Acquire Chinese from the comfort of your home
The actress Zhao Li Ying, who portrays the main female lead, attracted me to pick up 《与凤行》 “The Legend of Shen Li”, and she didn’t disappoint. She carried the show, and her character became one of my favourite female leads in Chinese dramas.
I loved her character so much that I’ve bookmarked the original book to read later this year (hopefully!). I wasn’t satisfied with certain parts of the show, so I hope that’s the problem with the adaptation, not the original work.
Four years of learning Chinese, I achieved this goal and finished the 2024 edition of 《天官赐福》at the end of July 2024. This edition was heavily revised from the original. While the overarching plots and side character backstories remained the same, many individual subplots were heavily altered.
Having read the new edition in Chinese, I slightly regret reading the English translation and wish it had been a different series that got me into learning Mandarin Chinese.
《大理寺少卿游》 “White Cat Legend” is a decent straightforward and lighthearted mystery drama with a bit of fantasy elements. I would recommend this if you are looking for just that.
Don’t expect amazing crimes, lots of clever moments or cinematic scenes. If you want to watch a simple show, this is for you!
I wasn’t amazed by this show, but I enjoyed it and had a great time watching it.