The beginning of The Longest Day in Chang'an uses a long take to set the scene of the ancient capital during a festive occasion. [Photo provided to China Daily]

In the most recent weekly list released on Wednesday by Sina TV, a Sina Weibo account covering TV content, the show ranked first for both its online popularity and number of total views, while Yi was cited as the most influential actor in an ongoing TV show for his performance as protagonist Li Bi.

On popular review site Douban, the show reaped a rating of 8.6 out of 10 by more than 134,000 viewers, with nearly half of them awarding it full marks.

Many reviews laud the show for its historical accuracy, from the costumes down to the sets.