Wangju means 'web drama'. It names a series made for streaming sites such as Youku, iQIYI or Tencent Video rather than for television channels. For years web dramas had smaller budgets and fewer regulatory hurdles than TV dramas, and some became hits without stars. Guardian aired on Youku in 2018 as a wangju, with a small budget and no established stars in the lead roles.
Where it comes up
Neon & Nine-to-Five
Guardian: The Small-Budget Urban Fantasy That Gave Its Two Leads a Mass Following
A guide to the 2018 Youku web drama Guardian: a detective and a professor handling cases between the human world and an underground one, how the adaptation handled its source novel, and how two actors gained a large following on a small budget.