As the weekend approaches, I'm sure you're all gearing up for some well-deserved relaxation and fun. 🏖️ Whether you're binge-watching a drama, embarking on a thrilling adventure or cozying up to a good manhua or webnovel, we want to hear all about it!

So, what will you be doing this weekend? And what Chinese dramas do you recommend for a weekend binge-watching session? Tell us about it below in the comments :)

Note: If you are discussing plot points or events that others may not yet have watched, please make sure to use spoiler tags. Consider also sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") as this thread fills up quickly.

\"The Night Banquet\"

Welcome to the episodes discussion post for the currently airing drama "Riverside Code at Qingming Festival"!

Set in the Northern Song Dynasty and in Dongjing city, the lives of a family of five took a dramatic turn when they got accidentally (or was it?) entangled in the Mei Ship case during the Qingming Festival. (Link to MDL)

Premiered: December 16, 2024, Youku & CCTV8
# of Episodes: 26 (First 4 Episodes available for free on YouTube)

Discussion Questions

1. What did you find most surprising?
2. What/who would you like to see more of?
3. What do you think is Qiniang's end goal?
4. Who whispered to the old father at the bath house?

Links: Masterpost | Ep 1 - 5 | 6 - 7 | 8 - 9

❗ Please remember to use the Spoiler tag in comments, especially if you are revealing plots that have not been revealed in the episodes mentioned in post title ❗

My Impressions/Thoughts

1. Re-introducing: Zhang Qiniang 章七娘

While it's likely not the first time for us to encounter a crazy evil female character with a tragic past, you gotta give it to 张馨予 Zhang Xinyu for capturing the role so well. Her admiration and envy of the love that Wen's found, her struggle between living as a commoner or in luxury, her love for beauty cultivated by the darkest and cruelest methods... She's strong and fearless, because she's got nothing else to lose.

https://preview.redd.it/na459ruz028e1.png?width=1482&format=png&auto=webp&s=81391fa262938f1baa4c458b13340bb6d0b46e5c

https://preview.redd.it/xftu1np6128e1.png?width=1468&format=png&auto=webp&s=82b48806e51bb7ccf1f5a0de505f1b661057216c

2. Everything Else
Everything else paled in comparison to Qiniang!! Well except the tragic lives of the commoners that are starting to be revealed more in the drama. From Wu San ("cripple sister") to Chun Xi (wife of the deceased Kang Qian), Xiao-yi and Sun Bo, it seems like there's really no way to escape if the rich and powerful wants to take anything away from you.

Note that in the original novel, the story happened >!about ten years before the fall of the North Song Dynasty (to invasion from the 金 Jin people of the north) and Dongjing (also known as Bianjing) city was ransacked during the process.!<

🍷 Over to you!

I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. It stands out among modern dramas and feels reminiscent of Doctor Who's scarier episodes, where the Doctor and companion explore different times or planets.

I also kept calling it spy-realm in my head and couldn't change that even knowing it stands for spirit.

Strengths

• The different stories behind the doors are mostly creative. While some doors were more compelling than others, they kept the story engaging.
  • Favorite Door: The demon box – it was intriguing and eerie.
  • Least Favorite Door: The high school one – a straightforward, overused bullying story. I tend to prefer stranger, more fantastical plots.
• The doors themselves were so fascinating that I was often less interested in the events outside of them,that I sometimes fast-forwarded through those sections.

Weaknesses

• Ending: I'm not a fan of the >!“it was all a dream” ending. That trope feels overused and unsatisfying. It negates all that happenedin the drama!<
• Acting: LJS’s performance was underwhelming. His portrayal lacked depth, and he felt a bit “meh” compared to others.
• Sound Issues: The dubbing or sound quality seemed off, particularly for LJS’s character. It didn’t feel natural to the environment, which made it distracting at times. Also, the voice acting wasn’t the best.

Questions and possible plot holes

Questions:

1. What happens when you die in a door? >!Do you still walk out of it? Or just reappear in the real world?!<
2. Are there multiple worlds behind each door? If not, why is everyone surprised by the worlds? Shouldn’t there only be 12 worlds total?
3. If there are multiple worlds per door, what use are the notes for sale? How do you know the note is relevant to you?

