TV series on China's anti-graft campaign goes viral

A television series based on a novel about China's anti-corruption drive has won widespread acclaim on Chinese social media.

The actor who plays the main protagonist, Lu Yi, now has 25 million followers on Weibo and received 33,500 "likes" for a message he sent promoting the show's premiere on March 28.

"In the Name of the People," a 55-episode show, focuses on the work of the Communist Party of China disciplinary investigators whose job is to bring down corrupt officials.

Netizen say the drama was the most exciting in years as it has a warning effect, showing the determination to hunt down all corrupt figures.

Top TV and film watchdogs usually take months to approve material on corruption, but the show was approved just 10 days after submission.

According to the Supreme People's Court, the court system in the country concluded 45,000 graft cases implicating 63,000 people last year, with 35 former officials at the provincial and ministerial level or above convicted.