#pursuitofjade — Public Fediverse posts

I’m having trouble getting over #pursuitofjade. The first time this happened was when I finished #LBFAD.
#cdrama

And I've finally uploaded my review of "Pursuit of Jade" to the SF-Fandom Forums.

#scifi #fantasy #cdrama #cdramas #pursuitofjade #tianxiwei #zhanglinghe #zengqingjie

https://forums.sf-fandom.com/thread-38691.html

Pursuit of Jade C-Drama Review (2026) — Is Zhu Yu (逐玉) Worth the Hype?

https://thedramadojo.com/2026/04/16/pursuit-of-jade-c-drama-review-2026-is-zhu-yu-%e9%80%90%e7%8e%89-worth-the-hype/

When I reached middle age I noticed something that previously had flown over my head; middle aged women are set in evil roles, and their agression is directed toward younger women. If they're in main roles things may be different, but for side characters (in crime fiction for example) the statistics is nearly 100%. That's why mrs Yao is a big relief, so far she's been smack on Changyu's side. She's also one of several, which is even better.

#PursuitOfJade #tropes #wuxia #CDrama

When I reached middle age I noticed something that previously had flown over my head; middle aged women are set in evil roles, and their agression is directed toward younger women. If they're in main roles things may be different, but for side characters (in crime fiction for example) the statistics is nearly 100%. That's why mrs Yao is a big relief, so far she's been smack on Changyu's side. She's also one of several, which is even better.

#PursuitOfJade #tropes #wuxia #CDrama

When I reached middle age I noticed something that previously had flown over my head; middle aged women are set in evil roles, and their agression is directed toward younger women. If they're in main roles things may be different, but for side characters (in crime fiction for example) the statistics is nearly 100%. That's why mrs Yao is a big relief, so far she's been smack on Changyu's side. She's also one of several, which is even better.

#PursuitOfJade #tropes #wuxia #CDrama

When I reached middle age I noticed something that previously had flown over my head; middle aged women are set in evil roles, and their agression is directed toward younger women. If they're in main roles things may be different, but for side characters (in crime fiction for example) the statistics is nearly 100%. That's why mrs Yao is a big relief, so far she's been smack on Changyu's side. She's also one of several, which is even better.

#PursuitOfJade #tropes #wuxia #CDrama

Pursuit of Jade is an exquisite viewing experience, even if the story is a little shaky towards the end.

#PursuitOfJade #ZhangLinghe #TianXiWei #CDrama #CDramas

https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/2026/04/09/pursuit-of-jade-2026-review/

Pursuit of Jade (2026) review

After he is seriously injured in a battle, the Marquis of Wu’an is found by Fan Changyu, a butcher from the village of Li’an. As he hides from his enemies in the village, he grows closer to Changyu and they eventually get into a marriage of convenience so that she can keep her house.

Meanwhile, schemes are afoot when a mysterious “merchant”, Qi Min, makes an appearance in their idyllic village.

Characters

Xie Zheng (played by Zhang Linghe): The Marquis of Wu’an, and famous general, he was ambushed and severely injured, forcing him to hide in a village.

Fan Changyu (played by Tian Xiwei): A simple lady who grew up in a family of butchers in Lin’an Town. Her parents died tragically at the hands of bandits. Born with immense physical strength, she is fiery, resilient, and tough.

Li Huaian (played by Ren Hao): Born into a prestigious family, he is accomplished in both literary and martial arts. He is ordered by his master to travel south to Lin’an.

Yu Qianqian (played by Kong Xueer): Manager of the Yixiang Lou restaurant and best friend Changyu. She has a dark past she wants to forget.

Qi Min (played by Deng Kai): A mysterious merchant with a cruel bent. He has a history with Qianqian.

What I Like About the Drama

The director’s craftsmanship makes this drama an exquisite experience. His camera work is absolutely gorgeous; every scene is framed like a piece of art. He knows how to bring out the best in his actors. I had seen both leads in previous works, but they were never as impressive as they are here.

