The Rise of Phoenixes

this is a story about abstraction

tiansheng is a country, but its name is repeated so often that it becomes more of a symbol, and then nothing at all. and so does dacheng, bloody pagoda, the title of emperor, the fight for the throne. it’s a 70 episode long journey with the sole purpose of telling us that every step we watch our characters take is meaningless.

as a result you kind of feel the length once the show touches the 55 mark, and various characters who played fairly significant roles get little more than 4 seconds for their death scene and then forgotten shortly after. otherwise i feel like it’s really self-aware? there’s plotholes and details overlooked but the overall story doesn’t get lost. it’s stunningly consistent in tone, in its writing, in its cinematography.

the best part of this production is, in my opinion, feng zhiwei. every character is doomed to a sort of inevitable and cyclical doom, and she’s not any exception, but there are parts of her character arc where she is instead a source of clarity. she knows how everything will end, and she wants no part. she is so surprising and complex…i don’t think we’ll have another feng zhiwei for a long time. anyway yes! it was a worthwhile watch but for certain things more than others.

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a Masterpiece of beauty and elegance

I score 8 on Story just because it doesn't end the way I wanted, which is how the majority of C-dramas ends: there is this willingness to sacrifice ( either something important to you or your own life!)- after watching nearly hundreds of C-dramas, i get it, Chinese audience seems to love the drama/sad ending- I normally read how a c-drama ends to avoid disappointment, and i knew i wouldn't have like the rise of phoenixes's end, so I fast forwarded the last few episodes just because i wanted to finish it.
regardless of this, I would definitely recommend it to everybody, especially to c-dramas beginners because it was my first c-drama , the first that got me hooked to the point that since then i have been watching c-dramas only, paying for Asian streaming channels/app, and only watching costume/historical c-dramas....!!
i have appreciated the beauty of costumes, the elegance of body movements, the slow scenes, the subtle romance going on between the 2 main leads, the fact that for once the wigs worn by the actors didn't look ridiculous nor fake ( a weakness in historical/costume c-dramas!!) . c-dramas are known to have hell lot of episodes; with its 70 episodes, this drama didn't make an exception to this trend; but at any point, it never get boring or too slow but , the many episodes were simply taking you deep down into the character development.... you get very deep into the story, you understand it better, and you don't want it to finish.... but then of course the finale might, to some viewer, leave you unsatisfied and wanting for more...

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An Intoxicating Story Brought to Life by Stellar Acting

This was the first Chinese drama I watched after my childhood days. It was during the Covid-19 pandemic (2021), I was on a long course that was held mostly online, and I wanted to improve my Chinese. I clicked idly into Netflix and found this show. The ratings looked good and so I started...

Little did I know that TRoP would open the door into the fascinating world of Cdrama for me, for the next four years (and counting). I have watched over 55 other Cdrama since then, and TRoP still remains among the top tier for me. I didn't know when watching TRoP that:

1) Chen Kun and Ni Ni are truly special. Most actors just aren't in their league.

2) When it comes to period drama, voice-dubbing is actually more common than actors using their own voices.

3) More often than not, CGI (absent here) is used to create special effects or even provide poetic landscape backgrounds.

4) Chinese language, even in period dramas, is usually not *this* difficult to understand (this was the primary grouse of the mainland Chinese audience).

5) Not all shows are so immersive right from the start -- many Chinese dramas take several episodes to warm up.

TRoP had a huge budget and it showed in the beauty and opulence of the sets and costumes. Everything was a feast for the eyes. The actors' natural voices conveyed every emotion with precision, and it helped that almost all of them were great -- besides the ML/FL, Ni Dahong (playing the emperor) and Zhao Lixin (playing Xin Ziyan) were standouts. I loved the music, and even listening to snippets nowadays can transport me back to the pain and melancholy of the story immediately.

The story is not difficult to understand. Ning Yi (played by Chen Kun) is the Sixth Prince who had fallen out of favour with his father the Emperor at the beginning of the show, but who started plotting and manipulating his way back into power over the course of the many episodes that followed. When he crosses paths with the highly intelligent Feng Zhiwei (played by Ni Ni), he is intrigued by her and sees her strategic value. Gradually, Zhiwei becomes embroiled in the power struggle between the princes and subsequently, even the political affairs between states.

There are many light-hearted moments and witty banter that alleviate this densely political atmosphere. Comic relief is also provided by the trusty advisor Xin Ziyan, right-hand man to Ning Yi, and his bodyguard Ning Cheng. Zhiwei has a family history/ tragedy, however, that casts an ominous shadow over much of the narrative, creating layer upon layer that leaves the audience unable to fully relax.

The stars of the show are undoubtedly Chen Kun and Ni Ni, who make sparks fly whenever they appear in the same frame. These two seasoned actors do not need physical touch or even words to convey love or longing. Their total commitment to each other appears in the catch of Zhiwei's voice and the way her eyes fill with tears when she calls Ning Yi Zhong Kui; in the way Ning Yi gazes up at Zhiwei -- caressing, tentative, and taking charge all at once -- when he offers to do the impossible during a particularly difficult stage of the story.

