A dashing detective bursts into a secret villa and uncovers huge stacks of cash stuffed in fridges, closets and beds. Meanwhile, the villa’s owner - a government official - crawls on the floor and begs for his life.

　　一帮来势汹汹的刑警闯入一座隐秘的别墅，查获了私藏在冰箱、衣柜和床下的大量现金。与此同时，别墅的主人 - 一名政府官员 - 正在地板上、床下匍匐前进，逃避抓捕。

　　This is the dramatic opening scene in China’s latest hit TV show, In the Name of the People, which made its high-profile debut last month.

　　这是最近中国热播剧《人民的名义》扣人心弦的开场，该剧在上个月一经首播就获得了极高的收视率。

　　The series, about China’s anti-corruption campaign, has gripped millions of viewers across the country. Some have compared it to the American political drama House of Cards, which has a huge Chinese following.

　　全中国有无数观众关注着这部反腐大剧。有些人把这部剧和政治化的美剧《纸牌屋》作比较，《纸牌屋》也是一部很多中国人在追的美剧。

　　In The Name of the People chronicles the internal power struggle of the Chinese Communist Party in the fictional city of Jingzhou, featuring stories about Chinese politics that are often talked about but never seen on mainstream television.

　　《人民的名义》展现了发生在虚构城市京州的共产党内部权力斗争，故事整体聚焦在了中国政治层面上的东西，这是从前主流的电视连续剧中不曾有过的。

　　In the show, local government leaders try to sabotage a top justice’s arrest order; laid-off workers hold violent protests against a corrupt deal between the government and a corporation; and fake police drive bulldozers into forced eviction sites.

　　在剧中，当地政府领导们都企图违抗首席法官下的逮捕令;被炒的工人们纷纷以暴力游行抗议政府和贪官见的腐败交易;假冒警察开着推土机强迫当地人拆迁。

　　Viewers have been lapping it up. "This TV drama feels so real. It really cheers people up," one viewer wrote on social media network Weibo.

　　观众对这样的题材很买账。“这部剧给人感觉很真实。而且振奋人心”，一位观众在微博上写道。

　　I shed tears after watching this drama. This is the tumour of corruption that has been harming the people, said another Weibo commenter.

　　另一位微博网友表示，看这部剧的时候我潸然泪下。腐败这块毒瘤已经侵蚀了人们太长时间。

　　What makes In The Name of the People remarkable is not just how frankly it depicts the ugly side of Chinese politics, but that it also has the blessing of the country’s powerful top prosecutors’ office.

　　《人民的名义》的成功之处不仅仅在于它直白地揭露了中国政坛丑陋的一面，还在于它表达了对一个强有力的最高检查机关的美好期待。

　　More than a decade ago, anti-corruption dramas suddenly disappeared from Chinese primetime television. Authorities in 2004 had decided to restrict the production of such dramas as too many were of poor quality.

　　十多年前，反腐剧突然从中国黄金时段的热播剧中消失。2004年官方表示要限制该类剧的出品制作，原因是大多数该类剧都质量不足。

　　But when Chinese President Xi Jinping took power in 2012 and launched a sweeping campaign against graft, anti-corruption got back in vogue.

　　自2012年上台执政以来，主席大力整治腐败现象，反腐又一次被推上了热门话题。

　　Chinese state media has extensively covered crackdowns on corrupt officials, and TV networks have rolled out documentaries showing officials confessing on camera and sobbing with remorse.

　　中国媒体大量报道了贪官被打压的新闻，电视上也开始轮番播放高官们在镜头前坦白、抽泣、忏悔的画面。

　　In The Name of The People is thus the latest piece of propaganda aimed at portraying the government’s victory in its anti-corruption campaign.

　　因此《人民的名义》可谓最新一部彰显政府反腐之胜利的宣传片。

　　At least it does a decent job in entertaining viewers, building suspense and intrigue. In one episode an investigator gets hit by a truck just as he is about to meet an informant, while in another the deputy mayor flees the country with the help of a mysterious government mole.

　　至少在取悦观众、营造悬疑气氛、描绘故事里的多端诡计这三个层面上，它做得非常好。在其中一集中，一位调查员在去见知情人的路上被一辆卡车撞伤，然而副市长却在一位神秘政府间谍的帮助下逃往了另一个国家。

（编辑：何莹莹）