Xiang83

[These like-minded individuals pursue clues, fight for justice, apprehend criminals, and tear apart the web of influence Prince Xiang Yang has woven across the court and the underworld. ]

The synopsis as I have quoted above on this drama page is rather general and mentions the web of Prince Xiangyang, so I'll add some extra information:

"Zhan Zhao Adventures" is set in the Northern Song Dynasty, during Emperor Renzong's reign.

History-wise, the Northern Song Dynasty was established by Zhao Kuangyin (Emperor Taizu of Song), with Kaifeng as its capital. This is why Justice Bao (for people familiar with various drama series of Justice Bao from the 1990s to 2000 onwards) served as Prefect of Kaifeng for a period of time and became famous as a magistrate in Kaifeng. Emperor Taizu unexpectedly passed away, and his younger brother Zhao Jiong (Emperor Taizong of Song) ascended the throne. Ever since the time of Emperor Taizu, there have been differences between Northern Song and other kingdoms, including certain political elements in Western Xia.

I'll also add what PeachBlossomGoddess said about Justice Bao here: https://mydramalist.com/749951-zhan-zhao-adventures#comment-26135374

Justice Bao dramas are set during the Reign of Emperor Renzong. "Zhan Zhao Adventures" is not a Justice Bao drama, but the timelines of the dramas mesh, as per my explanation above. Based on the classic wuxia IP "The Three Heroes and Five Gallants" for character foundations, Zhan Zhao travels alone to Xiangzhou to investigate a cold case pertaining to Prince Xiangyang's attempt at rebellion. He meets Huo Linglong and Bai Yutang, and the rest will be as the drama unfolds accordingly.

I can see why it might be a bit confusing with no history background and knowledge of Justice Bao dramas, and it'll be even worse if you are relying on subtitles to watch this drama unless the subtitles are decent.

Hence one can expect a dump of characters and sects across at least ten episodes, as part of establishing the situation and political undercurrents of the present jianghu.

PeachBlossomGoddess and myself have replied to the original question with certain answers (she talks about the hug as a modern embellishment in modern wuxia; I talk about the relationship between martial arts brothers and concept of relationships such as between teacher and student):

Hers: https://mydramalist.com/749951-zhan-zhao-adventures#comment-26135526

Mine: https://mydramalist.com/749951-zhan-zhao-adventures#comment-26146532

I second what PeachBlossomGoddess is saying. There are some details in classic wuxia that nowadays in modern wuxia, are purposely sold or automatically pegged as bromance (yet another modern term commonly found in modern wuxia dramas) and the classic wuxia traits are sadly not properly conveyed.

One example is the paternal shixiong (elder martial arts brother) who under certain circumstances, is a central figure in a junior martial arts brother's life to the point that the junior would do anything for that one. It's not romantic, but mistaken for bromance. The lineage of a school in martial arts is preserved akin to a lineage of a family line. "师父" illustrates the relationship between teacher and student being as close as father and son, so if the senior martial arts brother also takes on that position in dearness to the junior martial arts brother, it isn't surprising to see the extent of sacrifice that the junior would make for the senior brother. It would take three years (minimum) for the student of a teacher to learn the ropes, and do chores, before you can teach a younger martial arts brother. Teachers usually only have a handful of students. The student is expected to care for the teacher in their old age.

The proverb of the fish stranded when springs dry up (can also be perceived as an indirect disagreement with Confucianism that arose later) is from the notable Daoist Zhuangzi in his 《庄子·大宗师》, where "jianghu" is first noted as the last two words:

"泉涸，鱼相与处于陆，相呴以湿，相濡以沫，不如相忘于江湖" - “When the springs dry up and the fish are stranded while clinging to each other, they exhale slowly for mutual moisture and sluice each other with spit; It would be better if they could forget each other in the rivers and lakes.”

