February 2026 Period C-dramas How Dare You and Unveil: Jadewind Open with Decent Douban Ratings After Run
Those looking for a C-drama to marathon rather than watching live and waiting can now check out both iQiyi comedic period drama How Dare You?! and also Youku investigative period C-drama Unveil: Jadewind. Both February 2026 premieres are done and the opening Douban ratings are decent for both. How Dare You opened with 7.2 and Unveil: Jadewind with 7.0. I can see arguments that those numbers are either too high or too low for both lol, I started both and haven’t finished either myself for different reasons. How Dare You I may end up finishing and only paused because I got distracted but someone will have to convince me Unveil: Jadewind really did get better and better as it progressed over the truly boring first two episodes for me to pick it up back. And based on expectations going in, How Dare You did better than anticipated while Unveil: Jadewind is a disappointment for having two bigger name leads.
I have never found voting in Douban to be a complex dilemma, considering that the range will always vary between personal preference and the pattern in the enjoyment factor of each voter. How Dare You!? it’s one of the C-dramas I’ve dropped recently because I didn’t find it appealing the way the main themes were being addressed. I have no intention of giving it a try again, regardless of its rating which is decent, nor the artistic value that have been thrown at me on MyDramaList when I have mentioned that it is not MY cup of tea. LOL. Keep enjoying your apple, I’ll go and keep looking for my orange.😂
the artistic values lectures*
I’d love to hear what you didn’t find appealing about the main themes if you’re willing to share!
I’ve watched a few transmigration dramas before but didn’t like how the transmigration thing was written. I don’t want to start another one of these because it’s highly praised but get disappointed again, haha.
THIS…sounds so much like me although I prefer apple to orange instead in real life. lol.
I checked out both dramas because the MLs had their hotness-overload moments in their past projects. lmao. But neither one is able to retain my attention till the end this time. For How Dare You, it’s the plot that doesn’t convince me. For Jadewind, it’s Bai Lu’s acting that bores me to heck.
@Somebody: LOL. How Dare You!? also seems to have a rhythm that builds as the plot progresses (that’s what a friend with whom I generally share tastes has told me), not for me anyways. I like stories that capture my attention immediately. My orange right now is Chasing Jade. I still don’t think Zhang Linghe’s acting is solid enough, even when a voice actor is covering his lines. There are times when his facial expressions are kinda stiff. The writing of his character is intriguing though. On the other hand, Tian Xi Wei is doing a pleasant job so far. I’m also watching K-dramas like Moving and The Glory S2.
LOL. I don’t mind staring at ZLE in Chasing Jade all day long. Why didn’t I recognize his beauty before? lmao.
You’re late for Moving and the Glory! These two series are my gems.
@Somebody: x2. Zhang Ling He is one of the C-actors I’ve been seeing all these past few years for his beauty (I add Song Wei Long as well). At least he has that advantage. LOL.
I’m not usually a fan of the superhero genre or revenge stories driven by bullying, so I’ve left them for last. I also considered them because in the casting there are actresses I appreciate like Go Youn-jung and Lim Ji-yeon (terrific in the role!).
Big shout out to Love Story in the 1970s too for doing better than expected. Such a good Cdrama
Totally agree. Started this one without much expectations, just bcuz i had nothing to watch after dropping off HDY and Unveiled. But it potentially will be one of the best dramas this year.
I’m halfway through this drama. Really an unexpectedly pleasant surprise. Nonetheless, the genre has never been up my alley. I may not finish this series due to many other attractions. Still, I recommend this dramas to those who don’t have particular genre preference as I do. I may pick up this drama again when I’m in a mood to watch this type of dramas.
I really enjoyed How Dare You! I found it fresh and loved the humour. For a transmigration story it was ‘believable’. I am glad I read about the novel’s ending however, as the drama cut that part very short.
I am struggling however with Unveil: Jadewind.
How dare you isnt my cup of tea. Dropped since 1st ep. But the leads’ acting were pretty good. Better than Unveiled.
Tried couples episodes of Unveiled, and struggled to continue. It lacked many things. WXY brought nothing to the table with his flat acting. He used to charm me in The Double.
They did better than I expected. I was expecting high 6s. I’m most of the way through How Dare You. It’s pleasant enough with charming leads, but nothing gripping about it. It’ll probably take me another month or so to finish it. I haven’t gotten through much of Unveil Jadewind. It’s in the interesting, but not gripping category with some weird editing and bland characterizations for the leads. I probably won’t finish it since I have other dramas to watch.
Douban is basically a joke these days, nobody takes it seriously. It’s a dying platform that is absolute last in the number of users in China. This nonsense with scores, paying for them, paying to protect them, paying to harm rival dramas is what killed it.
Both dramas had higher Douban ratings than expected. Good for the casts but both wasnt my cup of tea. Caught the shorts and just didnt want to watch even though i like the actors involved. Love story in the 1970s was the suprise, a genre i seldom watch but I loved how real it was and it had that draw that keeps you watching next episode eventhough it was slice of life -ish in 70s era and a slowburn for the main leads.
I feel How Dare You didn’t do as good as expected because of the source material and how well did both the anime and the short drama version perfodmed. The short drama version was one of the mega hits of 2025. Therefore the lomg drama version was expected to be a big hit and the trailers looked more exciting than Unveil Jade’s. Unfortunately it fell a little flat in term of numbers and overall reception. People just moved on after it ended
The thing going viral now is Zhang LingHe and Tian Xin Wei’s drama getting their numbers abusively inflated by tencent and Iqiyi
How Dare You is a big/popular IP but with lesser known actors meanwhile Unveil:Jadewind relies on Bailu’s star power. Unveil has more voters on Douban.
well I see that Wang Chu Ran managed to change the perspective of some users about her 😂 now they like her. let’s hope her good acting lasts. she is pretty tho.
