Heeeeeelp me! There are so many dramas going on right now all of a sudden and I am so in over my head lol. Adding to the glut of K-dramas and C-dramas is period revenge and second chance drama Story of Kunning Palace, which was thisclose to airing earlier this year in May and decided to make its abrupt arrival now in November on iQiyi. Starring Bai Lu and Zhang Ling He, these two reportedly starting dating while filming the drama (and are dating still but may also be recently broken up) so the chemistry aspect should be fire on screen. Bai Lu currently has two dramas airing at the exact same time this and modern work place romance Only for Love with Dylan Wang so let’s see which one generates more viewers and positive reviews.
Preview for Story of Kunning Palace:
Wow, BaiLu is on fire this year.
Ahhhhhhhh I can’t wait!
Omg I fell on my chair please be good
And it is very good. So far I’m loving it.
I keep seeing the same artistes… But I was looking forward to this drama… hope it is good. I really hope China stop rotating the same group of artistes…
I wonder if the supporting actor who may have offended the state will still be in the drama? Did the production team digitally remove him from the drama?
He’s still there
Oh, so the first time the drama was taken off air was not due to him…
If Zhang Ling He does not score high on this drama… I hope lead roles be given to more suited actors in future..
Not a Bai Lu fan… I know she is very popular, I dont want to offend her fans but I dont feel much for the characters she take on… Her acting really lack depth and soul. Just my own opinion…
I agree to disagree
Thank you for not starting a fan war with me. If the storyline is good, I will watch a drama with Bai Lu, I may not be her fan but I can watch her projects if the drama is well produced. Hope this drama will be good.
I feel the same. Her acting can be superficial at times. I also find her teeth/mouth area a bit distracting for some reason.
I find her smile to be very cute. I guess when you don’t like someone, you will find faults with them anyways. She already had her teeth done. She had crooked teeth when she was young. I think her smile looks fine now. If anything, I prefer her crooked teeth as it looks more youthful.
I know what you mean, same with her figure. she looks stocky especially in costumes, not much of a figure; however, when she’s all made up with nice hair style, cute clothes, and makeup and all, she can look cute and even pretty. Without it, she’s average looking but she has a very cute and bubbly and lively tom boyish forceful personality. Sometimes a person may not have perfect features but the personality can make up for it. Beauty is not just one’s physical looks although that helps. if a perfect beauty stands there and is not expressive then it will also diminish her beauty.
Hmm.. since you mentioned it, i remember something. While watching it, i kinda thought, what’s i missing… her acting wasnt bad but yeah, agree with you. I didnt feel her eagerness to change the fate, like the female character in Scent in time and Lost track in time. Bcuz they all were so eager to change their fate.
She’s better than most of her ML costars. That’s the problem. LOL. So far I can’t find any of her MLs who had generated convincing chemistry with her. And I agree with the comment about her teeth. Perhaps she should consider getting some orthodontics done. It’s not considered PS. A lot of American teens had done that per dental and medical opinions.
I beg to differ, I believe it’s her unique charm that distinguishes her from other actresses. I hope she continues to embrace her natural beauty.
As I said, orthodontics isn’t considered PS in the US. Many kids around me got their teeth adjusted, mainly for health reasons. Cosmetic is just one plus benefit. It doesn’t hurt to have that done!
@somebody, as I said, I prefer her natural beauty and she is embracing it well without giving a damn about other toxic opinions from people like you.
I noticed in Japan, there are quite a number of artiste with uneven teeth but they look cute. But there is less of them now…they have works done to even the teeth.
@HL, I noticed that too. Not sure if that’s genetic thing for cute Japanese girls to have uneven teeth. LOL. Somehow Japanese stars have more delicate facial features than C stars. I think visually that may make a difference.
Not saying BL isn’t pretty. But some fans may not like it. I also found her makeup too heavy, particularly in costume dramas. She should hire better makeup artists to do her justice.
@Somebody, yes, the tiger teeth as I called them are just adorable. But it is odd as it is common amongst Japanese. Must be a genetics.
@HL Same, I’m not a fan of her acting too. To make things worse, I keep getting reminded of her goofy image on variety shows, which makes it impossible for me to see her as whatever character she’s acting as.