4. !did nobody question the fact that a npc virtual being can exit the game and enter the supposedly real world?!<

Demon Box Confusion:

• !Why did RLZ resign himself to die? He knew they had the scissors and that he had a higher purpose. Why give up?!<

Plot Holes? My memory of the later plots is freshest so I’ll talk about those I remember:

1. River God Story: >!Why were they unsure about whether blowing out the lamp was taboo? Dudes... shouldn’t it have been obvious, given the walls were paper-thin and the lamp's light could clearly be seen?!<
2. Demon Box Story: >!They tested for the informant by spreading they found the comb, but the unboxed eye could already see who had the comb. Wasn’t this redundant?!<

3. !LDY’s Death: How did LDY die? He walked out of the door injured, which previously was shown to allow characters to survive. What happened to him between exiting the door and dying?!<

Stray Observations

• The characters seemed oddly indifferent when people died. It was surprising how casual their reactions were.
• Why were the characters always wearing coats indoors and never taking their shoes off? They even climbed into bed with their dirty shoes on, even when supposedly safe.

Final Thoughts

Despite some unanswered questions, plot holes, and weaker aspects, the drama was a unique and enjoyable experience. Its creativity and intrigue outweighed its flaws, though a more satisfying ending could have elevated it further.

The production is so good! The couple lead are gray characters, the story is very realistic and lastly, the slight FYI before end credits. At least in episode 2, production team utilized almost 300 people to recreate the scene at rainbow bridge. It's also interesting to know that gdp during song dynasty has high.

As we have new members joining all the time, and as we still get reports about spoilery posts, I think a weekly reminder about the importance of marking your posts with spoilers tags is in order.

If your post or comments contains discussions of major plot points (especially about deaths and endings), mark your post with spoiler tags or it will be removed. Here's how you do it.

On the Desktop

This will work in Fancy Pants Editor mode, so switch to the mode by clicking on the “Switch to Fancy Pants Editor” button located at the top right corner of the text box.

​

https://preview.redd.it/9xb5ht42p3bc1.png?width=740&format=png&auto=webp&s=43820119f41012eff0d33a811c7a1bbcb0ae9ab9

To mark your entire post as spoiler-y:

1. At the bottom of the Fancy pants editor, click +Spoiler

https://preview.redd.it/sgtt3rohp3bc1.png?width=726&format=png&auto=webp&s=71e2c6a02fa6f7a902f3c320db9466bdb6851694

Note: Your post will now have the symbol Spoiler next to the title.

To mark content on the text of your post body using the Fancy pants editor:

1. Open the Reddit post you want to edit.
2. Highlight the text you want to mark as a spoiler.
3. Click on the exclamation mark in a diamond located in the top menu of the fancy pants editor.
4. Click Save to save your changes.

Mobile

To mark your post as a spoiler:

1. Tap on Add tags & flair (optional).
2. Scroll down to Universal tags and toggle on the slider for Spoiler.
3. Tap on **Apply (**at the top).

To mark a comment with spoiler tags:

Use this syntax to mark spoilers on mobile: >!spoiler text!<

This will hide the text between the exclamation marks and display the spoiler text when clicked.

Some guidelines about spoilers:

DO NOT include spoilers in the post titles

Make sure that your post title does not have spoilery plot points. For example, posts with titles such as "Love Show - everyone died!" or "Love Show - our main couple finally kissed in episode 20!" will be instantly removed, regardless of how many comments are under it.

​

DO include the name of the show in the title of the post

That said, please don't post overly vague titles. Please ensure that your post title contains the show's name at least. Imagine someone taking a chance to read the post only to be spoiled for a show they didn't want to be spoiled for.

Titles such as "A review" or "The ending of the show" does not tell you what show is being talked about. Even if they are marked spoilers, they will be removed.

​

Add spoiler tags to spoilery comments

If you're discussing a Show's plot point in a post unrelated to the Show, please tag your spoilers with spoiler tags, especially if you're dropping the comment on a post that has nothing to do with the Show.

Although I'm generally more lenient with comments with non-spoiler-tagged comments in posts marked as "spoilers", comments without spoiler tags under a post that has nothing to do with the show will be removed.

Posts such as Episode Discussions, discussions about a show's ending must be marked as spoiler or it will be removed.

What it said.

​

That's it!

