{ "id": "ep4atyanqa", "slug": "the-mystic-nine", "title": "The Mystic Nine (老九门)", "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-iv-to-my", "label": "Titles Iv to My", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-iv-to-my" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-iv-to-my", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020: Titles Iv to My", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-iv-to-my", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.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.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-iv-to-my", "label": "Titles Iv to My", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-iv-to-my" } ] } ], "excerpt": "The Mystic Nine (老九门) is a 2016 Chinese web drama, prequel to The Lost Tomb by Nanpai Sanshu, about nine Changsha tomb-raiding families; 48 episodes, 168 million yuan budget, first web drama over 10 billion views, sequel Jiumen aired 2026.", "snippet": "The Mystic Nine (老九门) is a 2016 Chinese web drama, prequel to The Lost Tomb by Nanpai Sanshu, about nine Changsha tomb-raiding families; 48 episodes, 168 million yuan budget, first web drama over 10 billion views, sequel Jiumen aired 2026.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.east_asian_web_streaming_serials.alpha-iv-to-my", "markdown": "# The Mystic Nine (老九门)\n\n**The Mystic Nine** (老九门) is a 2016 Chinese Republican-era mystery adventure television series adapted from the novel of the same name by the web novelist Nanpai Sanshu (南派三叔, real name Xu Lei), and it serves as a prequel to his *The Lost Tomb* (盗墓笔记) series, telling the origin story of nine tomb-raiding families in old Changsha.[1](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1480538) The 48-episode series starred [William Chan](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-chan) (陈伟霆) as Zhang Qishan, Zhang Yixing (张艺兴) as Er Yuehong, and [Zhao Liying](https://www.edgepedia.org/zhao-liying) (赵丽颖) as Yin Xinyue, and it became the first Chinese self-produced web drama whose online play count exceeded 10 billion.[2](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%80%81%E4%B9%9D%E9%97%A8/18770499) • [3](https://ent.cnr.cn/gd/20160928/t20160928_523166466.shtml)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Basis | Prequel to *The Lost Tomb*; the \"Nine Gates\" are nine tomb-raiding families of old Changsha, divided into upper, middle, and lower three gates[1](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1480538) • [4](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%80%81%E4%B9%9D%E9%97%A8/9259377?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |\n| Broadcast | July 4, 2016, on Dragon TV (two episodes Monday and Tuesday at 22:00) and iQiyi, where VIP members saw four episodes early[2](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%80%81%E4%B9%9D%E9%97%A8/18770499) |\n| Production | Jointly directed by Liang Shengquan, He Shupei, and Huang Junwen; Nanpai Sanshu as supervisor; screenwriter Zhang Yuan'ang[2](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%80%81%E4%B9%9D%E9%97%A8/18770499) |\n| Budget | Total investment 168 million yuan; production cost about 65% of the total, over 5 million yuan per episode[1](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1480538) |\n| Viewership record | Online plays passed 10 billion on September 27, 2016, the first self-produced web drama to do so[3](https://ent.cnr.cn/gd/20160928/t20160928_523166466.shtml) |\n| Ratings | Douban 5.6 during its run, later stabilized around 7.0 to 7.2 with more than 162,000 ratings[5](https://www.jiemian.com/article/756169.html) • [6](https://k.sina.cn/article_7879922982_1d5ae15260680ayzlo.html) |\n| Sequel | *Jiumen* (九门), 30 episodes, premiered July 30, 2026 on Youku with William Chan returning as Zhang Qishan[7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%B9%9D%E9%97%A8/64883150?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise\n\nThe series is set in the Republican era, when nine great families guarded Changsha and were known as the \"Nine Gates Protectors\" (九门提督). In 1933, a Japanese military train arrives at Changsha station at night with every passenger dead, and Zhang Qishan, the city's defense officer and head of the Nine Gates, is ordered to investigate. The trail leads to a suspicious mine coveted by the Japanese, and Zhang seeks help from Er Yuehong, an opera star from a tomb-raiding family who has retired to care for his sick wife. Zhang travels north to the New Moon Hotel to obtain medicine, where he meets the hotel's heiress Yin Xinyue; after Er Yuehong's wife dies, he discovers his family's connection to the mine and joins Zhang in uncovering the mystery.[8](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0706/c40606-28527519.html) • [9](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_19rrhbeaxt.html) Other platform synopses frame the story against the July 1937 outbreak of the full-scale Japanese invasion, with Zhang and Er Yuehong forming a friendship and fighting the Japanese together.[10](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_19rrhv9azx.html)\n\nThe producer Bai Yicong drew a distinction with *The Lost Tomb*: in his view, *The Mystic Nine* is strictly speaking not a treasure-hunting story but a code-breaking story, and its pre-1949 setting conveniently avoided the modern convention that excavated relics must be handed to the state.