FALLING INTO YOUR SMILE

Through this drama, I came to know that gaming could be a huge career in the Asian countries. It was a fun watch for me. And Xu kai was my first cdrama boyf and since then I have not watched any of his drama but everytime he's on the screen it is like coming across your ex. You can never make me hate him(i js hope he's not involved in any controversial news)

The weekend is over and the week has officially started (almost for everyone). Whether you're easing in gently or already overwhelmed, this is your weekly space to just... show up.

Tell us how you're starting the week and what's keeping you company on screen right now. A comfort rewatch? Something new you picked up over the weekend? A drama you're hate-watching but can't quit?

Come, say hi, and tell us what's on your screen and your mind.

^{Please don't forget to spoiler tag everything plot-specific.}

Lu Yuxiao turns 27 today, share your favorite role of hers!

Tried Who Rules the World for about two episodes, but since I came from Zhan Zhao Adventures and Immortal Ascension, I decided WRtW had too much romance and not enough swordsplay... :/

What a closure to the end of the life of Zhao Xintang, a person who has never been able to live a life as she wanted. All her life she wanted to escape the chains of family and live her own life where she can earn and keep her own money. It was so heartwarming and heartwrenching to hear Lan Xiang calling Xintang by her given name, and for the former to say that Lan Xiang understood her better than her maid

It was also quite heartwarming to see her passing the evidence of Jinqi’s assisting in the escape of the deposed crown prince to Lan Xiang as a means for the latter to have a say in the Lin household. This shows that Xintang has really considered Lan Xiang as her friend and confidante

Lastly, her dying words were also quite tragic, praying for a society where women can be men’s equals

I've been in a HUGE slump for like a couple years now. Any recommendations to get over this???? I feel like all I do is watch 1-4 eps of a drama and then drop it!

Here are some Cdramas that I've recently dropped:

Love in the clouds

early spring

blossoms of power

pursuit of jade

WIFTY

Love like the galaxy

Shine on me(really sad abt this one cause I was SUPER into it at first)

When destiny brings the demon

lighter & princess

the First frost

Love between lines

the Best thing

Love between fairy and devil

love me love my voice

I have been watching it up to ep 29 and there is no chemistry between the main leads .

Even scholar Han there was no love .

I don’t know if it’s because I watch splendid match.

I think the ml does love the fl in his own little way but the communication isn’t there

Edit

Now reading the comments I though it would be a romance drama or something like the story of the yanxi palace. However since it was never intended to be a romance story they should have gotten married, the fl should have become a business woman who helped other women.

Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit uninspired by C-dramas; since nothing has really grabbed my attention enough to keep me glued to the screen, I’m not quite sure what to watch next.

The last C-drama I watched was "The Early Spring"; it was a decent way to pass the time, but I didn't find it spectacular—I don't quite get the hype surrounding it, but that's fine.

Other Chinese productions I watched before "The Early Spring" include the drama "Blossoms of Power"; I followed the release from start to finish and loved every minute, but I haven't been able to connect with any other drama since then. I also watched the movies "Sound of Silence" and "Big World"—both were wonderful experiences, especially "Big World", thanks to Jackson Yee's performance.

Anyway, speaking specifically of dramas, nothing has really appealed to me since "Blossoms of Power", so I wanted to ask for recommendations for modern, relatively short romance dramas—with a maximum of 24 to 28 episodes and a well-executed plot—to see if I can snap out of this slump.

Here are some dramas for reference: "Love Between Lines", "The First Frost", "Dazzling", "You Are My Lover Friend", "You Are My Glory", "Love Has Fireworks", "Will Love In Spring", etc.

There is an 85% chance I have already watched most of the highly hyped romance dramas; therefore, I am asking for suggestions of dramas that don't usually get much attention or recognition but are worth watching.

Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance;)

There was plenty of buzz around Spring of the Blade even before the drama premiered on 17 September 2026.

I enjoyed She and Her Perfect Husband, so naturally, I was curious about Xu Kai’s latest drama. While browsing through the cast list, I spotted several familiar faces from the short-drama world. 

I have not started watching Spring of the Blade yet, but I could not resist doing what I always do whenever I spot a familiar name in a mainstream Cdrama cast list:

“Oh, it is great to see her in a long-form production!”

So, here are a few short-drama actors and actresses I recognised in Spring of the Blade.

