Latest Chinese Drama Reviews
In depth reviews for the latest popular Chinese dramas.
Currently Watching: Wonderland of Love (2023) 乐游原
Wonderland of Love (2023) 乐游原 Summary: The fictional kingdom of Yu is thrust into turmoil as Sun Jing…
Currently Watching: A Scent of Time (2023) 为有暗香来
A Scent of Time (2023) 为有暗香来 Summary: On a snowy day, Hua Qian ft Zhou Ye is fleeing…
Review: My Journey to You (2023) 云之羽
My Journey to You (2023) 云之羽 Summary: Wu Feng assassin Yun Wei Shan ft Esther Yu Shu Xin…
Currently Watching: Parallel World (2023) 西出玉门
Parallel World (2023) 西出玉门 Summary: The beautiful and mysterious Ye Liu Xi ft Ni Ni searches for a…
Review: The Legend of Zhuo Hua (2023) 灼灼风流
The Legend of Zhuo Hua (2023) 灼灼风流 Summary: Mu Zhuo Hua ft Jing Tian seizes her opportunity and sneaks…
Review: Lost You Forever Season 1(2023) 长相思 第一季
Lost You Forever (2023) 长相思 Summary: As young children, Cang Xuan ft Zhang Wan Yi, grandson of…
New Podcast Episodes Weekly
Available wherever you listen to podcasts: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon, iHeartRadio, Google
Chinese Pop Culture News and Drama Updates
Full series podcast episodes are available anywhere podcasts are available. Just search Chasing Dramas.
In The Know – Chinese Pop Culture News
Karen and Cathy explain cultural and historical references episode by episode in popular Chinese historical dramas as well as Chinese pop culture news. The podcast is in English with proper nouns and phrases spoken in Mandarin Chinese. Currently, they are discussing The Story of Yanxi Palace. Completed dramas/movies include: The Story of Ming Lan, Empresses in the Palace, Royal Nirvana, Palace (2013 film), and Mulan (2020 Disney movie) among others.
Karen shares some high level observations of the current landscape of Chinese variety and reality tv shows.
Chinese Drama Updates!
Karen and Cathy explain cultural and historical references episode by episode in popular Chinese historical dramas as well as Chinese pop culture news. The podcast is in English with proper nouns and phrases spoken in Mandarin Chinese. Currently, they are discussing The Story of Yanxi Palace. Completed dramas/movies include: The Story of Ming Lan, Empresses in the Palace, Royal Nirvana, Palace (2013 film), and Mulan (2020 Disney movie) among others.
October dramas include A Scent of Time featuring Zhou Ye, Romance on the Farm with Tian Xi Wei and Zeng Shun Xi and Pearl River Family which is smashing tv viewership numbers but does not have much online buzz. Into November, Gong Jun has a new modern day romance and so does Bai Lu and Dylan Wang He Di. Xu Kai and Jing Tian have a historical romance, Wonderland of Love slated to air.
Chinese History Through Chinese Dramas
In depth podcast series analyzing a specific Chinese historical drama
Currently Discussing: The Longest Day in Chang An (长安十二时辰）
A 2019 hit show, this 48 episode drama depicts the events in the 24 hours of the Lantern Festival in 744AD under the reign of Emperor Tang Xuan Zong Li Long Ji. A terrorist plot was uncovered by Jing An Si (The Department of City Security). The Chief, a young Li Bi, orders the release of a local police captain Zhang Xiao Jing, who was on death row, accused of murdering the local magistrate. Li Bi needs a person such as Zhang Xiao Jing who operates in the gray zone between the local law enforcement and underground gangs to uncover the plot. The pair race against time to uncover the terrorist plot and the secret machinations at court before the plot can succeed on the night of the Lantern Festival.
Lei Jia Yin plays Zhang Xiao Jing. An ex-police captain, he was put on death row for the murder of a local magistrate but pulled from his death sentence to assist Li Bi to foil a terrorist plot. Throughout the drama, we see how Zhang Xiao Jing operates and what he holds most dear to himself.
Jackson Yee plays Li Bi, the chief of The Department of City Security. He was a Chinese Go prodigy, and upon reaching adulthood, became a member of court. He is decisive yet meticulous. His primary goal is the safety of the people of Chang’an but he’s also deeply loyal to the Crown Prince. He’ll do everything he can to protect the Prince’s position.
Featured Podcast Episodes
Karen and Cathy explain cultural and historical references episode by episode in popular Chinese historical dramas as well as Chinese pop culture news. The podcast is in English with proper nouns and phrases spoken in Mandarin Chinese. Currently, they are discussing The Story of Yanxi Palace. Completed dramas/movies include: The Story of Ming Lan, Empresses in the Palace, Royal Nirvana, Palace (2013 film), and Mulan (2020 Disney movie) among others.
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 Emperor Tang Xuan Zong's reign and introduce the two main leads, Lei Jia Yin and Yi Yang Qian Xi.
Karen and Cathy explain cultural and historical references episode by episode in popular Chinese historical dramas as well as Chinese pop culture news. The podcast is in English with proper nouns and phrases spoken in Mandarin Chinese. Currently, they are discussing The Story of Yanxi Palace. Completed dramas/movies include: The Story of Ming Lan, Empresses in the Palace, Royal Nirvana, Palace (2013 film), and Mulan (2020 Disney movie) among others.
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 to track down a member of the Wolf Squad who escaped capture that may be intent on causing harm in Chang An.