Exactly my thought!!!! It is just hard to separate her variety image from some of the characters she takes on. Because she has such a distinctive personality on variety shows.
I remember a very good artiste once said, he does not do variety show because it will affect the characters he portray in his shows. To be honest, I dont remember who said it. But it was a very respectable A list artiste.
I am not say artiste cannot do variety shows…but Bai Lu’s huge laughter does leave a lasting impression. So whhen I see her crying dramas, I find it hard to detach her from character as she is in weekly variety show.
@HL Even veteran actor Deng Chao also couldn’t escape the variety image curse. I personally think actors and actresses should avoid becoming regulars on variety shows if they are serious in pursuing an acting career. If they really have to, they should avoid “negative” personas such as goofiness and choose the “positive” personas such as smart/brainy instead. It’s more easy to accept a smart person acting as a foolish character than a foolish person acting as a smart character.
@Lilith, I too feel artiste need to manage their image off screen and on variety shows. I am aware many fans like to see the natural image of their idols, but it can affect their acting roles. I too agree even Deng Chao cannot get away from it. Saying that, I remember Zhang Ziyi was not well received in one of the variety shows as a judge, it definitely affected her brand and image in China.
Saying that, in China, the dramaland is still very much controlled by investors… directors, producers really dont have that much say in casting. And investors like to use popular artiste that is popular on variety shows. Did you noticed the huge increase in variety show China has now? Some of the standards are really good, I find myself enjoying variety shows more then watching dramas these days.
And many actors are turning into presenters themselves. After seeing Bai Lu laugh so heartedly in the same week, I watch her cry on drama, it is just really awkward.
Tan Jianci does goofy stuff on Hello Saturday and does serious roles in dramas. Never affected me at all. Neither do his other variety show castmates who have been having a banner year (like him) in C-drama. I enjoy Gege, DiDi and Wei Daxun-ge having fun and laughter while competing in silly games.
@HL Oh yes! I’ve also been watching a lot more variety shows than dramas nowadays, both Chinese and Korean. It’s probably because they are funny and easy to watch after a long day at work. The newest show that I’ve added to my weekly watch is Divas Hit The Road Season 5, this season is the funniest and most enjoyable out of all seasons so far.
@Gennita I would say Tan Jianci and Dylan on Hi6 hasn’t been as exposed as Bai Lu on Keep Running, plus their variety images aren’t as “negative”. I personally can’t detach Wei Daxun from his variety image, but he had stopped being a regular on variety shows for quite some time before Meng Yanchen so that’s probably why other people could do what I couldn’t.
@Lilith, Lol, I am watching Diva hits the road 5 too… I enjoy this group. There have been seasons, I did not enjoy due to the Divas not gelling well and having lots of tensions. But this season is good so far. I only just noticed how weak and undernourish Dilraba is in the show. And Qin Lan is so soft spoken…remember me of 80s actress Joey Wong from HK.
But I really find watching variety shows more relaxing. Saying that I do enjoy watch competitive theme shows too, like Street Dance of China, that is not relaxing. But it is full of adrenalin rush…
@HL Yeah Dilraba is very thin yet she seems to eat a lot on variety shows though, not sure if she has high metabolism or it’s just a variety show persona. Qin Lan’s soft-spokeness could be due to losing her voice from a cold but she does seem like a friendly and gracious person. I like how the cast members in this season are like a group of friends or classmates going on a holiday trip, cracking jokes at each other and laughing their heads off.
Didn’t watch Street Dance of China as I’m not into street dance. I mostly prefer funny variety shows such as Hi6, Who’s The Murderer and Great Escape, sad that Korea stopped producing their original versions of the latter two.
@HL & Lilith, I’m a huge fan of Deng Chao but did not know of this variety image issue. What’s that about?
I don’t really follow variety shows, so not influenced by the image portrayed by BL, but I still don’t find her acting impressive. It has nothing to do with her image, because I’ve never seen her in other images other than the ones she shows in dramas.
@Coralie, I remember Deng Chao in a C-pop group search competition. OMG, he did make me laugh. He can be so camp… But I think he does pace himself between acting and presenting. Thus it does not bother me much, at least not at the scale Bai Lu does.
