Pursuit of Jade

I admit I had very high expectations for this drama, especially because it was heavily promoted and received a lot of praise. I decided to wait until it had finished airing before watching it, and honestly, I think that was the right choice, because otherwise I probably would not have continued it.
The story itself is not bad, but unfortunately there are several aspects that simply do not work very well. First of all, I really enjoyed the beginning of the drama, especially the part set in the village of Li’an. The main couple truly shines there, although, in forty episodes, the amount of time they actually spend together without arguing is surprisingly limited.
Chang Yu is a very likable character, but as the story progresses, he becomes a bit too stereotypical and less believable. As for Xie Zheng, I have to admit that I did not enjoy his character very much. At certain moments, his behavior was so frustrating that I almost wanted to slap him. I also would have liked to see more fight scenes, particularly considering that he is supposed to be a marquis and a general.
On the other hand, the villains are definitely the highlight of the drama. They are extremely well written and much more interesting from a character-development perspective.
The secondary couple, Qi Min and Director Yu, works far better than the main couple, even though Director Yu is an enormous red flag. Their relationship simply feels more natural and engaging.

Overall, I would still recommend this drama to people who enjoy the genre or who are fans of the actors. It is light, entertaining, and easy to watch, but in my opinion it is far from the “masterpiece” that so many people claim it to be.

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Ok drama

This drama is lengthy and does have some logical flaws but it's worth watching. A bit of romance and martial arts but could have added some more martial arts and reduce the sub plots. Acting is good and the main theme is good as well but the side plots are very unrealistic and does not fit well with the overall theme. Show diverts away for too long from the romance and the family theme. Why wait so long for the male actor to reveal his true identity.
One strange fact: it's the middle of winter but all of the windows in the home is open?
Note: it will get very confusing trying to sort out who is the prince and the brother and which princess started the fire. It takes almost all of the show before it becomes clear about what actually happened to the female lead parents - when why and how.

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In this life, the next life, for all lifetimes, the two of us will always be entwined.

What a ride. I read some comments about people being frustrated by this drama and I understand because sometimes you have expectations and loving something from the very beginning doesn’t mean it will continue to deliver the same level of quality later or what you expected to see. But to me, even with some flaws, the drama continued to be SO addicting and I spent all day anxiously waiting for more and more episodes. Let me talk about the things I liked the most.

One of the positive things about this drama is that the cinematography is beautiful and the director knows what he’s doing. If you watched “Blossom” you already know he’s good but he continuted to be good here as well and I’m already excited to watch another work from him! He knows especially how to create tension and how to use the scenario around (and the weather) to give us pleasantly and aesthetically scenes.

Another positive thing is the actors performances, the characters and chemistry between them. Tian Xiwei is a REALLY good actress. She has this beautiful and cute face but still can act as a tough girl and we can actually believe that she’s strong. Her acting is SO natural that it doesn’t feel like acting at all. She can give us cute scenes, badass scenes, emotional scenes….her character gets a lot of screentime in the drama as the story is basically female centric and she did her job amazingly. Chang Yu, her role, is a type of character that you’ll love automatically and it will for sure be always remembered when we talk about strong female lead characters!

Zhang Ling He was also good too! I know he’s an actor that divides opinions but if you’re one of these people who is not a fan of him I really think you must watch this one and give him a chance. First, this is definitely the drama he’s the most handsome like it’s insane. Second, his performance is spot on! He delivered exactly what the scenes required, and I felt that his acting here was relaxed and natural. Xie Zheng, his role, isn’t perfect and I believe the character should’ve be more developed but he was so charming! And one thing that I loved about him is that he always let Chang Yu shine. He was on her side but never putting his believes or overshadowing her. He saw her as his equal.

Dengkai was also really good as a villain, really good acting! Never watched anything with him but he got my attention. Qimin, his role, is a completely lunatic character but with an interesting story. Mu Ran as Yuan Qing was also a good villain, although a little stupid. I loved Qian Qian! She’s so strong minded and never let herself fall in Qimin’s control. Ning, Changyu’s little sister, was so cute. Her scenes with Bao Er was really cute too. The pig butcher squad was also charming and funny!