Happy discussing!

Edit: I mean XianXia not Wuxia

It’s was perfect honestly I haven’t really watch any cdramas(or any asian dramas really) in a hot minute bc lately nothing hits the way it used to but the acting,cinematography, chemistry, etc. was amazing Ester Yu acted amazing and so did the male lead(he was so cute too). The story starts off pretty fast and sorta continues at the same pace for the until probably episode 15 I think, there wasn’t really any love triangles (well there sorta was but not really bc it only lasted like 2-3 episodes) but it was a great show that i finished in a day

This show also had a lot of heartwarming moments definitely towards the end

With CDramas airing the way they do, with multiple episodes per week and all at once, it's tough keeping up with them or watching them when they air. So most of us have resorted to putting them on our "to watch" list and coming back to them later.

Well, what drama are you finally catching up on? It may have aired just last month, or years ago. Let us know and do you think the drama is worth watching even after all this time?

Note: If you are discussing plot points or events that others may not yet have watched, please make sure to use spoiler tags. Consider also sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") as this thread fills up quickly.

Before making your first post, read this guide to understand how to participate in the sub. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.

Let's start with the r/Cdrama's rules.

Rule 1: Ask for drama recommendations only in r/CDramaRecs

This sub is only for discussions about Chinese dramas. If you want drama recommendations please head to r/CdramaRecs.

NOTE: A low karma threshold has been implemented in that sub. So, if you are a brand-new account with just 1-2 karma points, you are not allowed to post there. This was done to safeguard the sub against spammers.

Rule 2: All Posts Must Be Assigned a Flair

Rule 3: Use Spoiler Tags

• No spoilers in the post title or it'll be removed
• Use spoiler tags in spoilers in body text or comments

Read our guide about using spoiler tags

Rule 4: Do Not Spam and Make Reposts

• Check recent postings to make sure that there are no recent posts with the same topic.
• Do not duplicate posts or comments. That's considered spamming.
• Do not plagirise other people's content. You will be banned.

Rule 5: Be Nice and Practice Basic Reddiquette

No rude, derogatory/discriminating terms, personal attacks, harassment or demeaning comments.

Don't belittle or attack actors/influencers/members of the sub, or cultures/countries.

For more info read Can we be more culturally sensitive?

Rule 6: Stick to the topic of the sub

Self-posts must be about Chinese dramas.

The following discussions are considered off topic and will be removed:

• Japanese or Korean dramas
• Politics
• Celebrity's looks - you can post them in weekly threads (see below)
• Celebrity after-drama activities - you can post them in weekly threads (see below)
• Rating actors - pitting one actor against another, or rating actors by rank. (Not allowed)

Also, looking for name or where to watch a drama, actor etc?

Please post it at r/CdramaRecs. Note that you can't post photos there, so please be as detailed as possible in you request. You can add an image as a comment.

Avoid low-effort posts

There's no hard/fast rule about low effort posts, but generally, when creating a post remember that this is a forum, not Twitter. It's a place for discussion. Some guidelines:

• Don't post a photo/link without sharing your thoughts
• Do name the drama in the title of your post - don't expect people to know the actor/character/what you're talking about
• Write posts that spark discussions (ending your post with a question usually works)

Read our FAQ and posting guidelines for more information.

Okay, got it! Now, how do I make my first post?

First: Acknowledge that you've read the guide by leaving a comment under this post that you've read this. Don't skip this as we need records of your participation.

Also, congratulations, you've earned your first community karma!

Sometimes it may take us awhile to approve your post. You can leave a comment in one of these threads. 👇

Weekly threads

Clicking on the link will lead you to a list of posts for the thread. If you want your comment to get more response, leave your comment in the most recent weekly thread. (Posts around 1 day old are the most active.)

Write a comment, reply or answer people's questions. Participate and have fun.

⚠️WARNING: Please DO NOT DUPLICATE YOUR COMMENTS IN ALL THREADS just to "speed up the approval process". That's considered spamming and will earn you an immediate ban from the sub.

We also have monthly threads and drama discussions. See the sidebar for more information. (See below on how to navigate the sub)

But WHEN can I make my first post?

Unfortunately, we're not going to tell you how many community karma points you'd need to make your first post. This can be abused by spammers/karma farmers who will try to game the system.

