Chasing Dramas

In episode 6 of the Longest Day in Chang'An, to find information about the token, Zhang Xiao Jing must negotiated with the leader of Chang'An's underground, a one Ge Lao. The information has a cost and Zhang Xiao Jing must decide if he will betray one of his own for the safety of all of Chang An. Listen to our latest podcast episode on this intense episode and a surprise guest appearan...

Karen and Cathy discuss 4 new Chinese dramas currently airing in August 2023. Dilraba Dilmurat and Gong Jun headline The Legend of An Le 安乐传. Yang Zi stars in the first season of 长相思 or Lost You Forever with Tan Jian Ci, Zhang Wan Yi, and Deng Wei. Cheng Yi stars in Mysterious Lotus Casebook 莲花楼 with Zeng Shun Xi and Xiao Shun Rao. Finally, the sequel to 2019's 大宋少年志 or Yong Bloo...

In episode 5 of The Longest Day in Chang'An, we're finally introduced to the mysterious Long Bo and get a good look at the woman Yu Chang. They have nefarious plans in place. Elsewhere, two women, Wen Yan and Wang Yun Xiu, are marching towards the Wolf Squad hideout hoping to capture some of them but are quickly outnumbered. Zhang Xiao Jing must find more clues and comes to the famous red...

In this episode, we explain to you what the term “Oily” or 油腻 in Chinese media means. The reason why 油腻 or Oily is so topical is because poor Yang Yang has been blasted as 油 or greasy for his portrayal as Song Yan in Fireworks of my Heart or 我的人间烟火. Some go so far as to call him the new Oil King. Listen to our latest episode on the origins of this phrase and how it's currently used...

Zhang Xiao Jing warns of an impending fire apocalypse but the political factions must weigh his words against the larger chest board at play. The battle between the Crown Prince and the Right Chancellor. Everyone has chosen a side, except for Zhang Xiao Jing but he must chose for the subjects of Chang'An instead. Listen to our latest as to how various factions react to the news and the struggl...

We’re solidly in the middle of summer and we’ve had plenty of Chinese dramas air already that were hoping to be that breakout hit of the summer. But, there has been a single person who has exploded this summer. Who is this person? It is Wei Da Xun!  He skyrocketed to popularity based his guest appearance as Meng Yan Chen in Fireworks of My Heart which stars Yang Yang and Wang Chu Ran. Listen to ou...

Zhang Xiao Jing chases the Wolf Squad member right into a religious ceremony. However, in the ensuing chaos, innocent bystanders and the Wolf Squad member are killed. Zhang Xiao Jing hears of a clue Que Le Huo Duo but cannot decipher it. He's quickly apprehended and sent to jail for causing this commotion, but in reality, it is to save his life from the mob. Zhang Xiao and the scholar Cheng Se...

*Note: This podcast episode contains discussions on suicide, depression and other mental health related issues. Please skip this episode if this is content that might be triggering for you. Acclaimed singer and performer Coco Lee passed away suddenly on July 5th. It was a shock to the Chinese entertainment industry and perhaps a bigger shock to everyone when the death was ruled a suicide. Coco Lee...

Zhang Xiao Jing is officially released from prison to find the missing Wolf Squad. He leverages his old spy networks to find clues about who sold the maps of Chang'An to the Wolf Squad and gives chase when he finds one in the city. In the meantime, Li Bi and the Crown Prince must plan their next move against a looming threat.

Karen and Cathy discuss 8, yes 8, Chinese dramas currently airing in July. Xiao Zhan brings The Longest Promise or 玉骨遥. Angelababy has 2 dramas out: Twilight or 暮色心约 with Ren Jia Lun and 尘缘 Divine Destiny with Ma Tian Yu. Yang Yang stars in 我的人间烟火 or Fireworks of My Heart with his rumored real life girlfriend Wang Chu Ran. There's also Destined 长风渡 with rumored real life coup...

The escaped member of the Wolf Squad, Cao Po Yan, murdered an elderly man who scooped him out of the river and heads to a barber to shave his beard to better escape in the crowd. Meanwhile, Zhang Xiao Jing recovers a detailed map of Chang An that the Wolf Squad were seeking, indicating a bigger plot is afoot in Chang An, bigger than just finding the lone survivor of the Wolf Squad.

There's been a flurry of scandals these past two weeks. Pop Idol Cai Xu Kun was exposed with having slept with a fan and ordering her to get an abortion. In Taiwan, multiple celebrities including former Fahrenheit boy band member Aaron Yan have been accused of sexual assault or harassment. The 28th Chinese Television Magnolia Awards were held last week and fans were rather discontent with the...