@HL oooh Deng Chao as the funny uncle :). that makes me like him even more. approachable, funny and a great actor!
@Coralie The reason Deng Chao left Keep Running is because people feedbacked that they were constantly reminded of his variety image when watching his new movies/dramas. Keep Running was quite popular for some time back then so his variety image got imprinted strongly on people’s minds.
Agree, Bai Lu is just average in term of acting and appearance
I agree, not a fan of Bai Lu. I don’t know what it is. She is pretty, but for some reason I cannot connect with any of the dramas she is in. There are alot of her dramas in the last 2 years, but have not finished any of them.
I have not finished them too…
@HL don’t worry, girl! I got your back on this one because I feel the same. But her acting is passable even if it borders on boring to me
It is like Yang Zi, many can dislike her but I really like her. I do find it unfortunate she has to succumb the PS to meet industry standards and C-netizen’s expectations. I love her in Battle of Changsha but she did say in interviews, those years she was jobless…And China is just following SKorea path.
But Yang Zi has skills she homed since young thus I do enjoy most of her works.
@HL I think YangZi can def act…but she needs to stay away from dramas where she’s described as a beauty lol. She has a ton of confidence to try and pull those roles off (sometimes through acting and angles you can kinda pretend that’s the case), but ultimately, i think it does her a disservice when the image she’s trying to portray is not exactly fitting to her description.
this is not to say she’s not pretty, but not exactly a beauty. and do you really think she had PS? she looks more bloated, for sure, but she kinda looks bloated too when she was younger. her acting, though, is top notch.
@Coralie, Yes, her chin, forehead, nose…the basics many artiste do too. But her lips never needed fillers and weight lost helps too. But she is never going to be slender beauty like Liu Shishi. Thus I agree, some Beauty roles may not suit her as much. Her looks from Battle of Changsha is different from now.. But her positive energy and fun personality is still the same.
Btw, do you noticed just how fair almost every artiste gets in the industry?? Even Zhou Shen who was darker skin is so white now. Yang Zi is the same, her skin tone is natural on the darker side but now she is so fair and white…I swear they all blench their face monthly… I bet Micheal Jackson would have flown to Asian to get himself whiten if he could. SK, Japan and China are very skilled at it now.
@HL LOL! It’s so they can use the makeup there probably lol. I’ve tried a bunch of Korean foundations and none of them fit my color range (and I’m considered pale already!). Plus they sell a lot of those brightening and whitening cosmetics and skincare in China. Inevitably with time and sunscreen, everyone’s gonna get whiter
The first 6 episodes were good. But havent read the novel yet. I hope this wont be a dream only. Like in Scent of time.
I like the acting, chemistry and plot. Please just be good till the end.
Did you watch episode 1? The entire drama is based on a novelist’s story…. Aka the rebirth is also due to the novelist wanting a better plotline.
That part is only added in the drama (not in the original novel) in order to get around the ban of rebirth/time travel stories. Joy of Life and The Romance of Tiger and Rose added similar plotlines.
@guest I’ve seen it but i thought, the novelist’s memory of past lives lol…
@hellomooc i see, it makes sense tho. Scent of time didnt have this bcuz it was all her dream. Not really a reborn thing.
I already dropped it, I am sorry to say. Directing is awful and the ML sucks. Bai Lu is so much better so it is even worse when they are together. I really don’t understand why someone who has so little charisma on screen and who can’t act like this guy is getting all these resources. I waited so long and now it’s a dud.
I have to agree with ML lacking any charisma. I’m only a few episodes in and I feel like they would do better with someone else who could act. 2 episodes in and I’ve not seen any other expression on his face besides the resting grumpy face
After watching it I think I understand why zlh didn’t make it big, he is quite stiff. And in kunning especially the closeup were terrible, what’s the director think to shoot him from 30 degrees forward looking
I’m in for this one. Have to check one or two eps at least. Two main leads are among very very very few C actors whom I like.
Reborn storyline, not many of them in dramaland…but tons on Chinese Novel-land… Thus I am keen to watch this too.
I just watched two eps. The ideas of the storyline are supposedly interesting. But it’s a shame the script isn’t well written. The directing doesn’t help. There’re issues with the flow of the plot. To much unnecessary dialogue that drags the plot and reduce the intensity of the storytelling. No suspension. The supposedly interesting story turns out underwhelming.