The story’s bones is strong … mostly. Although I feel that the director spent a bit too long in the village, I understand the logic. He wanted establish Changyu and Xie Zheng’s motivations later. Consequently, the first half set in the village was excellent, even if slightly dragged out before the court politics kicked in.

Zhang Linghe performs well here. He hadn’t impressed me before, even in the much lauded Story of Kunning Palace much less Princess Royale. However, he did very well here. I feel that the director knew how to direct him, and he thrived under that direction.

Like I said, the director has a deft hand at bringing the best out of the actors and building up the characters, so they came to life, even the side characters.

I loved the slow-burn romance between the main couple.

The female lead’s “strong woman” trope was handled well.

A surprise discovery: Deng Kai, the second lead. He is usually unremarkable in other shows—not bad, just not notable. But here, he gets a humongous glow-up. He is not only gorgeous here (that grey wig worked hard!); his character literally stole the show, and he has since blown up in popularity. (He’s now one of Shiseido’s brand ambassadors. Talk about fast rise!) I expect him to secure more prominent, perhaps, leading roles in the future.

What I Didn’t Like

The court politics were vague. Bits and pieces of the story should’ve been sprinkled throughout the arc, but too much of it remained a mystery until the last arc. This left viewers clueless for most of the series.

We are left wondering: Who is who? Why are factions rebelling? Who are the scheming ministers? Because these elements lack foundation, the second half feels rootless and somewhat boring, despite dominating the runtime. The first half, though occasionally draggy, offered enjoyable character interactions. The second half, however, felt hollow and rushed—a typical rushed ending.

The romantic intensity didn’t reach the heights of Fated Hearts, which felt perfect with off-the-charts chemistry. Whilst I appreciated the romance in Pursuit of Jade, it didn’t feel “hot” enough for me. Ironically, the second couple was hotter and ultimately stole the show.

What I Thought About the Ending

The second half, however, felt hollow and rushed—a typical rushed ending.

Oddly, I had to force myself to watch the ending, which was happy, fortunately. There was a cute alternate ending where we explore what happened if the fire hadn’t happened. I felt sad for Qi Min. He would’ve been a noble crown prince

Final Thoughts

Interestingly, the drama faced significant controversy during its airing. I felt sorry for the director, as this was his first large-scale project since Blossom.

I’m unsure if the attention helped or hurt him, but any publicity is arguably good. Zhang Linghe faced scrutiny, coinciding with an NRTA report urging the industry to prioritise scriptwriting over “traffic stars.” Whilst the report wasn’t specifically about Pursuit of Jade, the timing was uncanny. There was much discussion about Zhang Linghe looking “too pretty” to be a general.

Admittedly, the director shoots in a way that actors seem to look ten times better than usual, and Zhang Linghe, whom I hadn’t previously considered handsome, was actually stunning here. This weirdly led to scandals labelling him the “Foundation General” due to heavy makeup. Odd because the “foundation generals” have been a thing for years, and somehow Zhang Linghe became the mascot for the issue somehow.

Overall, Pursuit of Jade is a really good show, one of those rare dramas that grabs you by the throat. However, unlike Fated Hearts, which wowed me from start to finish and remains endlessly rewatchable, I would likely only rewatch the first half of Pursuit of Jade. I didn’t enjoy the court politics enough to sit through the second half again.

Final rating: 3.5 out of 5

I am not as deeply involved with #cdrama fandom as I have been with American #scifi fandom for several decades. So I admit I don't understand all the controversies that arise around #CDramas

Actually - some of the American SciFi fan drama escapes my reasoning, too - but I digress.

Anyway, in an industry where the (Cdrama) actors' faces have been routinely "cleaned up" with Computer Generated Imagery for YEARS, why on Earth would fans get upset with #zhanglinghe for wearing #makeup in a television show?

I'm not sure I want to know the answer to that but I appreciated the way the actors looked in #pursuitofjade - I couldn't see any indication that their faces had been smoothed with computer tech.

