Currently Watching: The Legend of Zang Hai (2025) 藏海传
Summary: Zang Hai (ft Xiao Zhan 肖战) was once the the son of Director of the Imperial Observatory then known as Zhi Nu. On one fateful night, his whole family was murdered and he embarked on a path of revenge. Ten years later, he returns to the capital as Zang Hai, having learned the skills of geomancy, craftsmanship, and political strategizing. With the help of unexpected allies, he gains the trust of his enemies and slowly climbs the political ladder. He discovers the corruption spread throughout the empire and must make difficult choices to save the empire.
Platform: Youku, CCTV 8
Episodes: 40
Airing Date: May 18, 2025
Initial Rating 7.9/10 – (After 16 episodes) Xiao Zhan shines in his return to period dramas with a gripping performance in this suspenseful political revenge tale. Strong production values and a touch of romance make it an engaging watch, despite some minor editing flaws and plot armor. This is one of the more compelling period dramas I’ve seen recently.
Zang Hai 藏海 Xiao Zhan 肖战
His parents were killed as a child and has plotted for ten years to get his revenge
Zhuang Lu Yin 庄芦隐 Huang Jue 黄觉
Marquess of Ping Jing and the one who murdered Zang Hai's family
Xiang An Tu 香暗荼 Zhang Jing Yi 张婧仪
Wealthy businesswoman who has her own tragic past
Zhuang zhi xing 庄之行 zhou qi 周奇
Second son of the Marquess who loves to gamble and drink
kuai duo 蒯铎 zhong han liang 钟汉良
Director of the Imperial Observatory who discovers a secret
zhao shang xian 赵上弦 chen yan xi 陈妍希
Wife of Kuai Duo
Emperor 皇帝 Zhang Guo qiang 张国强
The Emperor of the Yong Empire who has but one desire
ming yu su ti 明玉肃提 yu nan 余男
Princess of Dong Xia who wants to rescue her kingdom
Plot Overview
Zhi Nu grew up in a loving family, learning geomancy from his father Kuai Duo, the director of the Imperial Observatory. This life comes crashing down as Zhi Nu witnesses his entire family and friends murdered by the Marquess of Ping Jing. He is rescued by a mysterious man who sends him to learn skills in order to seek revenge for his family.
Ten years later, the now Zang Hai (ft Xiao Zhan) returns to the capital and must find his way to gain favor with the Marquess of Ping Jing. He gains an unlikely ally from Xiang An Tu (ft Zhang Jing Yi), a wealthy businesswoman. Zang Hai must dispatch the Marquess’s close confidantes and replace them in order to gain the Marquess’s trust and enact his own plans. It’s a treacherous journey in which Zang Hai must not lose himself to the temptations of power, wealth, and lust.
Initial Thoughts
One of the year’s most anticipated dramas, this star-studded production led by Xiao Zhan and directed by the acclaimed Zheng Xiao Long lives up to the hype. The story dives straight into the gripping backstory of Zhi Nu and his transformation into Zang Hai, setting the stage for a tense, high-stakes revenge arc. The villains are worthy adversaries and Zang Hai must calculate each step he takes. Each character operates with distinct motives, creating a richly layered world where no one can be fully trusted, making every twist and alliance feel earned. They don’t operate simply to serve the main character.
Xiao Zhan delivers an impressive performance, skillfully navigating the many personas Zang Hai must adopt to survive in a treacherous political landscape. This isn’t your typical instant-gratification drama such as The Story of Yan Xi Palace, it’s a slow burn, but one that pays off with depth, suspense, and emotional weight. It is a complex, well-crafted drama that’s absolutely worth the watch.
This drama is directed by Zheng Xiao Long 郑晓龙, the director of Empresses in the Palace, who despite some misses, has helmed other hits over the years. It has breached 10,000 on Youku’s popularity index, the fastest to do so this year. It has even reached a peak of 10,400. This drama has now overtaken Prisoner of Beauty in terms of daily viewership online and has held steady on CCTV-8. If the drama is able to keep its quality in terms of plot, I think it’ll be one of my top dramas this year.
What I Like
- Xiao Zhan as Zang Hai: Marking his first return to period dramas since 2023’s The Longest Promise, Xiao Zhan steps into new territory with his first major lead role centered on political intrigue and revenge rather than romance. He delivers a compelling performance as Zang Hai. a man who seeks revenge and must plot his own political rise. Xiao Zhan fully embodies a complex and layered character who presents himself to his enemies as a scrawny, penniless, yet calculating man who survives by bowing to the powerful. He convincingly adapts to each situation, shifting his demeanor with ease depending on who he faces. Zang Hai’s guarded nature keeps both characters and viewers guessing as to whether he’s ever truly being himself, even around those closest to him. He also impressed me with his proper enunciation, showing that he’s really put an effort to hone his craft. While the strength of a drama can’t rest solely on its lead, it’s hard to imagine this drama being as compelling without his nuanced portrayal.
