Legend of the Magnate

Same time period. Both have involved plots with mystery and revenge. Business and learning the trade is an integral part of both dramas. Impressive casts.

The same late Qing dynasty setting and the story about a passionate young man named Gu Ping Yuan came from a family of small merchants.

This drama focus on the turmoil toward the end of the Qing Dynasty with Cixi at the helm. The romance is subtle as it's mainly about how the two brothers' opinions diverge.

both are surprisingly pacy historical dramas dealing with the struggles of quite ordinary people. while Magnate is older and also deals with palace intrigue and rebellion, Thriving Land deals with a broad time period and the impact of the Japanese invasion and KMT governance. both have appealing central characters who are genuinely likeable, support each other, and you can root for, with strong siblings ties and found family dynamics. both are gems of the 2025 slate.

Both dramas are masterpieces of strategy that feature a brilliant, intellectual protagonist who relies on his mind rather than martial arts to defeat powerful enemies. Just like Mei Changsu, the lead in Legend of the Magnate (Gu Pingyuan) suffers a grave injustice, endures exile, and returns with a new identity to clear his name and dismantle a corrupt hierarchy. While one focuses on imperial politics and the other on high-stakes business warfare, they share the same DNA: a complex conspiracy, a calm and calculating male lead, and the satisfaction of watching an underdog outsmart the establishment.

In the late Qing Dynasty, a passionate young man named Gu Ping Yuan was falsely accused, imprisoned, and exiled to a foreign land. To uncover the truth and return home, he fled to Shanxi with a private salt caravan and inadvertently embarked on a legendary business road.