In the digital world, which recreates his senior year in high school, Xia, then 17, also "reunites" with his teachers and classmates, where he not only recognizes the value of friendship, but also finds romance.

"The domestic market has seen a lot of films and TV series about high school or college students in recent years. Although the genre is popular among youngsters, they have become fed up with cliche plot lines," says Guo, who has worked in the television industry for a decade."We have tried to add some rarely-featured elements, such as the VR experience, to bring a fresh touch to the genre, and we are satisfied to see the mostly positive online feedback."

To achieve the desired effect, the director says that the script was revised 10 times over two years.

Gathering a young cast led by actor Zhao Yiqin and actress Li Haofei, the TV series was shot from November to January in Shanghai and Hengdian World Studios－dubbed "Chinese Hollywood"－located in Zhejiang province.

Yu Zheng, chief producer of the series, says that he selected the two leading actors while he was their mentor when they were contesting the reality show Real Actor.

"Joining me as the mentors were established actors Zhang Songwen, Francis Ng and actress Zhang Jingchu. Their experience on discerning acting talent was very helpful to me in the casting of Consummation," recalls Yu.

Li Qian, distribution director with Huanyu Entertainment Co Ltd which produced the series, says it has grabbed the attention of several overseas broadcasters and foreign distribution is being negotiated.

"Our company seeks to introduce more Chinese dramas to the international market－we have created some hit TV series, which found popularity abroad, such as Story of Yanxi Palace and Winter Begonia," says Li Qian.

Despite productions rooted in Chinese culture and history being welcomed in overseas markets, Li Qian says she believes Consummation, which creatively interweaves suspense with sci-fi elements, may hook the under-25 viewership.

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