And what about the romance? Well, for me it was chief kiss. The chemistry between Chang Yu and Xie Zheng was amazing, I screamed a lot in all their scenes. Besides Bai Lu, I think Xiwei was the best chemistry Linghe had. And the same with Xiwei, Linghe was one of her best chemistry. Really wish to see both in another work together. Qimin and Qian Qian aren’t a couple that we can freely shipp as their story is totally toxic and abusive but we can’t deny the actor’s chemistry. I wish we didn’t had that much of scenes of them tho cuz why give them screentime when the “love” is completely one-sided? #FREEQIANQIAN

OST wasn’t mind blowing but I think we got at least 3 really good songs! The main story wasn’t also mind blowing and tbh it’s a little confusing but we understand better as things unfold and I think it was good enough to make me feel interested.

The ending was satisfactory! I pity the emperor, he made me realize that not everyone is prepared to be a emperor. I almost pityed Qimin in the end too but then I remembered how sick he was towards Qian Qian lol and the post credit scene was kind cute! A good fanservice for us.

Now…I enjoyed most things but I still got some complaints. First, we could feel that things was happening a little too fast after episode 30 and although everything worked out in the end, the pacing was a little damaged. To give a better pacing I think maybe a PART2 was needed or they should’ve cut some side characters unnecessary screentime and scenes. Also, I haven't read the novel, but I believe we could’ve seen more scenes of Xie Zheng battling. He’s a strong and feared Marques and we only saw him that way towards the end. He still shined in the drama, we can’t say he didn’t, but it’s a point that it could’ve been better.

Some complained about Qimin and Qian Qian having better romantic scenes than Chang Yu and Xie Zheng but I think it’s a matter of perspective and preferences and personally I liked the main leads scenes. They had beautiful and artistic scenes while Qimin and Qian Qian had more sensual and aesthetic scenes. I do think they nerfed a bit some kissing scenes between Chang Yu and Xie Zheng because we saw the leaks and we know what they can do lol And they did this while giving focus to Qimin and Qian Qian kissing scenes when the couple isn’t even shippable like… definitely a questionable choice but yeah.

In general, Persuit of Jade is a drama that I anxiously waited since last year and although it wasn’t a perfect ride, I can’t say that the wait wasn’t worthy! I fell in love with the actors, the cinematography, the direction, the main couple and I enjoyed the story and characters! It’s a type of drama that I believe that even with some flaws here and there, it still deserves the attention and love.

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It’s good, but I’m not sure it’s great. A bit of a mixed bag overall.

This is a drama that almost gets there, but eventually trips over its own feet in the final act. While it has enough star power and high-octane moments to keep you watching, the payoff feels more like a polite "sorry" than a satisfying conclusion.
Firstly, the leads carry the show on their backs. Their chemistry and screen presence are the main reasons to stick around, supported by a decent soundtrack and a handful of genuinely epic fight scenes that actually deliver on the tension the plot promises. When the action hits, it really delivers.
The cracks really start to show in the writing towards the end. There’s a bizarre reliance on "emotional blackmail" that just doesn’t hold water—like the Auntie pleading for the treacherous Uncle’s life by using her son’s death as a bargaining chip, even though the Uncle’s own man fired the arrow. It’s a warped bit of logic that makes the characters feel more like plot puppets than real people.
The biggest letdown is how the villains are handled. Instead of a hard-earned reckoning, the writers take the easy way out. The bum loser Emperor suddenly goes mad, which feels like a "get out of jail free" card rather than actual justice. Then you’ve got the main villain in a weirdly romanticised prison death—complete with melancholic music and a poison mercy from his wife—without so much as a mention of their own son. It’s a demented attempt to humanise monsters that haven't earned a shred of sympathy.
The end is topped off with a confusing "What If" alternate universe sequence and a very soft punishment for the Li family, who basically get a slap on the wrist for high treason. It’s all a bit too sanitised for my taste.
If you’re here for the actors and the occasional big battle, you’ll have a decent time, but don't expect a finale that respects your intelligence. It’s just alright—raised slightly from a 6 to a 6.5 simply because the leads are so watchable.