Participate for as long as you can and post when you're ready but make sure it's rule compliant. You have read the rules up there right?

We may have to manually approve your first few posts, or it could actually go through because you've met the threshold.

⚠️ Again, please make sure that you comment below this post to ensure we have a record that you've read the guide. Only people who do this are allowed to make self posts in the sub.

Also, if you are not a member of the sub, can't post. So do join the sub.

I know this seems like work, but unlike other subs we don't want to impose a karma threshold that keeps out newbies. We truly want folks to participate.

However, we also believe that it's good practice for newbies to observe and participate in a sub first. This way, you get to know the rules & culture of the sub first (and make friends!) before making a big splash with a post.

This way, you'd have a better experience overall.

If you're up to reading more, here are more resources:

Other resources

Explore the Wiki! It has a wealth of resources but here are some notable pages:

• 2024 dramas - list of masterposts that list all the discussions and info around a drama
• Cdrama glossary - list of terms, platforms, information that you need about Chinese dramaland

How to navigate r/Cdrama

On desktop - the sidebar is on the right.

On mobile, under the header, click "See more" (on iOS, you will see "See community info") and scroll down to see the menu.

If you don't see any of these options, your app may be out of date, so update it or reinstall to get the latest UI.

Sort by "Hot"

You can also find some of these posts pinned when you sort the sub via what's "Hot". However, as things come unpinned all the time, and there's only the option to pin two posts at a time, we'd suggest that you use the sidebar buttons instead to navigate to the posts.

Did Han know he was poisoning his mother? Like, when he gave her the liquorice, did he know?

I can't tell whether his father told him about his real mother and he then felt he had to do it, or whether he only found out afterwards.

Unfortunately, it seems evident that he is going the villain route though. Which saddens me.

This is the discussion for episode 27 of Blossom so expect spoilers for this episode and those before it. If you are an express viewer please mark any spoilers beyond these episodes.

Episode 27

This episode is particularly politics-heavy, which I find very refreshing after a lot of family drama, and desperately needed as we draw closer to the end. The Emperor is discussing a possible Uncle Dou-Prince Qing alliance and what that would mean for the Crown Prince. Many comparisons are made between the princes in the episode and generally the consensus seems to be that Prince Qing is talented but treacherous whereas the Crown Prince is highly principled, and weak because of it. The Emperor wants Song Mo as a weapon for the Crown Prince. And don’t think we didn’t notice the Emperor enjoying a sweet + tonic combination, never seen that cause trouble before...

Dou Zhao is dyeing Song Mo’s hair whilst they talk politics. Uncle Dou seems to have manoeuvred himself into a particularly powerful position, but Song Mo as the leader of the imperial guards stands as an obstacle (or theoretically an open path if he’s on your side). It seems Song Mo is against working for Prince Qing in this lifetime, though that places Dou Zhao at risk of being family collateral in any take down of the Uncle Dou- Prince Qing combination. Dou Zhao declares her refusal to be used as a hostage. Foreshadowing?

Dou Zhao is invited for a subtext-heavy game of Mahjong with the Empress, Crown Princess and Princess Shude. Afterwards she is offered a miracle cure for Song Mo by the Empress, though she declines.

Princess Shude and Uncle Dou have a chat, and we find out he was once promoted through her efforts. He disliked rising in that way at the time but was desperate to get into a higher position to prove his worth. Now Princess Shude dislikes his goals, and the position it puts her in, but he refuses to stop.

Dou Zhao ended up stealing the magic pill. Remembering that working for Prince Qing in the last life, Song Mo should have had access to this but was still poisoned, she decides to test it. A well-timed interruption from Zhangru (leading to Song Mo and Dou Zhao stalking a Zhangru/Chen Jia date and coming away impressed with Chen Jia) allows Dou Zhao to discover that the miracle cure is little more than a delaying tactic. Our couple is determined not to give up though.

The Empress has no proof this pill was stolen by Dou Zhao, nonetheless her refusal has marked Dou Zhao firmly as an enemy in the Empress’ mind.

