# Guardian (镇魂)
**Guardian** (镇魂; English title *Guardian*) is a 2018 Chinese urban fantasy web drama starring Bai Yu (白宇) and Zhu Yilong (朱一龙), adapted from the danmei novel *Zhen Hun* by the writer Priest. It streamed exclusively on Youku in 40 episodes from 13 June to 25 July 2018 and became an unexpected hit despite a modest production budget, launching both lead actors to widespread fame.[1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Guardian) • [2](https://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0629/c1012-30096114.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Native / English title | 镇魂 (Zhen Hun) / Guardian |
| Format | 40 episodes, about 45 minutes each; fantasy, mystery, supernatural genres |
| Broadcast | Youku, exclusive; 13 June 2018 to 25 July 2018 |
| Source novel | *Zhen Hun* by Priest, serialized on Jinjiang from 28 November 2012 to 7 March 2013, extras finished 1 April 2013 |
| Leads | Bai Yu as Zhao Yunlan; Zhu Yilong as Shen Wei, the Black-Cloaked Envoy, and Ye Zun |
| Viewership | About 2.7 billion views by the 25 July finale per Chinese press; more than 1.8 billion on Youku by end of July per Channel News Asia |
| Censorship history | Removed from Youku on 2 August 2018 without a stated reason; restored 10 November 2018 with cuts |
| Awards | 2019 Golden Bud Festival, Most Popular Web Series |
## Spoilers
### Premise
In the drama's setting, ten thousand years of peace between two worlds has frayed. Humans, Sea Stars (海星人), and the subterranean Dixingians (地星人) coexist after a prehistoric war, but Dixingians with special powers keep escaping to the surface, and the missing four sacred artifacts that anchored the truce are weakening. The Special Investigation Agency (特别调查处)， headed by Zhao Yunlan, is charged with capturing these fugitives and returning them to Dixing.[3](https://so.youku.com/search/q_%E9%95%87%E9%AD%82?searchfrom=5)
A seemingly ordinary biology professor at Dragon City University, Shen Wei, enters the investigation and is revealed to be the Black-Cloaked Envoy (黑袍使)， the guardian of Dixing who has kept a promise made to the vanished leader Kunlun since the ancient war. As the cases unwind, the origins of Zhao Yunlan's own identity and [Shen Wei](https://www.edgepedia.org/shen-wei)'s connection to the mastermind behind the artifact thefts come to light.[3](https://so.youku.com/search/q_%E9%95%87%E9%AD%82?searchfrom=5) • [1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Guardian)
### Cast and characters
**Bai Yu** plays Zhao Yunlan (赵云澜)， the irreverent but sharp head of the Special Investigation Agency. **Zhu Yilong** plays Shen Wei (沈巍) and, in one role, three identities: the professor, the Black-Cloaked Envoy, and the antagonist Ye Zun (夜尊)， which The Paper noted set a personal record for the actor. Zhu Yilong designed widely praised character details, including the sleeve garters and the habit of picking at book pages, and read the original novel before shooting.[4](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2222022) • [1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Guardian)
The supporting Special Investigation Agency cast includes Xin Peng (辛鹏) as Guo Changcheng, Li Yan (李砚) as Da Qing, and Jiang Ming Yang (江明洋) as Chu Shuzhi.[1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Guardian)
## Adaptation and censorship
The source novel is an explicit danmei (male-male romance) work rooted in [Chinese mythology](https://www.edgepedia.org/chinese-mythology), including references to the *Shan Hai Jing*, with the four sacred artifacts (the Samsara sundial, the Mountain-and-River awl, the Merit brush, and related relics) as its main thread.[5](https://book.douban.com/subject/33456675/) • [6](https://www.sohu.com/a/238523645_436725) Chinese censorship rules prohibit depiction of gay relationships, so the drama replaced the novel's ghosts and gods with a science-fiction setup of Sea Star people, Dixing people, and sub-beast tribes, and recast the two leads' relationship as brotherhood.[2](https://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0629/c1012-30096114.html) • [7](https://m.jiemian.com/article/2357199.html) • [8](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/today/voices/know-guardians-lucrative-chinese-galaxy-5549011)