Chen Kun and Ni Ni made Ning Yi and Zhiwei unforgettable. Watching them was just as good as watching two actors on stage in the flesh. Even when the story was a little hard to get behind, the audience's investment and faith in them remained unshakeable.

This show left me with a huge hangover that took me a long, long time to recover from.

PS: This show is no longer on Netflix Singapore but is available on YouTube.

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A Masterpiece - Captivating from the start!

I can't believe I finished this series in 2025. It had long been on my list of the best Chinese historical dramas, but I kept postponing it due to its daunting 70-episode length and after reading viewers’ critical comments about the ending. Lately, I've only had the patience for dramas that are around 24 episodes. Despite this, after struggling to get through several full-length 40-episode series starring some of today's most popular actors, I decided to give this one a try, telling myself I could drop it if it didn't capture my interest.

To my surprise, this series grabbed my attention straight from episode 1 and maintained it all the way through episode 55. I never felt the need to fast-forward or skip an episode, which is something I've often done with other recent dramas. This speaks to the show's quality—it's a true masterpiece that deserves all the acclaim and awards it has received.

While the entire cast delivered great performances, it was Chen Kun and Ni Ni who truly made the series unforgettable. Their characters Ning Yi and Feng Zhi Wei were made for each other. I can't imagine any other actors taking on their roles. Only actors of Chen Kun and Ni Ni's caliber can express intense passion and longing while barely touching. Their performances demonstrate how physical proximity is not always necessary to convey powerful emotions. Through subtle gestures, lingering glances and restrained movements, they captivate audiences, making the connection between their characters palpable. Equally impressive is their ability to communicate without words. As two soul mates who simply know each other, Ning Yi and Feng Zhi Wei use silence, glances, and body language to create a profound sense of understanding. This wordless exchange is a testament to their skill as actors, allowing viewers to feel the depth of their bond without explicit dialogue. Chen Kun's portrayal of Ning Yi was exceptionally brilliant—he brought depth to a complex character with many layers, from intelligence and moral ambiguity to ruthlessness, vengefulness, all under a facade of carefreeness. Yet, Ning Yi was also deeply loyal and loving toward his mother and FZW. The chemistry between him and FZW was palpable, visible in the playful glint in his eyes and the tenderness he showed her. Their relationship, evolving from intellectual rivals to allies and eventually lovers, formed the heart of the drama. However, the environment around them was filled with deception, manipulation, treachery, and a longstanding feud between their families. Still, the storytelling, character development, and superb acting made the series compelling. Everything about this show was epic, from the cinematography to the music and costumes—some of the songs were heartbreaking to hear.

For me, the series began to lose its momentum after episode 55, when the story shifted to Jinshi. I understand the series had to be rewritten and underwent two rounds of reshoots to pass censorship, which likely contributed to the rushed storylines and some characters acting out of character.

It's unfortunate that we no longer see experienced, great actors like Chen Kun and Ni Ni in many dramas today. Instead, the industry tends to cast the same young "idol" actors repeatedly, selected more for their popularity than their skills. Many of these actors film multiple dramas in a single year, leaving little time to hone their craft, which often results in repetitive and uninspired performances. I wish more dramas were made like this one, focusing on strong storytelling, rich character development, and exceptional acting.

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AMAZING until the ending

Beautiful music, costumes, sets, and scenary. LOVED the cast. I couldn't stop watching. Hated the ending.

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The series, drama, plots and subplots are outstanding up to episode 50. Afterwards it goes down hill down to the apparent suicide of the main character which is completely off character for being the Ultimate Scholar she would have come up with a plan like the one I have read about in the novels translation.
The series is worth watching by the settings and clothing alone but is quite weird that Ning Yi's obsession with silk is downplayed as well as the quality of their plans at some point as well as most characters by the end it feels extremely rushed or PowerPoint Dune feeling like. The chemistry between the characters is great and there is more romance in there than in any Hollywood Romance flicks which makes the ending inconsistent.

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After 3 tries..it definitely won me over

The ending is the best possible one there could have been. Anything else would have been a fantasy and lala land. As long as this drama was, there was never a dull moment, every scene meant some thing, every character was significant...which I adored. Perhaps this could have been different had "communication" been a legit thing, but it seems in this era...it was all half messages and truths and expectations.

All said, it took me 3 times to really settle down and say, yes let me knock this out....it's only 70 episodes, but it was really worth it.

Flaws were not a result of anyone's acting, which was astounding (although the whole voice change and need to whisper in the most unnecessary amounts was slightly annoying). Flaws were due to the characters themselves and well, that drove the story. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who can deep dive into a hard core historical drama ..it's gets better and better.

