{ "id": "epwzheyfcb", "slug": "punishment-epwzheyfcb", "title": "Punishment (罚罪)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials", "label": "East Asian web and streaming serials", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-my-to-so", "label": "Titles My to So", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-my-to-so" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials", "label": "China · 2021 and later: East Asian web and streaming serials", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021", "label": "China · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials", "label": "East Asian web and streaming serials", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Punishment (罚罪) is a 2022 40-episode Chinese suspense crime drama on iQiyi, directed by Tian Yi and Yi Yong, starring Huang Jingyu as detective Chang Zheng fighting the Zhao family crime syndicate; it passed 10,000 iQiyi heat and has a 2026 sequel, Punishment 2.", "snippet": "Punishment (罚罪) is a 2022 40-episode Chinese suspense crime drama on iQiyi, directed by Tian Yi and Yi Yong, starring Huang Jingyu as detective Chang Zheng fighting the Zhao family crime syndicate; it passed 10,000 iQiyi heat and has a 2026 sequel, Punishment 2.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-my-to-so", "markdown": "# Punishment (罚罪)\n\n**Punishment** (罚罪) is a 2022 Chinese suspense crime drama series of 40 episodes, directed by Tian Yi (天毅) and Yi Yong (易勇) and streamed exclusively on iQiyi, about a young criminal police officer's fight against a family-run crime syndicate in the fictional city of Changwu (昌武).[1](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_fxw407iixp.html) It stars [Huang Jingyu](https://www.edgepedia.org/huang-jingyu) (黄景瑜) as detective Chang Zheng, Yang Youning (杨祐宁) as the scheming fourth son Zhao Pengchao, Gai Yuexi (盖玥希) as officer Jin Yan, Li Youbin (李幼斌) as the investigation leader Yan Guohua, and [Cheng Yu](https://www.edgepedia.org/cheng-yu) (程煜) as family patriarch Zhao Xiaosheng.[1](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_fxw407iixp.html)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Format | 40-episode suspense, crime, and urban drama, year 2022, iQiyi exclusive streaming[1](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_fxw407iixp.html) |\n| Premiere | August 25, 2022, 20:00, released without advance promotion[2](https://www.dianyingjie.com.cn/2022/0826/348922.shtml) |\n| Main cast | Huang Jingyu (Chang Zheng), Yang Youning (Zhao Pengchao), Gai Yuexi (Jin Yan), Li Youbin (Yan Guohua), Cheng Yu (Zhao Xiaosheng)[1](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_fxw407iixp.html) |\n| Title source | \"罚罪宥过以惩之，杀戮犯禁以振之\" from the *Guanzi·Banfa*; the working title had been 《潜流追踪》 (Tracking the Undercurrent)[3](https://news.ifeng.com/c/8JY2GyHEETD) |\n| Performance | Third iQiyi series of 2022 to pass 10,000 on the platform heat index, after *A Lifelong Journey* and *Love Between Fairy and Devil*; closing heat 10,082; Douban opening score 7.2[4](https://m.thepaper.cn/baijiahao_20008574) |\n| Basis | Partly adapted from real organized-crime cases; writers compiled nearly 200,000 characters of material from case files and police interviews[3](https://news.ifeng.com/c/8JY2GyHEETD) |\n| Sequel | *Punishment 2* (罚罪2), following officer Qin Feng against crime boss Liu Tianye (Wang Chuanjun) around the Han Zhou port development[5](https://opinion.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0106/c448676-40640059.html) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nThe story opens with a vicious case: a man recording a video report accusing the Zhao Xiaosheng family of being an all-powerful criminal gang is thrown from a building while filming, and the next day's news reports the death as a domestic murder-suicide.[1](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_fxw407iixp.html) • [3](https://news.ifeng.com/c/8JY2GyHEETD) Through the eyes of the young detective Chang Zheng, deputy head of a criminal investigation squad in the fictional city of Changwu, the series follows two generations of police officers working to dismantle the syndicate.[1](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_fxw407iixp.html)\n\nChang Zheng has long pursued the wealthy Zhao family. When prosecutor Zhao Pengcheng, the family's second son, is killed by a bomb on a yacht, all evidence points to Chang Zheng, who must find the real culprit within three days to clear his name.