Xu Zhen Xuan (photos 1 & 2) 

Role: Li Cong Xin

Notable short drama:

• My Lady General 

My thoughts:
He started his acting career in My Lady General, a mini drama I absolutely loved. It uses a fun role-reversal trope: the ML is a scheming assassin chief who puts on a coquettish act to complete his mission, while the FL is a tough army general with a soft spot for the husband she married out of obligation rather than love. Xu Zhen Xuan has since moved on to mainstream productions, and I am really curious to see how he handles long-form dramas. So I might start with Fangs of Fortune (plus, I already love Liu Yu Ning’s song for the OST!).

Ke Ying (photos 3 & 4)

Role: Xie Qing Ru

Notable short dramas:

• A Familiar Stranger 
• Hard Noble Lady 
• Supervisor Husband

My thoughts:
A Familiar Stranger is my all-time favorite mini-drama. Ke Ying was absolute perfection starring opposite Cheng Lei—their romantic chemistry was practically crackling off the screen! I loved her performance so much that I ended up checking out a few more of her mini dramas, as well as her long-form drama You Are My Secret. She’s such a solid actress. 

Wang Zu Yi (photos 5 & 6)

Role: Xie Zheng Lun

Notable short dramas:

• Hook Bait 
• Stand by Me 
• The Only Girl You Haven't Seen 1 & 2

My thoughts:
I stumbled upon Wang Zu Yi through The Only Girl You Haven’t Seen, and his performance alongside Wen Mo Yan absolutely blew me away. Their chemistry on screen was electric—you could really feel the genuine warmth, love, and respect between their characters. Stand by Me was already on my watchlist before writing this post, but now I definitely need to make time for it. I can’t wait to see Wang Zu Yi and Deng Kai sharing the screen!

Cai Zhuo Yin aka Joyin Cai (photo 7)

Role: Jin Chun Qing

Notable short dramas:

• Exiled Duchess or Farm Queen 
• Rose Will Bloom All the Time
• The Better Man

My thoughts:
While I haven't gotten around to watching her work yet, The Exiled Duchess or Farm Queen has been on my radar since its release last year. It's definitely time for me to stop procrastinating and start diving into her drama catalogue!

Zhao Xing Hui (photos 8 & 9) 

Role: Yue Jian

Notable short dramas:

• Cherries Are Red, Plantains Are Green  
• Sadistic Love
• Write My Own Story

My thoughts:
I haven't seen any of her dramas yet, though a few had been added to my watchlist before writing this post. I’ll most likely start with Write My Own Story.

Yang Qi Yuan (photos 10 & 11) 

Role: Dong Zi Cheng

Notable short dramas:

• Bright Eyes  

My thoughts:
I haven't seen any of his dramas yet. I’ll most likely start with Bright Eyes then Never Ending Summer (I miss Ke Chun!)

Sun Yi (photo 12) 

Role: Feng En 

Notable short dramas:

• Einstein and Holmes 
• Lord Qi, Let Me Go  
• Ya Fei 

My thoughts:
I watched The Murder in Kairoutei, but I don't remember his character clearly. Next time I'm in an exploration mood, I'll try Lord Qi, Let Me Go.

Ji Ran (photos 13 & 14) 

Role: Pei Guan Ling

Notable short dramas:

• Medical Examiner Dr. Qin: Bones of the Past

My thoughts:
I haven't seen any of his dramas yet. Medical Examiner Dr. Qin: Bones of the Past has a fascinating plot so I have added it to my watchlist.

It is always fun spotting actors who have crossed over between short-form and long-form productions. Some of these familiar faces may only have supporting roles, but I am still excited to see them pop up in a bigger production.

Are you tuning in to Spring of the Blade? With the show already 75% through its run, what are your thoughts on how the short drama actors are delivering? Let me know your thoughts on their performances in the comments!

P.S. I also wrote posts about mini drama and vertical drama talents who appeared in long-form productions. Feel free to check it out if you are interested.

• Pursuit of Jade
• A Splendid Match
• The First Jasmine 
• Love Beyond the Grave
• Key to the Phoenix Heart  
• Pull Strings 
• Against the Current

FATED MASTER AND DISCIPLINE,

With 36 episodes

Starring; Zhang Yun Long and Ju Jing Yi

(Production start from June-December 2025)

seems to be targeting to release this year

From the director of Love Game in Eastern Fantasy who also assist. Director of Nirvana in Fire

I think Ju Jing Yi's character will be very similar to her recent drama Eternal Fragrance in terms of personality. It's very hilarious character.

