A scene from the TV drama The City of Sunlight.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] 

The City of Sunlight, the country's first TV drama to feature modern urban life in Xizang autonomous region, topped the ratings for eight consecutive days during its broadcasting on China Central Television's CCTV-1, according to CVB, a television show statistics collector affiliated with the National Radio and Television Administration.

Consisting of 21 episodes, the drama, set in Lhasa, follows six young people chasing their dreams, vividly reflecting contemporary Tibetan people's goals, pursuits and way of life.

The drama garnered 223 million views and topped the ratings during its late run on the provincial satellite channel Hunan TV, according to the CVB.

With its picturesque natural scenery and cultural charm, the drama has attracted a large audience to visit Xizang, as evidenced by nearly 2 million Chinese and foreign tourists traveling to Lhasa during its broadcast, an increase of 7.45 percent compared to the same period last year, as revealed at a recent symposium in Beijing. 

A scene from the TV drama The City of Sunlight.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] 

According to the producers, the series took three years to create and involved traveling over 4,100 kilometers to interview 132 individuals from various walks of life, with the crew's notes containing over 1 million characters.

Filming took place in various locations, from Lhasa, at an altitude of 3,650 meters, to Gampa county in Shigatse city at 5,200 meters, posing a significant challenge for the cast and crew.

Li Jingsheng, vice-president of the China Federation of Radio and Television Associations, said that The City of Sunlight offers an inspirational model for creating movies and TV programs about ethnic groups by telling a compelling story that resonates with young audiences in the modern era.

The drama, starring actor Zhou You, achieved a high score of 8.9 out of 10 on the popular review aggregator Douban.