Tong Liya is making a return to period dramas, and will be playing the famed beauty Xi Shi in Silk-washing Stream / Huan Xisha 浣溪沙. She was discovered by Yue statesman Fan Li (Han Geng), and sent into Fuchai’s(Peter Ho) palace as a spy along with Zheng Dan (Chen Duling).
According to legend, the two women were instrumental in the downfall of the arrogant Fuchai and the restoration of Goujian to the throne. The drama is directed by Gao Yijun (The Empress of China) and written by Zou Jingzhi (The Four Scholars of Jiangnan 2014).
Song Weilong and Wang Yaoqing meet once more as love rivals.
Beautiful Reborn Flower stars Song Weilong as the hero who struggles to work out which of the sisters (both played by Lin Yun) he is actually in love with. The synopsis suggests they’re two different people, but the trailer makes me think they’re the same person after all?
Filmed in 2017, the 50 episode drama releases 2 eps every Friday to Monday on iQiyi and Tencent. English subs will be available on their respective apps / Tencent WeTV. It’s also available on Youtube here.
Sword Dynasty stars Li Xian as a cultivator who is training to assassinate the king (Liu Yijun). Li Yitong plays the hero’s ‘aunt’ and future love interest. The 34 episode series releases 2 episodes every Friday-Sunday on iQiyi beginning tonight.
Fighting Youth stars Wu Jinyan, Yin Tao, Liu Mintao and Zuo Xiaoqing as career-oriented women and follows their successes and failures as they try and climb the corporate ladder.
Li Xian and Li Yitong’s fantasy drama Sword Dynasty released its first full trailer. The Feng Xiaogang-produced drama is rumored to be streaming soon. I haven’t seen a trailer with this much narration since forever, and I really hope it doesn’t carry over to the drama.
Everlasting Serenity 岁岁青莲 (lit.) was originally a Qing dynasty romance drama that went by the name of Xifei’s Royal Love in the Palace. To avoid delays due to censorship, production company New Classics Media (Ruyi’s Royal Love) has changed the dynasty, though the storyline will remain intact for the most part. He Hongshan(Legend of the Phoenix) plays Luo Qinglian, a kind-hearted and learned noble lady who marries prince He Lianxin (Peter Ho).
“Whether one be male or female, rich or poor, royal or commoner, they should all be able to fly freely.” – The Butterfly Lovers
With a diverse set of characters that grow with each other as they try to find their way in a hierarchical feudal world that is rapidly in decline, the Peter Ho and Dong Jie version of The Butterfly Lovers 梁山伯与祝英台 is one of my to-go feel-good dramas (I stop at some point for obvious reasons). It’s refreshing to see a series where every person is full of wide-eyed wonder at the world they’re learning about and will soon be facing. Foils at every major decision point for the lead couple shows the complexity of the decisions they are forced to make and truly show why Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai are soulmates. Alternatively, if you like the possessive male lead who is mean to everyone but the female lead and has a troubled childhood that you can pity him for, then supporting male lead Ma Wencai (Chen Guanlin) has you covered. I’m 100% convinced the canon couple are soulmates in this drama, but I can see why this version’s Ma Wencai has a huge following.
This dance that Dong Jie choreographed on the day of shooting is one of my favorite TV dances. It’s simple but it’s so beautifully shot.
Sword Dynastystars Li Xian as an ordinary cultivator who sets out to assassinate the king (Liu Yijun), while Li Yitong plays Zhangsun Qianxue, a skilled martial artist and daughter of an aristocrat.
Standardized Life 标化人生 / Fighting Youth 正青春 is an upcoming workplace drama starring Wu Jinyan (Hear the Bells Ring on Shanghai Bund) as Zhang Xiaoyu, the plucky new assistant to Yin Tao’s (The Years You Were Late) Lin Rui, SW company’s smart and capable sales director and the most likely candidate to take over the position of leader from Shu Wanting (Liu Mintao).
Beautiful Reborn Flower 彼岸花 is a modern romance drama starring Lin Yun (L.O.R.D) as a pair of twin sisters who were separated at birth, and Song Weilong (Long For You) plays the male lead who falls in love with both of them.