[11](https://www.jiemian.com/article/760385.html) In the original novels the Nine Gates material existed only as fragments scattered through *The Lost Tomb* books, recounted by Wu Xie and Zhang Qiling; there had been no standalone *Mystic Nine* book before the drama, and Nanpai Sanshu began serializing the novel on Weibo in October 2015, reaching over 200 million reads in six chapters by the time filming was announced.[11](https://www.jiemian.com/article/760385.html) • [12](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2015-11-23/doc-ifxkxfvn8960839.shtml)\n\n## Production\n\nThe drama was produced by Ciwen Media, iQiyi, and partners, with Nanpai Sanshu as supervisor and Bai Yicong, who had earned the industry nickname \"number one web-drama producer\" with *Darkener* (2014), as lead producer.[2](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%80%81%E4%B9%9D%E9%97%A8/18770499) • [11](https://www.jiemian.com/article/760385.html) Filming began at Hengdian on November 24, 2015, with a 100-day shoot.[13](https://ent.ifeng.com/c/7e25DyWZxgc) • [12](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2015-11-23/doc-ifxkxfvn8960839.shtml) According to Bai Yicong, the total investment was 168 million yuan, of which about 65% went to production, averaging more than 5 million yuan per episode; the largest single share went to art direction and the production schedule, with actor salaries held to about 35% and special effects a smaller proportion.[1](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1480538) • [14](https://culture.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0722/c22219-28574991.html) The investment followed iQiyi's experience with *The Lost Tomb* (2015), whose premiere drove the platform's paying memberships up by 5 million and generated 2.7 billion views.[1](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1480538)\n\n## Broadcast and reception\n\nThe series premiered on July 4, 2016, simultaneously on Dragon TV and iQiyi, an early example of the \"web first, TV after\" scheduling model.[2](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%80%81%E4%B9%9D%E9%97%A8/18770499) • [15](https://pdf.dfcfw.com/pdf/H3_AP202008251401390777_1.pdf%3F1598381394000.pdf) The premiere broke a 1.0 rating and led its time slot, and within 18 hours of the online launch total plays reached 207 million.[8](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0706/c40606-28527519.html) • [16](https://m.jiemian.com/article/735457_yidian.html) On September 27, 2016, plays passed 10 billion, making it the first self-produced web drama to cross that mark; year-end tallies put its total at about 115 to 119 billion-level views, the highest of 2016.[3](https://ent.cnr.cn/gd/20160928/t20160928_523166466.shtml) • [17](https://pdf.dfcfw.com/pdf/H3_AP201706090636645585_01.pdf) • [18](https://cdn.vidchina.cn/upload/files/55c6019b895a633953a7cabb0bbdf43b.pdf) Weibo topic reads reached 3.24 billion for William Chan and 4.24 billion for Zhang Yixing.[16](https://m.jiemian.com/article/735457_yidian.html)\n\n**Reception was divided.** Critics and viewers complained of slow pacing, uneven special effects despite the large budget, and lead actors whose looks outshone their acting; the Douban score stood at 5.6 during the run.[19](https://culture.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0711/c1013-28541906.html) • [5](https://www.jiemian.com/article/756169.html) Producer Bai Yicong attributed the pacing problems to a compressed post-production schedule forced by the summer release date, and defended the spending, saying the money had genuinely gone into art direction and costumes.[14](https://culture.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0722/c22219-28574991.html) • [20](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0713/c40606-28548900.html) Commentators also noted that as a satellite-TV broadcast the drama faced stricter censorship than the online-only *The Lost Tomb*, which reduced the underground tomb-raiding content viewers expected.[21](https://v3.zjol.com.cn/doc/003/001/389/00300138986_6909f309.pdf) The score later recovered: by 2024 Douban listed 7.0 from about 139,500 raters, and 2026 reports put it at a stable 7.1 to 7.2 from over 162,000.[22](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E8%80%81%E4%B9%9D%E9%97%A8/18770499) • [6](https://k.sina.cn/article_7879922982_1d5ae15260680ayzlo.html) The drama won the Best Online Popularity Award at the 3rd Hengdian Film and TV Festival, placed in the 2016 China Pan-Entertainment Index top-10 web dramas, and was named Drama of the Year at the 2017 iQiyi Scream Night.[2](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%80%81%E4%B9%9D%E9%97%A8/18770499)\n\n## Legacy and sequel\n\nThe Mystic Nine became a reference point for the 2016 web-drama boom, in which top platforms, best-selling web-novel IP, and scarce subject matter converged; retrospective industry commentary describes it as a product of its era that also defined that era.[23](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_33738982) Its characters, particularly Zhang Qishan and Er Yuehong, sustained a large fan-fiction following even before the drama aired, and the \"Nine Gates\" setting of upper, middle, and lower three gates became a fixed part of *The Lost Tomb* universe.