The changes drew sustained criticism from original-novel fans. At the finale, the fan community's reaction was summed up in the phrase "all ghosts weep together" (万鬼同哭)， and Bai Yu acknowledged the production's shortcomings in a farewell post; fans also mailed blades to the screenwriters as a gesture of complaint.[9](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2018-07-28/doc-ihfxsxzf7851004.shtml) • [10](https://ent.ifeng.com/c/7etGiSGqgu5) • [11](https://www.jiemian.com/article/2346742.html) A fan-run English guide to the novel notes that the drama changes the plot and ending substantially enough that the original author has emphasized it is effectively a different story.[12](https://readguardian.carrd.co/)
## Reception
**Viewership built rapidly.** The drama passed 100 million views within four days of launch despite special effects that industry commentary described as rough compared with other productions, and it finished on 25 July with about 2.7 billion cumulative views and 12.5 billion microblog topic reads, per the Beijing News. The ifeng/Graydog report puts the final total at 2.8 billion views and 110.4 billion cumulative microblog reads with 16.744 million discussions. Channel News Asia, working from Youku's own platform, reported more than 1.8 billion views by the end of July; the figures are not directly reconcilable and appear to use different counting methods.[13](https://img.shangyexinzhi.com/xztest-file/article/e9f91a1b1994d7884824adb2e6ce1305.pdf) • [14](https://m.bjnews.com.cn/detail/154191794714710.html) • [10](https://ent.ifeng.com/c/7etGiSGqgu5) • [8](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/today/voices/know-guardians-lucrative-chinese-galaxy-5549011)
The fan community that formed around the show, the "Guardian girls" (镇魂女孩， also jokingly called 镇魂女鬼， "Guardian ghosts"), generated memes, GIFs, edits, and fan art at a volume that press coverage credited with driving the show's visibility and its leads' rise; during the run, Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu reached second and third on Weibo's mainland celebrity power ranking, and Vlinkage's monthly new-media index placed Zhu Yilong first and Bai Yu fifth.[6](https://www.sohu.com/a/238523645_436725) • [15](https://www.jiemian.com/article/2339638.html) Youku's drama center general manager Ma Xiaonan cited the show as an example of turning a mid-sized IP into a hit through development and marketing.[10](https://ent.ifeng.com/c/7etGiSGqgu5)
Industry analysis credited the success to the choice of IP, both actors' performances, and the pair's on-screen chemistry rather than production values, and described the show as having shown the market a workable model for adapting danmei novels, a path followed by *The Untamed* in 2019.[13](https://img.shangyexinzhi.com/xztest-file/article/e9f91a1b1994d7884824adb2e6ce1305.pdf)
## Removal and reinstatement
On 2 August 2018, eight days after the finale, Youku removed the completed series without a stated reason; unverified reports attributed the removal to promoting feudal superstition, exaggerating society's dark side, and graphic violence. On 9 August, Weibo blocked searches for the title and banned the topic in its Super Topic feature, lifting the block on 18 August. Even the similarly titled comic *Rakshasa Street* (镇魂街) was caught up in the search ban.[14](https://m.bjnews.com.cn/detail/154191794714710.html) • [7](https://m.jiemian.com/article/2357199.html) • [16](https://bafybeichypzjch6uuo5pe6btkctcusdwvp77xidgbh5kc2ipowvuaexhiq.eth.sucks/wiki/%E9%95%87%E9%AD%82_%28%E7%BD%91%E7%BB%9C%E5%89%A7%29)