(My translation is not going to match the English translations you might find online for a simple reason: This would much better convey what the proverb is fundamentally going for, from the original mandarin)

I'll presume you already watched the 1993 series, which is a classic. In the 2008《新包青天》where Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang demonstrate their ties indirectly (Kenny Ho was so expressive!) left a mark on me in episode 5:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65ZEhR9licg

(Huace uploaded an updated better-resolution version of the series to their channel)

Curious to see Yang Yang's interpretation of Zhan Zhao and his ties with Bai Yutang here :D

There are many little clips floating around but as in C-Ent, it's important to be able to detect which ones are wrong because the same short clip can have three different interpretations. I have also seen what appears to be a leaked portion of the script.

As to videos and considering what I have read, this is the most comprehensive (no subs).

https://weibo.com/tv/show/1034:5298209069662304

I can tolerate drama-Ye Xian being different from the novel (because Winwin is doing a decent to good job of emoting, depending on what the scene is), but this is the scene that really annoys me how once again, another great ML character gets warped beyond recognition by screenwriters to enable ML and FL to wind up together.

Spoilers are all over weibo, and someone compiled a video of very specific spoilers using scenes not yet aired, of Chen Xuanqing and Ye Xian and Ci Sha.

I can share the video with you. If you prefer not to see, that's fine too,

I like Ci Sha and Winwin. I don't see the need to pick between them or compare them, because it would be ridiculous. Their career trajectories are so different. Winwin is definitely way better on a dance stage than Ci Sha. And it is obvious that Winwin and Ci Sha are different male actor prototypes. Having a variety of quality male prototypes only makes for more enjoyable viewership for dramas and movies, and I would like to see Winwin in movies at some point in bigger roles (all depending on his acting improvements, of course).

Deng Enxi and Winwin will be an interesting combination. The Director's dramas tend to be broadcast on TV, so of course that drama will wind up on Hunan TV or CCTV.

https://www.weibo.com/7417786864/QEzsK8ZD0

If people are wondering about the meaning of the entire OP song for "Zhao Zhao Adventures",
Diary Lyrics has posted Chinese, pinyin, and English lyrics in their translation of "Lone Sword Ballad" (孤剑吟) sung by Zhou Shen here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk5ulDxuXLE

One undeniable fact is that WInwin can project significant stage presence in a drama, in which he doesn't need many tricks that Directors resort to, to improve the "marketability" of a star. I can recognise that, also because his stage presence reminds me a bit of Chen Lijun and Li Yuxiao. There are a fair number of idol actors and actresses who simply don't have that stage presence, needing camerawork and music to do the lifting. That is why they can look great in a drama, but cannot go into movies. or flop at the box office.

I also reckon his list of dramas should be much shorter than Wang XIngyue, because K-Ent can be demanding. Anyone who qualifies for a Yuen Woo-ping movie and whom Yuen Woo-ping is willing to give extensive advice to (during 3 months of training then shooting on top of that) is someone I'll respect. Yuen Woo-ping puts his action stars through a very gruelling process, and one of his selection criteria is asking straight out whether the person can take his hardships.

He had a smaller role than Ci Sha in "Blades Of The Guardians", and I was curious to see what Winwin's acting would be like, after having worked with Yuen Woo-ping. "Perfect Match" was filmed before filming commenced for "Blades Of The Guardians". while I remember "A Splendid Match" was filmed after the filming for "Blades Of The Guardians".

In this drama, Winwin's Ye Xian as a character is an uneven cannon for more than 10 episodes because his family is really screwed up (I don't want his parents or his sister), and the 'awesome' parenting style I am seeing from his father towards him makes me want to shove the Marquis into an isolated room for a year to reflect. I'm surprised Ye Xian has a strong sense of what is right and wrong on some matters, instead of being a completely spoilt cruel basket case with an inferiority complex.

Ye Xian improves naturally as a character, which means Ye Xian is still uneven but less so. I have seen quite a few spoilers for the ending.

