{ "id": "ep1bkk1enr", "slug": "the-dance-of-the-storm", "title": "The Dance of the Storm (风暴舞)", "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-cr-to-in", "label": "Titles Cr to In", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-cr-to-in" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-cr-to-in", "label": "China · 2021 and later: Titles Cr to In", "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.alpha-cr-to-in", "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" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-cr-to-in", "label": "Titles Cr to In", "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.alpha-cr-to-in" } ] } ], "excerpt": "The Dance of the Storm (风暴舞) is a 2021 Chinese urban spy drama directed by Liu Xin, starring William Chan and Gulnazar as Moshi agents defending the VX3 security device; filmed 2018, aired on iQiyi, Tencent, Youku.", "snippet": "The Dance of the Storm (风暴舞) is a 2021 Chinese urban spy drama directed by Liu Xin, starring William Chan and Gulnazar as Moshi agents defending the VX3 security device; filmed 2018, aired on iQiyi, Tencent, Youku.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-cr-to-in", "markdown": "# The Dance of the Storm (风暴舞)\n\n**The Dance of the Storm** (风暴舞) is a 2021 Chinese urban spy drama directed by [Liu Xin](https://www.edgepedia.org/liu-xin), led by [William Chan](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-chan) (陈伟霆) and Gulnazar (古力娜扎), and co-starring Guo Jiahao, Song Yanfei, Ren Dahua, and Jiang Wenli[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E9%A3%8E%E6%9A%B4%E8%88%9E%E3%80%8B/22173901?fromModule=lemma_inlink). Produced by Ciwen Media, iQiyi, and Manmei Film & TV, it follows young information-security agents protecting a network-security device from a criminal organization[2](https://paper.people.com.cn/hwbwap/html/2021-06/02/content_3051626.htm). Filmed in 2018 and released on April 25, 2021 on iQiyi, [Tencent Video](https://www.edgepedia.org/tencent-video), and Youku, it was positioned as the first Chinese drama in the \"urban spy\" genre, combining modern action-agent conventions with a domestic setting[3](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Der_Tanz_des_Sturms?hl=zh&id=2217E082F95D5327SH) • [4](https://xinjiapo.news/index.php/news/329567).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Genre and premise | Urban spy drama about information-security agents at the firm Moshi defending the VX3 network-security device from the organization \"Scorpio\"[2](https://paper.people.com.cn/hwbwap/html/2021-06/02/content_3051626.htm) • [5](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_12862351) |\n| Director and leads | Directed by Liu Xin; William Chan as Li Junjie, Gulnazar as Zhou Xuan, Guo Jiahao as Shi Yunhao, with Ren Dahua and Jiang Wenli in featured roles[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E9%A3%8E%E6%9A%B4%E8%88%9E%E3%80%8B/22173901?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |\n| Production window | Launch event May 9, 2018 in Beijing; filming wrapped October 8, 2018 after about five months[3](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Der_Tanz_des_Sturms?hl=zh&id=2217E082F95D5327SH) • [6](https://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2018/1008/c233223-30328342.html) |\n| Broadcast | Premiered April 25, 2021 simultaneously on iQiyi, Tencent Video, and Youku[3](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Der_Tanz_des_Sturms?hl=zh&id=2217E082F95D5327SH) |\n| Production scale | 503 cast and crew members, 20 cars destroyed, and 472 screens used during filming[6](https://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2018/1008/c233223-30328342.html) |\n| Audience profile | Male viewers made up 57% of the audience according to Baidu data, unusual for a Chinese drama[5](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_12862351) |\n| Follow-up | A spin-off network film, *Storm Dance: The Game Changer* (风暴舞之破局者), was in post-production for iQiyi as of 2021[7](https://pdf.dfcfw.com/pdf/H2_AN202104281488433377_1.pdf?1619639507000.pdf=) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nThe story centers on Li Junjie (William Chan), whose parents, both top scientists, died in an accident in Bincheng when he was 12. Sent back to his hometown of Chonghai, he grew up in an orphanage, where he befriended Shi Yunhao (Guo Jiahao). The two later met Chen Gang, a mentor figure who brought them into Moshi, a security-intelligence agency. At Moshi's training camp they met [Zhou Xuan](https://www.edgepedia.org/zhou-xuan) (Gulnazar), who fell for Li Junjie while Shi Yunhao quietly withdrew[8](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_19rrgxcnd1.html).