The Longest Day in Chang'an
The Longest Day in Chang'an is a 48-episode Chinese mystery thriller from Youku. It aired from June 27, 2019 to August 12, 2019, and all episodes are out. In the US it streams officially on Viki (free with ads), checked October 25, 2026. It is adapted from a novel by Ma Boyong.
Where to watch The Longest Day in Chang'an
Official services only, checked by hand for your country. Free options come first.
Watching from the US? Did Viki work for you?
Watching from the UK? Did Viki work for you?
Watching from Canada? Did Viki work for you?
Watching from Australia? Did Viki work for you?
We check the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Showing United States.
Is it worth watching?
Final verdict coming soon. It goes up once our editor has seen the ending. How we rate
Thriller fans who liked 24 and want a period setting, dense politics and a huge rebuilt city
What viewers score it
The story, without spoilers
What to Expect
We haven't watched this one. This section is based on published synopses, encyclopedia entries and English and Chinese coverage, and we'll replace it with a verdict once we have one.
This is a thriller first. Almost every episode covers about an hour of the day, and the story moves between Zhang Xiaojing on the streets, Li Bi in the command room, the plotters, and the court officials who would rather the Jing'an Division fail. The scale is large: dozens of named characters, several factions and a lot of Tang-dynasty administration. Coverage of the drama often notes that it rewards close attention and punishes casual viewing.
Pacing. The first part, released as 25 episodes, is the one Chinese and English reviewers praised most. Many describe it as tight, tense and visually stunning. The second part, 23 episodes, shifts from the attack on the city to the politics behind it, and several Chinese critics felt it lost momentum. Some viewers used the word "botched" for the last stretch. Others thought the political turn was the point.
What viewers praised. Lei Jiayin's tired, ruthless, decent Zhang Xiaojing, which won him a Best Actor award at the Busan Asia Contents Awards. The look of the city, from its night markets and lanterns to its ward walls and drum towers. The detail in food, clothing, manners and language, which made the drama a talking point for Tang-dynasty history fans. The opening episodes' tension.
What some viewers disliked. The second half's switch to court politics. A romance between Tan Qi and Zhang Xiaojing that wasn't in the novel and that some viewers found forced. The density of names and titles, which can be hard to follow in subtitles. Some fans of the book disagreed with the drama's choice of mastermind.
Content notes. Expect a lot of violence: sword and crossbow fights, torture, executions and the deaths of many characters, including sympathetic ones. Several scenes involve fire and mass casualties. Nothing is graphic by modern thriller standards.
Reception. It was one of the most-discussed Chinese dramas of 2019. On Douban it holds 8.3 from about 293,000 ratings as of October 2026, down from around 8.5 to 8.6 while it aired. It won Outstanding TV Series at the 30th Golden Eagle Awards and Magnolia Awards for adapted screenplay, cinematography and art direction at the 2020 Shanghai TV Festival.
The Story
It is the Lantern Festival in the year 744, and Chang'an, the capital of the Tang dynasty and the largest city in the world, is about to open its gates for a night of celebration. Intelligence says a group of Turkic fighters, the Wolf Guard, have slipped into the city to launch an attack. Li Bi, the young head of a new security office called the Jing'an Division, has twelve two-hour periods, from morning to the next morning, to stop it. He needs someone who knows the city's underworld, so he pulls Zhang Xiaojing, a former soldier and ex-chief of the city's constables, out of a death-row cell and gives him one day to save the capital. The Longest Day in Chang'an (长安十二时辰) is a 48-episode thriller starring Lei Jiayin and Jackson Yee, released by Youku in 2019. It is based on the novel of the same name by Ma Boyong. Outside China it streams on Viki.
The drama covers those twelve shichen almost in real time, and it is often compared to the American series 24. It spent seven months building a full-scale set of Tang Chang'an's wards and markets, and the production design was one of the most discussed parts of the release.
Release Notes
The Longest Day in Chang'an premiered on Youku on June 27, 2019, and finished on August 12, 2019. It was released in two parts: the first 25 episodes in summer 2019 and the remaining 23 after them. It was directed by Cao Dun, adapted by a writing team credited as Paw Studio, and produced by Youku with several partner companies. The production built a full-scale Tang-dynasty city set for the shoot, and filmed between late 2017 and mid-2018, though sources disagree on the exact dates.
Internationally, it was released in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, and in 2019 Alibaba said it would stream in North America on Viki, Amazon and YouTube. SBS On Demand carried it in Australia from 2020, and it aired on Guangdong TV in China in June 2020. From the US on October 25, 2026, Viki had all 48 episodes free with ads. We haven't checked whether it is still on Prime Video or YouTube.