And now we focus on the logic-defying Song Han. Miao An Su visits Song Han, who has his pitiful game-face on, and tries to cheer him up. She seems to be able to coax him into believing in himself but really, he’s making the decision to go against his brother and he leaves to go and join Prince Qing. Logic idiocy: he is barely clothed, travels alone on a single horse who doesn’t look to be packing supplies, to a place we are told is thousands of li away and distinctly colder than the capital. The show implies this is a quick trip based on his unchanged appearance, but this should have taken ages, surely realistically Song Mo would have noticed his absence?

Prince Qing isn’t particularly impressed with Song Han (and who would be? A position-less, rank-less lovechild. He offers very little alone at present) but says he’ll take him on if he passes the imperial examination. Ji Yong councils Prince Qing to accept him to sow discord amongst the Song division, and their dynamic is fascinating, Prince Qing almost comes across as a simp for Ji Yong’s strategist-self. ‘Please don’t leave me Ji Yong, I’ll be a better treasonous prince, I promise!’

Ji Yong seems interested in Duke Ding’s downfall, is this for his own reasons or on Dou Zhao’s behalf (I refuse to believe it would be for Song Mo, though they seemed better acquainted in the last life)?

The episode ends with Uncle Dou at the dental clinic rubbing elbows with a Minister Lu, who wants Uncle Dou to assist his son in the upcoming examinations. It seems the coming episodes are going to feature the imperial exam as a plot point.

[Masterpost] [Episodes 1-4] [Episodes 5-6] [Episodes 7-8] [Episodes 9-10] [Episodes 11-12] [Episodes 13-14] [Episode 15] [Episode 16] [Episodes 17-18] [Episodes 19-20] [Episodes 21-22] [Episodes 23-24] [Episode 25] [Episode 26]

I've never seen so many faces being slapped by themselves or other people in a drama before, my goodness. I swear at least 2 people get slapped per episode it seems, and HARD. Is this normal??

FYI this show is a banger. Started yesterday, currently on ep 23. Staying away from spoilers is really hard guys, trying to catch up!!!

For awhile, I could not find much to watch. Then all of a sudden, full length series bagan getting posted on youtube (where I watch). Then quite a few mini series I had NOT seen (sometimes I find they are cut down from full length series I have already seen) are being posted. I am watching Blossom right now, and a few mini's as they get posted. I have others on my watch list, like Riverside Code. Since it is year end, I wondered if these are posted en masse due to some deadline. Anyone know? Suddenly I cant keep up with all the dramas I want to see.

I can't believe how little I have NOT heard about this cdrama. I found it on You Tube and it is one of the best. I've been watching cdramas beginning in 2018 and while I totally enjoyed them I think this is one of the top five cdramas I have seen. The story is intense and the acting is top notch. There is little information about this cdrama other than what's on mydrama. Highly recommend.

I just wanted this show but the ending seems incomplete. Anyone if there’s another site that has it with more episodes or if Dramabox adds more episodes slowly? Or if this is genuinely the ending.

Just finished watching it. It took me a few days as I didn’t rush through it. And this was a great overall watch. I loved the chemistry between the leads. They were both smart and had their own goals. Both were doubtful of each other, and it was obvious from the start that they would be a great pair. I did feel a little bit annoyed at times when they would not have an open conversation and truthfully express themselves. But the plot made it reasonable. They both had their positions they had to defend, so trusting anybody else completely was tough. But, still they got through it. Their romance was great as well, the period when they started having feelings to moment they finally did something about it. There were some moments for comedic relief which I personally found stupid, but anyways… The plot was also good. Nothing mind blowing but also not boring. I feel like being only 24 episodes helped this drama a great deal. It not get draggy like many do. I actually hope we had a little more time with the leads finally being together openly. Anywho, I would love to watch more dramas with chemistry like this one!!!

https://preview.redd.it/gxlhtf240v7e1.png?width=1478&format=png&auto=webp&s=8ae4f4f75cb6f4cc2939fee951b9499889b3df16

Welcome to the episodes discussion post for the currently airing drama "Riverside Code at Qingming Festival"!

Set in the Northern Song Dynasty and in Dongjing city, the lives of a family of five took a dramatic turn when they got accidentally (or was it?) entangled in the Mei Ship case during the Qingming Festival. (Link to MDL)

Premiered: December 16, 2024, Youku & CCTV8
# of Episodes: 26 (First 4 Episodes available for free on YouTube)

Discussion Questions

1. What did you find most surprising?
2. Which cultural snippets have you learned or found interesting?
3. What/who would you like to see more of?
4. Who killed Commander Kang (Lady Qiniang's Head of Staff/servant)?

