Can These Dramas Just Release Already

The minute I heard that this is one of Ma Bo Yong's novel adaptations, I was in. Then I got to know that Cao Dun is directing this. He had amazingly adapted 'TLDIC' by the same author before. The cinematography is top notch, and the drama is tightly paced. A highly appreciated drama on douban. 

The plot is the most unique I have heard of. A slice of life show about transporting litchees as fresh as ever within given time, aka before noble consorts birthday to Chang'an. Set in Tang dynasty, and a slice of life on hard work, perseverance and harsh reality?  Only expected from China. Also we will get to see their entire journey and them encountering several problems along the way, including the major one of keeping them fresh.

Directed by Cao Dun, and it is evident from the trailers. The story is also a unique one: on the trade of opium and how Britishers ruined yet another country. They really had the mission to ruin the entire world in the name of 'civilizing' people. I will never forgive them for the damage they had inflicted on my country, no matter what.

Edit: The costumes and styling are AMAZING! Yang Zi in a Tang dynasty costume drama in a female centric story of overcoming the obstacles as a woman in that time period and successfully running a business is a need. Like seriously. Ever since I started loving her, I wanted to see her in all kinds of non typical roles. And her character this time is a cold and calm woman. I am dying to see her as the ice queen. And I love Li Xian a lot too. This time in this show, he is going to chase her first which is what I needed. Thank you cdrama lords. 

They need to start filming this ASAP! God the interesting historicals we get from China. First 'Lychee of Chang'an' and now this. Love a show which shows struggle of women in ancient times. This sounds like 'A Dream Of Splendour' to me. 

I heard that director of 'Meet Yourself' will be directing this.

Another Yang Zi drama with female centric plot! This time it's set in the Ming Dynasty and she is involved in the business ink. I just love these types of Chinese historicals. Glad that they are being made more and more.

Director had co-directed dramas like Arsenal Military Academy, Story of Yanxi Palace & Winter Begonia. I love AMA a lot and I just know that I will love SOYP & WB. This pair of screenwriter had also written respected Zhou Xun's Imperfect Victim. 

The photographs from the production are less, but from what I have seen the costumes look great. I also heard that they are taking the process of producing ink seriously, which I hope is true. Come soon please. 

Okay WHAT? I am literally losing my sh*t rn. My absolute fav actress has filmed such an interesting show with a director as amazing as Yang Yang? And I was unaware? LIKE HOW? HOW DID IT EVEN HAPPEN? Like I- gotta go watch the trailer. I am still feeling that I have gone crazy as I have been checking almost daily for updates of her new stuff and still was fully unaware that she did this. CRAZY. 

Edit: Written by who now? The screenwriters of 'I Don't Want To Be Friends With You' & 'Angels Fall Sometime'? Also the director of 'A River Runs Through It', 'To Fly With You', & 'Love Me, Love My Voice'? I should have known this after watching that beauty of a trailer that this must've been written & directed by people who know what they are doing and are excellent at their jobs. HOW THE HELL CAN I WAIT AFTER KNOWING THIS??? Just release already T_T 

Time travel/manipulation and parallel/alternate world related dramas and films are my favorite. I can't seem to get enough of them. This drama's trailer was so good, so good that I kept rewatching it for the feels it gave. I can smell it's high douban ratings already, fingers crossed. The trailer just pulls you in so badly. Just waiting for it's release now. 

Why did I come to know about this one so late? This one is the most my kind of drama amongst all kinds of genres, themes and plots that I love: 'Female Lead lives in one of those periods of history which is most restrictive and oppressive towards women, she has a dream she wants to pursue, and tries her hardest to break through and make her name in such a time.' This is yet another thing that only China (sometimes Japanese taigas/asadoras too, but they are less) can do as I have seen one Korean drama with this plot, and it was one of the worst execution of this plot. It was very unrealistic and felt very 21st century-ish in the way characters behaved. That is a story for another day, but I love realistic portrayal of how women were treated in that period and the mindset of FL being not following 21st century feminism, but true to how it would have been for a woman wanting to achieve her goal in that time period.

The screenwriter and director had already written and directed (respectively) an amazing contemporary female centric realistic drama before called 'Be Your Own Light'. I have heard a lot of good things about the FL actress from China and the teaser was a proof of her great acting capabilities. Highly waiting for the show!