Okay, he was wearing makeup. Big deal. At least it wasn't caked on like they used to do in the ancient 1950s and 1960s black-and-white shows and movies.

Raymond Burr (played Perry Mason and Ironside on American TV) once told a TV audience that the makeup they wore for those black-and-white shows was green.

So lighten up, Cdrama fans - at least he wasn't green.

https://www.sinotheater.com/115267/ ClipEP20【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Mercy? Never Heard of It 🚫🖤⚔️丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/115265/ ClipEP20【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Red Eyes, Broken Vows 👀🔴💔丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/115261/ ClipEP20【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】The Unlikely Avenger 🐷⚔️✨丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/115203/ ClipEP19【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Madness in the Name of Love 😤💀丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/115199/ ClipEP19【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Mistaken for the Enemy 👤❌👥丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/115195/ ClipEP19【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Healing Hands, Hidden Hearts 👐💖丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/115141/ ClipEP18【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Leap of Death, Vow of Love 🏔️💔🛡️丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/115139/ ClipEP18【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】The Mad Prince’s Wrath 🌪️👑丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/115135/ ClipEP18【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】His True Face 🎭❄️😨丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/115055/ ClipEP17【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】A Grand Comeback 🌊👑丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/115051/ ClipEP17【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】The One Who Got Away 🏃💨😢丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/115045/ ClipEP17【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Kissed, Slapped, Undone 🖐️😭💔丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114995/ ClipEP16【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Touch Her, Die 😤⚔️丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114991/ ClipEP16【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】One Slap, No Regrets 🔥✋丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114985/ ClipEP16【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Farewell, My Fierce Heart 🗡️丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114917/ ClipEP15【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Accuse Her BFF? Dark Mode Activated 🖤😈Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114913/ ClipEP15【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】”Do You Have to Leave?” Her Eyes Begged 💔丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114909/ ClipEP15【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】She Asked Him to Soak Feet Together🦶😳丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

I am still unhappy with myself for starting to watch #PursuitofJade (aka #ChasingJade) before the full series has been released. I hate having to wait for the next episode.

That said, my initial opinion of the show - that it's the best #Cdrama I've ever watched - remains intact. Of course, they can completely blow it with the ending (as some of these shows do). But I'm hoping that won't happen.

I've been so impatient with the pace of episode releases that I started rewatching the show from Episode 1 last week. And now I'm up to Episode 27 on the rewatch and only just saw Episode 33.

The waiting is suffocating. When I was growing up we had to wait an entire week for the next episode of a show - and many of them had 20-26 episodes per season back then. You'd think I could handle this 1-day-at-a-time scheduling but being able to binge on demand has spoiled me.

I'll probably never watch a show as it's being rolled out again. It's just too frustrating.

I wonder how many other Cdrama fans wait for the entire show to be released and how many watch the episodes as soon as they come out.

#cdramas #streaming #entertainment

https://www.sinotheater.com/114855/ ClipEP14【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Tying Her Ribbon, Tying Their Hearts 🎀丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114849/ ClipEP14【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Badmouth Her? Meet the Sack😏🪣丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114845/ ClipEP14【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Drunk in His Arms, She’s Irresistible 🍷😳丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

Deng Kai is eating up his role like it's made of honey, cream and sprinkled with gold dust

#PursuitOfJade #Cdrama #RedFlag #HotButNuts

https://www.sinotheater.com/114761/ ClipEP13【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Drunk Love 🍷😳💋丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114759/ ClipEP13【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】”Can’t Keep the Man? Keep the Baby!” 😳丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114755/ ClipEP13【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Sold Her Husband for 30 Taels?丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114721/ ClipEP12【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】 She’s Not Stopping Until She Finds Sister🏃‍♀️丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114711/ ClipEP12【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】”Congrats on Cashing Out Your Son!” 💼😏丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114705/ ClipEP12【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Her Jealous Glare Could Kill 🥩👀丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114671/ ClipEP11【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】He Tried to Hide His Smile 😏💘丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114665/ ClipEP11【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】Rage in His Eyes, Tears in Hers 🔥👀丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