Karen and Cathy discuss the first 20 min of episode one of The Longest Day In Chang'An. They introduce the layout of the city and how "fangs" work as well as the curfew system during the Tang dynasty. They provide an overview of how time was announced then and then introduce the main characters of Zhang Xiao Jing and Li Bi. Zhang Xiao Jing is an inmate on death row selected by Li Bi...

The Chinese entertainment industry's biggest stars had dramas air in June. Xiao Zhan had success with The Youth Memories 梦中那片海 and Dilireba educated us on cybercrimes with Prosecution Elite. Karen and Cathy provide their thoughts on the drama and some ratings commentary for how these dramas performed in their initial airing periods.

We kick off our 4th season of Chinese history through Chinese dramas by starting our discussion of the Longest Day in Chang'An 长安十二时辰。 Based off of a 2017 book of the same name, this drama was nominated for and won numerous awards for acting, cinematography, production design among others. We provide a high level overview of the drama, discuss the setting in the Tang dynasty during Empe...

In our latest In the Know podcast, we discuss the events that led up to the blacklist of actor Zhang Zhe Han in 2021. Fresh off his success in Word of Honor, the future was looking bright for the actor. However, photos of him visiting a Japanese shrine were uncovered in the summer of 2021. The backlash online and the government was swift and severe. He was quickly blacklisted from the Chinese ente...

In our wrap up episode for the Story of Yanxi Palace with the history of Fu Heng, Emperor Qian Long, and our lead Wei Ying Luo! We then discuss the impact this drama has had on our main cast including Wu Jin Yan, Charmaine Sheh, Qin Lan, Nie Yuan, and Xu Kai. Finally, we share our thoughts on our favorite characters and stories in this drama! Come listen to our final goodbye to this drama

As we round out our discussion on The Story of Yanxi Palace, did you know that it, along with RuYi's Love in the Palace are both actually unavailable to stream in China? Both dramas were removed and may never be available for Chinese audiences. We discuss theories on why these dramas were removed as well as a few other dramas that are still available abroad but have either been edited or remov...

In a final confrontation on the dragon boat, the Empress Nala is dragged off after she cuts her hair as a way to curse the Empress Dowager and Emperor. The Prince of He similarly receives his just punishment for treason. As for Yuan Chun Wang? His background is finally revealed even though there are several questions that remain. We wrap up episode 70 with a plot recap and a discussion on what hap...

In June 2023, the Chinese entertainment megastars Dilireba 迪丽热巴 and Xiao Zhan 肖战 take over Chinese network television with separate new Chinese dramas. Re Ba plays a prosecutor in Prosecution Elites 公诉. a modern day drama about online crimes. Xiao Zhan plays a young man from Beijing in the 70s in Where Dreams Begin 梦中那片海 alongside Li Qin 李沁. Ju Jing Yi 鞠婧祎 brings a fantasy drama...

We're nearing the final episode! On the fourth southern inspection tour, the Prince of He makes devious plans to overthrow the Emperor. The Empress, while not fully aware of his plans, agrees to play along. She believes that the Emperor has fully abandoned her. At night, rebels storm the dragon boat and a large fire breaks out. With the Emperor and Empress Dowager nowhere to be found, the Prin...

Karen and Cathy discuss their thoughts on the recently aired and popular Chinese fantasy drama Till the End of the Moon 长月烬明 featuring Luo Yun Xi 罗云熙, Bai Lu 白鹿, Chen Du Ling 陈都灵 and Deng Wei 邓为。

Tensions run high between the Empress vs pretty much everyone else in the palace with Yuan Chun Wang as the master puppeteer. In several well planned steps, he manages to make the Empress and Prince of He think that a coup might be the best option to preserve their power and authority. All of this happens while the Emperor and the rest of the palace are planning for another southern investigation...

We're finally discussing this new season of Sister who Makes Waves! This is a reality singing competition where 33 ladies over 30 compete to ultimately form a girl group! Each season, we get a variety of ladies from different backgrounds showcase their skills to form this girl group. These year, we have Ella from S.H.E., Ada Choi, our favorite actress Alyssa Chia, Amber from f(x), Japanese sin...

While Ying Luo and the Empress do not want to attack each others' children, the eunuch Yuan Chun Wang steps in and starts wreaking havoc. He skillfully leverages a damaged gun to severely injure the 5th prince and also remove the 4th prince from contention while also causing the Empress to become the subject of the Emperor's suspicion behind this attack.