Swords Into Plowshares

The setting is the end of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (五代十国), roughly the 940s onward, when northern China changed hands among short-lived regimes. Qian Hongchu (钱弘俶), played by Bai Yu (白宇), is a young prince of Wuyue, a kingdom in the Hangzhou area. Sent north on a dangerous mission, he meets two men who will shape his century: Guo Rong (郭荣, Yu Haoming, 俞灏明), later the emperor of Later Zhou, and Zhao Kuangyin (赵匡胤, Zhu Yawen, 朱亚文), later the founder of the Song dynasty. The series follows all three through war and shifting alliances.

Also in the cast are Zhou Yutong (周雨彤) as Sun Taizhen (孙太真), and veterans Dong Yong (董勇) and Ni Dahong (倪大红). The ending is a matter of historical record, but the drama is about how its characters get there.

The series is written by Dong Zhe (董哲) and directed by Yang Lei (杨磊), produced by Huace. It follows the historical thread usually called "returning the land to Song" (纳土归宋, na tu gui Song), when Wuyue's last king handed his territory to the Song court in 978 without a fight. The title, "Taiping Nian", points to that ideal of lasting peace after decades of war. The director has spoken of it in terms of rebuilding after a collapse.

Reception was strong. By January 27, Xinhua reported a CVB rating of 2.696%, a Tencent Video score of 9.4 and over 107 million valid views. The show prompted a wave of interest in Five Dynasties history and book sales, and visitors queued at the Qian Wang Shrine in Hangzhou. Zhejiang's governor said in March that holiday-period tourism in the province rose 24.7% year on year.

Like most historical dramas, it takes liberties. Chinese Wikipedia lists scenes that have no support in the surviving records, such as Qian Hongchu being present in Kaifeng when the Khitan arrived.