Good Story & Plot, but Bad Acting FL ML
I'm a bit disappointed with Neo Hou's acting, it seems a bit stiff and not like usual. Honestly, I expected more, the makeup and style don't suit her.. hmm for the plot, I'm trying to force myself to watch it, but seeing the acting of the two casts, I can't continue even though there are many other casts, I feel like I already know how the ending will be, so I stop watching it.. if people think it's good, honestly, I think it's a bit boring and there are already a lot of plots like this, (I'm not hating, just giving criticism) sorry sorry sorry I can't continue anymore..Was this review helpful to you?
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One of the Best Costume Dramas in a Long Time!!
It’s always nice to watch a drama with a fierce matrilineal theme!“Glory” doesn’t shy away from portraying its women in a courageous manner, as against men who are expected to be docile and submissive. What happens when a fierce tigress meets a fox? Their worlds collide as they adjust to each other and build a world together. Starring Gulnezer Bextiyar & Hou Ming Hao as the main leads, it is only right to say that the show belongs to Gulnezer. Her “Rong Shanbao” is daring, perspective, intelligent, bold and a staunch feminist. In an era of patriarchal society, women from the Rong family rule the city of Linji. They have been leading the tea farms in the mountains, are rich and run a business that grants them incomparable power and wealth. The storyline is crisp, gripping and addictive. If you are into shows with strong female portrayals, then this one should be high on your watchlist!!!
Read the complete article here-
https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2026/01/16/glory-series-review/
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You don't want to miss!
Glory was so intense that although I started it after The Unclouded Soul, I found myself watching Glory far more consistently with each new release. There was something about its scheming and ongoing chemistry that I felt I had been missing, and once I started, I couldn’t stop. I’m only about twenty-something episodes in, and while everything has been great so far, I can’t shake this sense of dread. I’m worried about the direction the story might take, and I fear I could end up dropping it despite being so invested. For now, I’ll definitely keep going for a few more episodes before deciding.Glory follows the male lead, an imperial court inspector tasked with investigating and solving cases. After being betrayed by one of his subordinates, he is left at death’s door and crosses paths with the female lead again. Having lost his memory, he ends up working for the Rong family at their tea plantation, slowly climbing the ranks from a servant to the female lead’s most trusted companion.
The first half of the series is fast-paced and intense, filled with backstabbing, murders, and morally corrupt characters whose actions keep the story moving at a gripping pace. Eventually, the male lead rises to the point where he is set to become the Rong family’s future son-in-law. However, I’m currently at the part where he exposes his identity by taking in Madam Jiang as a witness to a murder, and I feel like I may have missed something. Did the female lead already know his true identity at this point? So much happens so quickly that it can be hard to keep track of every detail.
What I Love About Glory
The storyline and the intense political maneuvering within the family dynamics are easily my favorite aspects. Every character has their own schemes and hidden agendas, all working to serve their personal interests. This kind of layered plotting is completely up my alley, and it’s what kept me glued to the screen.
The cast is another highlight. Zhao Yi Qin was a welcome sight—I’ve missed seeing him on screen. Cheng Xiao, whom I last saw in Fangs of Fortune, did well in this role, and I’d love to see her continue taking on scheming characters (just preferably not the angry ones). I was also excited to see Richard Li in a major project playing a villain, and he absolutely nailed it—he was that good. Seeing Asher Ma again was also nice; although his character annoyed me half the time, that just means he played the role well. The last time I saw him was in Word of Honor, and his death scene during the wedding left such a strong impression on me.
The screenwriter is the same one behind Story of Yanxi Palace and Perfect Match, and it definitely shows. No wonder I was so captivated—I really love her work.
Overall, the pacing has been strong so far, with one scheme unfolding after another, keeping things engaging and addictive. I’m hooked, but that lingering sense of dread remains. Maybe it’s just me, but I have a feeling something frustrating might happen later on that could sour the final episodes.
This will be an ongoing review as the series continues to air.