The plot is so unique and different for an E.Asian drama! Usually I expect Japan & Taiwan to deal with these kinds of plots. China is getting better and better in my eyes. The FL is a woman nearing her 30s and is in not good luck with her career. Her mother, who is around 50 meets a man, falls in love, marries him, and gets pregnant. All of this happens too quickly for the FL. It will be so interesting to see how this drama will handle the issues faced by her mother for getting pregnant at that age, how FL will come to accept that she will soon be meeting a sister(heard it will be a sister) that is 30 years younger than her, and how she accepts her new family.

I have no worries about this not being realistic as it is directed by Li Mo, the one who also directed top shows like 'Remembrance of Things Past', 'Fake it Till You Make it', & the highly underrated 'Song of Life(San Yue You Le Xin). 

Also, the lead actress is my bb Zhou Yu Tong! I love her acting and her charming smile so very much and I am so happy she is getting so many good lead roles. First 'There is A Lover in My Hometown', and now this. 

This is possibly going to be written by Wang Xiong Cheng, my ultimate favourite Chinese screenwriter.

This is possibly going to be written by Wang Xiong Cheng, my ultimate favourite Chinese screenwriter.

I highly anticipate this drama from Bai Lu out of all her popular upcoming ones. This is the least popular at the moment, since it is not an idol drama, but a mainstream slice of life one. But this is the most promising of all her upcoming shows (Ning An Ru Meng as well)

Screenwriter is the same as 'Ordinary Greatness' and the plot is so unique: it revolves around a canal and the generations of people who are connected with it, and have memories attached with it. A slice of life show centered around a canal, its history and its present. These kinds of unique dramas are all I need in my life.

Liu Ci Xin, the author behind '3 Body' is behind this drama's novel too. And he is the screenwriter for the show as well! And the director can be trusted as he had directed 'Tientsin Mystic' before. 

The plot has my full interest: a situation where the entire surface water of earth, including oceans of course; rose into space to form a ring around the earth. I just want to see this asap.

CDL looks so good here! And her acting has improved SO MUCH! She came a long way. I can see the anger, the hatred and the fire of revenge in her eyes from the trailer. The trailer was just too good. The production quality looks well done. 

Also, the costumes. Ming dynasty hanfu, as one commentor had also mentioned, looks so fab! And also is not really popular amongst costume dramas (and often times inaccurate to the era). This will be a visual treat.  

The story is definitely going to be interesting as it is a QSCKs novel adaptation. She is well versed in this genre of stories and is not afraid of making the FLs cruel to her opponents. I am highly anticipating this one! 

Edit: Yet another trailer, yet again the rise of anticipation. This time I am appreciating the cinematography so much more as the trailer had so many visual feast scenes!! Especially when everything goes black and red at the start of the trailer, I knew it that this will be the one. Upcoming drama trailers like this ones remind me why I prefer Chinese dramas so much, and why Korean dramas cannot appeal me beyond a certain limit. The cinematography and epic feels is one of the many reasons. 

The trailer has won me over! Li Lan Di looks too beautiful (should've expected that since the costume designer is none other than Yi Xiao Ya). The mystery, crime & case-breaking theme in period dramas is my favorite. This is the reason I watch Chinese dramas! The cinematography also looks really good based on the trailer. Hoping for this to release soon and succeed, so that we have yet another good LLD drama!

Edit: OMG the trailer! FL is exactly like how I expected her to be, given the style of original authors writing. Number one, she has to be a badass fighter, way above the ML even. Number two, the styling and makeup is very well done. Both Rattan and Parallel World had followed these rules, and this seems to be doing the same. 

The production quality is just tooooooo good! The lighting and everything is top notch. Really did not expect it to be so good. I knew that the director is an very good one, but this level of cinematography? I can only wait impatiently now T_T

This drama is an adaptation of Wei Yu's novel, whose novels have been previously adapted into dramas like 'Rattan' & 'Parallel World'. One thing I absolutely love about her works is that the FL is usually very strong, even more than the ML. Jing Tian & Ni Ni did terrific job in portraying their characters, and I believe that Dilraba can also pull this kind of a character well, given that her face is very suitable for a feisty and dangerous woman kind of characters (hoping that this drama also follows the pattern of FL being this strong). Also, CXX is an amazing actor as well. 

