26th Magnolia Awards

Congratulations to Tao Hong for winning Best Supporting Actress! I absolutely loved her in A Little Reunion.

Like all awards, the Magnolia Awards have their own favourites, yet it is the awards show I enjoy watching most because the winners are usually worthy recipients. By all accounts, The Thunder winning Best Drama and Best Screenwriter was probably the biggest surprise of the night. A Little Reunion, Joy of Life and The Longest Day in Chang’an also took home two awards each.

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Promo Round-up: Joy of Life

Thankful for the Remaining Years / Joy of Life stars Zhang Ruoyun as a modern time-traveler who believes in equality for all and is determined to change the feudal system of Qing. Costars include Chen Daoming, Wu Gang, Li Qin, Xin Zhilei, Song Yi and Li Chun.

Season 1 runs for 46 episodes and releases 2 eps every Mon-Wed on Tencent/iQiyi.

Character Intros | Episode 0

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Posters and trailer for political intrigue drama Thankful for the Remaining Years

Thankful for the Remaining Years / Qing Yu Nian comes from Wang Juan, the writer of cult hits Turbulence of the Mu Clan, Legend of Southwest Dance and Music and Young Blood. Zhang Ruoyun is a forward-thinking noble intent on pushing through political reforms, most of which are opposed by the tyrannical ruler of Qing (Chen Daoming).

It’s rumoured Season 1 of 3 will premiere in less than a week. [Character Intros]

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Stills and trailer round-up: Chinese Valentine’s Day edition

Dramas usually release a plethora of goodies on Chinese Valentine’s Day, and this year is no exception. Which shows are you looking forward to most?

Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace – Zhou Xun, Wallace Huo

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Zhang Ruoyun, Chen Daoming’s political intrigue drama releases first trailer

Thankful for the Remaining Years (Qing Yu Nian Season 1) has released a trailer after wrapping up filming for the first season, and stars Zhang Ruoyun as a young lad who is groomed into a righteous politician by Chen Pingping (Wu Gang).

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First stills released for Zhang Ruoyun, Li Qin’s Thankful for the Remaining Years

Thankful for the Remaining Years / Qing Yu Nian Season 1, also known as Joy of Life, has released stills of the leading cast members. Fan Xian’s (Zhang Ruoyun) growth arc will stretch across the entire show, as he learns valuable skills from Chen Pingping (Wu Gang), head of the kingdom’s investigative agency.

Fan Xian gets embroiled in murder mysteries and strange cases in the pugilist world (jianghu), and ultimately makes his way into the political scene, where he decides to challenge the Emperor (Chen Daoming) and the feudal system he represents.

Character introductions | Extended synopsis

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Brief introduction to the characters in Thankful for the Remaining Years

Yes! Chen Daoming is back in drama land, and as a main character no less. In Thankful for the Remaining Years / Qing Yu Nian Season 1, he’ll be playing the tyrannical Emperor of the fictional country of Qing (he may be known as Liu Yu in the drama), a martial arts grand master and biological father of our protagonist Fan Xian (Zhang Ruoyun). Extended synopsis can be found here. Continue reading

Zhang Ruoyun to play protagonist in upcoming historical drama

Thankful for the Remaining Years / Joy of Life 庆余年 is an upcoming historical drama starring Zhang Ruoyun (Sky on Fire) as Fan Xian, a lost prince who reenters the royal court twenty years later as a renowned politician. Mao Ni’s original novel is currently being translated into English here.

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