March 25, 2023 was the much anticipated Weibo night where plenty of the most popular Chinese celebrities turned up for the awards show. There were plenty of trending topics and discussion for this festive evening from the canceled red carpet to missing celebrities to awkward camera pans and much more!
Ying Luo has been enjoying her time in Yuan Ming Yuan with the Empress Dowager for the last three years but then is urged by Fu Heng to return to the palace. A new woman given the name Chen Bi has appeared in the palace and has captured the full attention of the Emperor. This woman is such a threat that even the Empress Nala has decided to work with Ying Luo to bring her down.
Karen and Cathy discuss the Chinese social media landscape including apps such as Weibo, Xiao Hong Shu, Dou Yin and others that help keep them up to date on the latest Chinese entertainment news and stay in the know on Chinese pop culture.
The Empress Nala takes a swing at the Empress Dowager by exposing to the Emperor that the Empress Dowager is not his actual birth mother, but instead the woman who killed his birth mother to claim him as her own. It doesn't look good for the Empress Dowager but then we are reminded that she is the cunning and intelligent Zhen Huan who won't be taken down so easily. Even Ying Luo has to learn a few things from the Empress Dowager.
In our latest In the Know podcast episode, Cathy congratulates Michelle Yeoh on her well deserved Oscar win. Fan Bing Bing also turned heads on the Oscar red carpet! Then we discuss the Top 20 apps in China to provide some context for the social media landscape in the country.
The Emperor is angry at Wei Ying Luo for killing Er Qing but was about to make amends with her until he learns another one of her hidden secrets. She has been taking a contraceptive tonic. Feeling betrayed, the Emperor concludes that the only reason why Wei Ying Luo entered the palace was to enact revenge for the late Empress. Wei Ying Luo does not deny this and essentially becomes forgotten in the palace. She rightly deduces that it was her adoptive brother Yuan Chun Wang who betrayed her and i...
Chinese celebrities hit up Milan and Paris fashion week with Xiao Zhan gaining plenty of praise for his looks and marketability at various shows. Karen and Cathy discuss their favorite celebrity looks and those with fashion faux pas. Elsewhere, many eyebrows were raised after high quality behind the scenes video of Zhao Lu Si and Wu Lei's interaction on horseback during the filming of Love Like the Galaxy. Zhao Lu Si was heard cussing up a storm at Wu Lei and hitting him repeatedly after she was...
In episode 54, Wei Ying Luo finally discovers the full betrayal from Er Qing and the Emperor. Er Qing, trying to save herself from banishment from the Fucha family, tries to plead her case to the Emperor but to no avail. Wei Ying Luo decides to act enact revenge on Er Qing. During the Silkworm Ceremony, she summons Er Qing who confesses to all of her crimes. Wei Ying Luo orders the death of Er Qing, finally ridding us of one of the most despicable characters in the drama. However who was Er Qing...
Fantasy dramas The Starry Love and The Journey of Chong Zi are currently battling it out for viewership and ratings. Meanwhile Justice in the Dark drops 8 episodes and then goes silent. This raises questions as to whether or not similar themed dramas with primarily male centric leads and homosexual undertones will make a resurgence in the Chinese dramas. Karen and Cathy discuss a few other additional Chinese dramas to have on your radar for March 2023
In episode 53, the Emperor and Wei Ying Luo must resolve their outstanding issues regarding the death of Noble Consort Chun. While the Emperor believes that Ying Luo played no part in her death, he nonetheless wishes that she showed more initiative. The Empress and Empress Dowager are locked in a power struggle on who will lead the silkworm ceremony. A role traditionally reserved for the Empress, the Empress Dowager wants to punish the Empress and her clan for their role in the Empress's father'...
Karen and Cathy provide their review of the 14 episode Ming Dynasty era drama ,Under the Microscope - 显微镜下的大明之丝绢案 starring Zhang Ruo Yun, Qi Wei, Wang Yang and Fei Qi Ming. A fun and beautifully shot drama with superb acting, it does suffer from some pacing issues but is overall an entertaining watch.
Ying Luo is accused of poisoning the 5th prince when in reality, it was another plot by both Consort Yu and Noble Consort Chun. The angered Emperor orders a thorough investigation only for the Empress Nala to uncover more disturbing news. The late Empress's son, the 7th prince, was killed by Noble Consort Chun. She is demoted and banished to the Cold Palace but ultimately meets her end due to the Empress. Meanwhile, Ying Luo discovers that Noble Consort Chun's downfall was entirely orchestrated ...
Valentines Day was rocky for 2 celebrities. Arthur Chen had photos of him in bed with a social media influencer exposed by the paparazzi, fully destroying his innocent boy image and potentially destroying his career. His team is working overtime to save his image. Meanwhile, Johnny Huang's ex-wife exposed that he had an affair with another celebrity while they were married. Listen to our latest In the Know podcast episode for all the juicy gossip!
In episode 50+51, the Emperor tries to find the culprit who caused Wei Ying Luo's riding accident. All signs point to Noble Consort Chun. The Empress's father is accused of stealing disaster funds and sentenced to death. The Empress desperately tries make a case to commute his sentence. The Emperor, despite heavy protestation from the Empress Dowager, agrees to only sentence him to exile. Unfortunately, the Empress's father is found dead in his cell. The Empress, heartbroken, vows to get her ven...
