It’s already July 6th in China, which means it’s time to wish the one and only Liu Xueyi a very happy birthday! 🎂
Here’s a look back at some of his most memorable characters we've been blessed with over the years :)
Never say never, but sometimes time just goes by, and you kind of know you are not going to be watching it.
Mines is Eternal Love. I feel the plot might be outdated for my taste. If I started this when I was a new watcher, maybe I would have liked it. Prisoner of Beauty - I feel like I've been over exposed to this with so many edits that I don't have the motivation to start it, I'm also not so intrigued by what I saw. Hidden Love- another drama that I feel I saw too much about online. I also saw a lot of romance clips, and tbh, I was not impressed...so this one is maybe a never. I'm also not a fan of the brothers bestie dating his sister who he knew as a child.
I think the hair looked the best in Legend of Anle where he wasn't the male lead.
I respectfully disagree with those who find this drama lackluster only due to lack of physical intimacy. For two people carrying years of grief, betrayal, scars...if their carefully built defenses would immediately collapse by physical closeness, then it would almost feel dishonest and unrealistic.
This drama navigated romance in a different way. To the viewers, the main concern wasn't about - "When will they kiss?"
Rather it was-
"When will they finally trust each other enough to open up about their true nature?"
The audience are watching two extremely guarded people slowly believe they no longer have to carry everything alone. The main characters don't just merely admire each other. They gradually began to understand each other's fears, strengths, regrets and loneliness. That's a lot more difficult and arguably the most mature kind of love.
Often characters suddenly behave differently simply because the audience expects romantic scenes. Reserved characters become unusually affectionate and emotionally distant characters suddenly confess everything. Those moments may be exciting in the moment, but they can feel disconnected from their personalities established earlier. In a long term, every sizzling romance will fizzle out because there wasn't any meaningful conversation.
'The First Jasmine' cleverly avoided that direction and its romantic progression remained consistent with who these people were. It allowed romance to coexist with the larger narrative instead of replacing it, which helped a lot in the development of the main plot of the story. Their emotional wounds didn't just disappear simply because the audience wanted a swoon-worthy scene.That consistency made the relationship feel believable rather than polished and manufactured.
For viewers who wanted a passionate, fan-service-heavy romance, the drama may understandably feel restrained. But for viewers who value character consistency, psychological depth, and relationships built on trust, mutual respect, and quiet understanding, that restraint is exactly what makes 'The First Jasmine' memorable.
I feel like the styling department could have done better with him especially the hair.
This is crazy...
Imagine spending time and efforts just to hate someone. I can't wrap my mind in the thought that some people can be so downright evil and smear artist's name. Hope they get their punishment.
It's disheartening how Bai Lu is mostly getting targeted. Hope she is fine among all this negativity around her ❤️🩹
Dilraba can really carry any outfit so well! This is for 2 events that's only a few days apart. The blue dress is from today 💘
Previous recaps: Ep 1-4, Ep 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, 17/18, 19/20, 21/22, 23/24, 25/26, 27/28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, Ep 36-40 Fast Track
Main characters:
Bai Lu as Ye Li
Cheng Lei as Mo Xiuyao/Prince Ding
Novel fan translation: Mo Li
Ep 40: Ep 40: Mo Xiuyao nags Ye Li.
Then we're back in the capital. Li Feibai has broken up with his girlfriend. Feng Zhiyao seems normal again. They are worried about Li Feibai but I'm not. I'm more worried about the fact that we never got to see a power battle couple scheme and take down their enemies together. What is even the point of them both being so cool if they aren't awesome together???
Why is Li Feibai being such a jerk to his girlfriend? Ah, he was injured from the explosion. I think he's going blind.
Ye Li is still in a funk. She fights Mo Xiuyao with flower sticks. She says he lost but it seems like he won? (honestly, I've been annoyed at the Mary Sue allegations for Ye Li, but if she is better at his one best skill than she is one. He is supposed to be very very good at it... someone informed me that he lost because he knocked less flowers off)
The Empress Dowager is dying and summons Ye Li. Ye Li admits to wanting to kill her, but couldn't find an opportunity (come on! She set a man on fire with clothes!). The Empress Dowager is like, "I did so many good things, aren't I better?" They have a debate over politics where honestly, Ye Li sounds kind of naive. Because this is true:
Also, Ye Li is mad at the Empress Dowager over eminent domain which is something every government has done since the beginning of time and continues to do and like wut? Why are we angry about building highways because a few people got displaced? It's yet another anti-climax.
