I honestly can’t stand the way Gao Peng acts when he’s with He Zhi Nan — both before and after his change. It always feels like he never truly loved her in any real, lasting way. His feelings for her came off more like a temporary obsession or infatuation.
After that phase passed, everything just felt like that annoying “can’t fully let go, but not really staying either” energy. Like he kept her hanging — emotionally suspended — on the edge of a tree branch, just waiting for her to play the villain and cut it off herself.
What I hate the most are those scenes where he quickly praises something Zhi Nan made, only to later spit the food out completely. That fake politeness is worse than outright rejection.
At least Yi Peng is a jerk who knows he’s a jerk. But Gao Peng? He’s just as bad, maybe even worse, because he genuinely has no clue how awful he really is.
Han Su and Gao Peng are basically the same type of person. They always seem to play the ‘good guy’ in their relationships — the one who steps back and lets the other person do the breaking up. But honestly, they’re just as responsible for the relationship falling apart. They prioritize their personal goals way more than their partner.
And there’s that one scene — Emily, the girl who likes Gao Peng, looks down on Zhi Nan and tells Han Su that she only sees her as a worthy rival. At that point, there hadn’t even been any romantic hints between Han Su and Gao Peng, so like… was that scene really necessary? :)) It just screamed ‘Pick Me Girl’ energy from the writer when it comes to Han Su.
This drama needs to have 10 more seasons. It's so good. Even though a lot of K-dramas have been hyped lately, it’s been a long time since I watched one that made me binge it all the way through.
Stunning main couple. The leads’ visuals are so on point for a Republican-era vibe, and their chemistry is straight-up fire. I’d heard the plot could be annoying, so I wasn’t shocked. Tbh, I only watched for the chemistry and ‘cause I’m in love with the male lead’s vibe and how he’s all in for the female lead. Some scenes are def getting a rewatch.
Watched it all. There are plenty of romantic C-dramas with intimate, sweet moments where the male lead is super…
Watching this drama totally makes me want JBR and TSY to do another romance film together, but yeah, it’s probably not gonna happen. Can JBR just keep doing rom-coms or romances? He’s such an insane kisser, haha, I was honestly shook! I saw some online comments saying TSY was awkward in the intimate scenes, but I don’t get it—she nailed it in this one. (Haven’t checked out her other stuff yet.)
Watched it all. There are plenty of romantic C-dramas with intimate, sweet moments where the male lead is super caring toward the female lead, but they often feel a bit fake, like ‘artificial sweetener.’ The sweetness in this drama, though, feels so natural. I love the dialogue between the leads when they’re together—romantic enough but never sappy. Their chemistry? Absolutely incredible, no notes. I’m definitely rewatching this. This drama has made it harder for me to pick Chinese romance dramas to watch in the future because the leads here set the bar so high for chemistry and natural interactions.
I’m not done with Regeneration yet—three episodes left—but I had to pop in here to say I’m really into…
I wanted to add—Jing Boran doesn’t seem to have a huge die-hard fanbase in China, even though his projects pull in solid viewership. Maybe it’s just local tastes. Thank goodness for kisskh, though! I found a lot of people there who vibe with me, picking up on the cinematic quality of the show and appreciating JBR’s performance. It’s such a relief to read those. Still, I really hope JBR gets more love and recognition in China since that’s his main market. To me, he’s the kind of actor who was born for the big screen, not TV. But it looks like most of his upcoming projects are dramas, maybe due to his own choices or just the way the industry works. Either way, I’m crossing my fingers he lands more quality scripts that suit him and let him shine like he does in Regeneration.
I’m not done with Regeneration yet—three episodes left—but I had to pop in here to say I’m really into Jing Boran and this show. I liked him in Monster Hunt and Us and Them, but he’s absolutely shining in this one. Whether he’s playing a smart guy, a sly conman, or a jerk in love, it all feels so real and effortless. He’s got this vibe that stands out—not your typical leading-man looks, but a kind of cinematic charm. His acting is subtle, with depth and these quiet moments that don’t feel overdone. I think he deserves some serious recognition for this role. Regeneration itself is shot like a movie. The pacing’s solid, it doesn’t drag, and the cinematography is honestly impressive for a Chinese series. There are some really nice visual moments I wanted to capture, but Netflix isn’t having it.
There are some rumours this drama will be aired this summer. Really hope so. The trailer looks promising. Too bad if it would be cancelled forever. I want to see Jing Boran with Yi Fei together on screen. Manifest 🕯️🙏
“One day, you’ll have a child… You’ll be a mother, a grandmother.” “What about you?” “If you live well, then I live well too.”
That scene broke me.
Under the Hawthorn Tree doesn’t try to be dramatic — it just quietly hurts. Their love was soft, real, respectful — and that parting was the kind that lingers.
I hate the way An Sheng asks those weird hypothetical questions to Jia Ming, like “If the world only had you and the girl you hate the most left, would you be with her?” Like, seriously? That alone was already awful, but then Jia Ming actually replies, “Who’s the girl I hate the most? If it’s An Sheng, then I would.”
Are you kidding me? They’re literally flirting with each other right in front of Qi Yue — even though An Sheng knows Qi Yue and Jia Ming are dating.
This drama is insane, and what’s even crazier is seeing people in the comments attacking Qi Yue. Like, seriously?
The Chinese title of the film is “Qi Yue and An Sheng,” so I was expecting two actual female leads — or at the very least, that both characters would be written with some depth. But the way Qi Yue is portrayed just makes me feel bad for her. She’s like an NPC in An Sheng’s life. Everything she gets — from pursuing her boyfriend, to getting into college, to even having a relationship — all depends on An Sheng’s help or sacrifice. It’s like she only exists because An Sheng “grants” her things. There’s barely any independent thinking or emotional development in her character.
