[Photo provided to China Daily]

Negative audience reviews about the show mainly center around the show's plot development and the use of ancient prose in conversations that some found obscure.

Born and raised in Xi'an, director Cao Dun says he used some of the most characteristic elements of the city in the show, such as Mount Li and the local street food. This has had a dramatic effect on the city and generated increasing public interest in the city and its culture.

According to a report released by Youku on Thursday, online bookings of tickets to tourist destinations in Xi'an on travel agency Fliggy have shown an increase of 27 percent compared to the same time last week.