Director Tian Li has good experience with stories like this, having previously directed 'Tientsin Mystic', 'Disappearing Child' & the upcoming 'Sea of Dreams'. Can't wait to see this drama!

Is the cinematography for real?!?! The trailer has my expectations above the roof. Always love dramas set in the Qing dynasty (actually set in any period as long as it is well written). Also what? The screenwriter & director has also written Wild Bloom & Bank on Me and has also both directed and written (like this show) The Long River?? This is bound to be a masterpiece (fingers crossed). 

Can this drama do me a favor and release asap?

Edit: just saw the trailer and Cao Dun lives up to expectations. Seems like this will include people from other than Han ethnicity. I am very excited to see this!

Cao Dun directs this and all I know is that this is set in Ming dynasty and is about mystery, historical  and dark elements. Also, I got to know that it is the same team as 'Longest Day in Chang'an'. I cannot wait for this to air man! I love these kinds of historicals and the director is top notch. I already have very high expectations.

Found out about this one through it's trailer. l was impressed. Heard from Chinese netizens that the costumes are well done. Adding to that, the cinematography and production quality is also great. The story is also the type I love, one following the journey of a female during a historic period with many restrictions imposed on women. 

Song Zu Er!!! MY BB SZE IS BACK!!! I will cry. Back when I saw this drama's styling pics, I was way too excited seeing how SZE was styled. Besides that, she is a huge favorite of mine. She is supposed to get all great dramas, because she can act that well! And then when the trailer arrived, I was awestruck. I had no words to praise it. 

So when the news of her having evaded taxes came out, I stopped looking at Chinese drama updates and even dramas overall for an entirety of 2 weeks. I was that sad and disappointed. I couldn't believe that after 'Night Wanderer' (lord please help that drama come out intact too), another highly highly highly awaited drama of mine was getting shelved. Ya'll can only imagine my happiness when I heard that she didn't evade taxes and it was all false accusations. POWER TO MY GIRL ZU ER!!

Ok the trailer was so cool! Highly comedic, just like how I love it. Seems like He Di's character would be laidback, humorous and fun loving. I love ML's like that and it would suit WHD a lot. Would help him do away with his bad reputation of a 'bad actor' and showcase his acting capabilities. I love TXW a lot as well. Hoping that she is a strong, smart and capable character that shines. 

Production quality-wise it looks good. It is the same director who directed 'Prisoner of Beauty' which also looked so good in the trailers(sad that it might never release). 

Story-wise it looks like a fun adventurous wuxia. I love the likes of these the most. 'Blood of Youth' & 'Joy of Life' immediately came to my mind while watching the trailer. Have too high of hopes from this now. 

SZE YASSS!!!!! SHE IS BACK!!! I am so happy right now! Highly await this drama. These kinds of period dramas are my favorite!! Both directors are really good too. Hope that they release this asap. Like asap.

I love the director Yang Yang so much! Ma'am gave us dramas like ADOS & Ever Night. The story here is also my type. The direction looks top notch according to the trailer (exceeded the expectations). I loved it so much! Heard that they actually travel to all these locations to shoot instead of making do with what they have or using CGI instead. Love the director and the entire production team for this effort. I may not like the actor Yang Yang much, but the story and the production appears to be worth waiting for. 

Yet another drama promising a badass female assassin. The time travel from modern times to Song dynasty looks interesting for this kind of plot with her being assassin in modern times transmigrating to body of a woman who is an assassin in training during those times. Hopefully it is well done. I await a good WCR drama. Also GJM aesthetics are love <3 

I just read the plot and instantly added it to my list. I got wayyy too many reasons why I am mad excited to see this show. I am overwhelmed by all those reasons as I am typing this. Let me use points to explain my excitement.

