LayarHijau – The Chinese drama Pursuit of Jade (逐玉), starring Zhang Linghe and Tian Xiwei, has come under intense discussion after all of its episodes were leaked and widely circulated on illegal websites in China during its ongoing broadcast.
On March 20, the drama was still airing normally and gaining strong attention from viewers. However, on March 21, when episode 30 was released, audiences were shocked to find that the complete 40-episode version—including the ending—had already been uploaded and shared illegally online.
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The leak quickly spread on a large scale. The pirated version contains all episodes, far ahead of the official release, which had only reached episode 30 at the time. This situation has raised serious concerns about copyright protection within the digital entertainment industry.
What makes the case even more sensitive is that the leaked version reportedly carries platform watermarks, leading to speculation that the source of the leak may have come from an internal stage, possibly during the review process. Pursuit of Jade is officially distributed on Tencent Video and iQIYI.
Beyond piracy, viewers have also noticed significant differences between the official broadcast and the leaked version. After comparisons, more than 10 key scenes were found to be missing from the official release, including major fight sequences, emotional turning points, and supporting character arcs. As a result, the official version has been criticized for abrupt storytelling and unclear character motivations.
The controversy has sparked widespread discussion among fans, particularly regarding content editing and copyright protection.
On March 22, the drama’s official account released a firm statement addressing the incident. The production team stated that they will thoroughly investigate the source of the leak and take strict action against those involved. They also emphasized that they reserve the right to pursue legal action, including criminal charges and compensation for damages. Viewers are urged to support official platforms and refrain from sharing illegal content.
From a legal perspective, entertainment lawyer Li Zhenwu explained that uploading or sharing pirated content links constitutes a direct infringement of the right of information network dissemination. If such actions are conducted for profit and reach a serious level, offenders may be charged under Article 217 of China’s Criminal Law for copyright infringement, facing penalties ranging from three to ten years in prison along with fines.
This incident has drawn comparisons to the large-scale leak of the hit 2019 drama Joy of Life, which also triggered major industry concern at the time.
