Different sides of the same story

Going hand in hand with the TV show, the novel version of All Quiet in Peking was also released in the beginning of October.

"There's more content in the book than the TV show, and includes parts that weren't suitable for the TV series and things that were cut for time… The book contains more background history and can look into the thought process of characters," Liu explained, comparing the two versions to each other.

Shi Hang strongly recommended both the TV series and the novel to the Global Times. He suggested that readers not be in too much of a hurry when reading the book, and that the book was actually a much better read after watching the TV series.

Liu explained he began writing the book at the same time he began producing the series, and that he sees them both as supporting each other in order to help people understand the time period.

Not only does the book support the show and vice versa, Liu feels that multiple viewings of the show is also worthwhile. "Chinese culture emphasizes that things should have a certain aftertaste. This drama can be watched two, three or even more times than that. I've tried to make it so that audiences get that experience of watching something for the first time when they watch the show again," explained Liu.