[1](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_fxw407iixp.html) A secret investigation team from the Binjiang provincial criminal investigation department is dispatched to examine the family. Yan Guohua, known as the \"godfather of the police world,\" sets up a dual overt-and-covert investigative route and secretly helps Chang Zheng identify the fourth son, Zhao Pengchao, as the hidden operator behind a series of new schemes.[1](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_fxw407iixp.html)\n\nThe Zhao family's grip on Changwu is summarized by locals as \"four ones\": one liquor monopoly, one real estate monopoly, one mountain of mining, and one shipping line, covering the city's pillar industries.[3](https://news.ifeng.com/c/8JY2GyHEETD) The patriarch keeps 54 old-model mobile phones, numbered like playing cards, for contacting his network of protective umbrellas within officialdom.[3](https://news.ifeng.com/c/8JY2GyHEETD) As the case unfolds, a cold case from 28 years earlier and the mystery of Chang Zheng's own parentage surface, and the finale reveals that Chang Zheng is a son of the Zhao family; he chooses justice over blood ties, and the syndicate and its protectors are arrested.[1](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_fxw407iixp.html) • [3](https://news.ifeng.com/c/8JY2GyHEETD)\n\n### Sequel\n\nA second season, *Punishment 2* (罚罪2), aired on iQiyi with 40 episodes, with Huang Jingyu returning as a new protagonist, police officer Qin Feng, and Wang Chuanjun (王传君) as the crime boss Liu Tianye; the story is set against the development of Han Zhou port near Longwan village and follows their years-long contest.[5](https://opinion.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0106/c448676-40640059.html) The two seasons share a title and worldview but not a protagonist or storyline; producer Yu Fei of iQiyi described the series as built on the shared core of \"every crime must be punished, law is greater than heaven,\" so that viewers can watch the second season without having seen the first.[12](https://m.bjnews.com.cn/detail/1789358647169978.html) A People's Daily commentary on the sequel noted that its new criminal chains and plots were also distilled from real cases.[13](https://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/pc/attachement/202601/15/bae4152d-1a2c-45b3-8cf2-e4221762cb6d.pdf)\n\n## Production and basis in real cases\n\nThe production stated that the series is \"partly based on real cases.\" The screenwriters consulted large volumes of case files and news reports from across the country and conducted in-depth interviews with public security organs, compiling nearly 200,000 characters of source material, but said they avoided sensational exposure and sought a \"balance between fiction and reality.\"[3](https://news.ifeng.com/c/8JY2GyHEETD) Viewers noted echoes of well-known family-crime cases in online discussion, including the Huang Hongfa family case in Changjiang, Hainan, the Xie brothers case in [Guangdong](https://www.edgepedia.org/guangdong), the \"four big families\" case in Harbin, a Guizhou Kaili mine disaster case, and the Hunan playground body-burial case; the directors said the real material they drew on went beyond these.[3](https://news.ifeng.com/c/8JY2GyHEETD)\n\nThe title comes from the *Guanzi·Banfa*: \"罚罪宥过以惩之，杀戮犯禁以振之\", meaning that wrongdoers must be disciplined through punishment and lawbreakers deterred through severity. Each episode opens with this line. The directors explained the change from the earlier working title 《潜流追踪》: the old title emphasized pursuit, while \"Punishment\" emphasizes the penalty itself.[3](https://news.ifeng.com/c/8JY2GyHEETD) Screenwriter Liu Hongyan (刘红焰), a former police officer, said that plot twists add suspense only when each one delivers real information rather than existing for its own sake.[6](https://hhzb.huainannet.com/attachment/202209/19/1ffae02e-8616-4108-83f7-a242dafe4b22.pdf)\n\n## Reception\n\nReleased with little promotion, the series was called a \"dark horse\" and became the third iQiyi series of 2022 to break 10,000 on the platform's heat index, after *A Lifelong Journey* and *Love Between Fairy and Devil*; it closed with an iQiyi heat of 10,082, a Guoduo heat of 82.89, and a Douban opening score of 7.2.