The first episode of China’s TV drama about efforts to thwart government corruption has aired across the country, and many who saw it have noted similarities to real life.

“In the Name of the People” features fictional anti-graft investigators going after corrupt government officials regardless of rank.

Viewers who caught the first episode said they were reminded of Wei Pengyuan, a former senior energy official caught hiding 200 million yuan (29 million US dollars) in his home.

Wei was later found guilty of taking bribes and given a suspended death sentence in October. 

About 350 million people have watched the show online, and feedback has been positive. 

Actor Lu Yi, who plays the show’s lead actor, promoted the drama on social network Weibo on the day of its premier. His message received tens of thousands of “likes” in a sign of its broad appeal. 

There are no formal regulations against tackling the issue of corruption in TV dramas. But the government issued a recommendation in 2004 urging studios to avoid the topic “to protect teenagers.”   

President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign opened the floodgates to such hard-hitting content. 

The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television authorizes at least two films and two television shows on corruption each year. Last October, a television series called "Always on the Road" showed corrupt government officials making confessions. Recent hit film "Mr. Six", a crime drama, drew praise from China’s anti-corruption agency for including anti-corruption themes and displaying “sensitivity to the country’s policies.”