{
  "id": "flying-apsaras-awards",
  "title": "Flying Apsaras Awards",
  "lang": "en",
  "source_lang": "en",
  "summary": "China's state-run awards for excellence in television drama, first held in 1981 and held biennially since 2005, with a trophy modelled on the Apsaras of Dunhuang.",
  "category": "arts",
  "subcategory": "film-theatre",
  "type": "event",
  "aliases": [
    "Feitian Awards",
    "Feitian Award",
    "China TV Drama Flying Apsaras Awards",
    "中国电视剧飞天奖"
  ],
  "generated_at": "2026-10-16",
  "model": "pro/claude-haiku-5-5",
  "url": "https://aiwiki.page/en/flying-apsaras-awards/",
  "translations": {
    "zh-Hans": {
      "url": "https://aiwiki.page/zh/flying-apsaras-awards/",
      "json": "https://aiwiki.page/zh/flying-apsaras-awards.json"
    }
  },
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "",
      "text": "The Flying Apsaras Awards (Chinese: 中国电视剧飞天奖, pinyin: Zhōngguó Diànshìjù Fēi Tiān Jiǎng) are the principal state-run awards for television drama in mainland China. Usually called the Feitian Awards, the ceremony honours outstanding television series and the individuals who make them. It is the longest-running television award in China and is generally regarded as the industry's highest government honour. Since 2005 it has been held every two years, alternating with the China TV Golden Eagle Award."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Name and emblem",
      "text": "The award takes its name from the apsaras (飞天, \"flying apsaras\"), celestial musicians and dancers in Buddhist art. The trophy's design is based on flying apsaras depicted in the cave murals of the Mogao Caves near Dunhuang in Gansu. The name was adopted in 1983, when the award was still an annual selection. It was formally changed to the \"China TV Drama Flying Apsaras Awards\" in 1992."
    },
    {
      "heading": "History",
      "text": "Accounts of the founding date differ. Chinese reference sources generally say the award was created in 1980 and first held in 1981, originally under the name \"National Excellent TV Drama Award\" (全国优秀电视剧奖). According to Chinese sources, the first selection was held in April 1981 at a national television programme conference in Beijing. It reviewed works broadcast on China Central Television between January 1980 and March 1981, and 28 dramas were honoured. English-language sources instead say the awards were first presented in 1981 by the Ministry of Culture. The event was later taken over by the state broadcasting regulator and the film and arts committee.\n\nSeveral changes shaped the award's structure in the following decades:\n\n- 1980s: Individual awards for lead actors and actresses were added in 1984. Some sources say supporting-actor awards were dropped from the 18th edition, while others place their removal in 1998, so the exact year should be checked against the official records.\n- 1989: The ninth edition was held jointly with the Starlight Awards (星光奖) for television variety in Taiyuan, a practice that continued in later years.\n- 1993 onward: Individual awards for directors, screenwriters, cinematographers and composers were introduced.\n- 2003: The 22nd and 23rd editions were presented together, and most technical awards were discontinued.\n- 2005: The award was brought into the national \"China Broadcasting and Television Awards\" system and became biennial. The 25th edition streamlined the categories into a smaller set of prizes for actors, directors, screenwriters and different drama formats.\n- 2009: The 27th edition created a special award for contributions over the previous sixty years.\n- 2022 onward: Prizes were reorganised by genre. The 33rd edition was presented in November 2022, with sixteen works given the Outstanding TV Drama award.\n- 2024: The 34th edition, held in Xiamen in September, included online drama for the first time.\n\nFor the 35th edition, the eligibility window covered dramas and online dramas premiered between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2025 on CCTV, provincial satellite channels and major national video platforms. The award slots were fixed at twenty: sixteen Outstanding TV Drama awards and one each for director, screenwriter, actor and actress. Nominees for the 35th edition, 48 in total, were announced at a press conference in Beijing and later in Yantai, Shandong, on 9 October 2026. The ceremony is co-hosted by the National Radio and Television Administration and the Shandong provincial government."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Organisation and governance",
      "text": "The awards are sponsored by the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA), which has also been known by earlier names including the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television. They are run by the China Television Artists Association, which is also linked to the Motion Picture and Arts Committee of China. Because the awards are issued by a government body, they are often described in Chinese sources as a \"government award\", intended to recognise works that combine ideological and artistic achievement. Commentators sometimes contrast this official character with commercial and audience-based awards."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Categories",