The series returned to Youku on 10 November 2018 after three months. Viewers reported that the restored version cut some of the lead pair's scenes and classic moments and reduced the danmu (bullet comments).[14](https://m.bjnews.com.cn/detail/154191794714710.html) • [17](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2018-11-10/doc-ihmutuea8881563.shtml)
## Awards and later releases
The drama won Most Popular Web Series at the 2019 Golden Bud, the Third Network Film and Television Festival, and Zhu Yilong collected multiple acting honors for the role, including Most Popular Actor and Best Actor at the 2019 Golden Spider Academic Awards and Charismatic Young Actor at the 2018 China TV Drama Awards. The soundtrack song "Flight of Time" won Most Popular Soundtrack at the 2018 Q China Music Awards, where Bai Yu and Zhu Yilong were named Most Popular Crossover Singers.[1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Guardian)
A South Korean broadcast followed on China TV from 3 November 2018, and a separate 2021 series also titled *Guardian* is listed as a related work. International streaming has been unstable: episodes were removed from Viki and YouTube in June 2022, though the series remains purchasable on some platforms.[18](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E9%95%87%E9%AD%82%E3%80%8B/20202521?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Guardian) • [12](https://readguardian.carrd.co/) • [19](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/guardian)
## References
1. [Guardian, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Guardian)
2. [白宇朱一龙演技获赞 你是刷屏打call的"镇魂女孩"吗？, 人民网](https://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0629/c1012-30096114.html)
3. [镇魂 search page, Youku](https://so.youku.com/search/q_%E9%95%87%E9%AD%82?searchfrom=5)
4. [专访｜朱一龙：我拍戏还没拍明白呢，说其他的都还早, 澎湃新闻](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2222022)
5. [镇魂 (Priest), 豆瓣读书](https://book.douban.com/subject/33456675/)
6. [《镇魂》爆红背后，全男性核心团队用什么撬动了"镇魂女孩"的心？, 搜狐/骨朵传媒](https://www.sohu.com/a/238523645_436725)
7. [网剧《镇魂》被下架 消息称或因宣传封建迷信, 界面新闻](https://m.jiemian.com/article/2357199.html)
8. [Know the guardians of the lucrative Chinese galaxy, CNA](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/today/voices/know-guardians-lucrative-chinese-galaxy-5549011)
9. [专访白宇：做喜欢的工作又能赚钱 我很满足了, 新浪娱乐](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2018-07-28/doc-ihfxsxzf7851004.shtml)
10. [镇魂之夏！流量已逝，中小IP成超级剧集"爆圈"利器丨专访, 凤凰网/骨朵网络影视](https://ent.ifeng.com/c/7etGiSGqgu5)
11. [热播剧《镇魂》收官，它的成功模式可能被复制吗？, 界面新闻](https://www.jiemian.com/article/2346742.html)
12. [镇魂 by Priest fan resource](https://readguardian.carrd.co/)
13. [2018年《镇魂》市场分析 (商业新知 PDF)](https://img.shangyexinzhi.com/xztest-file/article/e9f91a1b1994d7884824adb2e6ce1305.pdf)
14. [《镇魂》时隔3个月重新上架，剧情有删减, 新京报](https://m.bjnews.com.cn/detail/154191794714710.html)
15. [《媚者无疆》《镇魂》等连获原著粉买单，这些IP剧做对了什么？, 界面新闻](https://www.jiemian.com/article/2339638.html)
16. [镇魂 (网络剧) wiki mirror](https://bafybeichypzjch6uuo5pe6btkctcusdwvp77xidgbh5kc2ipowvuaexhiq.eth.sucks/wiki/%E9%95%87%E9%AD%82_%28%E7%BD%91%E7%BB%9C%E5%89%A7%29)
17. [镇魂女孩过年了！网剧《镇魂》重新上架, 新浪娱乐](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2018-11-10/doc-ihmutuea8881563.shtml)
18. [镇魂（2018年白宇、朱一龙主演的奇幻悬疑电视剧）_百度百科](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E9%95%87%E9%AD%82%E3%80%8B/20202521?fromModule=lemma_inlink)
19. [Guardian (2018), JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/guardian)
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*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*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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