• The FL is Lu Yu Xiao, who I absolutely adore. She is a beauty that exudes elegance and grace. I first paid attention to her through her role in 'MJTY' where she was styled too good. I loved her character there and found out that apart from the youth drama 'TAHAJR', she has mostly done support or SFL roles. Now she is finally getting lead roles in all these good dramas. I am very happy for her. 
• The character of FL is cold, lethal, and strong. I always love such kinds of female leads. 
• Also, it seems like the character of ML will be less serious. I hope so, because I love it when cold and strong FL is paired with playful and humorous ML. Banter between such personalities are the most interesting for me.
• The screenwriters of 'New Life Begins' will be writing this. Also, I heard it will have themes of feminism. That being the case, these 2 screenwriters are the best choice.
• The production shared it's concept for the kind of sets and CGI it will have, and it looks like this will have a completely different CGI & sets than other Chinese period fantasy shows. They have a mix of Chinese mythological & cyberpunk elements in the concept, and I hope that they stick to it. Because I really have not seen anything like this from a Chinese drama before. Chinese dramas are always full of surprises and innovations these days. 
• The director has already directed 'FSM:RMP' which looks like an insane high quality xianxia. I am hoping the same for this project.

I just hope this starts shooting soon, because I might die of curiosity for this.  

Ko Jia Yen the GOAT is in this plus the plot of this sounds like it will be a realistic slice of life drama. This is so my type of a drama. I hope this releases asap. 

An interesting looking Taiwanese Sci-Fi. Cinematography looks amazing. Looks top notch from the trailer itself. The director of my absolute favourite show 'Mars' is directing this! Another co-director also directed 'The Victim's Game'. Seems like the next top rated on douban Taiwanese drama. 

Zhou Dong Yu in a dual role with opposite personalities? That too with one personality being so mysterious and deadly? I want this and I want this now. The cinematography also looks very good from the trailer released. Can't wait.

I didn't knew much about this drama, but the trailer was very interesting. This one also feels like it will be a hit in China. Ma Si Chun & Zhang Ruo Yun are both really good actors, so can't wait to see their performance here.

Just saw the trailer. Looks like something I would love. The trailer gave both nostalgic and thrilling suspenseful vibes. 

This looks sooo interesting. I am always looking forward to dramas like KMHM which properly tackle the subects as tough as multiple personality disorders. This drama seems like it would do very well on these aspects, because I trust Zhao Li Ying. She is an amazing actress and I love her a lot. Also, this is not listed as a romance drama, but as a mystery & sci-fi show. I wonder what kind of a story this would be.

The director also wrote the script of and directed 'Fearless Blood', a republican era show set in a train. He has also written the script of 'The Youth Memories'. I feel like the director is very trustworthy due to the deserved success of his above mentioned 2 projects. 

Based on the novel of Ding Mo & directed by 'Tsai Yueh Hsun ' who also directed my favourite drama 'Mars' & a number of well recieved Taiwanese dramas. Starring 'Jing Tian' & 'Zhang Xin Cheng', my absolute favorite actors. The 2 actors look well styled. ZXC looks awesome & JT looks SOOOO GOOD. I am loving her look here.  

A Sci-fi based on Liu Ci Xin's novel who also wrote the well loved 'Three Body'. The director Pan An Zi seems promising having directed many amazing dramas like 'Under The Microscope' & 'R:TSOP'. I am highly hoping for this drama to serve. 

Travel back in various times to retrieve artefacts? Very interesting. The director had directed 'New Life Begins' previously. I have high expectations. 

Season 2 of TBOY, with almost all of the team returning back. Same director, screenwriter, production team and actors. I already have high expectations from this.

Another high fantasy wuxia. Directed by Yin Tao and also shares the same universe as The Blood of Youth. Hoping for this, TBOY2, & DY all 3 of them to be as good as TBOY. TBOY made me realize how much I love Chinese wuxia dramas. Prior to that, I had always believed that the action genre is not for me. I love wuxia now. A lot.

I LOVE LIU SHI SHI! I'm so glad she made a comeback in dramaland because not only did she age like fine wine, but she also got excellent acting skills. Also, the drama is produced my the same team that worked on the domestically highly rated and beloved 'Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty', which gives me high confidence of this being an intriguing drama.  

Also, I am loving the plot. AvenueX described her as the female version of Mei Chang Su from 'NiF'. Scheming and smart female lead is amongst my favourite kinds of FL personalities in dramas. I just so know that LSS is the perfect FL for this role. I can already imagine her in this. I'm so highly anticipating this. 