To be fair, both BL and ZLH are decent in acting. I don’t agree with some criticism here. It’s not like they’re not able to carry the drama. Nonetheless, it’s hard for actors to make a story impactful if everything else in the filming process is off. I imagine the original novel should be a fun read. But I’m whining about bad scriptwriting and directing again. Same old same old bitching from me about C dramas if that annoys fans. LOL. But I have to let out the disappointment and frustration watching C dramas! Makeup is off on almost everyone in this drama too, like pasting heavy white paint on everyone’s face to have obvious contrast with neck skin color. I always found BL’s dramas have this same problem with heavy makeup. Something is pretty wrong with the makeup artists.
I just feel that the recent productions of most C costume dramas are evidence of sloppy and lazy work from the production team. Something is pretty off. C costume dramas are very prolific nowadays but you don’t get to see another single drama like Nirvana in Fire. It’s really wasting time for me to check. BL’s modern drama with Dylan is better than this costume drama overall. But ZLH’s acting in this drama is better than Dylan there, TBH. I’m not a fan of either man but like them both to some degrees. No bias here. Simply personal assessment.
I’m gonna drop both dramas. Sorry BL, although I like you. I’m gonna pick up K drama, Crash Landing on You which is my recent addict. Kim Jong Un’s village people are so cute and funny. LMAO.
You started watching!! I am waiting till it finishes then I will marathon…
Lets be honest, as long as the dramaland is controlled by sponsors and investors actively, the quality of dramas will not be able to properly develop… The investors have such strong opinions, the producers cannot be left to create a good production easily.
But I do enjoy reading Chinese novels, so many well written novels…those then do get converted into dramas just pales in comparison….
We can only watch what interest us and drop them if they dont. I dont have expectation as I did anymore. I rather be surprised instead of badly disappointed. It is just about how we manage our expectations.
Saying that, I stopped watching Korean dramas afew years ago as I was getting bored by them…but it is so different now. Gosh, so many new and cool K-dramas. They are back on Fire again.
Buu I did recently noticed a huge increase in Chinese variety shows and really enjoy watching a number of them. I am currently watching Street Dance of China Season 6… this season so far is just very enjoyable. Last 2 season was boring..
I was so hooked , I watched it until 3 a.m last night for all 6 eps.
I’m up to ep 5. Enjoying it so far! Right now, her childhood friend has a lot of scenes with her. Almost time to see ML finally having more interactions with her.
I found the first two episodes unnecessarily heavy and jarring. But I’m glad I stuck with it, because the payoff began in episode 3 when the drama settled into its characters and now the drama is moving into addictive territory. I’m not going to say anything about the naysayers because different dramas appeal to different people for varying reasons. But I have to say I have a newfound respect for Zhang Linghe for pulling off the crazed and holding it barely together, at times sane, calculative, cold and cruel ML. He’s acting his socks off, but naysayers will see only what they want to see. He continues to impress me with each successive project and I see bigger and better things on the horizon for him in his career if he stays away from scandals. Bai Lu remains respectable in her delivery as always. I have always loved her acting in period dramas more than modern ones and this is no exception. So far the chemistry between both leads is good, I have yet to see the scorching chemistry that everyone raves about, but I anticipate to see that, later on in the drama.
You don’t know what good acting is if you think he’s acting his socks off. Lol the level of cdrama watchers.
Po-tay-toes – Pot-ah-toes. You are of course, entitled to your opinion. I don’t watch dramas for critical reviews. I watch to see if the actor can emotionally connect with his/her audience (me) or if his/her acting resonates with me. What’s the point of a 5 star performance, if it leaves the audience cold and bored?
I once read a comment by a veteran in the industry. And what he said was that these so-called liulang actors, while they may not have years of theatre training which he and older actors do, they rank very highly in terms of the passion which they bring to their craft. And for that alone, he has miles of respect for them. An actor/actress may be well trained and have all the right moves, so that they will pass all critical reviews, but at the end of the day, if they can’t sway the audience, what’s the benefit?