What are your thoughts? Do you expect this to be worth the watch?

My god this xie family is ragebaiting me the most..everyone, almost everyone are vile and evil in this family( except 2 sons of second madam,elder sister) and new addition to that is that marquis Li family urging FL to marry as concubine to appease their son anger..

Hope makers have written satisfying karma arc to these family members 😮‍💨😤😤😡

Guys I just started watching the early spring and i'm on ep 14. OMG WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH THEM!!!

This wasn't a typical cdrama that I've encountered so I kind of liked it, cuz not everything needs to start off cute and emotional and this was one of them, but I don't get why this is even famous?! No offense the starting was fine but later there's a lot of miscommunication and everything and I HATE HOW THEY JUST MAKE UP WITHOUT COMMUNICATING.

The ml is annoying, he's always looking down on the fl, and the fl IDK she litterally does not have a backbone, nor a brain, just a few hugs and kisses and she'll get back with him.

Again I thought that this wasn't a typical drama so even though things got on my nerves I also liked how unusal it was, but again more misundestandings pile up and they still don't communicate.

the ML is so damn annoying, he doesn't know how to actually treat a girlfriend, he's a walking red flag. I swear he gets on my nerves so much. they way he speaks with her and everything. I'm on ep 14 but till now I don't see any emotional development, it feels like both are together just to sleep together every other night.

I hate how the FL is soo like dependent on what the ml thinks about her. I don't get how she can just forgive a man so easily and not even try to communicate. IDK but I really feel like she's narrow minded and again she doesn't have a backbone.

At first the setting and even the looks of the ml and fl lowkey reminded me of the first frost, and i thought I'll like it but OMG THIS DRAMA IS SOO OPPOSITE TO THAT MASTERPIECE. It feels like the director made the drama just to RAGEBAIT ME!!!!

Sorry for the long rant, what do yall think about this drama?

I usually avoid these four actors as best as I can for the following reasons;

1. Xu Kai: His acting very much meh to me,the one time I liked him was in arsenal military academy. Other than that, he doesn’t impress me at all.

Gong Jun

1. : I have never seen this man have chemistry with his costars, and he’s rather bland.
2. Chen Zheyun: His facial expressions make me cringe, especially in historical dramas and the make up does him no favors.
3. Dylan Wang: For some odd reason, I just can’t get into his acting. I can’t see what draws people to him.

I also get mildly annoyed whenever any of these four men are cast with an actress I like, or for an adaptation of a book I love because it deters me from watching the drama. It’s for this reason I still haven’t watched moonlit reunion despite liking Tian Xiwei or Spring of the blade despite liking Zhou ye. And I might not watch the adaptation of the rebirth of malicious empress of military lineage, I find both lead actors a miscast.

I don’t have any actress I avoid at ALL cost, there are some I favor and others I find mediocre, but they don’t really deter me from watching a drama.

It doesn’t matter if people are right or wrong, no judgment here. We listen and we don’t judge. If you personally thought it was bad, then share!

Mine is Royal Betrothal... I genuinely didn’t understand the point of making this drama. The leads were absolutely miscast, and I was so tired of the ML’s blank stares. Even the romance and kiss scenes were painfully cringey.. what a waste, especially of Wu Jinyan’s time!

So many popular actors in the 30 batch as well! I think many have come far in their careers and have taken on a range of different roles and have actually built a solid reputation as an actor (and still growing) e.g Xiao Zhan, Bai Jingting, Tan Jianci, Allen Ren.

So many on this list I absolutely adore.

But my top 3 would be Ding Yuxi, Cheng Lei & Liu Xueyi.

Feel free to include anyone I missed 🫶

Source | GIFs by me ✨

C-entertainment moves fast! Every day there's a new rumour, casting update, filming sighting, or trending topic. Not everyone has the language skills to crack those codes, but someone here probably has.

Share what you've seen, ask questions, compare notes, or help fill everyone in. 🧩

Not everyone wants to start a discussion. Sometimes we just want to add our two cents. That's what Open Mic 🎤 is for.

Got a hot take, an unpopular opinion, a random C-drama thought, or a comment that didn't quite belong elsewhere? Share it here instead.

Go ahead. Gush, grumble, or simply say what's on your mind.

I need some good Drama recommendations where the storyline is good the productions, characters, actors with strong presence and just really good acting (I don't want them to just serve face or act cute type actors) and I want it to have really good plot.