\n\nDuring a mission, Li Junjie's impulsiveness causes Chen Gang's accidental death. Investigating it, he discovers a mole inside the company and traces a conspiracy to an organization code-named \"Scorpio\" (天蝎), which seeks to steal the VX3 network-security device as a hacking weapon, a threat to national information security. With help from Shi Yunhao and Zhou Xuan, he exposes the plot and, over the course of the story, learns to control his emotions and takes on responsibility for guarding national information security[2](https://paper.people.com.cn/hwbwap/html/2021-06/02/content_3051626.htm).\n\nThe serial narrative layers successive revelations: as one viewer put it, \"the first truth is barely uncovered when the second false appearance follows,\" and the multi-threaded structure was noted by critics as demanding from audiences[9](https://m.sohu.com/a/468110133_603687/) • [5](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_12862351).\n\n## Development and production\n\nScreenwriter An Zhiyong began writing at the end of 2016 and finished a first draft in the summer of 2017. Ciwen Media, encouraged by the market success of innovative dramas such as *Princess Agents*, wanted to make a modern version of the spy drama, a genre until then associated with Republican-era settings. Director Liu Xin read the script, liked it, and passed it to William Chan, with whom he had just made *Orange Red Age*; Chan was drawn to the distinctive character of Li Junjie. Gulnazar joined because the female agent role differed from her previous parts. After the director and leads came aboard, the script went through another revision[4](https://xinjiapo.news/index.php/news/329567).\n\nChief producer Gao Feng said the initial inspiration was the [Korean drama](https://www.edgepedia.org/korean-drama) *IRIS* (2009), and that the team wanted to push the genre toward an extreme, fully fictionalized (架空) setting. The original script was, in his words, much more \"far out\" than the finished show; after several rounds of weighing and adjustment, the creators settled on a non-political agent story told from a small-figure perspective, comparable to the Korean series *[Vagabond](https://www.edgepedia.org/vagabond-tv-series)*. He argued that without a fictional setting there would be little dramatic room, since real Chinese security personnel could not plausibly fight, blow things up, or chase cars in the street[10](https://k.sina.cn/article_3970126254_eca351ae02700w0qb.html).\n\n**Production scale.** Filming ran from May to October 2018. The production reported 503 cast and crew, 20 destroyed vehicles, and 472 screens used on camera[6](https://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2018/1008/c233223-30328342.html). The team scouted and shot in multiple countries and regions during preparation, and spent at the level of \"two big costume dramas or ten small sweet dramas\" to build main sets and stage the action set pieces; even the fingerprint locks inside Moshi required real input from the actors[5](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_12862351). Producer [Chen Tong](https://www.edgepedia.org/chen-tong) described the aim as infusing film techniques into television, pursuing film-like pacing, cinematography, and expressive use of costume, makeup, and production design[11](https://www.sohu.com/a/231054662_613537).\n\n## Broadcast and performance\n\nThe drama premiered on April 25, 2021 on iQiyi, Tencent Video, and Youku, three years after it wrapped[3](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Der_Tanz_des_Sturms?hl=zh&id=2217E082F95D5327SH). Over its 32-day run it reached first place at some point on the Guduo drama chart, Maoyan all-network heat chart, Yunhe effective-play market-share chart, Vlinkage web-drama index, and Youku's urban-romance heat chart. Within two weeks of launch it took the iQiyi-Maoyan web-drama heat crown five times, with heat above 6,000, and it topped the iQiyi web-drama chart for 7 days while staying in the top three otherwise[5](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_12862351). It made five appearances on the main hot-search list and sixteen on its entertainment chart[5](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_12862351).\n\nBaidu data put the male share of the audience at 57%, consistent with the show's male-oriented mix of fights, car crashes, and explosions rather than romance as the main draw[5](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_12862351). When Ren Dahua's character Mou Chuan was written out, the hashtag #风暴舞意难平# approached nine million reads[5](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_12862351).\n\n## Reception\n\nResponse was divided. Some viewers praised its TVB-style crime procedural feel and film-like cinematography; others criticized its dramatic logic, narrative pacing, and the lead actors' performances. Commentators described the show as caught in a debate over what a good contemporary spy drama should be, given that the genre's canonical models, such as *Lurk* and *Kite*, are period pieces[10](https://k.sina.cn/article_3970126254_eca351ae02700w0qb.html).