Favorite Strong Female Leads

Shang Gu/Hou Chi: Shang Gu has to face one of the biggest trials to her existence: The Tribulation of Chaos. Although it means sacrificing herself, as long as it’s for the peace of three realms. Through her reincarnation, we learn her resilience as she’s still willing to live and die for the one she loves although many of her friends try to keep her away from the dangerous path in her second life. 

However, in both of Shang Gu’s lives, I found her always willing to do what's right for the greater good even when it was the tougher choice.

Li Chang Ge: Li Chang Ge  is identifiably strong as she strategizes to avenge her slaughtered family. As we follow her journey, I found Chang Ge to be strong against her adversity even as she finds a powerful confidant, the general, Ashile Sun. Chang Ge becomes Ashile’s strategist, is acknowledged as a teacher and takes on a disciple, maintains loyalty and swears to protect her friends even as she believes they have betrayed her all while overcoming the biggest hardship that she’s ever had to face.

Cui Lin: Cui Lin is brave, sassy, intelligent and she is one of those characters that doesn’t take problems from anyone. I view her as strong because she, much like Li Chang Ge (TLB), is able to stand on her own two feet and fight side by side with her lover and family when they need her. 

Zhao Pan'er: Zhao Pan'er has had to learn that as a woman, we will have it much tougher than the men. She isn’t of desirable status in the Song Dynasty but with her confidence, intelligence and bravery, she always finds a way to protect her friends, stand up for herself and does whatever she can to keep at her dream of becoming a businesswoman.

Bai Feng Xi: Bai Feng Xi is equal to any man and she is confident in her abilities. What I loved about her character in WRTW is that she doesn't change for anyone and sticks with her wits. Like many others of this list, she seeks to protect those who cannot protect themselves and that makes her worthy of a strong female lead. 

Mu Deok: Mu Deok was one of the strongest sorceresses that ended up jumping into another body losing her powers. Although it's a tough journey turning from powerful to powerless, she adapts and ends up helping Jang Uk on his own path to becoming stronger as his teacher. AOS shows us how the power is truly within and Mu Deok is one that I viewed as one of my favorite strong female lead characters. 

Cheng Shao Shang: Shao Shang is intelligent and brave, she knows she may not be as physically strong as Ling Bu Yi but she charges in to do what she believes is right. When she swoops in to protect Bu Yi from himself, we get to see how far she's willing to go to protect the one she loves despite the cost. 

Hua Zhi: Hua Zhi doesn't take turmoil from anyone, and that includes the king. She's fearless and brave, almost nothing scares her. She's willing to take on the role of protecting her family and succeeds in opening many doors (that initially were shut or covered by men) for the women of her family. When she isn't protecting them, she's providing guidance and light to those who truly need a helping hand in hindsight of the conflicts that it may bring herself. 

Liu Mian Tang: Miantang is capable, meticulous, resolute and intelligent. She's able to decipher situations and pave the way for herself + her loved one. In this drama, we've seen her shield her husband several times (whom at the time she thought was weak + focused on the arts) and work harder to establish a life for them both. 

Additionally, Miantang teaching other women how to help without physical prowess during a time of war/when men are fighting and maintain her composure in a sea of uncertainty is inspiring.

Cui Xingzhou (ML) explains it best in Episode 30: "If Miantang wants to secure her life, she doesn't need to marry a good family. She is her own secure place. She can control her own fate. In less than a year, she turned a small shop into a royal tribute porcelain store joining a century old guild. She single handly resisted a group of rules. She didn't lose to any man. That great battle in Xizhou, was won with the help of your granddaughter. She showed me for the first time that while men can defend the country, women can defend the rear and even achieve victory in extraordinary ways. I also know that such a seemingly weak woman once led tens of thousands of bandits, set up her own banner and defended the poor from the rich. A woman like her can live elegantly, even if she never marries." 

Shen Zheng Yi: Zheng Yi is passionate, unrelenting and  goal oriented. She has a passion for skating and she isn’t willing to let that go despite opposition from parents, lack of professional training and knowledge, stronger opponents and isolation from her team. 

With this many barriers, she uses that as a drive to strive for a better performance. Zheng Yi grows and learns from her experiences which then earns the respect from her teammates, coach and family. Her persistence made the drama worth watching and she’s worthy of an addition to this list. 

Duan Wu/ Su Mu Zhe: Duan Wu is without a doubt one of the strongest and most loyal characters that I've watched. She went through her beginning as a slave and worked to find freedom for her and her friend at the time. As we watch Duan Wu's journey throughout the show, she somehow always meets people that become her family and puts herself in a position to protect those around her from harm.

She's had some of the hardest cards thrown at her but she does not give up. When her people are wronged, she finds her own way to stand against the opposing team thus making her one of my favorite strong female leads. 

Hua Qin: Initially afraid of death after mistakes in her past life, she gets a second chance to make her wrongs right. Hua Qin grows over the course of the series through intelligence (seeing plots through even though they’ve slightly deviated from the original path) and temperament (once immature, begins to mature from her life experiences). 

One of my favorite scenes from her hails from the second half of the series where she finds strength within to investigate a murder of someone close. How she handles the situation may lean towards morally gray, but I for one, was intrigued and in awe of her badassness.

Dou Zhao: Dou is strong, resilient and levelheaded. In her first scene, even with act of betrayal in the midst from her current husband, she’s able to decipher the situation clearly speaking measures of her character. 

One of the reasons I consider Dou as strong and why she remains my favorite is because she’s forgiving and willing to help others even when they have wronged her in the past. The amount of help that she gives Ming in the new life (despite her mother and other circumstances that pit them against each other), the strategist that she becomes when working with her husband and how she’s often afraid but is still resilient through that fear, makes her one of the strongest characters I know.