Current rating: 8/10
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Dress to impress
Glory is one of those dramas where you quickly realize that the core concept is strong. Very strong, actually. The series dares to do something that is still not self-evident in Chinese historical dramas: women are not only placed at the center of the story, they are not expected to sacrifice themselves or step back for the sake of others. On the contrary, the drama clearly asks why women should always be the ones to compromise. Reversing this power dynamic feels refreshing, modern, and even a little bold.From a storytelling perspective, Glory also does several things right. Instead of relying on one single, overstretched plotline, the drama integrates multiple criminal cases that follow one another. This structure keeps the pacing steady and makes the drama easy to binge-watch without feeling dragged out.
One of the strongest aspects of the series is its visual presentation. The costumes are absolutely stunning. More than once, the drama looks like a moving Chinese painting. The final scenes in the capital, especially with the elaborate fur collars, are visually striking and elegant, regardless of whether one likes the symbolism behind them.
Where Glory falls short
Despite its strong concept and beautiful visuals, the drama struggles with its emotional core, especially when it comes to the main couple.
Neo Hou, while undeniably good-looking, delivers a performance that often feels cold and overly polished. His emotional expressions come across as acted rather than genuinely felt. This becomes a major issue in a story that is supposed to revolve around loyalty, inner conflict, and love.
The female lead is written with strength and authority, but emotionally she remains distant. The audience is told that she loves him, but it is rarely felt. There are occasional small gestures or brief moments of closeness, but overall her priorities remain work, duty, and family. Emotional intimacy is largely missing.
His eventual role as someone who simply follows her, almost submissively, is also problematic. Reversing traditional gender roles should not mean stripping one character of emotional presence or personal agency.
The late plot twist revealing his noble heritage and potential inheritance feels unnecessary and poorly integrated. It appears too late in the story to have real emotional impact and comes across as a forced dramatic device rather than a meaningful development.
Relationships without consequences
Another major weakness of Glory is its lack of consequences. Extremely cruel characters, including siblings, commit serious crimes and betrayals, yet are ultimately forgiven or reintegrated under the familiar “family above all” narrative. This undermines both realism and emotional credibility.
Not every blood relationship deserves forgiveness, and the drama fails to draw clear moral boundaries. As a result, none of the romantic relationships feel truly satisfying or emotionally complete. Most endings are predictable and strangely hollow.
Additionally, there is a noticeable lack of romantic intimacy. Meaningful love scenes, physical closeness, and moments of tenderness are largely absent. For a drama of this length, this absence is very noticeable.
Final thoughts
Glory is visually beautiful, intellectually ambitious, and thematically progressive, but emotionally distant. It is an enjoyable watch, yet often frustrating, because it never fully commits to emotional honesty or relational depth.
Personally, Neo Hou’s performance in Back from the Brink remains far more memorable. As the dragon character, he showed more charm, warmth, and emotional presence than he does here.
Glory is a drama that impresses the eye and the mind, but rarely the heart.
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Everyone is Duplicitous, Trust No One
All caught up to episode 21 and I've just about had enough of this dramaTRUST NO ONE. The evil sisters are clearly evil and the good sisters may also be evil. The suitors who are sweet and protective in the beginning will be conniving and spiteful later on if they are not chosen to be the FL's lover. The ML and FL clearly do not trust each other at all, they are constantly doing things behind each other's back and spying on each other, as if both of them doubt that they will stand on the side of justice and the greater good in the end, so they intentionally mislead and deceive each other.
TOO MANY CHARACTERS. There are way too many characters. Too many suitors, too many sisters, too many aids and confidants and enemies. How can one survive in a world where you don't have just a couple of enemies that you have to watch out for, but over a dozen? And they are all slowly becoming more villainous and dangerous to you over time. Just as you pacify/silence one threat, 3 more appear, each with distinct motives for why thy want to oppose you. Like you are in the tea making business, life does not need to be this dramatic. And the cast list is like a balloon waiting to burst. So many characters get introduced, and then you look at the cast list and they are like #15 on the list. So I am supposed to pay attention to these scenes that are all focused on your conflict/betrayal/scheme, knowing that there are at least a dozen other more important character arcs that I need to remember? This screenwriter was all over the place, too many distracting side characters that should have been left out for cohesion and storytelling (I'm looking at you, Mr. Song, a character I'm sure most people will forget about by episode 10).
