Karen provides her review of the hit Chinese drama, New Life Begins 卿卿日常 starring Bai Jing Ting and Li Wei which became a surprising hit. This light hearted historical drama shines in its portrayal of sisterhood bonds but struggles to establish strong chemistry of the main couple. Overall though Karen thought it was a fun and worthy drama to chase.
Time goes flying by in these two episodes as two princes are born in the palace. However, Er Qing decides that she wants to ruin Fu Heng's life and plots to do so by way of the Emperor. Meanwhile, Noble Consort Chun cannot stand hearing that the Empress's newborn son would gain all the attention and strikes as well to devastating effects.
In December 2022, the key Chinese dramas out right now include She and Her Perfect Husband Featuring Yang Mi and Xu Kai, Wild Bloom Featuring Zhao Li Ying, Bright Future featuring Hu Ge and Shining Just For You featuring Feng Shao Feng and Peng Xiao Ran.
Wei Ying Luo is given the opportunity to return to Chang Chun Palace. She is offered the choice of publicly renouncing her love of Fu Heng or suffer a punishment. She chooses the latter. After her ordeal, she is allowed back to serve the Empress and help her regain the ability to walk. The Emperor, meanwhile, is trying to figure out his feelings towards Wei Ying Luo. Fu Heng and Er Qing finally get married. Fu Heng promises to try to be a good husband but the marriage quickly cracks. Consort Chu...
BREAKING - On November 25th 2022, Kris Wu, once one of the most famous pop stars in China, was sentenced to 13 years in prison and exile on counts of rape and group sexual promiscuity. We discuss in this episode who he is and the events that led up to his arrest and the subsequent aftermath. Listen for the latest updates on this scandal Trigger warning: In this episode, we do discuss sexual assault as part of this story so please proceed with caution.
Wang Xiao Fei decided to publicly blast his ex-wife Da S/Barbie Hsu on Weibo complaining about all of the fees he's paying for in her home and he's sick of it, complete with a detailed spreadsheet. His mom entered the fray and so did Da S, her sister, Xiao S, and their mother, plus Wang Xiao Fei's mistress. It's been a multi-day saga with the clear winner being the mattress brand Hastens since Wang Xiao Fei has ordered the Hastens mattress he bought for him and Da S to be burned during one of hi...
In the end of episode 34 and into 35, we get a number of disturbing revelations. 1) Yuan Chun Wang believes himself to be connected to an extremely powerful family, 2) Consort Chun had been nursing an unhealthy love for Fu Heng for the last decade and 3) with the Empress's return to consciousness, she outright forces the Emperor to reconcile for his true affections for Ying Luo.
The Emperor happens upon Ying Luo and Fu Heng working together to tend to the Empress and is furious to see them so close. Soon after, Ying Luo is accused of cursing Noble Consort Gao and is interrogated by the Emperor. In order to save her life, Fu Heng jumps to the conclusion that he must marry Er Qing, breaking Ying Luo's heart.
Here's our November drama update of the new dramas that have recently aired! This includes Lighter and Princess, Thank you Doctor, and New Life Begins. Several dramas have also recently wrapped filming including new dramas starring Yang Mi, Zhao Li Ying and Lin Geng Xin. We also have some new pop culture gossip as the two co-leads (Bai Jing Ting and Song Yi) of the recently wrapped Chang Feng Du were spotted together going to visit Bai Jing Ting's parents. Listen to our latest episode for the la...
Many different plot points re-emerge following the death of Noble Consort Gao. Consort Xian get's promoted, Ying Luo becomes Yuan Chun Wang's sister, Consort Chun becomes upset that Fu Heng wants to marry a maid. Though the most important conversations perhaps are the inner reflections of the Emperor who expresses his frustrations he faces of being Emperor in the face of true love, which he cannot have.
This episode covers the difference between online only Chinese dramas and the dramas that air on television networks. There is a more stringent process for a drama to be allowed to air on television networks but that comes with certain perks such as eligibility for award shows and prestige amongst the general public. But online dramas do provide more variety and flexibility on content.
Noble Consort Gao is hit with molten iron from her Wan Zi Qian Hong or Blaze of Colors/Iron Flower Show and leaves her with severe injuries that unfortunately become infected. Recognizing her fate, she decides to dance one last dance for the Emperor before ending her life on her own terms.
A swarm of bats ruin a palace banquet. The Empress falls unconscious after Noble Consort Gao pushes her amidst the chaos. Wei Ying Luo refuses to see the unconscious Empress, stunning Ming Yu and Fu Heng. She gets bullied the Noble Consort Gao and falls ill. Consort Xian takes over the reigns of the palace and, after an unsteady start, wins over the crowd at a porridge shelter with the help of the Prince Hong Zhou and the eunuch Yuan Chun Wang. Consort Xian is slowly consolidating power within t...
In the latest episode, Karen and Cathy discuss the current Chinese streaming platform landscape, the overall business model, and the key competitors. There are 4 major players, Tencent Video, iQiYi, Youku, and MangoTV. Tencent Video and iQiYi compete for the top spot while Youku and MangoTV have found their niches. Listen to our latest podcast episode to see the business strategies for these companies and how they dictate what dramas are produced and aired.
In an effort to save Wei Ying Luo's life, the Empress banishes her to Xin Zhe Ku to perform hard labor. Wei Ying Luo must find a way to survive as she encounters old foes and gets extra harsh treatment from the Emperor. She finds an unlikely ally in the form of Yuan Chun Wang, who, after being saved by Ying Luo, agrees to become a brother-like figure to her. Unfortunately for the Empress, without Ying Luo to protect her, nefarious plans are set in motion by Noble Consort Gao and Consort Xian to ...