That’s why I take comments that say so and so cannot act with a pinch of salt. Why? Because if the audience didn’t like them, they wouldn’t watch them. In the end, it’s entertainment, not rocket science. And I pay to be entertained. So, as long as I am being entertained, then the actor/actress is doing a bang up job. It’s as simple as that.
That’s still not good acting.
And no, he is not a good actor. You can enjoy him all you like, people enjoyed Steven Segal even though he can’t act at all.
Good acting though, ain’t it. In either case.
@somebody, I agree with u when u say that even if the actors r good and everything else is bad, it ruins the drama but I feel u r being to harsh of c ent considering the fact their government have a say on what is suppose to be aired on television,I feel it limit them in a alot of ways ,again not saying that it suppose to let them make bad dramas, but I will say this to everyone who read this comment,if a show interest u, n it keeps ur attention and u like the story, please continue to enjoy watching it,after following koala for a decade,this one thing that she does n i love this about her, she will enjoy the show she loves even if everyone says order wise so do the same as viewers . Different strokes for different folks. We all have different preferences. I believe that the reason why the entertainment industry will go on even if we recycle stories a thousand times over. It us the human being that don’t find it essential in our lives has we grown order and wiser.
I agree…it is good to see different people with different interest. Some will enjoy this drama, some will not…it is just a drama for entertainment. No need to start a war over the disagreements.
Partially agreed! It’s all about different taste, preference, and choices. Nothing right or wrong. But as I stressed many times, this is a free forum in a free society for everyone to have free expressions. Every visitor should understand this basic principle of public communication, respect it and tolerate all opinions, be it positive or negative, approval or disapproval of your personal preference and opinions. So I’m entitled to my scathing remarks about C-ent and will continue to bring up until there’re changes someday.
I spent the whole 2022 exploring various genres of C drama only. I had invested a lot of time on C drama and certainly will have much to say about C drama as a viewer. I don’t think I’m harsh about C drama. My criticism is fair and square, not catering to personal and emotional attachment. If there’re good productions in C drama, I won’t hesitate to give positive reviews. If a drama is bad, then it’s bad. I can’t bring myself to like it or say nice things about it, be it C drama or K drama or British drama or Hollywood. LOL
I binge watch the whole 8 episodes drop.
And very little fast forwarding at that. Which means the drama is legit for me. I’m liking both leads and ZLH is smothering hot. This should be his breakout – he is just made for period dramas. And I like that he’s bad but have a soft side. Yeah the trope never gets old. And Bai Lu is playing it well – she does good chemistry with her leads.
Let’s hope the rest of the drama works out well too!!!
I actually think Zhang Linghe has natural charisma. Unfortunately, his latest roles don’t really translate over that well. His impressions of a goodnatured aura-less 2nd ML in LBFAD, to another fumbling idiot in MJTY, did him no favors. And the ones where he’s not a fumbling idiot, like KP (which I have not watched), doesn’t seem like it’s winning over fans due to bad quality.
We’ll see how he turns out.
I liked him in his first 2 dramas, he has screen presence. But now I find him over-exposed… He has taken more then he is trained to handle. His agency really need to plan his career long-term instead of cashing in like some cash Cow. He still needs time to train and home his skills if he wants to stay long in this industry…but if he does not… then might as yet earn as much as he can now. I hope he is the latter…as I still like to watch his grown and improvement. He can have a long future in this industry…
By far interestingly, I think he fared the best in his debut drama, Maiden Holmes. Perhaps that drama was also better scripted and directed. Regardless of all the naysaying about his recent performances, I still consider him, like Dylan Wang, have potential to be really good actors.
I find all these comments very interesting, but no one should attack another for their opinions because beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. What one person likes another may not. Everyone is entitled to their preferences. it’s interesting to hear different opinions because there is probably some ounce of truth to every opinion. The actors are human beings and are never going to be perfect.
I loved SOKP!! While the reincarnation trope is nothing new, it has been executed beautifully!! Chemistry between the leads is blazing hot!! The cast including all supporting characters are superb. The story kept me interested and did not drag in the middle like a lot of C-dramas do. There were no filler episodes. Bai Lu has always been a favorite of mine and she does an amazing job as usual – playing the ruthless empress and the playful reincarnation with equal finesse!! So I respectfully but vehemently disagree with all the criticisms of her. And ZLH is growing on me too.