During the Lunar New Year, Knockout (狂飙) became the hottest airing Chinese drama. The adaptation of the sci-fi novel Three Body (三体) also aired. Zhang Ruo Yun 张若昀 will have his new drama Under the Microscope on February 10th and A League of Nobleman surprisingly aired with little fanfare. Listen to our latest podcast episode on the latest dramas airing and filming in the Chinese entertainment industry!
Fu Heng desires to head off to war again which makes sense after his wife Er Qing sold his maid to a brothel, leading to her death. Ying Luo steps in to help convince the Emperor to let him go. Meanwhile, Ying Luo starts plotting how best for her foes to surface and the opportunity presents itself when the Emperor decides to give her riding lessons.
Hu Ge, of Royal Nirvana and Chinese Paladin fame, shocked the Chinese entertainment circle by announcing that he is now a father to a baby girl. It's been a joke for years that Hu Ge would just stay single so for him to announce he's married and has a child is quite a welcome surprise for pretty much all of Chinese media! We also touch on continued drama with Lunar New Year Box Office movies and also the return of Chinese celebrities abroad for fashion weeks!
The Emperor decided to give Ying Luo the cold shoulder after seeing her with Fu Heng together even though he saw she was set up. This meant that she was mistreated and neglected in the palace without her favor. But, Ying Luo being Ying Luo captured the opportunity to return to his line of sight when Noble Consort Chun asked her to embroider a buddha portrait for the Empress Dowager. Add on top of that Fu Heng's words to the Emperor and we see Ying Luo not only regain the Emperor's favor but also...
It's the Year of the Rabbit! Karen and Cathy discuss the highlights or lack thereof from this year's Spring Gala Performance. We also breakdown the fierce competition happening right now at the box office as film studios try to capture audience's attentions with offerings from legendary directors, respected actors, and pop idols.
With Fu Heng having returned victorious from war, old rumors resurface about his and Ying Luo's relationship which causes quite a headache for her as it destabilizes her position in the palace. After all, the Emperor himself knows all about the relationship between those two and has become quite jealous.
Karen provides her review of 月歌行 or Song of the Moon featuring Xu Lu and Zhang Bin Bin. It's a mediocre fantasy drama that has a poor story but stunning visuals.
Wei Ying Luo incurs the ire of Imperial Concubine Jia and is punished for insubordination. Imperial Concubine Jia goes running to the Emperor and lies about Ying Luo's disobedience. The Emperor decides to ignore Wei Ying Luo. A few days later, he finds himself annoyed that she hasn't come to ask for favor. Wei Ying Luo quickly finds herself back in favor after the Emperor finds out the truth of her punishment. He surprises the Imperial Harem by promoting Wei Ying Luo to the rank of Imperial Conc...
This is an intro to the drama episode for the Tang Dynasty drama Weaving A Tale of Love 风起霓裳 starring Gulinazha and Timmy Xu. The drama follows the journey between Kudi Liu Li and Pei Xing Jian as the two navigate the palace machinations of Emperor Li Zhi's court. Cathy and Karen introduce the cast and characters, discuss the historical setting for the drama and some key historical counterparts. This won’t be a review of the drama, but rather an introduction to the history portrayed in the drama...
Ying Luo has successfully been granted title of Noble Lady but that doesn't mean she has favor automatically. Instead, she starts to enact on various tactics to secure the favor of the Emperor, to great success.
The new year kicks off with a slew of fun and interesting dramas. Liu Yi Fei stars in her first modern day drama in Meet Yourself 去有风的地方. Vin Zhang Bin Bin and Xu Lu star in Song of the Moon 月歌行。Dylan Wang He Di headlines Fu Tu Yuan 浮图缘 with Chen Yu Qi and Liu Xue Yi brings comic book Blood of the Youth 少年歌行 to life.
Upon learning from Ming Yu that the 7th prince's death and ultimately Empress Fu Cha's death may be linked to Noble Consort Chun and to save Ming Yu's life, Ying Luo hatches a plan to seek revenge. How? Becoming a woman of the Emperor.
Karen and Cathy round out the year with our top favorite Chinese dramas for the year, the biggest breakout stars, favorite chinese books and more!
We enter into a new regime in the palace as the former Consort Xian is promoted to Empress and Fu Heng heads off to war to rescue a failed campaign in the Si Chuan region.
Cathy provides her reviews of the two medical dramas, Dr. Tang 关于唐医生的一切 starring Qin Lan and Wei Da Xun, and Thank You, Doctor 谢谢你医生 starring Yang Mi and Bai Yu. Dr. Tang is a comfortable, heartwarming medical drama that leaves you rooting for all of the characters at the end. Thank You, Doctor squanders its cast with paper thin character development and rides on the strengths of its cases. Overall, I would recommend watching Dr. Tang. In the episode, I also discuss some interesting gossip that ...
After suffering another devastating heartbreak, Empress Fu cha cannot cope with the fact that her second son, the 7th prince, passed away. When the Emperor reminds her that her most important duty is to be the Empress, she concludes that she must decide her own fate. She does not want to be Empress anymore, only Fu Cha Rong Yin.
