Life Is A Long Quiet River 心居 stars Hai Qing as Feng Xiaoqin, a strong-willed countryside woman who married into the well-off Gu family a decade ago. She persuades her husband Gu Lei to borrow money from his twin sister Gu Qingyu (Tong Yao) to buy a house, yet is politely rejected by the latter.
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The Magnolia Awards are here, and it’s another year of wishing that my favourite shows, or at least recipients deserving of the accolades, take home the awards. It’s always a delicate balancing act when it comes to giving out the awards, but I’m happy to report that there were no major surprises tonight (apart from the fact that Liu Lin didn’t win…again). Best Actress was the closest race this year, and Tong Yao edged out Reyizha to take home the award.
Judges include director Liu Jin (White Deer Plain), director Fu Dongyu (The Thunder), Tao Hong (A Little Reunion), Tong Dawei (A Love For Dilemma) and screenwriter Zhang Lei (Chinese Style Relationship).
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iQiyi has released a handful of trailers and posters for its upcoming dramas. The successful Light On programme is back for a second round, and the streaming platform has also lumped its romance dramas into a Sweet On schedule, which is set to begin this month. Which dramas are you looking forward to most?
First up is Luoyang, and the trailer is giving me huge The Longest Day in Chang’an vibes. Huang Xuan‘s character seems pretty similar to Lei Jiayin’s, in that they’re both former government officials who are tasked with solving intriguing mysteries.
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Another year of the Weibo awards, another year of marvelling at how great all the actresses look.
Select list of attendees: Angelababy, Huang Xiaoming, Bai Jingting, Bai Yu, Deng Chao, Sun Li, Dilraba, Guan Xiaotong, Lu Han, Kris Wu, Huang Zitao, Zhang Yixing, Jin Chen, Li Bingbing, Li Xian, Zhou Dongyu, Liu Haocun, Mao Xiaotong, Ni Ni, Zhao Liying, Song Qian, Song Weilong, Tan Songyun, Tang Yan, Tong Liya, Tong Yao, Wang Kai, Cai Xukun, Wang Yibo, Xiao Zhan, Yang Zi & Yang Mi.
Studios have released perfectly photoshopped pictures of their stars ahead of the broadcast of Douyin’s event (although it probably isn’t getting the level of attention it would like at the moment…). Catch the stars on the red carpet now at Youku.
Red carpet compilation: Ladies & Gents
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I can count on one hand how many dramas I watched from beginning to end, so I’ve decided to do things differently this year and shine the spotlight on the characters that I really liked. Feel free to submit your own reviews and posts here.
Standalone reviews 2020: A Murderous Affair in Horizon Tower, We Are All Alone, The Romance of Tiger and Rose
Which dramas did you follow this year, and which characters made a lasting impression on you?
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The Golden Eagle Awards has finally decided to untangle its messy awards categories, and created a Best Actor/Actress award where the nominations are mostly based on merit. You can tell they were trying really hard when it came to choosing winners, though it’ll take a few more rounds before the awards are going to regain its reputation.
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Nothing But Thirty stars Jiang Shuying, Tong Yao and Mao Xiaotong as womn who break free from stereotypes and begin to live life the way they want – because they’re only thirty after all. [Extended Synopsis]
The drama airs daily on Dragon TV beginning tonight. Tencent VIP members will have a 2 episode head start, and can purchase the final eight episodes on August 3rd. The first episode premieres on YouTube at midnight.
The Rebel stars Zhu Yilong as a former Kuomintang agent who defects to the Communist side with the help of Tong Yao. [Extended Synopsis]
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Get Married Or Not focuses on the life choices made by screenwriter Cheng Lu (Tong Yao), lawyer Tian Lei (Chen Shu) and beauty salon owner Ding Shiya (Xu Fangyi). Their potential suitors are played by Pan Yueming, Yuan Wenkang and Li Shen.
The drama will air on CCTV-8 and release 2 episodes daily. Streaming site VIP members get a 6 episode head start.
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