THE MEN ARE TOO OBSESSED WITH ROMANTIC PURSUITS. I was really misled the MDL synopsis of this drama. I saw the words "magistrate", "murder case", and "battle of wits" and thought there would be some great court justice and power plays. But instead, it is a story about a single matrilocal family trying to play match maker for the eldest daughter, while every other sister is running 100 schemes to dethrone her. Constant petty fights, schemes that are malicious at their core (and sometimes even murderous), adult men growing crazed and betraying their conscience because they've "fallen in love", and grown-up women whining and pouting and throwing tantrums like they are 5 years old (and I'm not even referring to the mentally handicapped sister).
And the "search for a son-in-law" really dragggggged along. Such an uninteresting plotline about testing all these non-main/barely supporting character suitors that just kept going around in circles, and that almost exclusively takes places inside of a single household for many, many episodes. All this for the sake of one woman trying to pick a suitor amongst a handful of suitors that NEVER LEAVE HER HOUSE, even after she picks (and then picks again).
EVERYONE IS A BAD PERSON. Why would a writer create a world in which 90% of the characters at a certain point do something that is unforgivable? Whether it be murder, framing, betraying family members, abandoning children, scheming in a way that ruins someone's future, or scheming in a way that only benefits oneself regardless of whoever suffers because of it. Being an unjust and cruel boss, being a gossip who sows seeds of distrust, division, and resentment in others. There were way too many people for whom I saw there actions and thought "okay, I am no longer tracking with how evil and inhumane you can be. Unless you are designed to a pure villain whose motivations are past all understanding and purely written to dramatize the plot, there's no reason for you to behave this way." Thinking this was about one character is fine, I guess (although the signs of a really well written script is when even the main adversary is understandable, you don't agree with what they are doing but you can understand all of the circumstances that led up to this person choosing to behave in such a way.) But multiple characters making you feel this way is very unrealistic and just takes me out of the show entirely.
Even the FL is pretty flawed. How she handled the court case at the midpoint of the series was pretty underhanded. It seemed like she committed perjury and only stood on the side of justice in the end because she was put in a corner (although maybe we are supposed to believe that was her plan all along). I don't really like any character at this point, so why should I care to see how your story unfolds? The entire Rong family is pretty rotten to the core and deserves to fall into ruin, even though they aren't necessarily producing any evil in their society, just look at the ruthless, selfish, sinister daughters that they have produced? The ML may be the only good guy, but he alone cannot shoulder the entire drama. And the drama is firmly hinting that any other redeemable character you still see at the midway point will soon devolve into villainy as well.
TL/DR; Everyone is a villain at some point. Too many narcissistic, mal-intended characters left unchecked. Too many sisters from hell and jealous SMLs out to destroy the main CP. And there is an unnecessary web of characters that should have been thinned out and can be attributed to sloppy writing. I felt more moments of frustration than peace while watching. so I don't want to continue.
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Female dominance
I watched it from beginning to end with great enjoyment and curiosity. It was one of the best series I've seen recently. However, from what you might call episode 20, or maybe episode 25, the series deteriorated again. Whether they added something after the story ended or something else, they ruined this beautiful series. The integrity of the series was broken. I was going to give it a 9, but I've reduced it to an 8. I liked it so much that I was going to say it was one of the best series of recent times. The usual thing happened, and unfortunately, Chinese screenwriters ruin series towards the end. They don't know how to end them. Or they start to become nonsensical towards the end. They get caught up in the panic of how to end it, how to tie up the story. Or they just don't care. They say, "Watch it or not, that's it for me."Cinematically, in terms of direction, acting, costumes, makeup, everything is very good, the story is also good, but in the final episodes, it's like they didn't realize how they were going to finish these 36 episodes; it's like the series was only 26 episodes long. I couldn't understand why they deviated from the main story and shifted to other things. I couldn't reconcile the series with the final episodes. I mean, I couldn't connect it to the story. Otherwise, you can drag it out endlessly, and it loses its appeal. That's exactly what happened.
Especially the pardon of the main culprit in the final episodes was unbelievable. It didn't suit the series. It wasn't a good ending.
It was a series where female dominance was very noticeable. These days, Chinese dramas are focusing on themes highlighting women's dominance and success in social life. This was one of them. There was a lot of praise for women's achievements. It was very noticeable.
I liked the chemistry between the lead actors. All the actors were harmonious and good. I recommend everyone watch it.