I must say that my biggest problem with this drama is the writing and pacing going way too much into the Gu family arc and family politics for more than 10 episodes and hence killing the momentum of the first 3 episodes wrt political intrigue, which makes many parts of this drama "A Splendid Bore" for me by episode 20. For the more plot-driven viewers, it can appear that the political aspects are merely salad dressing for the family politics and romance. I have no trouble with the romance, but the family politics really needed more balance and editing with the political intrigue.

The outdoor shots are also gorgeous, with such natural healthy hues. Check out this official poster:

https://www.weibo.com/7353480082/QFa40x09Q

And of course, the outdoor sets also incorporating buildings and carriages:

https://www.weibo.com/6025848747/QFdaEbDzx

The architecture is fantastic. I'm always eyeing the corridors whenever there's a scene in them XD

I am curious to know how each of the leads get into character. I don't know about Ren Min and Winwin. As far as I know, Ci Sha always has a specific process (it usually starts with an essay) and then incorporates some habits of the character. For Chen Yanyun, here he is in casual wear but ready to immerse mentally and emotionally, with tea and incense while practising calligraphy:

https://www.weibo.com/3893990834/QDkOCoerU

To be fair to Winwin, Winwin started a lot later in C-Ent compared to Ci Sha because Winwin was in K-Ent (music). He was accepted to Central Drama Academy, but I don't think he's done his time there yet.

Ci Sha's trajectory- I am more familiar, with also because he reminds me a lot of the HK movie stars of 70s, 80s, and 90s in his focus and work.

For someone who is much more disadvantaged on the acting front, I reckon Winwin is doing a decent job in emoting (he's surprised me here), and I believe some traditional opera training would enhance and bring out his strongest traits while further improving his balance of subtleties, thereby making him very suitable for historical period dramas or movies. He listened to Yuen Woo-ping during the training and shooting for "Blades Of The Guardians" that occurred before the shooting for "A Splendid Match", and I believe it shows in his acting here.

Of all the celebrities I want to see as a wuxia heroine in movies and dramas, it is Chen Lijun but unfortunately, that 33-year-old Yue Opera veteran isn't doing a drama anytime soon, since she is a sold-out sensation in Yue Opera alongside Lu Yuxiao.

Ci Sha is more strongly focused on movies, hence he's done more movie time than dramas. Grueling training and rounds of qualification for the "Creation Of The Gods" trilogy really helped. And he has a very interesting process for getting into character, which I read about.

He's been in blockbuster after blockbuster besides the "Creation Of The Gods" series, including "The Shadow's Edge", "Blades Of The Guardians" which is the highest grossing wuxia film of all time globally, and not-yet-aired "Mastermind" with Louis Koo and Simon Yam. He's also finished shooting modern movie《花花女子》 with Gao Ye in March 2026 (the movie is tentatively titled "Things Beyond Romance" on MDL). "The Way Home" with Li Landi hasn't aired yet.

It's much more difficult to succeed at the box office, because that's when the audience of all generations will judge, and there's no clear separation between idol-drama watchers and non-idol drama watchers. He can do idol dramas, if he wants to. But his focus on movies is definitely something I gladly agree with. I need more movie stars who have such presence and capability.

It's about time for Cheng Yi to do more of these roles in dramas, where romance is non-existent or secondary (and very marginal). That's when his best acting comes out, which was the case in "Vendetta of An". Xu Kai also fared quite well in "Eight Hundred".

Let's see if he returns after episode 20.

LYX doesn't pay protection money to db, so his dramas always get the short end of the stick.

They deserve kudos. The architecture is also impressive. I'm enjoying any scenes in corridors.

I was tongue-in-cheek about kidnapping Ye Xian. Ye Xian would be easier if he is just Ye Xian, but Dong Sicheng did some intensive martial arts training for "Blades Of The Guardians". Combine that with his classical dance background, and Winwin aka Dong Sicheng is likely to still inflict some damage in hand-to-hand combat even without dual swords. I'm lazy on that.

