In episode 10 of Season 2 of Joy of Life, Fan Xian has his first day at the Imperial Court after receiving summons from the Emperor to respond to the allegations of corruption from the Censorate. Fan Xian has a plan but is surprised to see the cast of characters at court.Listen to our latest podcast episode to hear more about palace etiquette!
The biggest Chinese drama to air in August was This Thriving Land with Yang Mi as a lead but shined as an ensemble cast. Meanwhile, the fantasy/costume dramas featuring the likes of Xu Kai, Tian Xi Wei, Chen Fei Yu, Cheng Lei, Song Yi, Wang Ying Lu all didn't make too much of a splash. Listen in for more details!
On August 22nd, Weibo exploded when one of actor Xu Kai's (of the Story of Yanxi Palace fame) ex-girlfriends, Xu Li Sha, publicly posted how Xu Kai cheated on her. Xu Kai became a trending topic with billions of views about what happened. His manager, Yu Zheng also joined in on the fray by livestreaming a rebuttal. It became a whole saga which we explain in this episode.
In episode 9 of S2 of Joy of Life, Fan Xian's acceptance of 3000 taels of silver is reported to the Emperor from the Censorate. Fan Xian must make his case in front of the Imperial Court. However, Fan Xian does not seem too particularly worried. Instead, he turns his attention to the chief clerk, Deng Zi Yue, and tries to understand what happened to this once righteous man. Listen to our latest podcast episode on the history found in this episode!
Dilireba dominated social media after her unique red carpet look at the W Annual Gala on Aug 19. We discuss some of our other looks as well as the themes for the evening.
Fan Xian is now the head of the 1st Bureau and heads off to his first day of work. He instead finds the men happily playing Mahjong while accepting "gifts" from others. The chief clerk, Deng Zi Yue, is full of flattery towards Fan Xian but Fan Xian isn't fooled. Fan Xian decides to investigate the Crop Investigation Bureau for all of the "gifts" it sends. Listen to our latest podcast episode on the history found in this episode!
On Aug 2, Chinese Drama actress Zhao Lu Si publicly blasted her management company on Weibo for mistreatment following her illness at the beginning of the year. She has since been on continuous live streams with both positive and negative commentary. Listen in to hear more!
Fan Xian leaves the palace, disappointed that the Emperor will not take action against the 2nd Prince. He finally has a face to face conversation with Chen Ping Ping about the trajectory of his life. He finally returns to the Fan Manor and must inform his father and mistress Liu of Fan Si Zhe's involvement with Bao Yue Lou. The family make a decision for Fan Si Zhe's future with the hopes for him to gain some real-world experience and grow his talents in business
July/August 2025 Chinese dramas that are airing include historical detective romance, The Coroner's Diary ft Li Lan Di and Ao Rui Peng, fantasy drama, The Immortal Ascension starring Yang Yang and Jin Chen and Sword Rose featuring Dilireba and Jin Shi Jia. Other dramas include The Wanted Detective and Legend of the Female General among others.
