River of the World 天下长河 (lit.) stars Luo Jin as the Kangxi Emperor and Huang Zhizhong as the honest and frugal polotician Jin Fu, who is tasked with flood-control works for the Yellow River. Yin Fang costars as Jin Fu’s trusted subordinate.
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People’s Property 突围 (previously 人民的财产) is penned by Zhou Meisen, the writer of megahit anti-corruption drama In the Name of the People. Starring Jin Dong, Yan Ni, Huang Zhizhong, Chen Xiao and Qin Lan, the drama focuses on the misappropriation of 500 million yuan worth of building funds.
Directed by Shen Yan and Liu Haibo (The First Half of My Life, Rise of Phoenixes), the drama airs daily on Dragon TV and Zhejiang TV.
Royal Nirvana calls it a special, but it’s actually just the final 12 episodes that were cut when the drama first aired back in 2019. The last 12 episodes will continue to focus on the conflict-laden father-son relationship, and possible rebellion by the crown prince’s cousin. Starring Luo Jin, Li Yitong, Huang Zhizhong and Zheng Yecheng, VIP members will be able to watch all 12 episodes tonight.
Guan Hu’s (Mr. Six, Candle in the Tomb) The Eight Hundred 八佰 focuses on the eight hundred Chinese soldiers who hold Shanghai’s defenses for four days against three hundred thousand Japanese troops. Starring Zhang Yi, Jiang Wu, Huang Zhizhong, Ou Hao, Wang Qianyuan and Du Chun, the film will be released on August 21st.
I’ve got so much to say about Royal Nirvana I just couldn’t wait until the halfway mark, so here I am with a first impressions post (Episodes 1-11).
Royal Nirvana is a poignant drama that is anchored by a group of wonderful actors and an equally good screenwriter in Liangman Xueyuan, who is also the original author. The tragic relationship between the emperor (Huang Zhizhong) and his estranged son the crown prince Xiao Dingquan (Luo Jin) forms the core of the story, and sets the tone for the entire drama.
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Political intrigue-romance drama Royal Nirvana revolves around an unfavoured prince’s (Luo Jin) struggles against a corrupt government and a heartless father. Li Yitong costars as a former noble lady intent on avenging her family who ends up falling in love with the prince instead. [Extended Synopsis]
Youku has forgone an official announcement and premiered the first two episodes with little fanfare. The 60 episode drama releases 1 ep a day from Mon-Fri. Watch it on Youtube here.
Theme song by Jin Zhiwen
Upcoming historical drama Royal Nirvana 鹤唳华亭 stars Luo Jin (The Way We Were) as an unfavoured prince of Southern Qi and Li Yitong (Bloody Romance) as his love interest. The ~60 episode drama will be premiering on Youku soon.
Our Time Will Come has released a new trailer and stills of the cast led by Zhou Xun (Hema Hema: Sing Me A Song While I Wait), Eddie Peng (Duckweed) and Wallace Huo (Reset).
“Those who hope for hope—after an eternity—are entitled to do so only if they have measured that which has the power to obscure hope… But we must not make
that journey too quickly. We must linger with this staring point and not rush on too soon, seeking relief from its horror. How long must we linger? An eternity, perhaps.” – Robert Brown in the preface to Night.
Based on the same book by Yan Geling as The Flowers of War. The Forty Nine Day Memorial 四十九日·祭 will air in time for first National Mourning Day of the Nanking Massacre. Featuring the younger Song Jia, Hu Ge, Zhang Jiayi, and Zhang Xinyi (the same girl from the film), the adaptation is scripted by author Yan Geling and will follow more closely to the novel (i.e. without Batman the random white savior). Director Zhang Li is known for his critical and nuanced treatment of history through masterpieces like Ming Dynasty 1566 大明王朝1566 and The Road to the Republic 走向共和. Given that I’ve burst into tears every time I’ve seen a trailer, we’ll see if I can last the series. The series airs on December 1st.
A compilation of trailers: