Pursuit of Jade 《逐玉》 took the world by storm as the most-watched and most-talked-about Chinese historical drama of 2026, globally!
I started watching Pursuit of Jade 《逐玉》, just as the negative comments about the male lead’s pretty face, and the drama gained global attention. If you’re not aware of this, I will discuss this a bit more later…
So does Pursuit of Jade 《逐玉》 live up to its hype, and is the male lead too pretty for the role?
Historical setting novels are infamous for being challenging for Chinese second language learners. At the same time, it’s also very popular amongst learners, and many aspire to be able to read them comfortably someday.
So, I’m always on the lookout for suitable materials to help learners reach that goal.
《墨雨云间》 The Double is one of the most highly rated and spoken about Chinese historical costume dramas of 2024, and I’m sad that I missed the chance to join in with the hype for it during the release as it’s such a fantastic show with a unique take on revenge!
Snowy Night Timeless Love 《七夜雪》 is a slow-burn romance-focused historical drama with a snowy mountain backdrop and light martial arts elements.
Being a romance-focused drama, the main plot is extremely slow, and honestly, there’s not much of it. However, surprisingly, I enjoyed Snowy Night Timeless Love 《七夜雪》!
It’s not a show I’ll recommend to everyone, but it could be a great choice when you’re in the mood for something slow but with many beautiful aesthetic scenes.
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.
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.
《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.