https://www.sinotheater.com/114661/ ClipEP11【Pursuit of Jade逐玉】One Step from Being Sold—Then He Appeared 🚫🏔️丨Zhang Linghe,Tian Xiwei #cdrama #chinesedrama #DengKai #DuChun #KevinYan #LiQing #LiuLin #MuRanLam #PursuitOfJade #RenHao #Sherry #TencentVideo #TianXiwei #WeTv #WeTvChineseDrama #WeTvChineseDramaEngSub #WeTvDrama #wetv #WetvApp #WetvChina #WetvEnglish #YangYue #YeZuxin #YuZhongli #ZhangLinghe #严屹宽 #任豪 #刘琳 #古装 #叶祖新 #喻钟黎 #孔雪儿 #岳旸 #张凌赫 #李卿 #杜淳 #林沐然 #爱情 #田曦薇 #腾讯视频 #逐玉 #邓凯 #騰訊視頻

I'm drowning in CDramas! It's both a blessing and a curse, especially when I'm so busy at work and with adulting.
Dramas covered in this issue include #PursuitofJade, Swords into Plowshares, Seeds of Scarlet Longing, How Dare You?!, Generation to Generation and more.

#CDrama #CDramas #TV #Entertainment

https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/2026/03/19/spill-the-dramatea-3-pursuit-of-jade-swords-into-plowshares-how-dare-you-and-more/

Spill the DramaTea #3: Pursuit of Jade, Swords into Plowshares, How Dare You?! and more!

February brought Chinese New Year, which always means chaos for me, so I wasn’t able to write last month’s newsletter. But I’m back, and in March I find myself inundated with so many good Chinese dramas that I’m having decision paralysis deciding what drama to watch first.

If you have a wide range of tastes like I do, watching everything from idol dramas to super serious ones, you face a difficult time deciding what to watch. And that is my situation right now.

What I’m watching

“Pursuit of Jade” is definitely the hit drama of the season, and probably the most controversial.

Starring Zhang Linghe and Tian Xiwei, it’s about Changyu, a village woman who finds a badly injured man in the snow one day; she brings him back home, and one thing leads to another—they end up married. However, she doesn’t know that Xie Zheng actually a powerful, controversial general and nobleman.

A very typical idol drama, to be honest. But what’s winning about this drama is the director, Zeng Qing Jie. He was the director of “Blossom” and came out of short dramas. Qing Jie’s short dramas were the ones that made everybody suddenly interested in Chinese short dramas, but unlike those who came after him, he knows how to tell a story well.

His work never feels choppy or badly edited; it’s always beautifully filmed and complex. He is a master at using a limited budget to weave a beautiful story. Now that he’s been given more resources and two major idol stars, this drama is simply beautiful and very well told. He doesn’t just film things well; he knows how to light scenes, compose shots like paintings, and make the actors look extra gorgeous.

But what I appreciate most is that he knows how to bring out the best in actors—directing them so their characters feel authentic and move like their roles. So this drama is definitely a win for me, and I honestly think I’ll enjoy it to the end.

Unfortunately, this drama has also attracted controversy. Zhang Linghe apparently said something racist about Southeast Asians. Chinese humor isn’t always politically correct, and casual racism is, unfortunately, a thing.

This took many Western audiences by surprise, although we Southeast Asians are like, “Yeah, we know.”

And if that isn’t bad enough, the drama is also caught in a ratings controversy—people are questioning its high ratings. To be honest, I think it deserves high ratings, but maybe not that high, since the numbers put it on par with dramas that sparked national conversation.

Data manipulation is a persistent issue in Chinese fandom; it’s annoying, used as bragging rights by fandoms and to show investors their money paid off. Still, I feel it’s unfortunate because Pursuit of Jade is honestly a very good drama, and these controversies shouldn’t diminish the director’s skill or the actors’ abilities. So I say: go for this drama. It’s really worth it.

“Sword into Plowshares” is a rare historical drama—the kind that comes once in a few years.