I really like what Yuen Woo-ping told Winwin about martial arts.

[ “Many young people want to be good kung fu movie actors, but it’s not something you can just ‘hope’ to achieve. Acting in kung fu movies is very hard work. You have to be unafraid of hard work, and you also have to learn acting. You can’t just know how to fight; if your acting is bad, it’s useless. ‘Acting within the fighting’ is the highest level, which is quite difficult to achieve, and it’s rare for newcomers to be able to do that.” When talking about this topic, Yuen Woo-ping’s tone suddenly became unquestionable.

"He said that martial arts is not just about performing the moves, but also about revealing who the person is. He taught us not only martial arts movements, but also the ideas behind them." This concept of kung fu film creation, which Dong Sicheng deeply understood, was something that Yuen Woo-ping, though he didn't say to the actors he worked with at the time more than 30 years ago, truly and forever left in his works through his actions. ] - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1334175717342538/posts/2099082627518506/

Episode 13 had some bright moments such as a great conversation between Yanyun and Jinzhao butbutbut- I feel sad for Jinzhao's mother. So I'll settle for- Episode 16, please get back to political intrigues.

You made a comment. People give replies. That's the nature of any website with interactions. Just because I write something longer than a Twitter comment doesn't mean it isn't chill, so it would be polite to not paint my comment as something else simply because you can't take a civil reply that doesn't agree with you.

You said her acting is fine, then you said she does not have a "main character face". That's naturally confusing to anyone who can't figure out what you're saying, but one of your statements in your comment comes across as implying something mindbogglingly irrelevant and unpleasant about her looks that is natural to her, with or without makeup. Hope this helps you understand why I'm not the only one replying to you.

It's fine to not know anything about Ming Dynasty standards of beauty. If someone doesn't like the acting of an actor or actress, that's fine by me. May you enjoy the rest of the drama, if you finish it :)

Jet Li's earliest movies were wonderful, showcasing his mastery of various schools in martial arts. Have you watched "Blades of The Guardians"? Jackie Chan isn't in that, but Yuen Woo-ping who pioneered the comedy-action approach (which Jackie Chan is famous for) is the Director of that movie, which is now the highest-grossing wuxia film of all time internationally and domestically.

MDL is also the place where I learn people can lecture me about what a scene means or what characters actually mean when they need subtitles in a C-drama to understand anything said in the drama, while I'm not in that same boat. At one point, I decided to point out how IQiyi subtitles were wrong for a scene involving translation of a Yuan zaju in another drama:

https://mydramalist.com/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24049694
https://mydramalist.com/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24049698

That's a drama whereby the mandarin title is a reference from a chinese classical literature source pertaining to ci poetry in Northern China, specifically the Song Dynasty, and understanding the mandarin title would mean instantly understanding the story of the drama is about the journey and character traits of the male protagonist. This requires knowing the story of how one of the Eight Great Prose Masters Su Shi wound up using 水龙吟 in his pioneering work of haofang (bold and unconstrained lyrics school), and also understanding the reference of the fox-dragon in 太平广记 to understand the official drama poster and how it ties to the drama title. There are lovely people here whom I am happy to know, and then I get interesting surprises.

I would be happy to see Ren Min in another drama. This is my first drama watching her, and I am enjoying her performance here with Ci Sha and Winwin. Nowadays modern Chinese beauty standards for idol dramas is too unhealthy: utilising too many filters, too much makeup, and too much slo-mo plus quick-cut scenes to try to camouflage a lack of capable wirework or actual action capabilities in dramas. There are enough toxic quacks in the idol C-drama fandoms going on about looks, and it is sad that MDL also has this.

I am very curious about whether Ren Min can nail comedy, since I don't have much exposure to her. She is adorable and funny in the promotions for "A Splendid Match".

Anyway, someone asked about C-Ent, so I shared a few details for how to measure success in current C-Ent here:

https://mydramalist.com/752183-bloom-life#comment-26061962