Li Qin in yet another drama where her character is (potentially) a strong FL. Her styling is so well done from the 2-4 pictures I saw! Can't wait.

This drama is based on the works of the novel writer 'Qian Shan Cha Ke', who wrote many well loved web novels. A lot of her work is about to be adapted and I am well seated for all of them. This might be the 1st to release amongst all of them, and I cannot wait for it! 

The FL is described as a strong general and I hope they do justice to her character. Also, Zhou Ye plays the FL & given her recent back to back successful shows, I know I can keep my expectations high. The styling is also well done given that Yi Xiao Ya is the costume designer here.

Edit: Tian Xi Wei my girl! She looks so amazing here. Her character in this looks so my kind from the trailer. I couldn't take my eyes of her. Such a vibrant styling! Also cinematography looks amazing. I just can't wait for this!

Based on behind the scene photos, TXW looks gorgeous and elegant! Styling looks well done here. I've got no idea about the director or screenwriter or the production team, but it looks like it will be a very interesting drama. I love both TXW & XK. 

The way FL's character is being discussed in the comments make it seem like she is a smart & strong character and also a bit unique. The plot of arranged marriage has been done a lot in dramas, but it becomes enjoyable when done right. Hoping for the very best for this show and will await this one highly!

Styling won me over! I did not hope for much when this was announced, but now I have high hopes. Hopefully this will serve as I looooovvvveeee Bai Lu. 

Another drama based on the works of the novel writer 'Qian Shan Cha Ke', who wrote many well loved web novels. Seems like Li Yi Tong and Liu Yu Ning are going to lead this. If so, I am wayyy too happy for LYT. She is a favourite of mine who is finally getting tons of amazing projects to lead. 

At first I had no idea what this was about and added it seeing that Li Yitong & Zeng Shunxi are in this. Then I looked at the stills released. The styling of FL mesmerized me. Whoever was responsible for LYT's hairstyle, makeup and costumes should get a raise. She looks so amazing here that I fell for her again. The plot can be very interesting when executed well. I hope this turns out to be excellent, I have high hopes.

Same feelings that I have for Liu Shi Shi's version. Hoping this turns out to be great. Li Yi Tong is yet another favorite of mine who recently did a lot of good dramas. I love her acting. I love her styling and want this to succeed so bad. 

Even though the first installment failed, I hope that this one turns out to be a great one, because I love Liu Shi Shi. She has mostly done successful dramas, so I am willing to trust her. The other female cast is also impressive. Fingers crossed.

Although Yu Zheng is trash, but I love dramas produced by his company. This looks like a female centric comedy historicals and I loveeee such dramas. China does such dramas best. I am hoping for it to be a good feminist show. I love LYX a lot and she is finally leading a drama. Costumes look better than expected from a YZ show, and the director has co-directed 'Lost You Forever' & directed 'The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty' before and both shows have incredible cinematography. 

Yet another Nianxia drama! This time with Michelle Chen playing the lead!

A drama that focuses on the relationship of 2 sisters is definitely a drama I would love to watch. I hope I can see this soon!

The trailer was sooooo good! In their teenage/youth years, the main characters behave exactly like how teenagers/young people would behave. Very unlike to the typical idol dramas idealizing that period of life and making them appear so responsible and so perfect which is totally far from reality. This looks totally my & my sister's cup of tea! 

Yet another youth drama! This one shows the life of FL, and how she overcame the setbacks in her life, with the ML being the character that uplifts her. I am also interested in the female senior character that motivated her and helped her find her passion in dance. Can't wait for the positive female relationship portrayal that I love. 

SZE IS BACK YA'LL!!! I am so happy rn. This ZWYG (Daylight Ent.) drama can finally come out intact!! Yes to SZE & ZXC! Always love mainstream, slice of life, nostalgic and realistic Chinese dramas about life in China. 

Zhao Jin Mai & Zhang Ling He paired again! And that too in a Zheng Wu Yang Guang (Daylight Entertainment) drama! Cannot wait for it's release now. Hope to see a teaser or a trailer soon.

The trailer was like going down the nostalgic memory lane. I am always in for retro era(90s, 80s, 70s) dramas as I might have mentioned many times in this list. I just love the nostalgia! This looks well produced and I am very much looking forward to it. Thankful that there is no popular idol actor in this. Their fans spoil all the fun.