Honestly, the film should’ve been titled something like “The Life of An Sheng” to avoid misleading people.
As for An Sheng, she’s written as someone who sacrifices everything for her friend — to the point it feels unrealistic. What exactly did the writers want the audience to feel? Like, “Oh poor An Sheng, she’s so tragic, please love her”? Because honestly, the way her character is written reeks of pick-me girl energy.
I’m extremely disappointed in how this script handles the two female characters and their so-called “friendship.” It feels shallow and fake.
Kim Ji Won is a really good actor. Her character in this drama is totally different from Fight for my way, The Heir or Descendants of the Sun. In this drama her character tends to be ways more silent, more introvert, but she does very well, not so stiff or over acting. About this drama, I love it so far. It’s very realistic, I can relate to Mi Jung.
Watch this drama the second times and I must say I love it so much. Love the way the drama portrays the love between Shang Gu and her son- A Qi. Even when she hasn’t remembered she was Hou Chi and A Qi is truly her son, she still treats him really well, by all her heart. She tells him that his father actually loves his mother and him to make A Qi feels more comfortable (although at that time there is still misunderstanding between Shang Gu and Bai Jue). What she says is exactly what Hou Chi wants to say to A Qi before she dies, so that must be mother’s instinct. Although Shang Gu lost all her memories, she still has a strong instinct of a mother. I really like this detail. Ancient Love Poetry still has some logical holes in the plot, but I love the fact that the drama does not only focus on developing the romance, but also builds the other relationships well.
Those are the things I love this over ten miles of peach blossom and ashes of love. Agree it's so underated, it's…
Yup. Plus I really love that the drama describes clearly how the battle between the gods leads to miserable life for normal people, which is not mentioned or mentioned really briefly in other xianxia drama. And the main female leader, no matter when she is Shang Gu which great power or Hou Chi with weaker power, she still cares for her people a lot, she is thoughtful and is always willing to sacrifice, which are the attitudes that a real god should have. Shang Gu officially becomes my most favorite character in Xianxia drama so far.
High rating applies to the good acting from the casts, good cgi, and how much the drama reflected on the audiences.…
Complete agree. This drama is doing very good in balancing those factors as you mentioned. Many xianxia I’ve watched focus too much on the romance thing.
Why it's underated? I'm starting to having doubts on Chinese drama's viewer's taste...
Me too. In Chinese many people bashing on Zhou’s visual and laugh at this drama. I really do not understand. Can’t they feel the real acting here. I’m so sick of beautiful actresses who can not even act properly. And the story of this drama is so good but not many people mention on it =.=
After that phase passed, everything just felt like that annoying “can’t fully let go, but not really staying either” energy. Like he kept her hanging — emotionally suspended — on the edge of a tree branch, just waiting for her to play the villain and cut it off herself.
What I hate the most are those scenes where he quickly praises something Zhi Nan made, only to later spit the food out completely. That fake politeness is worse than outright rejection.
At least Yi Peng is a jerk who knows he’s a jerk. But Gao Peng? He’s just as bad, maybe even worse, because he genuinely has no clue how awful he really is.
And there’s that one scene — Emily, the girl who likes Gao Peng, looks down on Zhi Nan and tells Han Su that she only sees her as a worthy rival. At that point, there hadn’t even been any romantic hints between Han Su and Gao Peng, so like… was that scene really necessary? :)) It just screamed ‘Pick Me Girl’ energy from the writer when it comes to Han Su.
Still, I really hope JBR gets more love and recognition in China since that’s his main market. To me, he’s the kind of actor who was born for the big screen, not TV. But it looks like most of his upcoming projects are dramas, maybe due to his own choices or just the way the industry works. Either way, I’m crossing my fingers he lands more quality scripts that suit him and let him shine like he does in Regeneration.
Regeneration itself is shot like a movie. The pacing’s solid, it doesn’t drag, and the cinematography is honestly impressive for a Chinese series. There are some really nice visual moments I wanted to capture, but Netflix isn’t having it.
“What about you?”
“If you live well, then I live well too.”
That scene broke me.
Under the Hawthorn Tree doesn’t try to be dramatic — it just quietly hurts.
Their love was soft, real, respectful — and that parting was the kind that lingers.
Are you kidding me? They’re literally flirting with each other right in front of Qi Yue — even though An Sheng knows Qi Yue and Jia Ming are dating.
This drama is insane, and what’s even crazier is seeing people in the comments attacking Qi Yue. Like, seriously?
The Chinese title of the film is “Qi Yue and An Sheng,” so I was expecting two actual female leads — or at the very least, that both characters would be written with some depth. But the way Qi Yue is portrayed just makes me feel bad for her. She’s like an NPC in An Sheng’s life. Everything she gets — from pursuing her boyfriend, to getting into college, to even having a relationship — all depends on An Sheng’s help or sacrifice. It’s like she only exists because An Sheng “grants” her things. There’s barely any independent thinking or emotional development in her character.
Honestly, the film should’ve been titled something like “The Life of An Sheng” to avoid misleading people.
As for An Sheng, she’s written as someone who sacrifices everything for her friend — to the point it feels unrealistic. What exactly did the writers want the audience to feel? Like, “Oh poor An Sheng, she’s so tragic, please love her”? Because honestly, the way her character is written reeks of pick-me girl energy.
I’m extremely disappointed in how this script handles the two female characters and their so-called “friendship.” It feels shallow and fake.