iQIYI Unveils First Long-Form AI Web Drama Starring Shen Yujie and Chen Heyi

iQIYI has officially stepped into a new era of digital storytelling by announcing its pioneering project in the genre. At its autumn 2026 showcase (悦享会, "yuexianghui") in Shanghai on September 23, the platform unveiled Not Envying Mandarin Ducks, Only Envying Immortals (不羡鸳鸯只羡仙), billed as its first ultra-long AI serial with real actors lending their likenesses. Shen Yujie (沈羽洁) and Chen Heyi (陈鹤一) are the actors who licensed their images for it.

The series is reported to run for three seasons, with the first due on iQIYI in the fourth quarter of 2026, and reports describe it as fully AI-produced, with no live-action footage. For international fans, the title phrase is a classic idiom often used in period dramas to describe a love that transcends mortal desires. Both actors licensed their likenesses, and the on-screen characters are generated from them, with the actors' expressions and movements captured; Jiemian (界面) describes the result as animated figures with an AI look rather than the actors themselves. Jiemian also reports that director Wei Zheng (韦正) sees AI as a way to break through the limits of camera, setting and visuals in conventional live-action shooting. With it, the platform is testing how far generative tech can stretch the boundaries of mainland production values, offering a glimpse into how future C-dramas might blend human performance with synthetic world-building.

Source: DramaPanda - C-News; Xinhua; Jiemian; Sina