Links: Masterpost | Ep 1 - 5 | 6 - 7

❗ Please remember to use the Spoiler tag in comments, especially if you are revealing plots that have not been revealed in the episodes mentioned in post title ❗

My Impressions/Thoughts

1. A Quick Recap & Summary of Main Plot
It seems like the main plot surrounds some majorly corrupt but powerful official from the South, Zou Mian (the Zou Family). Zou was the person behind the murder and defamation of Li Yan. Zou had acted via Prosecutor Di Lun, who had hired the River Pirates to carry out the deeds. Inspector Gu Zheng probably had his speculations or has been well aware of the fact that Li Yan's death was caused by Zou since they were known rivals, but he did not know of the relationship between Di Lun and Zou.

Thus far, there seems to be 2 or 3 opposition groups or forces against Zou:

• Inspector Gu and his "sidekick" Judge Wan. There also seemed to be a group of former Li Yan loyalists within Kaifeng court as well as among the people that will likely answer to Gu's call when needed. Seems like Gu and Wan has been using "bribe money" to help sustain them.
• "Pocket Monster" ie the one who sent the kill order to the surviving River Pirates (led by Mr Xiao) and subsequently to Zhao/Wen. This person/group seems to be well aware of Zou's plans (Fake Auspicious Aura) and associates (Lady Qiniang who's likely a key source of income for Zou), and is actively trying to bring them down.
  • What's puzzling with the kill order for Lady Qiniang though is that if this person/group is capable enough to kill the Zhou family, then they should be able to easily assassinate Qiniang as well?
• Hat Demon Gang: The death of Wu Da seems like an accident that's confined to the affairs of the Wu family only, but the Hat Demon incident itself has caused property prices to drop drastically, thus affecting Qiniang (and by extension, Zou)'s interests. It seems like the surviving siblings Wu Er (the second brother) and Wu San (the "crippled" sister) knows Sun Bo -- the errand boy, and one of them or all of them likely knows how to create the "Hat Demon" illusion. Note that Sun's family was mentioned to be quite prosperous once and some major event had led to its downfall -- could this be related to some wrongdoing by Qiniang/Zou in the past and Sun Bo is back for revenge?

What are your thoughts and speculations on these groups?

---------------------------------------------🌺Beauty Break🌺----------------------------------------------------

花 flower 美 beauty 男 man - as eye candies

Followed by 100% organic and natural facial spaaaaaa

By the way, can we explore cosmetics and skincare in the next \"Strong Female Lead does Business in Ancient Times\" drama?

Or would you prefer hot bath and exfoliation?

https://preview.redd.it/93nb9rik7v7e1.png?width=1481&format=png&auto=webp&s=1189129211f7b5df190ca687a55defc6f653a230

And no this is not what it looks like 😂😁..... or is it.....😏

https://preview.redd.it/8dn4yd518v7e1.png?width=1467&format=png&auto=webp&s=46d9cb849b777d73e6724740b05c01af140e37eb

And lastly, a picture of our Young Detective Squad!
From determining the cause-of-death with bare hands!! to solving the science behind the hat demon illusion, they were really the only ones who were putting in all the effort to solve the Hat Demon case (while the middle-aged group was busy at the spa or at the drinking bar 🤨)

But the real question is -- who do you think Ban-er will end up with? 😋

https://preview.redd.it/53ge550f9v7e1.png?width=1475&format=png&auto=webp&s=13e858f72fee4c58443b3d747fac4759c2bbded0

Over to you!

Hi,

I am currently watching the Legend of Mi Yue, episode 27, and the Empress has just had her baby.

In the English translation, when the Emperor is giving him a name, he says “How about Dang-er, Dang from soup, to commemorate the meaning of soup."

Is that really what it says? What is the meaning of that?

Thank you

Hello all!

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their dramas! Just popping in here to remind everyone to go and vote for your favorite 2024 dramas!

As of right now, we have 167 submissions, an amazing start for he first week of voting! Let's see if we can beat last years 300!

Here is the link to the Reddit post with the guidelines and voting form : Cdrama Awards of 2024