[4](https://m.thepaper.cn/baijiahao_20008574) By the finale day, related topics had reached 1.2 billion reads and over 2.3 million discussions, and more than 50 law-enforcement \"blue V\" verified accounts endorsed the series; it topped Yunhe's effective-play market share for two consecutive weeks, exceeding 18 percent, and led rankings on Guoduo, Lighthouse, and Vlinkage.[7](https://www.iqiyi.com/kszt/news2022092103.html) • [8](https://www.iqiyi.com/kszt/news2022090701.html) Yunhe's year-end report placed it among the top four dramas of 2022 by effective plays, alongside *Love Between Fairy and Devil*, *[New Life Begins](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-life-begins)*, and *Wild Bloom*.[9](https://k.sina.cn/article_2076152237_7bbf91ad001010g3d.html)\n\nCritics highlighted the fusion of suspense technique with the crime-procedural format. The Beijing Daily reviewer wrote that the series broke the expressive limits of traditional crime dramas, using multi-threaded cross-cut narration across Chang Zheng's perspective, the Zhao family's business empire, and the provincial secret investigation team, and that frequent reversals reflected the family's interference in the judicial system.[10](https://xinwen.bjd.com.cn/content/s63175ab3e4b07e590dc39ad0.html) A People's Daily Online commentary credited the ensemble cast and editing that deliberately misleads viewers before each reversal.[11](https://opinion.people.com.cn/n1/2022/0906/c437948-32520459.html) The ending drew debate over whether the show declined after a strong start, with some viewers finding the paternity reveal melodramatic and the final arrests rushed; the directors responded that the extreme character relationships were meant to reflect how clan, blood, marriage, and school ties can weave a business-political network in some county-level localities, not to shock for its own sake.[3](https://news.ifeng.com/c/8JY2GyHEETD)\n\n## References\n\n1. [罚罪 - 电视剧全集在线观看, iQiyi](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_fxw407iixp.html)\n2. [《罚罪》空降上线阵容强大, 电影界/人民日报](https://www.dianyingjie.com.cn/2022/0826/348922.shtml)\n3. [这剧尺度惊人，但结局却…《罚罪》主创独家回应剧情争议, 观察者网 via 凤凰网](https://news.ifeng.com/c/8JY2GyHEETD)\n4. [《罚罪》高热\"收网\"：不靠尺度靠人物丨专访主创, 澎湃新闻](https://m.thepaper.cn/baijiahao_20008574)\n5. [人民艺起评：看《罚罪2》，感受长剧的讲故事能力, 人民网](https://opinion.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0106/c448676-40640059.html)\n6. [《罚罪》报道, 淮南晚报 PDF](https://hhzb.huainannet.com/attachment/202209/19/1ffae02e-8616-4108-83f7-a242dafe4b22.pdf)\n7. [《罚罪》收官数据, iQiyi 专题](https://www.iqiyi.com/kszt/news2022092103.html)\n8. [《罚罪》云合市占率报道, iQiyi 专题](https://www.iqiyi.com/kszt/news2022090701.html)\n9. [为什么去年观众看它家剧最多？, 新浪新闻](https://k.sina.cn/article_2076152237_7bbf91ad001010g3d.html)\n10. [《罚罪》：刑侦+悬疑，类型剧再突破, 北京日报客户端](https://xinwen.bjd.com.cn/content/s63175ab3e4b07e590dc39ad0.html)\n11. [人民艺起评：《罚罪》用\"群戏\"\"群像\"演活故事, 人民网](https://opinion.people.com.cn/n1/2022/0906/c437948-32520459.html)\n12. [在法与艺之间拿捏\"度\"，涉案题材剧研讨, 新京报](https://m.bjnews.com.cn/detail/1789358647169978.html)\n13. [人民日报副刊关于《罚罪Ⅱ》的报道 PDF](https://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/pc/attachement/202601/15/bae4152d-1a2c-45b3-8cf2-e4221762cb6d.pdf)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › East Asian web and streaming serials › Titles My to So*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/punishment-epwzheyfcb", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/punishment-epwzheyfcb.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Punishment (罚罪)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/punishment-epwzheyfcb. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Punishment (罚罪)](https://www.edgepedia.org/punishment-epwzheyfcb)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/punishment-epwzheyfcb](https://www.edgepedia.org/punishment-epwzheyfcb). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Punishment (罚罪)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/punishment-epwzheyfcb. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Punishment is a 2022 40-episode Chinese suspense crime drama on iQiyi, directed by Tian Yi and Yi Yong, starring Huang Jingyu as detective Chang Zheng fighting the Zhao family crime syndicate; it passed 10,000 iQiyi heat and has a 2026 sequel, Punishment 2." }