\n\nA Pengpai News review argued that the fictionalized setting and the three-year delay between completion and broadcast hurt the show: the dubbing did not match the actors' lip movements in places, and the plot's treatment of information security felt taken for granted, so the fight scenes, though intense, did not generate real tension. The same review stressed that the drama was genuinely well funded and carefully made, and that its ambition and execution simply diverged[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E9%A3%8E%E6%9A%B4%E8%88%9E%E3%80%8B/22173901?fromModule=lemma_inlink).\n\nA review in the Wenhui Bao literary supplement, written by an associate researcher at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, criticized the drama for treating the urban-spy genre as a vehicle for romance and spectacle rather than for national-security education, arguing that unlike the earlier contemporary spy drama *Storm's Eye*, it did not make viewers feel that security threats are nearby, and that this forfeited the genre's social function[12](https://dzb.whb.cn/imgPath/2021-06-02/90602.pdf).\n\nMainstream outlets were more positive. The overseas edition of *People's Daily* highlighted the drama's focus on modern information security and its ensemble of young agents as a way of drawing audiences to an unfamiliar subject[2](https://paper.people.com.cn/hwbwap/html/2021-06/02/content_3051626.htm), and Guangming Online praised it for widening the boundaries of the genre with its network-security and high-tech-crime backdrop[13](https://m.yunnan.cn/system/2021/05/07/031435546.shtml).\n\n## Legacy\n\nAs the first Chinese drama built explicitly around the urban-spy formula, *The Dance of the Storm* served as a test case for the genre. Industry commentary after its run framed its innovations, a fictional city setting, an underdog agent hero raised in an orphanage rather than a police academy, and a blend of American-style action with local content, as a usable map of both the successes and the pitfalls of the \"Chinese-style agent drama,\" particularly the need to balance realism with spectacle under censorship constraints[5](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_12862351). Ciwen Media's 2021 business report listed a spin-off network film, *Storm Dance: The Game Changer*, in post-production for iQiyi[7](https://pdf.dfcfw.com/pdf/H2_AN202104281488433377_1.pdf?1619639507000.pdf=).\n\n## References\n\n1. [风暴舞, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E9%A3%8E%E6%9A%B4%E8%88%9E%E3%80%8B/22173901?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n2. [电视剧《风暴舞》热播, 人民日报海外版 (2021-06-02)](https://paper.people.com.cn/hwbwap/html/2021-06/02/content_3051626.htm)\n3. [《风暴舞》, Google Play TV listing](https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Der_Tanz_des_Sturms?hl=zh&id=2217E082F95D5327SH)\n4. [国产都市谍战剧，还有空间吗？, 新加坡新闻 (2021-05-08)](https://xinjiapo.news/index.php/news/329567)\n5. [《风暴舞》播放热度领跑，现代谍战异军突起？, 澎湃新闻·湃客 (2021-05-27)](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_12862351)\n6. [《风暴舞》完满杀青 陈伟霆娜扎身陷惊天阴谋, 人民网 (2018-10-08)](https://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2018/1008/c233223-30328342.html)\n7. [慈文传媒监事会工作报告 (2021)](https://pdf.dfcfw.com/pdf/H2_AN202104281488433377_1.pdf?1619639507000.pdf=)\n8. [风暴舞, 爱奇艺剧集页](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_19rrgxcnd1.html)\n9. [多线并行，环环相扣，新型都市谍战剧《风暴舞》是真的\"全程高能\", 搜狐 (2021)](https://m.sohu.com/a/468110133_603687/)\n10. [总制片人高峰：《风暴舞》\"架空\"吗？\"架空\"就对了, 新浪娱乐/影视独舌 (2021-05-16)](https://k.sina.cn/article_3970126254_eca351ae02700w0qb.html)\n11. [为了拍出好故事，主创亮出三\"大\"王牌！, 搜狐 (2018)](https://www.sohu.com/a/231054662_613537)\n12. [评当代都市谍战剧《风暴舞》, 文汇报文艺百家 (2021-06-02)](https://dzb.whb.cn/imgPath/2021-06-02/90602.pdf)\n13. [热血信息战讲述硬核青春故事, 光明网-文艺评论频道 (2021-05-07)](https://m.yunnan.cn/system/2021/05/07/031435546.shtml)\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 Cr to In*\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/the-dance-of-the-storm", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-dance-of-the-storm.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": "\"The Dance of the Storm (风暴舞)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-dance-of-the-storm. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[The Dance of the Storm (风暴舞)](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-dance-of-the-storm)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/the-dance-of-the-storm](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-dance-of-the-storm). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"The Dance of the Storm (风暴舞)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-dance-of-the-storm. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "The Dance of the Storm is a 2021 Chinese urban spy drama directed by Liu Xin, starring William Chan and Gulnazar as Moshi agents defending the VX3 security device; filmed 2018, aired on iQiyi, Tencent, Youku." }