Many idol dramas are set in fictional historical times and aren’t faithful to the period, but this one is really faithful, with Merchant Ivory–level quality.

It’s about the little-known Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period—a tumultuous time lasting about 70 to 80 years after the fall of the Tang Dynasty.

Imagine: the Tang Dynasty was probably China’s most prosperous, cosmopolitan, culturally rich era, but when it fell, it fell apart hard, fracturing into vassal kingdoms with one dynasty after another rising and falling in quick succession in decades.

It was a chaotic period and a rarely explored part of Chinese history, so I’m learning so much through this drama.

The story centers on Qian Hongchu, a prince from the more prosperous, relatively peaceful Wuyue kingdom. In a sea of chaos, Wuyue was a rare oasis of peace and prosperity, but up north, war is brewing, and eventually Hongchu has to leave his sheltered life to step into the battleground.

If you have time, try to watch it. These historical dramas don’t come often. It’s worth watching, even though the subject is heavy.

I do find it difficult to watch after work when I’m tired; the last thing I want is death and despair, and there’s a lot of it here. (But I promise, it’s absolutely worth it and I intend to complete it even if it takes me a year.)

To balance things out, I tried something fluffy: “Seeds of Scarlet Longing.” It’s a fun, trashy short drama; every episode is about 20 minutes. Short dramas are very profitable these days, so I’m not surprised the actor took the role. It was fun to watch, with lots of steamy scenes, but stitching those together doesn’t create genuine chemistry between the couple, which I felt was missing.

The worst part? Our female lead is one of those pixie-happy types, feeling very one-dimensional. I never fully bought into their romance; the enemies-to-lovers transition felt sudden and underdeveloped.

The premise: our male lead is a prince hunting jade demons; the female lead is a demon who needs to have sex with a man to survive every full moon (they call it “dual cultivation” hehe). With a premise like that, you’d think you’d feel invested but honestly, it was disappointing. I had some fun, but didn’t enjoy it towards the end because I just didn’t buy their romance.

“How Dare You” really caught me. I don’t usually like transmigration dramas, but I gave this a chance because I like the actor, Cheng Lei. What surprised me: this drama had surprising depth. The plot was coherent and tightly told—no fluff or filler dragging the story. Every episode was thrilling, character writing was super good, and the story wrapped up neatly (no big question mark, like most transmigration dramas).

Yu Wanyin travels into a novel where she’s the villain—but here’s the twist: the villain of the novel, Xiahou Dan, is also a transmigrator!

They find each other and try to survive the bloody twist and turns of the plot together. It’s a pretty good drama with surprising depth and I thirsted for new episodes daily.

“Generation to Generation” is a rare wuxia tale—though wuxia-lite, not quite Jin Yong–level yet.

Cai Zhao, who just want a happy life free of the jianghu, is forced to join the revered Qingque Sect, where she meets the withdrawn Chang Ning, a survivor of a family massacre. One thing leads to another and Cai Zhao and Chang Ning gets dragged into the affairs of the previous generation of heroes, left unresolved for decades.

The only thing that may deter people about this drama: if you dislike repetitive cycles or misunderstandings between the couple, you may not enjoy it as much. But if you’re okay with that, it can be quite fulfilling.

I haven’t finished yet, but I plan to take my time because I like the two main actors—they’re very good, and I’m enjoying their performances.

The dramas that I hope to watch

Ah, Ingenious One, a true blue wuxia that I’ve told myself multiple times to watch but never seem to be able to. I kept putting it off, hoping to watch it right before season 2 of the drama airs, but the next thing I knew, season 2 is here, and I’ve still not watched it! Ack.

I’m sad I can’t catch it live, but I’m also happy to watch both seasons back to back, slowly savouring it.

I’m behind reviews, but they’re coming!

Loving Strangers, Glory and more. (I’m super behind my reviews. There’s just been so many CDramas and I’ve been so super busy!)

So there you have it: what I’ve been watching the last two months. See you next month!

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