The plot is so rare in dramaland. The only show that I remember being about old people's life is the masterpiece that is 'Dear My Friends' and some other mainstream Chinese dramas that received no international popularity. I hope that this show does justice to its plot. 

It is about siblings, an old man and an old woman both in their 60s. They both rarely communicate, but they reunite with their family in Beijing. Suddenly, their mother(in her 80s) who had been missing some time ago returns. The mother does not mention why she went missing, but the siblings knew why. The siblings now in addition to dealing with their own life problems, will also have to take care of their mother. 

It is fully a story of older people and I know a lot of people would refuse to watch this because of lack of an oppa and romance and beautiful faces (typical international E.Asian drama fans). But this is fully my type of story. I have my hopes high.   

Mainstream slice of life family drama focusing on the lives of 5 sisters featuring some of the most talented actresses. I always look forward to such stories from China.

Another show with a unique concept! A different kind of a tomb related Chinese show which is not about tomb raiding, but protection of cultural relics.

Another slice of life drama based on the ancient city of Kashgar! The architecture and cityscape of Kashgar is very different from what we would expect in Eastern China. Lots of dramas being made on this region I see. I hope that most of them receive positive remarks as I want to badly see good dramas set in Xingjian. This one is confirmed by CCTV & IQIYI, so I hope we get the trailers soon.

A drama adapted by the work of 'Ma Bo Yong'. The same author whose works are well loved and well adapted into so many dramas like: 'The Longest Day in Chang'an', 'Luoyang', 'The Wind Blows From Longxi', 'Under The Microscope', & the upcoming 'The Litchi Road'. Also, if the director is confirmed to be Ding Hei, he has directed the well loved 'Ordinary Greatness' and can be well trusted. This project was confirmed by IQIYI, as in they have not decided the cast and when it will be shot, but it is sure that this drama will be made. So as always, I have high hopes.

It is based on the work of the novel writer Zi Jin Chen, who wrote the 3 hit mystery thrillers: 'The Long Night', 'The Bad Kids', & 'Burning Ice'. These 3 were brilliantly adapted on screen and scoring top douban ratings. I wish the same fate for this adaptation as well.

Tong Hua is the screenwriter for this and her novels have been adapted into successful and high quality shows like 'Scarlet Heart', 'Sound of the Desert', 'Lost You Forever', & 'Stand by Me'. It is led by 2 of my favourite actors LLD & TJC. The plot sounds very interesting. I love it when China attempts contemporary fantasy, supernatural, or sci-fi shows. They make few modern dramas like these due to restrictions, but when they do make them, they outdo a lot of average but overrated Korean ones. 

This drama is going to be hilarious! The theme of the story is manhua making, and ML is a shoujo manga artist. FL likes the ML & confesses to him, but he gets impressed by this and hires her in his team instead. ML is not like a typical lead. Trailer showcased so many funny moments of ML trying to enact romantic cliche tropes, but failing hilariously. The storytelling seems to be like that of an anime/manga, which I love since 'Devil Besides You' had similar style. 

Yu Shu Xin & Lin Yi. These 2 have not been paired before this, but I somehow always use to think that in this vast sea of c-dramas there is one where they have been paired. Only to find out they haven't yet. This was a meant to be on-screen pair. Glad that they are finally getting paired in a sweet contemporary rom-com story! That to about an winter sport!

This time they are going with snowboarding. Also expecting depiction of the Manhua industry since FL is a Manhua artist. Hopefully both professions will be well depicted, although it is too much to ask from a fluffy rom-com.  

Also, the director of 'Hidden Love' yaaayyyyy!! The novel writer from whose novel this work is being adapted also wrote novel behind successful modern rom-coms like 'Falling Into Your Smile', & 'Moonlight'. I feel like this project will be a successful one scoring high ratings. Hoping for the best!

I love Qin Lan! She plays a dancer this time. I am hoping for this one to be a mature romance drama since QL always take up mature dramas only. The director also directed 'Lighter & Princess' & the screenwriter has a good portfolio as well having recently written the domestically well loved 'The Hope', a remake of Japanese hit 'Dragon Zakura'. 

Finally a promising PXR historical drama! Her styling looks amazing too! 

faraway project

faraway project