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A touchy love story

After a long time, I was completely obsessed with the story of the drama Pursuit of Jade.
Except for the ending, I liked everything about the drama. I had expected more from the ending, though it was a happy one.
I liked the chemistry between the leads: the bitter love story between Yu Qian Qian and Qi Man, the cute love story between Gongsun Yin and Qi Shu, and last but not least, the adorable pairing of the child artist.
I liked the supporting characters as well.
There were so many scenes that gave me goosebumps. One of the scenes was when he ran after her on horseback, caught her with one hand, pulled her up, and made her sit on the horse. That scene—oh my God! I had no words to describe it; it was an excellent direction.
Overall, the drama was very good.

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Entertaining

I am going to try and keep this short.

I love this drama. This is my first time watching Tian Xi Wei. Girl did amazing.
Love ZLH. Liked the secondary couple too especially Deng Kai. The entire cast have amazing talent.

Backdrop:
Aesthetically pleasing. Loved the snowy scenery in the first quarter of the drama. It really set the tone of fl's life and then seeing battle and politics in the other half ... you can see the 180 and how drastically her life changed.

What I liked:
•Fl's gradual progression to becoming what she did
•Fl's love for Ml didn't make her forget herself and her town, her people and others she cared for. Everyone had a place and importance for her.
•Fl's fighting skills
•ZLH's acting was awesome. One moment he was full of tender looks for her and then the next when there's danger or someone was interrupting, they got 'the shooting daggers look'.
•Loved Deng Kai here. Dude looked smoking hot. He was a total red flag character due to his past trauma and there is absolutely no excuses for what his character did because it was wrong but the chemistry he had with Kong Xue Er was awesome.

What I didn't like:
I definitely did struggle on the political side of the story. No lies. I might still not be understanding everything but I got the gist of it.

I felt like there were a tad bit too many characters being spoken about without actually seeing them first or getting much of a chance to get familiar with them at the beginning. I found myself may be guessing or rewinding at times but gradually understood who was who.

What could have been better:

I did find some inconsistency like Fl saying she participated in many battles etc but all in all it was 2 and she was still technically a newbie. I feel like a lot of scenes were cut so may be they did shoot more battle scenes. Some fight scenes were good but the entire final battle scene was a bit lacking. I feel like may be there should have been atleast a few epic ones with the Marquis tbh.

Well, if I feel like that then why did I rate it a 10?

Because no matter what, I still found myself glued to the screen, anticipating episode after episode and actually finished the drama which is quite a feat in my eyes. I didn't realise time was flying when watching the episodes because like what do you mean I watched 40 mins? It felt like 5 mins.

Yes, there were bits lacking but there were also bits that really made me enjoy this show. It's fictional and I reminded myself to not get stressed over these things. I'm watching it for entertainment - not for homework. However, with that being said, I don't want to watch something that's terribly made. This wasn't terrible. It was great. Not perfect but great.

Everyone has their own journey and experience and likings. You may or may not like it. You won't find out until you try it so give it a go.

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A Historical Drama That Finally Gets Strong Female Leads Right

First of all, let’s talk about the concept. I’ve actually stopped watching a lot of Chinese historical dramas because of how female leads are often portrayed — sometimes they’re too weak, annoying, or just unnecessarily frustrating to watch. So I lost interest for a while.

But then I came across Pursuit of Jade… and it completely changed that for me.
From the very first episode, the female lead, played by Tian Xiwei, came in with such strong, dominant energy. That alone hooked me. She’s not weak, she’s not irritating — she’s capable, bold, and stands her ground.

And the male lead, played by Zhang Linghe, matches her energy perfectly. Both leads are strong in their own ways, and that balance made the story even more enjoyable. It’s not one carrying the other — they grow and stand together.