The opening theme is "Spring Day at the Royal Palace," and the score is by Zhao Liangqi and Liu Xiaoshan. The drama hasn't had a sequel, though more of Ma Boyong's novels have since been adapted for the screen.
Does The Longest Day in Chang'an have a happy ending?
Nothing opens until you ask. The first step shows only the type of ending; the details come after.
Happy, sad or open?Shows only the type of ending, nothing about what happens.Show ending typeHide
We have not finished this one ourselves; this is based on outside sources. The drama changes how the novel ends. Fans disagree about how to read it.
In Brief
Ending spoilerShow the ending in brief
The Longest Day in Chang'an has a bittersweet, partly open ending. Zhang Xiaojing and Li Bi save the city and expose the man behind the plot, who turns out to be someone inside the Jing'an Division. But many people they cared about die along the way. Zhang Xiaojing is pardoned and offered a high post, then leaves Chang'an. Li Bi gives up his career to become a Taoist hermit.
Full Ending Explained
Full spoilersShow the full ending
This account comes from Chinese finale coverage, published synopses and encyclopedia entries, not from watching.
The real plot. The Wolf Guard attack is a cover. The deeper conspiracy targets the emperor himself, through a giant lantern tower built for the festival, which has been rigged to destroy the palace celebration. Long Bo, the man Zhang Xiaojing keeps running into, is a veteran of Zhang's old regiment in the Anxi army, using the name Xiao Gui. Like Zhang, he fought for the empire and came home to find the state had abandoned the survivors. He wants to punish the court. He is not, however, the man behind everything.
The mastermind. The man behind the plot is Xu Bin, the timid Jing'an Division clerk and Zhang Xiaojing's old friend, who invented the office's system of case records. Xu Bin had been passed over for years. He used the National Preceptor, Mao Shun, to rig the lantern tower, and he manipulated Long Bo, the Wolf Guard and even the Crown Prince's faction, planning to step in and save the emperor himself and finally earn recognition. When his plan collapses, he takes the emperor hostage in a tower in the West Market, confesses to Zhang Xiaojing and is killed.
The court. The chancellor Lin Jiulang survives the day, and the Crown Prince's position remains fragile. Several characters turn out to have been working for Lin Jiulang all along. He Zhizheng, Li Bi's mentor, lost his son earlier in the day. The emperor forgives him, and he retires to his hometown.
Zhang Xiaojing. He is pardoned and given a high military post guarding the palace. He chooses to leave instead, and the last we see of him he is setting out for the west.
Li Bi and Tan Qi. Li Bi is offered a powerful position but leaves the court to live as a Taoist in the mountains. Tan Qi stays in the palace close to Taizhen, the emperor's favorite, hoping to influence him and protect the city. Her relationship with Zhang Xiaojing is left unresolved.
Why it's called open. Chinese viewers argued about whether Xu Bin could have done all of it alone, and some believe the drama hints at a more powerful backer it never names. The novel points somewhere else entirely, which feeds that debate.
Change what opens automatically in .
Did you finish it?
Anonymous. One vote per device. We never show a score from these.
Finished The Longest Day in Chang'an? Watch next
Picked by our editors for the same feel. Finished dramas first.
Nirvana in FireAll 54 episodes outBittersweetBittersweetA sickly strategist returns to the capital under a new name to choose the next emperor and clear a destroyed army's name, one quiet move at a time.
VikiVikiVikiViki
Joy of LifeAll 46 episodes outOpen EndingOpen EndingA young man with memories of the modern world grows up in a feudal kingdom and gets pulled into court politics while digging into his mother's past.
VikiVikiVikiViki
Story of Yanxi PalaceAll 70 episodes outBittersweetBittersweetA palace maid enters the Forbidden City to learn what happened to her sister, and fights back against every consort and eunuch in her way.
Prime VideoVikiVikiViki
Cast and characters
The novel behind it
The drama adapts Chang'an Shi'er Shichen (长安十二时辰) by Ma Boyong (马伯庸), one of China's best-known writers of historical fiction. According to coverage in Wenhui Bao, the story began as an answer Ma Boyong wrote on the Q&A site Zhihu, and he serialized the novel on Weibo while writing it before it was published as a two-volume book in January 2017. The book has 24 chapters, each covering half of one shichen, and it includes maps of the city. As far as we know, there is no official English translation.
Differences from the Novel
Ending spoilerShow the differences
- The mastermind. This is the biggest change. In the novel, the evidence points to a different conspirator connected to the court, and the drama's Xu Bin plot is largely the screenwriters' own.
- The romance. The relationship between Zhang Xiaojing and Tan Qi was added for the drama.
- Long Bo. In the novel he dies in front of Zhang Xiaojing. The drama changes how his story ends.