Fu Heng publicly states his intentions to marry Ying Luo to both the Empress and the Emperor who oppose this match for different reasons. Meanwhile, Ying Luo successfully enacts revenge against Dowager Consort Yu who killed her sister by leveraging a powerful thunderstorm but is punished to do hard labor for this act by the Empress.
Karen provides her thoughts on the recent drama Thousand Years for You or 请君 starring Allen Ren Jia Lun and Li Qin. This 36 episode drama is set during the Republic of China era as the three thousand year old general Lu Yan awakes to seek the woman that saved him all those years ago. She just so happens to look just like Yu Deng Deng, the current leader of the Qing Quan village.
In episodes 24, Hong Zhou, showing no remorse for his previous actions towards Wei Ying Luo's sister, tries to seduce Wei Ying Luo in a night time rendezvous. However, Wei Ying Luo was prepared for Hong Zhou and attempts to kill him instead. Hong Zhou escapes and the two of them flee to the Emperor. Wei Ying Luo accuses Hong Zhou of rape (which isn't wrong). Before the Emperor can decide on a punishment, Hong Zhou's mother Concubine Dowager Yu arrives to whip her son and beg for forgiveness. In ...
A potential new relationship between the young stars Zhang Ling He and Bai Lu was exposed earlier this month. In this episode, Karen and Cathy discuss the surprising implications for this new coupling and the broader landscape of celebrity relationships in the Chinese entertainment industry. In recent years, most celebrities do not admit to relationships. Why is that? How do fans play into this landscape as well? Listen to our latest podcast episode to find out!
After 20+ episodes, we finally find out who was the man who harmed Ying Luo's sister and ultimately caused her death. It is none other than the Emperor's closest brother, Hong Zhou. Hong Zhou is shown to be an arrogant and obnoxious man who then uses his money and status to force Ying Luo into letting go over her anger towards what he did to her beloved sister.
Ying Luo manages to foil two plots against her and the Empress in episode 21 while helping turn the Empress into the Goddess of the River Luo or Luo Shen which enthralls the Emperor. Not only that, the Empress's turn as the goddess creates a wave of imitators in the palace as maids all hope for beauty and good fortune but to deadly results.
Weibo exploded over the Mid-Autumn Festival weekend as the popular Chinese actor, Li Yi Feng was caught in a scandal for soliciting prostitutes. Karen and Cathy break down the timeline for what happened and how the story broke for the now canceled actor.
Emperor Qian Long contracts scabies and the Empress volunteers to tend to her husband. Wei Ying Luo, trying to find more information about her sister's death, also agrees to come along. The Emperor turns into a pouting child as he tries to combat his illness and is "bullied" by Ying Luo in an effort to cure him. At the Emperor's birthday, the women of the Imperial Harem present their gifts. The Empress, a painting. Noble Consort Gao, a western orchestra. Noble Lady Shu, a Buddhist relic. The Emp...
Our latest drama review is for Love Between Fairy and Devil (苍兰诀 2022)! Listen to our latest episode to hear Karen discuss the general plot, characters, what she liked and didn't like, and her overall review of the drama! Set in a fantasy land, Xiao Lan Hua (ft Esther Yu) as a kind-hearted young orchid fairy with limited powers and no real name. She watches over the written fates of all beings. One day, she accidentally realized that her secret love, the powerful Chang Heng (ft Zhang Ling He) wi...
The 5th prince is ultimately saved from pending death after a local doctor is summoned by the Emperor to reveal that the newborn simply had jaundice and could be cured easily. This diagnosis and additional evidence brought forth by Consort Chun turns the tables against Noble Consort Gao who is confined to her palace as punishment. After a degrading visit by her father, Noble Consort Gao refocuses her energy on the Emperor with a stunning rendition of the Drunken Concubine to recapture his attent...
In our episode recorded September 1, Cathy goes over the two big scandals of late in the Chinese entertainment industry- 1) Yang Zi supposedly sharing cake with her friend, Liu Xue Yi which would not have been problematic if they weren't caught in a series of lies denying this, and 2) Zhang Tian Ai released a recording of her and Xu Kai Cheng, whom she was dating, where he admits to cheating on her. What's worse is that he had turned his sights on Gu Li Na Zha and lied to her about his current r...
Noble Lady Yu gives birth to a son while the Empress is away but her son is born with golden pupils. Noble Consort Gao who arrived just as the child is born, claims that this is a terrible omen and orders the child to be buried alive. Why would that be? There is a ton of history that Cathy explains in this episode so be sure to check it out!
Our latest drama review is for Love Like the Galaxy 星汉灿烂 月升沧海! Listen to our latest episode to hear Karen discuss the general plot, characters, what she liked and didn't like, and her overall review of the drama! The young woman Cheng Shao Shang finally meets her birth parents who are both generals in the army for the first time since birth after they went off to fight in war for her entire life. Meanwhile, Shao Shang crosses paths with several young men including Ling Bu Yi, the young and accom...
Wei Ying Luo successfully enacts revenge on the arrogant Prince Yi at the Sharing Prosperity by Sharing Meat ceremony. However, Fu Heng catches onto her ploy and avoids punishment. He promises Ying Luo that he wasn't involved in her sister's death. With the death of her family, Consort Xian finally snaps and cleverly enacts revenge on Concubine Jia. She is no longer the sweet and serene consort but a calculating and cunning woman. Meanwhile, the Empress seeks the aid of Consort Chun to help her ...
A few surprising releases hit platforms the last few days including Chen Xiao and Wang Yi Bo's police thriller Being A Hero and the 3rd installment of Ode to Joy.
