Chasing Dramas

In May 2023, Chinese dramas the wuxia drama Ingenious One 云襄传 ft Chen Xiao and Mao Xiao Tong and the smaller budget fantasy drama Back from the Brink 护心 ft Hou Ming Hao and Zhou Ye are currently airing. More importantly, the highly anticipated season 2 of Joy of Life or 庆余年 has finally started filming 4+ years after the airing of the first season. From initial photos, most of the main cast...

The drama time jumps to the 30th year of Emperor Qian Long's reign and we are now focused on the princes in the palace. Ying Luo has given birth to the 15th prince as well as several other children in the palace while also raising the 5th prince who adores his adoptive mother. Meanwhile, the Empress Nala, who has become hyper focused on maintaining her youthful look, has to contend with Yuan C...

Karen and Cathy provide an plot overview of the movie, Piercing Heart Sword 刿心剑, and explore the historical setting during the Ming dynasty as well as the powerful Embroidered Uniform Guard or Jin Yi Wei, the organization that the main characters are a part of.

After Ying Luo hits rock bottom, Imperial Concubine Shun or Chen Bi furthers her plan by creating the opportunity for Ying Luo to escape with Fu Heng from the palace. She sets it all up with both Ying Luo and Fu Heng and then immediately turns around and tells the Emperor. The day of the supposed escape, the Emperor stops the water tank Ying Luo was going to use to escape only to find her eunuch h...

There's still 2 weeks left before Till the End of the Moon wraps up airing but there has been plenty of controversy both about the drama and about the cast. Karen and Cathy share what's been the latest commentary about the drama and also their viewing experiences which has been negatively impacted by the generally negative commentary mainly due to the extremely high expectations set for th...

In episode 62, the tide turns against Wei Ying Luo. Shun Pin successfully manipulates the Empress Dowager and even the Emperor against Wei Ying Luo. Wei Ying Luo is essentially left for dead as the creepy Yuan Chun Wang makes sure that she is given no sustenance. Shun Pin turns her gaze towards Fu Heng and plants the seeds of possibilities with Wei Ying Luo. What is Shun Pin's end game? Listen...

On April 18th, Actor Shawn Do and Founder/ Social Media Influencer Laurinda Ho tied the knot in Bali. Laurinda's father was billionaire tycoon Stanley Ho's personal life was just as gossip-worthy as any Chinese drama. Listen to our latest podcast episode covering the couple and why the Chinese media has been obsessed with this wedding!

Given the popularity of Till the End of the Moon and the various fans it has drawn, Karen and Cathy give a brief run down of the different types of cdrama fans there are in the Chinese language! Let us know what type of fan you are or who you are a fan of!

The pain in Ming Yu's chest from the silver needle Noble Consort Chun left in her body all those years ago is now starting to get worse, at the exact time Ying Luo is working to help Ming Yu get married to Hai Lan Cha. Ming Yu does not want to get married because she doesn't want to harm the ones who love her with her possible death so she decides to end her life instead. This is devastati...

The much anticipated Till the End of the Moon or 长月烬明 featuring Luo Yun Xi and Bai Lu will air Thursday April 6. Meanwhile, Miles to Go or 人生之路 featuring Chen Xiao and Li Qin has garnered high viewership ratings on network television. Other dramas to highlight include Ming Dynasty drama Pledge of Allegiance 山河之影 that is flying under the radar, Royal Rumors 花琉璃轶闻 and Falling Before...

Ying Luo finally meets the beautiful Chen Bi who has captured the Emperor's full attention but also the ire of the rest of the ladies in the palace. Ying Luo decides that instead of helping the Empress kill Chen Bi, she would step in to protect her. During the Empress Dowager's deceased daughter's memorial, Ying Luo comes up with a plan to save Chen Bi's life which involves her pre...

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 lea...

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 th...

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 th...

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 Qin...

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 a...

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,...

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 t...

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...

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. Unfortun...