Li Feibai's girlfriend finds him. Han Mingxi goes back to work at the store. Now the Empress Dowager is dying. She is all regretful on her deathbed. Ye Li looks towards a sunrise meaningfully.
The emperor does condemn the Empress Dowager after she dies, which I honestly still think is a bad move politically, but I guess it matters how much people liked her. Oh, they punished Dowager Consort Qin too, doesn't she have a super powerful father backing her? (rant)>! You see staying in power often demands morally grey alliances... whatever. This is clearly not that deep.!<
Lishan opens back up! Exciting. But um...
I guess she hallucinated again to finally let go of the past but... I don't know. That didn't really work for me. Maybe put that at the beginning of the episode instead of the very end? We never see Ye Li integrating with her knew life and she's not even happy around her husband. Her choosing him over ghosts right at the end... why can't we see her happy in her new life?
The end.
I think the reason the ending annoys me so much is, I don't mind if Ye Li isn't completely mentally healed by the end, but they made Mo Xiuyao fully healed, so that felt kind of unbalanced. So many of us were wishing that after he fought so much in one day after just healing he'd experienced some sort of consequences or backlash, but he didn't. He was totally fine. And his hair going grey is just genetic and doesn't hurt him, so he completes the drama fully mentally and physically fine.
So then to leave Ye Li in this dissociative depression and still seeing hallucination ghosts is just, does she find a purpose? Is she going to be all right? If Mo Xiuyao goes to war again (which could totally happen) does she just start dissociating again? I don't think Mo Xiuyao minds at all supporting her but what if he dies, then it seems like we'd just get Wen Ran all over again since none of her other connections seem that strong. I don't know why they didn't even establish her as a Lishan mountain teacher or something, she could do that. She would have purpose. Instead she's like, sponsoring scholarships.
It's sold as a happy ending but it feels very unresolved and uncertain to me. And we could have a ten year time skip or something, but no, we get left very unfinished.
Also, almost everything was very anti-climax to me. Like they blew up a balloon but instead of popping it just very sadly deflated. And it wasn't even the balloon we liked most of the time, it was other, lesser balloons (side characters)
This CP comes off as extremely visually captivating to me. Zhang Jingyi has an innocent and natural aura about her. Song Weilong simply towering over her gives me butterflies.
Anyone likes this CP and are you watching their drama?
Edit: MDL Love For You
Which actor or actress do you find effortlessly chic ? I recently watched "Love has fireworks" and discovered Wang Churan. That girl can make a simple T-shirt look chic. Not only is she beautiful but there's something about the way she carries herself. ❤️
Should i watch it and skip the last ep or should I just avoid it? (Ik the spoiler of the last ep from insta),,also heard the chemistry between leads is good (in giving butterflies way?idk if it's true tho)
Is it worth watching skipping the last ep?
If I skip the last episode, will the drama still feel satisfying?
Who are the actors over 40 that still make you stop and stare whenever they appear on screen?
My pick is Yan Yikuan
Hello, I want to watch Cdramas or films that is calming, true to life, cooking, gardening ish just like Little forest and One day Off in (Kdrama) and Perfect days and One million yen (Jdrama). I'll happy to read and watch all your recommendations, thankss
Cdrama newbie here. Currently I am watching my 4th CDrama (Love in the Clouds). I love it! He is so beautiful. I just want to ask, what are his best dramas or movies? Where I don’t have to wait 20 episodes until they realised they love each other🥲😅 Btw I am open to better and meaningful thriller or other genres too. Rewrite
Her gaze and crazy/intense expressions look incredible. I can't wait to see her in this role, it already looks like she is going to absolutely own it. Plus it seems she and Yan An are going to have some killer chemistry 🔥. Drama name is where the mask ends.
Is anyone else super excited for this and just very captivated by Tian Xiwei screen presence?
Shows That Slap Forever, Shows That Slapped Once, and Two Men I Have Officially Divorced
Greetings, serial rewatchers with a completed list you'd never show a therapist, people who've defended a show's chemistry right up until the exact second they couldn't anymore, and everyone who's ever opened a drama for the ninth time and thought wait… do I even like you?