- The length. A novel covering one day was expanded into 48 episodes, which added subplots, especially court politics in the second half.
Novel Ending
Full spoilersShow how the novel ends
Summaries of the novel say it also ends with the city saved and the heroes changed by the day, but with a darker political twist: the plot is tied to the struggle between the Crown Prince's faction and the chancellor, and the conspirator's motive is about removing Lin Jiulang. We haven't read the book, so treat this as secondhand and possibly incomplete.
- Original title
- 长安十二时辰
- Author
- Ma Boyong 马伯庸
- First published
- Other, 2017
- In English
- No official translation that we know of
Words and customs you'll hear
Twelve shichen
The traditional Chinese day was divided into twelve shichen (时辰), each two hours long and named after an animal of the zodiac. The Chinese title means "Chang'an's Twelve Shichen," and the drama counts them on screen. The day runs from the hour of the Snake in the morning to the next morning.
Wards and curfew
Tang-dynasty Chang'an was laid out on a grid of more than a hundred walled wards (fang, 坊), each with its own gates. At night the gates closed and drums signaled a curfew. The Lantern Festival was one of the few nights when the curfew was lifted and crowds filled the streets, which is why the drama's plot unfolds that night.
Constables and the underworld
Zhang Xiaojing was once the buliangshuai (不良帅), the head of the buliangren (不良人), a corps of constables often recruited from people with criminal records. They knew the city's gangs, markets and back alleys, which is what Li Bi needs from him. The Jing'an Division itself is invented for the story.
Real names, changed
Many characters are thinly disguised historical figures. The emperor is Xuanzong, Taizhen is the famous consort Yang Guifei, He Zhizheng echoes the poet He Zhizhang, and Lin Jiulang is based on the chancellor Li Linfu. Cheng Shen echoes the poet Cen Shen. The drama changes their names, which lets it rewrite their stories freely.
The Longest Day in Chang'an FAQ
How many episodes does The Longest Day in Chang'an have?
The Longest Day in Chang'an has 48 episodes of about 45 minutes each, and the drama is complete. It was released in two parts: 25 episodes in the first and 23 in the second. It aired on Youku from June 27 to August 12, 2019, and every episode is available now.
Where can I watch The Longest Day in Chang'an?
Outside China, The Longest Day in Chang'an streams on Viki, which lists all 48 episodes with English subtitles. From the US on October 25, 2026, every episode was free with ads. In 2019 it was also released on Amazon and YouTube in North America, which we haven't rechecked.
Who is the mastermind in The Longest Day in Chang'an?
SpoilerShow the answer
Ending spoilerReveal the mastermind
The mastermind is Xu Bin, the Jing'an Division clerk and Zhang Xiaojing's old friend. He used the lantern tower plot and the Wolf Guard to stage a crisis he planned to solve himself and win recognition. When it fails, he takes the emperor hostage and is killed after confessing.
What happens to Zhang Xiaojing at the end?
SpoilerShow the answer
Minor spoilerReveal Zhang Xiaojing's ending
Zhang Xiaojing survives. After saving the city he is pardoned and offered a high military post guarding the palace, but he turns it down and leaves Chang'an, heading west. His relationship with Tan Qi is left unresolved, which many viewers found frustrating.
What happens to Li Bi at the end?
SpoilerShow the answer
Minor spoilerReveal Li Bi's ending
Li Bi survives too. Though offered a powerful position at court after the crisis, he decides to leave politics behind and becomes a Taoist hermit in the mountains. Tan Qi, his former maid, stays in the palace near the emperor's favorite, hoping to protect the city from the inside.
Is The Longest Day in Chang'an based on a book?
Yes. It's based on the novel of the same name by Ma Boyong, which began as an answer he posted on Zhihu and was published in two volumes in 2017. The drama keeps the setup and many characters but changes the mastermind, adds a romance and expands the court politics.
Is The Longest Day in Chang'an based on history?
Partly. The city, the Lantern Festival, the ward system and many characters are based on Tang-dynasty history around 744, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. Characters like Taizhen and Lin Jiulang are versions of real people. The attack, the Jing'an Division and Zhang Xiaojing are invented.
Is there a season 2 of The Longest Day in Chang'an?
No direct season 2 has been announced. The story covers a single day and ends with the main characters going separate ways. Other adaptations of Ma Boyong's novels and similar Tang-dynasty mysteries have followed, but none continues Zhang Xiaojing and Li Bi's story as far as we know.
Still have a question about The Longest Day in Chang'an?
Ask us anything: an episode, a character, where to watch it. We answer the common ones on this page.
If you liked The Longest Day in Chang'an
More mystery & thriller our editors rate.
