#CHINESE ACTOR

[scarefox]

i find it amusing that he plays

the unhinged suitor

and the one who gets courted by someone unhinged

at the same time in two BL series. iconic.

[hewiste]

Six years ago Jiang Cheng starring Wang Zhuocheng appeared in the drama "The Untamed"

[a-full-moon-and-blooming-flowers]

This was the last episode already. I really needed a few more episodes or even a second season. Nontheless, it was definietly the best drama of 2025 so far. I LOVED IT: the story, the actors, the clothing, the soundtrack, the aesthetic. I admire the maturity of this drama. And Qi Menglin with his childisch behaviour and everlasting positivity has stolen my heart. It's been a long time since I enjoyed a drama so much and it really makes me want to write some fanfic. I also can't wait to read the novel.

My ever solid top 5 has also been shuffeled:

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Under the Moonlight (and it's really a close one)

Gone with the rain

Arsenal Military Academy

The Longest Day in Chang'an

Aaaand happy ending!

I really really loved that (now that his family lost status and been exiled), they get to live their bliss with her being the provider trader boss and him a happy devoted homemaker husband.

DARLINGSSSSSSSS

I may have been more rabid and posting more about TBL as it aired, but this is my favorite cdrama of the year so far, actually. It really was perfect.

[zhouyes]

this sword in my hand doesn't know you.

WANG XINGYUE as XIAO HENG

the double, 墨雨云间.

[nunafilms]

✩  The Double ─ Episode 31 (墨雨云间)

[a-full-moon-and-blooming-flowers]

Under the Moonlight was my top drama of the year. Luo Shu & Qi Menglin have stolen my heart. I really loved the characters, the story and the maturity with which everything is portrayed.

top dramas of 2025 (so far)

this fever dream of a year is halfway over so here's my ranking of all the dramas i've watched so far:

2025 releases

9. feud: a hot mess story that asks the eternal question, “why does he even like her???” nonsensical plot progression, ridiculous costumes, and a “romance” so disappointing even bai lu can’t manufacture enough chemistry with her co-star to sell it. with iqiyi now slowing down episode releases my determination to finish is failing.

8. prisoner of beauty: sorry gang, it started strong but became a slice of life romcom and not the festival of unhinged i was promised. i got bored and dropped it around the 2/3 point.

7. love in pavilion: i was really enjoying this until we hit the super bleak final arc and i dropped it for mental health reasons lol. it’s on my list to go back at some point.

6. kill my sins: bleak from the start, but fascinating concept and characters. another one i wasn’t able to finish at the time because it was so depressing, but i plan to try again.

5. love of the divine tree: it feels wrong to rank this so low. it just gets beat out by the rest. i had a blast with this, xiang han zhi and deng wei are an inspired pairing as the top/bottom master/student switchy leads. i thought xhz was particularly good at portraying each distinct version of her character.

4. a moment but forever: the obvious selling point here is liu xue yi's 10/10 performance as one of the most wronged and traumatized xianxia heroes ever. he brought the emotional complexity along with the face card. i loved him opposite tiffany tang as the neurodivergent goddess of craftsmanship. you think you're going to get a standard "girl meets guy, girl supposed to kill guy to save the world, girl falls for guy instead" xianxia but it's so much more than that.

3. legend of zang hai: i binged this like i haven't binged in ages, since i started late and caught up just in time for the express package to be released. xiao zhan is so compelling in this drama that at its heart is about the damning consequences of revenge and power. i didn't care so much about *what* was going to happen next in the plot, but i was desperate to watch how it affected all of the characters. my favorite kind of revenge story.

2. under the moonlight: this narrowly beats out zang hai but ultimately i feel under the moonlight is a stronger overall drama. it shines even without a big budget or super traffic star. the plot is perfectly woven and the characters will steal your heart when you least expect them to. it doesn’t shy away from some very disturbing topics but in a way that’s interested in how good people deal with the realities of a harsh world rather than in traumatizing its characters for glamor’s sake.

