China's fight against corruption is going mainstream, as the Chinese government is set to produce a TV drama series that will highlight its efforts to curb corruption at all levels of the bureaucracy.

The Chinese series, which is patterned after the highly-popular US hit TV show "House of Cards," will be funded by the Supreme People's Procuratorate's Film and Television Center, according to China Daily.

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Titled "In the Name of the People," the new series will include 100 roles and has a budget of 120 million yuan ($18.46 million).

The series has caught the attention of the Chinese public who have not viewed such shows on television since the Central government's media watchdog set limits on the production of these kind of programs in 2004.

According to Zhou Meisen, screenwriter of the upcoming series which demonstrates China's fight against corruption, noted that the anti-graft themed show comes at a time when Chinese viewers are being exposed to an increasing number of commercial programs.

Fan revealed that "In the Name of the People" is the first domestic production to portray a State-level government official as the antagonist, making the show a hot topic among Chinese viewers.

"Audiences will not see the face of the 'tiger', or State-level official, but only hear his voice," Fan said.

Actors Lu Yi and Zhang Fengyi are the lead actors in the highly-anticipated series, which is now in the post-production phase and will start airing later this year.

Fan stressed that the series is being produced to reflect the China government's determined efforts to fight corruption since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in late 2012.

Over the past three years, the Central government's anti-corruption efforts has led to the downfall of a number of Chinese officials at the provincial or ministerial level, including Zhou Yongkang, the former security chief.

Zhou was sentenced to life in prison in June of last year due to graft, abuse of power and disclosing State secrets.

During a speech in Seattle, President Xi Jinping "cited House of Cards," explaining that China's anti- corruption drive is based on the government and people's desire to fight graft, and does not merely depict the struggle for power in government, as depicted in the US series.

Wang Qishan, head of the Communist Party of China - Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which is at the forefront of China's fight against corruption, has also ordered disciplinary officers to watch the popular US TV series. 

TagsChina China Fight Corruption, China corruption, In the Name of the People