The Golden Eyes

The Golden Eyes () is a 2019 Chinese Adventure-Fantasy television series starring Lay Zhang, Wang Zixuan and Wang Yuexin. The television series is based on the novel of the same name in Mandarin (Chinese: 黄金瞳) written by Chinese author Dayan. It was aired on iQiyi from February 26, 2019 until April 12, 2019.
Synopsis.
It is said that only individuals with the "spirit language" (言灵 in Chinese and Kotodama in Japanese) can possess a pair of Golden Eyes. Zhuang Rui (Lay Zhang) is a simple pawnshop worker when his life was changed forever by a new set of eyes after an accident. When Zhuang Rui's upgrade leads to special magical powers that let him see through everything, he decides to use them to get rich by joining auctions for gemstones and betting on precious antiques. Meanwhile, undercover police officer Miao Feifei (Wang Zixuan), who is suspicious of his actions, decides to tag along for further investigation. With his newly founded squad, Zhuang Rui searches for the secrets and mysteries behind the Golden Eyes, where he finds out that being bestowed with the magical gift leads to numerous consequences and an eventual death.
Production.
This drama series shares the same production team with Lay Zhang's previous 2016 television series, "The Mystic Nine". Chief director, Ling Nan, has previously directed "" while the production team includes "Daomu Biji" writer cum screenwriter of "The Mystic Nine", Xu Lei and the producers of "The Mystic Nine", Bai Yicong and Zhang Yuanang. This television series would be the producing team and Lay's second collaboration. The novel saw a digital sales of over 30 million downloads online.
Casting.
A pre-release press conference was held on September 17, 2017 at the Phoenix International Media Center, Beijing where Lay Zhang was announced to be the male lead for the series. Posters for the television series were also unveiled during the pre-release press conference. The casting of the female lead became a trending topic for discussion on Sina Weibo soon after.
Lay Zhang officially signed the contract for the television series on stage with the director and producers of "The Golden Eyes" during his album premiere "2017 Lay Zhang Showcase" for his studio album "Lay 02 Sheep" which was held at the Beijing National Aquatics Center on October 12.
Filming.
Principal photography started with an opening ceremony on January 12, 2018 at Huairou District, Beijing. Filming also took place in Ukraine from March 10 to March 17 and subsequently in Yunnan, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. The cast crew sourced for locations four months ahead of filming and went through much trouble transporting equipment to remote locations due to harsh terrain. Filming for all 60 episodes took a total of 150 days.