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I HATED THE ENDING

I honestly found the the story very interesting and i binge watched it for 3 days. But it got quite confusing so, i started to skip part on from ep50 (also i watched every ep at x2.50 speed) ;) which is the only reason i finished in in 3 days. I cant explain how my heart was utterly stolen by the Gu Nanyi the bodyguard of the main lead, but also i loved Helian Zheng, defs my fav characters. But i could not stand the main leads relationship, highly flawed would not be an exaggeration of it. Honestly the ending not only confused me, it mad me quite angry, but atleast i had no emotion attachment to any on the main leads of the story.
Would i recommend it? Yes. Only cause it was amazing even if i thought it was very annoying

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You can tell that they spent money on this drama since it’s all there on the screen. Gorgeous sets, lovely costumes (which I’m guessing is the same designer from Love Lost in Time), beautiful cinematography and strong cast.

This is epic with lots of drama and interesting characters. Thankfully this isn’t about scheming mistresses so it’s a welcome break from those plots. The focus is the fight for the throne and it’s prince vs prince for the vast majority of the conflict.

The problem is the writing which introduces a lot of small plots that go to a climax and then disappear as if they never happened. Lots of unresolved issues which is unsatisfactory. There’s also the big ill-fated which is so freaking tortured, it’s hard to keep track of the current reason why they are pushing each other away. 70 episodes is a LOT to fill and there were just too many low points.

Overall, it’s lovely to watch and some great plot bits, but there are definitely some weak points.

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One thing I can say for sure: this is a good drama.

I knew beforehand that the story wouldn’t have a happy ending, so it was actually quite difficult to finish. Still, I pushed myself to watch it until the end. In reality, I only fully watched up to episode 60, and I skipped quite a lot of the plot in the last 10 epsd
Even though I skipped many parts near the end, I would still give the plot a high score. For the overall story, I’d probably rate it around an 8/9. The story is good, but for some reason I didn’t always feel excited while watching it. It took me a long time to finish this drama, especially the early episodes. Even around episode 50, it was still a bit difficult for me to keep watching, which shows that the story is quite heavy. There were also some conflicts that I didn’t fully understand. But again, it’s still a very good drama.

I really like the main characters and their dynamic and chemistry. At the beginning, I actually thought I wouldn’t like them, and I didn’t understand why people said their chemistry was good. But around episodes 30–50+, I finally understood why this couple works so well. I mean, I really like their character dynamics, the way they treat each other, and their love language.

However, toward the end of the story, I found myself liking Prince Helian more than Ning Yi. His love felt more sincere and honest, and I preferred his personality. It’s very unfortunate that his story ended tragically.
The acting and the way the characters are written are also very strong. Even from the beginning, I could see that the Emperor of Tiansheng wasn’t truly a wise man. All the prophecies and what eventually happened to him felt like karma. Personally, there wasn’t any character that disappointed me.
But if you’re looking for a romantic drama, I wouldn’t recommend watching The Rise of Phoenixes with that expectation.

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The Rise of Phoenixes has an intriguing plot and an excellent cast. After watching a few epic dramas produced recently in China, I am beginning to feel that the endings often take on a Japanese style - always sad or tragic. I am starting to associate Chinese dramas with depressive endings. This story could have ended with the hero marrying his love, but the script writer/director chose not to. The overall setting is a little towards the old school of Chinese dramas.

I always suspect that dramas reflect the prevailing sentiments of a country. There is always this pessimistic view that nothing ends in perfection and there is no fairy tale with the ending 'they live happily ever after'. Japanese lived through the tragedy of the atomic bomb and WWII, while the Chinese lived through a century of political upheaval and hardship. Perhaps unhappy endings in romance are common in real life but most people move on after a setback, and we watch dramas for entertainment. A sad ending leaves a bad taste, otherwise I would have given it a overall 10 rating.

The theme songs did not impress initially but I grew to like them. There were little background music in most part of the drama, unlike Ashes of Love which was heavily dramatized by background music. I got to like Chen Kun as the story develops - initially I thought his acting was too pretentious to convince his opponents.

The were some small details which made it laughable. When asked for a token of verification, Zhiwei gave Ningyi a bracelet which she said was given to her when she moved into the Qiu's residence - she was a little girl then, but the bracelet was huge - should have used a pendant.

If I ever edit this story, I would opt for the heroine leaving with Helian and her former dynasty followers, and Ningyi eventually marrying someone deserving to be his empress and without the emotional baggage, for example, Yao's daughter who seems to be a bright and morally upright girl from one of the episodes. Especially since his father is still alive, he could have chosen someone for him. They could then both lead happy separate lives but every now and then, they would retrieve a gift from the other and think of each other, and their spouses would watch on tolerantly but a little unhappily. They could send gifts and congratulatory notes when they each produce an heir to the throne. To have Zhiwei committing suicide was ridiculous as she had so much fighting spirit in her - completely inconsistent with her character.

Chinese dramas like to propagate the belief that people at the top (emperor) lead lonely lives, which is not always true. The emperor made his life into a lonely one.

Chinese dramas really need to work on stronger endings (the Chinese saying: a tiger's head but a snake's tail). Of course, they are still better than many American TV series which do not seem to have proper endings - they just end when the viewership decline. On this note, Chinese dramas are doing much better.

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