controversial, and the authenticity of the data is also widely doubted.