I’m not a fan of WCR. I still think she over acts. There are lots of pretty actresses.
but nobody was talking ’bout you in particular lmao, that’s why i’ve written “some users”. what’s with the catch?
I like Jadewind quite a bit. It kept me interested. On the other hand I stopped How Dare You? because I didn’t like the plot. The writing was silly although the acting was good.
I watched first 10-ish episodes of How Dare You twice, yup, as I thought I lost the plot somewhere, but still got nowhere.
Despite my high hopes, both leads comedic acting felt forced, Cheng Lei is passable but WCR just feel disconnected with the voice actress, the voice seems stronger than her.
Thank goodness Pursuit of Jade arrived, I’m happily engrossed with this drama.
I’m struggling with regular platform remakes of already-done short drama/vertical drama versions I’ve seen in the last few years. They just don’t capture my emotional interest., even when I tried to look at the artistic value 😂. Except for The Double But that’s because of the smart play of puns in the dialogue giving the main characters wonderful sexual tension.
his visuals are overhyped. he looks just above average. nice body tho.
Well… even in 2026 the quality of C-dramas is still inferior to Korean/Japanese dramas but China has the most good-looking actresses and actors in my opinion. Just my taste. They look more elegant and have much sharper features and better facial structure. And contrary to people who say they’re starting to looking the same because of the pressure of plastic surgery, I don’t see it at all. Like from C-drama to C-drama I’m still finding people with distinctive features. Most of them don’t have a standard of lips or nose or facial distribution. I also love their strong brows/gaze game. Sometimes I’ll only open episodes of C-dramas because of facecards. Just my feelings.😊
Chinese idols in KPOP are also more striking to me.
@Talía: We share the same opinion, although I could never have written it with the same enthusiasm as you.👏
Chinese idols in South Korea would catch my eye without knowing beforehand that they were Chinese. LOL. Only by comparing the names known for their good looks have I been able to see the range. I also remember once being feverishly attacked on Reddit just because I typed in my PERSONAL PREFERENCE. 🤣 All I did was mention that Chinese artists seem to ME to be more outstanding in the visual department compared to those from other countries in East Asia. The thread was a disaster, they even began to talk about politics.
There are some that don’t appeal to me in photos but once I saw them in motion, I can like them a lot. It happened to me with Liu Xue Yi/He Yu/Tian Xin Wei recently.
Hmmmm, not sure. So far, those Kpop idols who have caught my eyes are still ethnically Korean. These idols have very strong stage presence that’s the key.
Chinese celebs have more delicate facial features than K celebs in general. One of the reasons is that C fans appreciate delicate looks more than anything else. It seems objective but also subjective in terms of aesthetic values appreciated by different culture. For example, I observe that Americans look at Asian beauty in different ways than Chinese people. I personally like way more K actors way better than C actors. (I hope the awkward grammar of double comparative forms did not confuse you. LOL) K actors are taller in general that already give them advantage in the visual department. Even some K actors are average in stature, they are attractive on screen because of their charisma and better acting talent than C actors.
In terms of talent and awareness of artistic values, South Korea has been ahead for a long time. And it’s laughable considering that China has more than a billion people. LOL.
Visually, Chinese idols click in my brain quickly because they usually possess the features associated with the aesthetics employed in C-dramas (especially xianxia). NCT’s Xiaojun and Pentagon’s Yan An for example. I have a weakness for sharp, delicate features well accompanied by a prominent bone structure. It’s something I haven’t often encountered in South Korean artists. Maybe in Song Hye Kyo, Nana, Cha Eunwoo, Park Hyung Sik. I know a lot of South Korean names, but when it comes to balance and facial harmony, the Chinese are at the top of my list, even though I’m relatively new to Chinese entertainment.
Good observation! I had not considered a comparison in the stature of both sides. What I did notice from the beginning is that South Korean actors have more muscular bodies.
China is my number one choice for visuals, even if it means admitting that I have a tendency to guilty pleasures, even if the basics of human intelligence have to be questioned. LOL. There are very few C-dramas that I would recommend. And probably nothing will change in years.😂
As an ethnically South Korean, I much prefer the faces of Chinese actors and actresses as well.
There are more dimensions to their faces. If they are a few centimeters shorter in height doesn’t matter to me ’cause face is the most valuable asset. In China, actors are 180 cm tall on average, 183cm for our South Koreans. I will try to find the all links I visited last year regarding this topic.
During Joseon Dynasty, Korean beauty standards were linked to Confucian philosophy. And not much has changed. I studied with Chinese kids until I was 12 y/o, and even then one could see that they had features that sometimes in South Korea people pay to have. There was more variety. Most of our top visuals have had drastic plastic surgery whether they are actors or idols, except for CEW; visuals from China like Yang Yang have not. Rising stars like Wang Xing Yue neither. They may be too skinny but muscle can be gained. I can only vouch for the fact that our entertainment industry has advanced considerably.
Sorry if my English looks robotic, I still have difficulty with writing.
I’m one of those who tried How Dare You but couldnt continue beyond ep 1. Not gripping enough for sure. And I tried getting into it more than once, still dropped off. Not sure about acting skills of the leads as the drama was not gripping enough.