What I really love is how the drama shows that sometimes the choices we make may not seem right at first, but they turn out to be the best decisions in the end. It also highlights trust, understanding, and not dragging misunderstandings unnecessarily.
Overall, this drama felt refreshing compared to the usual pattern, and that’s what made it stand out for me.”

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10/10 for me. Must watch drama.

All the male (excluding Lord Li) & female leads were excellent. Lord Li character wasn't interesting for me.

I rewatched the alter ending. After rewatching it I was little confused.

In post credit the alternate ending was - " If the jinzhou massacre wouldn't have happened 17 years ago , how the characters life would have been. " . In post credit the ending is the alternate ending of the current original life of the characters. So in "IF" condition -
[ #1 ] When Fan Changyu & Yu Qian Qian meet for the first time , they felt like they may know each other & they were maybe close friends in past life , &
[ #2 ] When Qi Min & Yu Qian Qian meet for the first time , Qi Min felt connection with her , but after seeing her he started vomiting , because Qi Min things maybe they are never fated to be together.
Both the "IF" conditions are alternate ending of the current life. So how they can feel connections with each other when they meet each other for the first time since it's their alternate current life only.

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Zhang Linghe’s Charm and Chemistry Carried the Show

For those wondering, what’s the hype here?
Answer: the male lead’s character charm that’s worth “dying” for.

Every close-up shot of ZLH, the romantic scenes, the lines, the insane chemistry with the female lead, his "fatherly" moments with the kid, and all the classic rescuing (英雄救美) moments will have you smiling like an idiot in front of your screen. It’s the typical lonely, cold-blooded guy finding meaning in life after falling in love. Yes, you know it’s cliché, but people still eat it up, myself included. Honestly, this really is ZLH’s prime drama. The director clearly knows how to capture his best angles and make you fall for him.

In terms of plot, there are quite a lot of war scenes, which keeps things exciting through most of the drama, if you like fighting scenes. BUT, I do think it dipped a little towards the end. The climax wasn’t built strongly enough to really hit emotionally, and things got slightly messy when tying everything together. Still, overall it’s good.

As for the female lead (Chang Yu), I really loved her character at the start. She was cute and shy, yet also strong and brave as a butcher. But it kinda lost its charm later on after she became a general. She suddenly has a lot of pride and kept pushing away the male lead’s protective moments. I get that the plot was trying to make her an independent general, but it didn’t fully make sense to me. Honestly, she could have been just as strong as a powerful general’s wife. If you’ve watched other dramas focused on generals, you’ll know that becoming one requires experience in war strategy and leadership, not just the ability to strike and kill. Because of that, the “general” role felt a bit shallow, which is why I’m giving this a 9.0 instead of a full 10.

As for the side roles and stories, I personally didn’t enjoy the second couple’s abusive love dynamic, but I really loved the family and friendship arcs, like the two kiddos, the 杀猪小队 (Butcher Squad), the soldiers of Wu’an Hou, the Grand Tutor, and the villagers. Lastly, an honorable mention goes to Song Yan’s “shaming” scenes, so satisfying!

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a truly remarkable drama

[SMALL ROLES]

Pursuit of Jade (PoJ) is one of the few dramas that makes you fall in love with not just the main characters but all the small roles that there are.
They gave every small character life, which made them real and very likeable. That's exactly the reason why this drama just feels like a breath of fresh air.

It's been a long while since a drama made me cry, but PoJ did the job for me. They made every death seem real, they made me mourn every single side character throughout the entire drama.

All the actors did an amazing job, every character came to life. I want to separately mention the child actors, they did remarkably. I have never felt so many emotions from such a young actors before.

[MAIN ROLES]

I don't even wanna get started on the insane face cards the main actors have, and their insane chemistry. It's truly one of a kind. This is my first drama of both the main actors and I'm truly impressed. They both made me fall in love with not just their characters but also themselves. I'm definitely watching all their previous dramas next.

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