Hit series 'Joy of Life' takes home two Shanghai TV Festival awards

A runaway hit from last year, the costume series Qing Yu Nian, also known as Joy of Life, is one of the biggest winners in the just-concluded 26th Shanghai TV Festival, taking home two Magnolia Awards, the event's top honor.

While the drama's scriptwriter, Wang Juan, won best adapted screenplay, actor Tian Yu nabbed best actor in a supporting role.

Adapted from novelist Mao Ni's popular online novel of the same title, the drama presented by Tencent Pictures chronicles the rise of a young hero with a mysterious past in an imagined ancient China.

The drama has garnered more than 13 billion reviews on its streaming sites Tencent Video and iQiyi. Other indications of its popularity include earning 8 points out of 10 on the country's most popular review site, Douban, and drawing 12 billion clicks on related topics on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo.

More than 800 TV productions from 48 countries and regions were submitted to the festival, with 60 shortlisted for the Magnolia Awards.

Joy of Life's producer revealed that the second season of the drama is being prepared.