- Worthy Adversaries: What makes this drama so gripping is the presence of truly formidable antagonists. Zang Hai isn’t up against cartoonish villains, he faces calculating, ruthless opponents who command genuine power and influence. The Marquess is truly terrifying with his intimidating presence, suspicious nature, and sharp instincts. There’s a clear reason why he wields such control and power in the empire. Every adversary poses a real threat, using wealth, status, and blackmail without hesitation. Zang Hai must plan carefully before making a move, and even then, his survival is never guaranteed. One misstep and Zang Hai is dead. The high stakes and constant tension make this a suspenseful, thrilling watch, especially since Zang Hai is a vulnerable, resource-limited man navigating a treacherous political landscape.
- Master Gao Ming: While Xiao Zhan delivers a strong performance as Zang Hai, it’s Liang Chao’s portrayal of Master Gao Ming that consistently steals the spotlight for me. In fact, I’d argue he’s the standout actor in the entire cast. As a true master of disguise, Liang Chao’s Gao Ming brings both charisma and precision to the role, seamlessly slipping into different personas and navigating the world with ease. His scenes offer a welcome touch of levity amid the drama’s intensity, and it’s clear that despite the focus on Zang Hai, the master remains a vital force behind the scenes. Without Gao Ming’s guidance and skill, Zang Hai wouldn’t have made it nearly as far.
- Chinese Geomancy, Astrology, and Engineering: It’s refreshing to finally see a lead who isn’t an all-powerful martial artist! Zang Hai earns his place among officials and the trust of his adversaries not through brute force, but through his mastery of traditional Chinese disciplines, geomancy (feng shui), astrology, and engineering. They are collectively referred to in the drama as Kan Yu (堪舆). These skills, though considered pseudoscience today, held significant weight in ancient China and were often used to interpret natural and social phenomena. I appreciate that the drama portrays the genuine craftsmanship behind architecture and invention that were developed in the name of these disciplines. The drama also doesn’t shy away from showing the ease with which people can be manipulated under the guise of feng shui or astrology. I appreciate that the show brings attention to this unique and often overlooked aspect of Chinese history.
- Right amount of Romance: At last, we have a male and female lead with an organic relationship that gradually blossoms into romance! There’s mystery, intrigue, and real tension between the two, which makes their dynamic exciting. Hilariously, I feel like the roles are reversed from a traditional romance where it’s now the woman who has the martial arts skills, money, and power who decides to aid the male lead. Typically it’s the other way around. Look at The Double. I can genuinely support this couple because they share good chemistry, despite a few minor issues (which I’ll address in the next section). I’ve been complaining about the other fantasy romance dramas that have recently aired where romance is the primary motivator of the drama. Not the case here. Both leads have their own individual goals, and the romance takes a backseat, never overshadowing the story. However, there are enough meaningful moments between them for their relationship to naturally develop. This is the kind of romance I’ve been hoping to see!
- High production values: The drama is set in the fictional era of the Yong Dynasty but it draws heavily from the Ming Dynasty. The set designer really put in the effort to recreate and highlight many Ming Dynasty artifacts and customs. What seems to be randomly placed lanterns or swords all have historical significance. Many of these have never been seen on screen before and I went down several rabbit holes to learn about random vases.
What could be better
- Obvious Plot Armor: Yes, this is Zang Hai’s revenge story so he can’t die but the obvious plot armor does undercut some of the drama’s most intense moments. There is a scene where Zang Hai and a crew of men try desperately to escape a death trap. The men’s attempt at avoiding the death trap is hilariously bad but of course Zang Hai escapes. The tension I felt quickly gave way to an exasperated laugh. This kind of narrative convenience pops up throughout the series. Zang Hai is playing with fire on his quest for revenge. Sure, Zang Hai makes adequate preparations, but I think he skates by multiple times due to luck.
- Awkward Editing: For a drama with such high production value, some of the in-scene editing feels surprisingly clunky. It’s not the transitions between scenes that are the issue, but rather the continuity within individual moments. There are instances where a character starts to turn their head, only for the camera to cut to a different angle where the motion is either repeated or hasn’t happened yet. These are small details, but they stood out, especially in a show that otherwise boasts such polished visuals and impressive set design. I expected a bit more finesse from a production of this caliber.
- Zhang Jing Yi as Xiang An Tu: Zhang Jing Yi delivers a solid performance and shares decent chemistry with Xiao Zhan, but her portrayal of Xiang An Tu feels a bit too straightforward. For a character who’s meant to be a powerful and respected businesswoman, Zhang doesn’t quite exude the commanding presence needed to make that believable. Sure, she’s cunning and a powerful martial artist, but it’s unclear why other characters who don’t know her true status treat her with such deference, as she doesn’t project the necessary intimidation or charisma. I can’t help but feel that a touch more arrogance or allure in her performance would’ve made the character more convincing, and potentially elevate her chemistry with Xiao Zhan even further. I also feel that the chemistry between the leads has been intentionally toned down, possibly due to their age difference or because Zhang Jing Yi didn’t want to face the wrath of Xiao Zhan’s fans. It’s fortunate the writing is strong enough to carry the relationship. On a styling note, her makeup does her no favors. She looks rather bland even though she’s wearing splendid costumes. A bolder look, darker brows, richer lipstick, could have added much-needed presence to the character. Zhang Jing Yi showed far more gravitas as Hua Zhi in Blossoms in Adversity, and I wish more of that energy had been brought to this role