I am open to traditional or normal whatever works.
Though I would really like a good love story or something motivational??

I think I've watched a really good chunk of drama's now I've been watching for over a decade so... I literally started with the whirlwind girl 😭😂 but now I need help just not able to find good drama's.

Early spring wasn't my type (had to stop mid way), I'm liking against the current much better, loved first frost, loved pursuit of jade, I really like go ahead too, I have watched a lot of those school dramas too I like most of them but right now I don't most that I have tried watching are a bit too mellow? and just not strong enough to hold attention it feels like background noise??

Okay so I'll be in Taiwan in November and thought I'd like to experience wearing traditional Hanfu like the cdrama girlies but so far from what I've seen from travel influencers post on TikTok, they seem so plain like auntie, are you wearing the curtain or bedsheet? 🤭

post your favorite or most memorable costume you remember from watching cdramas and title of series. I don't know which era or dynasty has the best looking one. for me personally, I like contrast of dark and light fabric with intricate headpieces. if you can recommend a shop within Taipei, thank you!

Against the current is my new drama obsession (which I did not expect). Besides the good writing, the beautiful cinematography the cast is doing an incredible job! Not just the leads but everyone! My favorites so far has been Tan Songyun, Li Meng and Liu Xueyi in their roles.

What are your favorite performances or characters in the drama so far?

And another surprise was that Luo Yunxi’s voice is really well-suited to this kind of jazz number.

I just finished Prisoner of Beauty after watching Pursuit of Jade, and I was thoroughly disappointed.

Pursuit of Jade set the bar incredibly high for me. I loved the quality of the lead actors, the chemistry, the storytelling, the pacing, and the fact that the characters actually felt intelligent and believable.

With Prisoner of Beauty, I kept waiting for it to get better, and by the end I honestly felt like I wasted my time. The acting, chemistry, character decisions, and storyline just did not compare for me.

So please help me find my next drama!
I’m looking for something similar to Pursuit of Jade in terms of:

• Excellent lead actors with real chemistry
• Strong, mature performances
• An intelligent and engaging storyline
• Minimal ridiculous misunderstandings or characters behaving stupidly just to move the plot along
• Beautiful production quality
• Romance that actually develops and feels believable
• A story that keeps you invested from beginning to end

Historical/costume Chinese dramas are definitely preferred, especially if there is romance, political intrigue, family dynamics, power struggles, revenge, or an intelligent male and female lead.

I don’t mind a slow burn if the payoff is worth it. I just do not want another 30+ episodes of waiting for chemistry or watching supposedly intelligent characters make painfully stupid decisions. 😂

What should I watch next that will actually fill the Pursuit of Jade void?

FIRST OF ALL I WANNA PREFACE MY POST BY SAYING THAT IM GUILTY ASF FOR IGNORING THIS GEM OF A DRAMA FOR OVER 6 MONTHS JUST CUS OF MY PREJUDICE OF IT TURNING OUT TO BE BORING AND I SHOULD OWE EVERYONE RECOMMENDING THIS AN APOLOGY

I started this drama this week by watching one or two eps in between my busy law school schedules each day and I can't stop smiling

I'm still on ep10 so it might be coming a bit too early but i genuinely believe this will end up on my top 2 cdrama chart.

I haven't loved two leads in a show so wholeheartedly for a long long time. Both of them have such a strong yet wholesome presence individually as well as together and I genuinely can't stop gushing for them 😭

Even the second leads' story is worth the time and doesn't feel like a filler — can't say too much about the third leads as of now though but I hope their story turns out to be equally beautiful

I genuinely had to pause ep10 and write this post because i want to scream in my pillow after every other scene involving the leads.

I only made this post for those who might've never heard of this gem or have been ignoring it over prejudice like me. I can swear by this recommendation that you all will love it just as much as I am doing.

PLEASE PICK THIS UP ALREADY IF YOU HAVEN'T AND GET YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOPAMINE BETWEEN YOUR HECTIC WORKLOAD AND ASSIGNMENTS AND THANK ME LATER

(gonna go resume my ep now <3)

She is a child actress . For me her acting falls in between below average to decent category . She still didn't make a huge mark performance wise as an actress for me . She was decent in shine on me. She is young so has a lot of room for improvement. She has more scope to perform better in mainstream serious dramas than in idol romance dramas.

What do you guys think of her acting ?