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.
《玫瑰的故事》 “The Tale of Rose” tells the life-changing journey of a young woman from her early 20s to her 40s as she experiences many difficult romantic relationships.
Modern-setting TV dramas rarely spark my interest. 《玫瑰的故事》 “The Tale of Rose” only caught my attention because of the main female lead. I really liked her in 《去有风的地方》 “Meet Yourself”, so when another slice-of-life modern setting show popped up with her as the female lead, I gave it a try.
During the serialisation period of 《一念关山》 “A Journey To Love”, there were many positive ratings and comments on this drama, but unfortunately, the rating drastically dropped after the release of the final arc.
Despite the potentially disappointing ending, my curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to give this drama a chance.
Going into the drama with the knowledge of a potentially bad ending changed my perspective of the drama, and I really enjoyed the journey…up until that ending.
Webnovel author Yan Yi Yi wakes up as the evil support character of her novel who is destined to be banished to the cold palace. She tries everything she can to avoid this tragic ending but is soon told by the book official that the story must flow according to the original plot, or else she will be obliterated.
Yan Yi Yi finds herself trying to maintain the original plot while trying to avoid a bad ending for herself.
… And soon, she starts to fall in love with the emperor.
《去有风的地方》 “Meet Yourself” tells the story of a big-city worker who escapes to a rural village to find peace and tranquillity. She quickly discovers that life in an agricultural village isn’t as peaceful as she had imagined and is soon entangled in the lives of the local villagers and other city workers who, like her, had escaped to the village in search of peace and quiet.
This is my drama modern slice-of-life drama of all time; read my review to find out the way!
《念念无明》 “The Killer Is Also Romantic” is one that is perfect for Chinese learners! It’s lighthearted and funny, with an easy-to-follow, straightforward plot that is comprehensible even without understanding every dialogue.
Many call this show the Chinese historical version of the American movie “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”. There is a very strong resemblance, but with more romance and the addition of a second couple.
Longer webnovels are not the type of approachable content that I recommend to an intermediate Chinese learner because the length is often overwhelming, and the feeling of an endless journey could result in demotivation.
However, 《一不小心和醋精结婚了》is a longer webnovel that I would recommend for an intermediate learner and for many good reasons.
Read on to find out why.
《云之羽》 “My Journey to You” was captivating and enjoyable for most parts but unfortunately, it wasn’t satisfying enough and I was pretty frustrated by the end of the show.
How can it be captivating but frustrating at the same time?
Let me explain in this drama review of 《云之羽》 “My Journey to You”.
A young prince has his eyes set on the crown prince’s personal guard, and he soon finds that life in the palace can’t be forever peaceful.
The most approachable Chinese historical webnovel that involves members of the royal family and the imperial court.