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Female centric drama will only work if they use a very good actress for the lead role
I can't believe I couldn't finish this drama and has to drop it at episode 32. I usually like this kinda big family dynamic and women empowering drama (Blossom, Blossom in Adversity, The Glory, The Sword and The Brocade, Story of Minglan).My very honest opinion, I think they selected the wrong actress to play Rong Shan Bao. I am actually quite disappointed because this is my first drama of Gul and she is quite famous, I thought she is a veteran actress. I compare this female character alot with Zhuang Han Yan (from The Glory, played by CDL), both character is similar in a way that they could hardly show any emotion, cunning and a lot of scheming involved. It is a very hard role to portray and CDL did it so well.
I actually don't know if it's the character or the actress problem, because in this drama RSB has no growth and no weakness, so this makes her a very very dull FL to watch. The other sisters (except the 3rd) has more growth than her. 2nd sis's story and growth is more interesting to watch than the FL's.
As for the romance, there is a lot of cringy moment instead of romantic moments, the chemistry just couldnt work. I felt Neo Hou tried his very best to charm everyone but it felt as if he is multiplying with zero from FL, everything turns into zero. LOL
The cringe moments were when the FL did the seducing like a man, lifting ML's chin like a girl and ML is turning red and shy like a girl. OMG I just had to look away every time they did this.
A friend who finished watching told me that it's ok for me to stop at episode 32 because moving forward there is not much value added to the story.
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Stunning Visuals Can’t Save a Shallow, Frustrating Script
This drama is breathtakingly beautiful. From the cinematography to the cast and the hauntingly good OST, the production value is top-tier. At the start, the romance was admirable and genuinely hooked me, but unfortunately, the plot eventually went downhill due to unnecessary drama.The writing fails its own characters. The show could have been a powerful exploration of the Rong family’s internal conflicts, but instead, every major issue is resolved "cheaply." Forgiving the grandmother because she supposedly had "no choice" was a massive missed opportunity; she had the potential to be a brilliantly infuriating villain.
Furthermore, while Shanbao is clearly an intellectual, her lack of EQ makes her "kindness" feel forced. Having her forgive everyone didn't feel like growth—it felt dumb because nothing was actually resolved. The characters just suddenly turned nice to her for the sake of the plot. The final straw for me was Yunshu: she deserved a sincere apology from the grandmother, yet she was the one who ended up apologizing. I nearly fainted from the sheer lack of logic!
I only made it to Episode 30 because of the initial romance and the high budget. While the political stunts were enjoyable, they weren't enough to save the lackluster writing. If you’re planning to watch, honestly? Watch until Episode 12 and save yourself the headache.
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Rong s family jealousy and intrigue
A very refreshing drama of different storylines, not the usual revenge and fighting drama but about family secrets and jealousy and scheming plots against each other! All the characters are gorgeous actresses and actors who played the characters well. The ML & FL portrayed the characters superbly with their strong acting skills.Indeed an interesting drama…
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Strong minds, soft hearts?
I liked it, it wasn’t groundbreaking, but it felt good while I was immersed in the story. I was definitely emotionally engaged, which basically means a solid 8/10 for me. What stood out most is that the leads are competent people who admit uncertainty without losing dignity. Confidence isn’t plot armour, it’s something they perform because they have to.Loved how the romance worked. They connected because they think alike and stay steady under pressure. They are compatible, it’s not just attraction. This romance is between adults choosing each other not some destiny shit that I’m already tired of. He takes love seriously, like a lifelong commitment. For him, love is home. All he ever wanted was to be loved. She loves deeply too, but she isn’t so emotionally dependent like him. For her, love is meaningful, but not essential. That difference creates one of the most interesting dynamics in the drama.
The tea world setting is beautiful, the plantations, the aesthetics, the costumes, the cultural atmosphere. Though some power elements (that jade stamp…) felt exaggerated lol.
Now the last Duke arc, at first it felt unnecessary, but the final arc exists to test him in his own world of power and status, not hers (he spends most of the show in her world). The emotional payoff is stronger in the end because of this arc.
It’s a female-centred world, which I liked.
Overall I cared about the characters, understood their choices, and felt rewarded by where they ended up.