1. the blossoming love: my first drama of the year and has yet to be de-throned by anything released after it. i fell so hard for all three leads. it's so tightly plotted that even the time travel/loop situation in it didn't give me a headache (a feat!). i still think about this drama all the time and rewatch scenes because i miss them. also an ost full of bangers.

older things i also watched

6. mysterious lotus casebook: why is li lianhua so relatable.

5. nirvana in fire: iconic and brilliant in many ways, but my appreciation for it is largely intellectual. except the jings. protect the jings at all costs.

4. lost you forever 1 & 2: it's been a long time since i became as obsessed with a character™️ as i have been with xiang liu. (why is he so compellingly tragic? shithead.)

3. the ingenious one: in the vein of legend of zang hai, this is about the consequences of only caring about revenge. plus it's a genius-man-who-can't-fight + calculating-woman-who-absolutely-can pairing and i eat that shit up with a spoon.

2. the legend of shen li: i actually tried to watch last year but couldn't initially get on board with the chicken arc. i finally buckled down and kept going and WOAH MOMMA am i glad i did!

👑 joy of life 1 & 2: i think this might be my favorite cdrama...ever? there's not a single character that isn't complex and intriguing, the plot twists are insane, and it has things to say about justice and humanity that honestly just hit all the right notes for me. i fucking love this drama so much. season 3 when?????

[bangories]

i'll never get over them ♡

[zhanglinghez]

Zhang Linghe for Harper's Bazaar 2025 Icons Annual Party

[honeygleam]

leslie cheung as cheng dieyi in farewell, my concubine (1992) dir. chen kaige

[a-full-moon-and-blooming-flowers]

I really enjoyed this drama and I will definitely watch it again. The production quality, the story, the characters, the music, the clothes, the actors, everything was just amazing. It's been a long time since I saw such a good drama and I really recommend it to anyone who's in for a good costume drama. Btw Luo Shu & Qi Menglin have really stolen my heart.

Took me some time, but I finally finished Under the Moonlight! Tangren did a solid job this time. Although their selling point wasn't "girlboss", I was worried it would end like 99% of idol costume dramas out there right now, where the main selling point is "girlboss" (I don't have a problem with 大女主 strong female protagonist dramas, it's just that some of them are fraud) Aside from the more realistic period drama behaviours and dialogues, the ending was spot on 👌

One of my biggest pet peeves with these female-led dramas is that they always make the FL long for freedom and set that as her life goal, but in the end, she marries the ML, who has a high political status. From a romantic shipping perspective, that might seem like a "happy" ending, but for the woman, it's not. If the man cannot give up his political career, then the woman did not gain freedom by marrying him, because he has no freedom either.

One thing that stood out and spoke to this exact issue was Luo Shu and the magistrate Han Muzi's relationship. Not only is he an official and she an entertainer, but by law, they also cannot get married. Even if they did, she would have to be a concubine with no say in the house, reduced to an inner chamber woman.

On the other hand, the governor's son, Qi Menglin, isn't any better, because his father is also an official. As we've already seen in the show, if his dad gets caught up in political conflicts, the whole family could get executed. He doesn't even need to be directly involved in politics to be on thin ice. The only way to resolve this would be to leave behind his aristocratic lifestyle. And he did! Well, technically the emperor exiled him three thousand miles away, close enough. He became a house husband! She has freedom!

Many of the idol costume romance dramas with a significant class difference between the male and female leads often make the FL rise to an official or noble status to match the ML's aristocratic background. However, here they make the ML lose his wealth and status, instead of 'rewarding' the FL with an upgraded status after enduring suffering. Just this one aspect makes it female-centric.

That said, romance is the least of this drama's focus. For once, it's actually a detective drama for the most part.

[morweneledhwen]

Liu Yu for 2025 China Annual Trends Summit

[pink-horizon]

crawling back to you

ever thought of calling when you've had a few?

[aamysworld]

@gaywatch he is so pretty 😍

[conscbgb]

Sheng Wang gay awakening hit him hard 😏🤣

Our boy was thirsty 🧊

[hewiste]

Zhuocheng and his cute cat ~