[12](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2015-11-23/doc-ifxkxfvn8960839.shtml) • [4](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%80%81%E4%B9%9D%E9%97%A8/9259377?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n\nA direct sequel, *Jiumen* (九门), premiered on Youku on July 30, 2026, nearly ten years later. Directed by Bai Shan with Nanpai Sanshu as chief supervisor and screenwriter, it runs 30 episodes and stars William Chan returning as Zhang Qishan alongside Zeng Shunxi as Wu Laogou and Chen Yao as Huo Xiangu; its story, centered on the disappearance of Zhang's Unit 401, is independent of the first drama's mine plot.[7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%B9%9D%E9%97%A8/64883150?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [24](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_33773925) The sequel broke 10,000 on Youku's heat index within 50 hours, the platform's fastest of 2026, but its reception was polarized, with criticism of heavy advertising in the first episodes and recast roles such as Yin Xinyue and Er Yuehong.[25](https://lmtw.com/mzw/content/detail/id/256944/keyword_id/-1) • [24](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_33773925)\n\n## References\n\n1. [《盗墓笔记》前传也要拍成网剧，200亿商业价值谁赚到了, The Paper (2016)](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1480538)\n2. [老九门（2016年陈伟霆、张艺兴主演的民国悬疑剧）, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%80%81%E4%B9%9D%E9%97%A8/18770499)\n3. [全网首部破百亿自制剧诞生 爱奇艺《老九门》频刷纪录, CNR (2016)](https://ent.cnr.cn/gd/20160928/t20160928_523166466.shtml)\n4. [老九门（南派三叔创作的长篇小说）, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%80%81%E4%B9%9D%E9%97%A8/9259377?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n5. [《老九门》就是拍给颜控看的神剧, Jiemian (2016)](https://www.jiemian.com/article/756169.html)\n6. [《老九门》全阵容官宣续集《九门》定档2026, Sina (2026)](https://k.sina.cn/article_7879922982_1d5ae15260680ayzlo.html)\n7. [九门（2026年柏杉执导的民国冒险剧）, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%B9%9D%E9%97%A8/64883150?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n8. [《老九门》开播陈伟霆圈粉 张艺兴旦角造型被吐槽, People's Daily Culture (2016)](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0706/c40606-28527519.html)\n9. [老九门-电视剧全集, iQiyi](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_19rrhbeaxt.html)\n10. [《老九门》独家精彩内容, iQiyi](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_19rrhv9azx.html)\n11. [专访白一骢：《老九门》是跟南派三叔的一场\"超级IP\"裂变, Jiemian (2016)](https://www.jiemian.com/article/760385.html)\n12. [《老九门》曝主创 揭探秘起源寻十年初心, Sina Entertainment (2015)](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2015-11-23/doc-ifxkxfvn8960839.shtml)\n13. [《老九门》开机南派三叔揭幕 赵丽颖鼎力加盟饰尹新月, ifeng (2015)](https://ent.ifeng.com/c/7e25DyWZxgc)\n14. [《老九门》槽点满满还要追吗 制片人回应, People's Daily Culture (2016)](https://culture.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0722/c22219-28574991.html)\n15. [头豹研究院传媒系列深度研究 (2020)](https://pdf.dfcfw.com/pdf/H3_AP202008251401390777_1.pdf%3F1598381394000.pdf)\n16. [《老九门》：南派三叔戏很多，但一个IP能被稀释多久？, Jiemian (2016)](https://m.jiemian.com/article/735457_yidian.html)\n17. [2016年播放量TOP10自制剧及平台表, 东方财富研报 (2017)](https://pdf.dfcfw.com/pdf/H3_AP201706090636645585_01.pdf)\n18. [中国网络视听节目服务协会报告 (2017)](https://cdn.vidchina.cn/upload/files/55c6019b895a633953a7cabb0bbdf43b.pdf)\n19. [《老九门》收视高惹争议 小鲜肉颜值盖过一切?, People's Daily Culture (2016)](https://culture.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0711/c1013-28541906.html)\n20. [《老九门》再因吐槽成爆款 主创坦然面对网友质疑, People's Daily Media (2016)](https://media.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0713/c40606-28548900.html)\n21. [浙江日报版面文档 (审查与卫视播出)](https://v3.zjol.com.cn/doc/003/001/389/00300138986_6909f309.pdf)\n22. [老九门, Baidu Baike (mobile, 评分数据)](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E8%80%81%E4%B9%9D%E9%97%A8/18770499)\n23. [投资3.6亿，《九门》能否打破续集魔咒？, The Paper (2026)](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_33738982)\n24. [十年经典IP归来，是回忆杀还是毁童年？, The Paper (2026)](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_33773925)\n25. [十年回归的中式悬疑「白月光」, 流媒体网 (2026)](https://lmtw.com/mzw/content/detail/id/256944/keyword_id/-1)\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 Iv to My*\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-mystic-nine", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-mystic-nine.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 Mystic Nine (老九门)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-mystic-nine. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[The Mystic Nine (老九门)](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-mystic-nine)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/the-mystic-nine](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-mystic-nine). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"The Mystic Nine (老九门)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-mystic-nine. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "The Mystic Nine is a 2016 Chinese web drama, prequel to The Lost Tomb by Nanpai Sanshu, about nine Changsha tomb-raiding families; 48 episodes, 168 million yuan budget, first web drama over 10 billion views, sequel Jiumen aired 2026." }