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Don't watch if you like vaguely fair or healthy relationships.
I came into this drama expecting a beautiful, funny and touching political romance story about a powerful, icy female lead and a green tea, pretend-weak male lead.On the surface, this is true. The four praises I have for this drama are as follows:
1. The acting, especially from Hou Minghao, is incredible. Gulinazha does a great job as well with her dominant, elegant persona, but Hou Minghao is just on another level in my opinion. He expresses every emotion so beautifully, perfectly balancing subtlety and clarity. To be honest, he is the only reason why I wanted to watch this drama, and why I pulled through to the end.
2. The OST in this drama is beautiful, this might be one of the only dramas where I watched the intro fully each time, partly because I just love Hou Minghao's voice and partly because I didn't care about the actual story enough to be motivated to skip through. I also love the use of different instruments. The music in powerful scenes reminded me of war scenes in other dramas, which I really liked.
3. The cinematography and visuals of this drama are absolutely gorgeous, all of the bright colours, sweeping shots and breathtaking landscapes took my breath away at times. I especially loved the setting of the tea plantation.
4. This was an unexpected one, but the little information section at the end of some of the episodes were really unique and enjoyable. I loved how they included information about different aspects of tea and of Chinese culture.
Now, those are perhaps the only four enjoyable aspects of the drama for me. Other than that, this drama quickly became a chore to get through.
The first part, with Rong Shanbao saving Lu Jianglai's life, him losing his memory, and the husband selection, was the strongest part of my story. The characters were bright and vivid, and I felt that Rong Shanbao and Lu Jianglai had the most chemistry, and it is perhaps the only time when they are wholeheartedly working together, although obviously Rong Shanbao is taking advantage of Lu Jianglai's lack of memory.
After Lu Jianglai regains his memory, the story quickly goes downhill.
1. The story fails to properly explore the abusive family dynamic presented, instead continuing to idealise and praise the abusive matriarch after a glorified slap on the wrist. The only character that has a realistic, valid attitude towards her is also a villain who has done horrible things, and she's presented as a villain partly because she doesn't have sufficient empathy for her abuser, which she of course gains in the end.
2. Every single villainous sister is redeemed in the end, no matter how many horrible things they have done. Only exception to this rule is the fourth sister, who actually had a fulfilling and natural redemption arc.
3. Rong Shanbao is abusive and manipulative towards Lu Jianglai, and this is portrayed as of love. She constantly disrespects him, treats him like dirt underneath her feet, uses him as a tool to achieve her goals, lies to him to put his livelihood in danger for no reason, is frustratingly hypocritical in putting everything else before him, and allows everyone around her to disrespect him. This is never ever addressed by the story as Rong Shanbao has no flaws.
4. The story is ultimately boring, childish, mundane and cowardly. It refuses to show Rong Shanbao in any difficult situation and does logical gymnastics to make every hard scenario that she's in actually just a phase of her genius masterplan. The only entertainment you can get towards the end of the story is trying to guess what her plan this time is.
5. The ending of the story is horrible, feels like a completely different drama that was squished into 6 episodes and smashed onto the end of this one without any regard for the preexisting characters, all because the story realises that it has spent so long focusing on Rong Shanbao and neglecting Lu Jianglai despite him being the more sympathetic and likeable character.
Please don't waste your time on this drama, the political and melodramatic elements are cardboard-like and lacking any consequences, villainous characters either take too long to receive punishment or are undeservingly redeemed, and the romantic storyline is glorified manipulation and abuse.
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Dekho jhunt nahi bolungi ..thoda boring to tha...
I am not a chai lover ..itni chai ko mene apni puri life me nahi pii jitni inhone a drama me pili ... Jokes apart plot was good .. detailed .. ek taraf swayamwar chal rha hai the FL is supposed to pick a groom more like matrilocal husband for her wahi opposite side the ML who is an investigator is dealing with amnesia .. contrast was good .. but I can't help but think kash thoda spice hota ..Gul nazar was amazing but uska character was very constrained ... Plot was pretty much predictable esa kuch tha nahi that can keep you second guessing ... Haan costumes was something which grabbed my attention .. seems like they spend a good budget on styling ... Baki sb ok ok hi thaWas this review helpful to you?
