Hidden Corner has rapidly become one of the country’s most discussed and watched shows

Since its release in June, Hidden Corner, which follows those three children in the aftermath of witnessing a murder, has quickly become one of the country’s most discussed and watched shows – a tense crime drama, unexpectedly poignant in its exploration of childhood, family ties and the harsh realities of life for China’s more vulnerable.

Critics call the show, adapted from a novel called Bad Kids by the author Zi Jinchen, a milestone in Chinese television. Made by the online streaming service iQiyi, some have compared it to original series made by Netflix. Fans have raved over its production values, the acting of its young characters and independent music score.

Fans say they are drawn in by the realism of the show in its depiction of broken family ties and neglect, and a range of social backgrounds: a middle-class couple, a high-performing student whose mother must leave him home alone so she can work double shifts at a resort, a retiring police officer and children left behind by the system.

Two of the main characters, a young orphaned girl named Pupu and her friend Yan Liang, have run away from a state children’s home in an attempt to find funds for Pupu’s younger brother, sick with leukaemia. His adoptive parents cannot afford the needed procedure. The two are helped by Zhu Chaoyang, a lonely top student who is bullied at school and suffers from his parent’s divorce.

“In the past, criminal investigation dramas like CSI, if viewed by other audiences, would feel like it is far from their real lives and lacks connection. The Chinese-speaking world wants to have its own criminal investigation drama,” said Ko. “Hidden Corner has opened a door and allowed the Chinese-speaking world to welcome a new genre.”

“All of it it really feels like summer. You are completely immersed,” one fan wrote. Another reviewer said: “Its suspense lies in the psychology of its characters. It is simple and pure yet terrifying, cute but cruel. It does not over complicate but shows human nature, step by step.”