Here's the thing nobody warns you about: rewatchability is its own metric and it has NOTHING to do with whether a show is good. Some masterpieces are one-and-done. Some absolute trash lives in my rotation rent-free and pays no taxes. I have finished shows I couldn't tell you a single plot point about and abandoned "top-tier cinema" nine minutes in because I wasn't in the mood to be impressed.
💖 THE COMFORT REWATCHES
The ones that just slap. I refuse to interrogate why. Interrogating why is how you kill it (see Category 4, and weep).
My list:
Under the power, sword and brocade, love between fairy and devil, be my princess, perfect and casual, my lethal man, first frost, any vertical with Wang Kai Mu.
👻 SLAYED ONCE, GHOSTED FOREVER
Great night. Never texted back. These shows served in the moment and then vanished from my heart like a Tinder match who "just got really busy."
I've thought about WHY these don't pull me back, and I have theories. Maybe it's the spread-out romance— you wait four hours for one hand-hold and by the time it lands you've aged. Maybe it's the story doing more work than the chemistry. And maybe, for a specific subset of historicals, it's the drawn-on eyebrows that I cannot un-see once I've seen them. That's not a plot problem. That's a brow problem. But it counts.
The roll call of the once-beloved:
The double, legend of the female general, imperial coroner, legend of Shen li, go go squid, my little happiness, put your head on my shoulder, unforgettable love, my dear guardian, story of Kunning palace, autumn ballad, sweet teeth, smile code, love in the clouds, shine on me, pursuit of Jade, love song in winter, the best thing, blossom.
🥴 THE STOCKHOLM COMPLETIONS
That sacred category reserved for the head-scratchers I somehow finished with no idea how. Or why. My completed list is a crime scene and I am both the detective and the prime suspect.
List of perpetrators:
Amidst a snowstorm of love, legend of Yun Xi, autumn ballad, only for love, mysterious love, fate chooses you,
💀 DEAD TO ME (Effective Immediately)
The newest and most tragic category — the one that broke my brain this week. These are shows I LOVED. Rewatched. Defended in public. Until one day I sat there, watched the exact thing I used to swoon at, and felt nothing but the cold wind of the vibes being foreclosed on. There is no coming back from this. Once you see it, it's over.
Miss crow and Mr lizard: loved the damsel moments, love Allen Ren. Watched it 3 times and realized they have shit chemistry and he’s awkward and I’ll never be able to watch this again.
Love like the galaxy: saw it six times. Loved it five times. Love his brooding scowl. His touch her and die energy. The protective badass energy…. Now I can’t stand him. He’s just too much, too controlling, toooo red flag. I wanna slap his pretty face!!! Idk if I can watch it again.
Hot Take: A show being good and a show being rewatchable are two completely unrelated skills, and the most dangerous thing you can do to a favorite is watch it one time too many — because "one time too many" is a real number, it exists, and it will find you.
What are your categories and show? Disagree with mine? Tell me. Enjoy my ink art to soften the blow 💙
I honestly didn't expect to get this addicted to Chinese costume dramas, but here I am... 18 dramas in just 30 days. 😭 If you are into "haters to lovers" trope , then I highly recommend checking these out.
Hard to Find
Fated Hearts
Till the end of the moon
The Blossoming Love
Part for Ever
Bloom in Turmoil
A Vow in the Dark
The Tower of Whispers
A Tale of Love and Loyalty
Extremely Perilous Love
Love in the Clouds
Sinful Marriage
Back from the Brink
Rebirth
Gemini
Broken the Heart
Within the Grip
Love & Bid Farewell
I'd also love to know which drama from my list was your favorite and whether there are any hidden gems ( preferably short dramas ) I should add to my watchlist!
Which one are you?
📖 I read reviews before watching
✍️ I write reviews after watching
🙈 I avoid reviews completely
💬 I comment on reviews
Some people just make a drama sound interesting and compelling with their enthusiasm. I love reading good reviews. My type is I comment on good reviews.
For their currently filming drama Empress Reborn. I have to say this is a really good kiss scene...that will probably get cut and look awkward in the real scene due to cuts.
