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| Republican-Era Spy Drama “Enter the Game” Kicks Off Filming with Song Zuer and Guo Qilin (Photo: Weibo) |
iQIYI has officially lifted the curtain on its new Republican-era spy series “Enter the Game (入局)”, starring Song Zuer, Guo Qilin, and Wang Herun.
The production confirmed its main cast and began filming on 20 October 2025, with the first concept poster dropping the same day.
Comedy favourite Guo Qilin steps into serious territory for the first time, playing Ding Xiaohe, a secretary under the puppet government in 1942 Shanghai.
Outwardly slick yet morally conflicted, his journey charts a transformation from survival to self-belief — breaking away from his usual comedic persona.
Meanwhile, Song Zuer sheds her well-known “sweet costume drama” image to portray Xiao Qing, a dual-identity character who poses as a street-smart journalist but is actually a Communist underground agent.
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Her sharp instincts and quiet bravery make her a driving force in the story.
Directed by Yi Zheng and written by Wang Xiaoqiang and Liu Jinfei, Enter the Game explores the turbulent “isolated island era” of wartime Shanghai.
The plot follows Ding Xiaohe as he gets caught between rival powers and discovers that his sister Xiao Qing’s political connections run far deeper than he imagined.
Forced into the shadowy world of intelligence at the infamous No. 76 Secret Service headquarters, he witnesses corruption, betrayal, and manipulation — experiences that slowly awaken his conscience and lead him to embrace a higher ideal.
Producers revealed that Enter the Game will mix political intrigue, workplace drama, crime, mystery, and even black humour — aiming to create a realistic, emotionally grounded spy story rather than a purely stylised thriller.
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The show focuses on personal growth, moral choices, and how individuals maintain belief amid chaos.
The series aspires to connect the audience to the emotional pulse of 1940s China — a world of blurred loyalties and fragile hope — while offering a fresh angle on the traditional spy genre.
Joining Song Zuer and Guo Qilin are Wang Herun, Chen Minghao, Jia Yiping, Lin Jiacuan, along with veteran actors Liu Jun, Jiao Gang, Jin Shijie, and Wang Yaoqing.
The minimalist concept poster unveiled by iQIYI hints at the show’s central theme — change within order — with stark design and symbolic shadows reflecting the uncertainty of wartime Shanghai.
With Guo Qilin’s transformation from comic charm to serious espionage and Song Zuer’s reinvention as a cunning secret agent, Enter the Game is shaping up to be one of the more ambitious spy dramas in iQIYI’s 2025 lineup.
Fans are already buzzing, calling it a “fresh pairing with real acting challenge” — and judging by the creative team and premise, it might just live up to that hype.