I already love the trailer for The Longest Day in Chang’an, and despite director Cao Dun’s terrible track record in controlling the pacing of a show, I’m still hoping this will turn out to be a solid mystery drama. Lei Jiayin plays a former officer turned prisoner on death row who is hired by Yi Yangqianxi to find the culprit behind a terror plot within 24 hours. [Extended Synopsis]
The supporting cast consists of familiar faces from Tribes and Empires, while Djimon Hounsou makes an appearance as Elder Ge, a human trafficker.
Zhou Yiwei as Long Bo, the follower of a foreign religion who has an ulterior motive.
Han Tongsheng as He Zhizhang, a great poet and the crown prince’s tutor
Lu Fangsheng as Yao Runeng, a seemingly reserved official who has a love for literature.
Yu Ailei as Yuanzai, an astute merchant who is willing to use underhanded methods to make a fortune.
Cai Lu as Cui Qi
Zhao Wei as Xu Bin, head of Jing’an Bureau (anti-terror department)
Feng Jiayi as Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
Wu Xiaoliang as Cao Poting, a Turkish warrior who enters the capital disguised as a Tang citizen.
Reyizha as Tan Qi, Li Bi’s loyal maid who initially has unrequited affections for her master.
Wang Herun as Wen Ran, owner of a perfume shop and only daughter of Zhang Xiaojing’s former superior.
Li Yuan as Yuchang
Ai Ru as Wang Yunxiu, daughter of a powerful general
Xu Lu as Yang Yuhuan, Li Longji’s favourite consort
Gao Ye as Li Xiangxiang
Wang Sisi as Tong’er
Qu Zhazha as Xu Hezi
This is becoming my most anticipated drama of the year. Is the airing date this year?
Wait how are they going to explain a black person speaking English in Tang-dynasty China?
There was quite a bit of traffic along the historic Silk Road, so it’s not improbable that someone from an area of northern Africa (more likely than south) would travel/trade along the route (and pick up a dialect of Chinese in order to do business). During the time of Genghis Khan his retinue included Arabic mathematicians, architects, and medical people, so why not? Aren’t we always asked to suspend disbelief in a drama? ;-)
There were also Jewish and Arab settlements in China since the cosmopolitan Tang Dynasty.
Very true!
But why would he speak English of all languages (other than the fact that the actor does)?
😆 Good point! English is probably the least likely language that would have been heard (from any of the land masses near China accessible without long sea voyages), but why let anything like logic get in the way of hiring an actor of African heritage when you’re busy trying to nation-build (or, if you prefer to think of it as economic colonization) in Africa and want to look culturally expansive? ;-)
English seems to be the language of choice in those old Hollywood sword and sandal epics – Ten Commandments, Cleopatra, Spartacus, Gladiator. Even Netflix’s Marco Polo and Genghis Khan communicated entirely in English.