      "text": "The award has changed categories several times, so the list below describes the general pattern rather than every edition.\n\n- Drama categories: Historically, the main drama awards were grouped by first, second and third prizes. After 2005 they were replaced by genre-based categories, such as historical series, modern series, and series based on major events. At the 30th edition, for example, the historical and modern drama categories were separate, alongside a category for series based on significant events.\n- Individual awards: Outstanding Director, Outstanding Screenwriter, Outstanding Actor and Outstanding Actress are the principal individual prizes. Since the 2020s, actors and actresses have only been eligible if their drama is among the outstanding dramas selected in the first round.\n- Special awards: The awards have also included lifetime and commemorative honours."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Notable editions",
      "text": "At the 30th edition, held in Hangzhou, the television series All Quiet in Peking won four awards, the most of the night, including outstanding director, writer, actor and the award for series based on significant events. Romance of Our Parents won three awards, including outstanding director and outstanding actress. At the 31st edition, Feather Flies to the Sky and Heroes of Defense were among the works that received several awards.\n\nAt the 34th edition, A Lifelong Journey won awards for outstanding director and outstanding actor, Lei Jiayin being the actor honoured. Reports from early October 2026 describe Wang Renjun and Song Jia as winners of the outstanding actor and actress awards at the 35th edition. The official Chinadaily report from 10 October 2026, however, describes the nominations as having been unveiled on 9 October. Readers should check the official list for the final outcomes."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Relationship to other awards",
      "text": "The Flying Apsaras Awards are one of the major Chinese television honours alongside the China TV Golden Eagle Award and the Magnolia Awards (白玉兰奖) for Shanghai-produced work. The Golden Eagle Award is held in alternate years, so each year usually has one of the two main drama awards. The Starlight Awards for television variety share ceremonies with the Flying Apsaras Awards on several occasions."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Cultural and artistic context",
      "text": "The name and emblem link the awards to Buddhist art, and the Dunhuang murals are an important part of China's cultural heritage. The award itself is closely related to the wider cinema and television awards system in China, including the Golden Rooster Awards for films. As with other national awards, debate continues about how far official endorsement, box-office results, ratings and audience reception should determine the most prestigious honours."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    "dunhuang"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Flying Apsaras Awards",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Apsaras_Awards"
    },
    {
      "title": "Flying Apsaras Award（A television drama award established by China's National Radio and Television Administration in 1980.）_Baiduwiki",
      "url": "https://baike.baidu.com/en/item/Flying%20Apsaras%20Award/669273"
    },
    {
      "title": "Flying Apsaras Award for Outstanding Actor",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Apsaras_Award_for_Outstanding_Actor"
    },
    {
      "title": "Flying Apsaras Award for Outstanding Actress",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Apsaras_Award_for_Outstanding_Actress"
    },
    {
      "title": "30th Flying Apsaras Awards",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30th_Flying_Apsaras_Awards"
    },
    {
      "title": "31st Flying Apsaras Awards",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/31st_Flying_Apsaras_Awards"
    },
    {
      "title": "List of Asian television awards",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Asian_television_awards"
    },
    {
      "title": "中国电视剧飞天奖 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书",
      "url": "https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hans/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E7%94%B5%E8%A7%86%E5%89%A7%E9%A3%9E%E5%A4%A9%E5%A5%96"
    },
    {
      "title": "中國電視劇飛天獎 - 維基百科，自由的百科全書",
      "url": "https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hant/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E7%94%B5%E8%A7%86%E5%89%A7%E9%A3%9E%E5%A4%A9%E5%A5%96"
    },
    {
      "title": "中国电视剧飞天奖优秀男演员 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书",
      "url": "https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hans/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E7%94%B5%E8%A7%86%E5%89%A7%E9%A3%9E%E5%A4%A9%E5%A5%96%E4%BC%98%E7%A7%80%E7%94%B7%E6%BC%94%E5%91%98"
    },
    {
      "title": "中国电视剧飞天奖_百度百科",
      "url": "https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E7%94%B5%E8%A7%86%E5%89%A7%E9%A3%9E%E5%A4%A9%E5%A5%96/9891367"
    },
    {
      "title": "第1届中国电视剧飞天奖_百度百科",
      "url": "https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%AC%AC1%E5%B1%8A%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E7%94%B5%E8%A7%86%E5%89%A7%E9%A3%9E%E5%A4%A9%E5%A5%96/881962"
    },
    {
      "title": "奖项简介：中国电视剧飞天奖-搜狐娱乐",
      "url": "http://yule.sohu.com/20090522/n264116747.shtml"
    },
    {
      "title": "2026最新中国电视剧三大奖：飞天、金鹰、白玉兰全面解析 - 今日头条",
      "url": "https://www.toutiao.com/article/7657628148594524713/"
    },
    {
      "title": "Top TV awards will unveil nominees in Shandong - Chinadaily.com.cn",
      "url": "https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202610/10/WS6ac9e662e4b06d4aa056216a.html"
    }
  ],
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}