"A Dream on the Pillow of the Star River" uses the backdrop of Suzhou, a nationally recognized historical and cultural city, and the 30-year transformation of the Suzhou Industrial Park developed in cooperation with China and Singapore. It tells the story of Zhu Yiran, an inheritor of the Suzhou fan heritage, who partners with Shen Feng, a cytology engineer returning from abroad, to contribute their youthful strength to their hometown. The entire narrative weaves three storylines: the romantic relationship between the leads, the female protagonist's efforts in restoring the "Tongye Fan" and revitalizing the "Star River" fan workshop as part of the intangible cultural heritage, and the male protagonist leading his team to gather information on ancient city preservation and advance the creation of a digital twin city. The intersection of these storylines presents themes of heritage preservation and innovation, as well as the protection and renewal of the ancient city, showcasing the beauty of contemporary Suzhou where tradition intertwines with modernity and culture harmonizes with economy—a "dual embroidery" of sorts.

In terms of scene setting, "A Dream on the Pillow of the Star River" primarily films in the historical cultural district of Pingjiang, incorporating several popular spots such as the Panmen Scenic Area, the former residence of Tang Yin, the Eastern Gate, Jinji Lake, Dushu Lake, and the Broadcasting Boots Building, showcasing a new perspective, new scenes, and revitalized charm of Suzhou that blends ancient elegance with contemporary flair. As a high "Suzhou content" urban cultural tourism micro-drama, it fully aligns with the State Administration of Radio and Television's ongoing "Travel with Micro-Dramas" creative initiative, aiming to promote real-life locations featured in the series to gain wider recognition through its popularity, transforming "internet celebrities" into enduring classics and turning "traffic" into "retention."

"A Dream on the Pillow of the Star River" has been selected as a project supported by the National Radio and Television Administration's "精品创作传播工程" (Quality Creation and Dissemination Project) and the "Travel with Micro-Dramas" initiative, recommended for the "Outstanding Network Audiovisual Works of Q2 2024" by the same administration. It is also featured in the key projects of Jiangsu Province's network audiovisual project database and has been awarded one of the top ten micro-dramas in cultural tourism nationally based on the Star Index.

"A Dream on the Pillow of the Star River" premiered on Mango TV (home screen) and Suzhou's second channel network on May 23, 2024. It quickly climbed the ranks, with the Weibo topic #A Beautiful Love Letter to Suzhou# reaching the top ten on national hot search lists, garnering a total of 29 trending topic listings across the internet; it was launched on Singapore's Mediacorp meWatch on June 13, and on Hunan TV's prime time slot and Suzhou's first channel on June 24, followed by Singapore's Mediacorp Channel 8 on July 23, marking the first micro-drama to “go international” on satellite broadcasting.

"A Dream on the Pillow of the Star River" has achieved a total view count of 200 million across platforms, repeatedly topping the Cat's Eye effective play daily and weekly rankings. The Weibo topic has over 100 million views, and Douyin's view count is 500 million. During its airing, the search volume for "Pingjiang Road" and "Suzhou" on platforms like Xiaohongshu and Qunar increased by 103% year-on-year. The drama consistently ranked within the top three for viewership on Suzhou TV, and Hunan TV saw a 50% increase in average viewership share compared to the same period in 2024. As the first micro-drama to land in Hunan TV's evening primetime slot, it ranked among the top five in provincial satellite TV viewership during its broadcast, and it held the top spot in local satellite ratings in Hunan. Following its dual-screen release in Singapore, it effectively facilitated international cultural exchange, with the Chinese embassy in Singapore tweeting: "On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Suzhou Industrial Park, a cooperative project between China and Singapore, let us reflect on the development of the ancient city of Suzhou and the Suzhou Industrial Park through this drama."

Source:

Jiangsu Provincial Radio and Television Bureau

Suzhou Radio and Television Station