6.5??? What? I’ve never seen an A lister drama with this low rating wow is it that bad?Wondering if I should…
I would recommend "River Sunset" and "Glory".
Here is my summary of the strengths of the powerhouse creative crew, the themes, plus shared some details about cast after watching four episodes (strong cool scheming FL with a heart): https://kisskh.at/772283-ming-men-shi-jia#comment-24642016
River Sunset is a WWII drama that you don't need to know history to enjoy. Espionage thriller focused on a rescue mission, against the aftermath backdrop of Pearl Harbour being bombed (acting is top-notch): https://kisskh.at/27149-sunset-in-glory
The leads for Love In The Clouds will be happy that you gave "Love In The Clouds" 10/10! I hear the romance…
I sincerely wish the Director of "The Unclouded Soul" the best, because he spent 10 years on the screenplay. On top of that, one gets a triple dose of the same actor as ML with different CPs. What could be better than that for a CP lover?
You are enjoying The Unclouded Soul. I sincerely encourage the above viewer to enjoy it too :)
"Whispers of Fate" isn't for CP lovers or hardcore-romance lovers or people who want a ML with scenes primarily only with one actress. Tang Lici is the main focus of the story and has chemistry with everyone (I'm still chuckling about Tang Lici and Puzhu), since Luo Yunxi is the only lead.
Now that the drama has finished airing for more than 6 weeks, I believe it is best to be upfront about this, so as to prevent unnecessary misunderstandings given the melodrama that ensued previously on this page during the airing of the drama due to more than one troll misleading other viewers by skewing descriptions and repeatedly taking a scene from one episode completely out of context.
The likes of xixicloudchaser, Azure and kwanto have been very clear about this drama before airing from the get-go as heroism-focused. The creative team would not want their work to be misrepresented, and no viewer likes being lied to.
It was a good show till episode 27 afterwards its disasterous not worth of time it completely dissapointed me…
The leads for Love In The Clouds will be happy that you gave "Love In The Clouds" 10/10! I hear the romance for the CP there is hot and heavy with multiple kisses and many scenes together throughout the drama, plus the FL lied for almost two-thirds of the drama to the ML while their characterisations are completely different from the novel.
And given how The "Unclouded Soul" is faring, please urgently give your full support to that drama now. You can give 10/10 for all of them, especially because the CPs in there are guaranteed plus the ML is played by the same actor, so triple the eye candy within five months! But please be aware that unlike "Love In The Clouds", the CPs will be different. I hear the romance in TUS is sweet and tender and oh, it airs on CCTV8 at a certain time so don't expect pawing or hot and heavy smooching because it has to be acceptable for kids. The CP for "Glory" is about two scheming capable individuals where the FL is definitely strong and can be quite ruthless (her VA is fantastic), and the main directors plus main screenwriter have reputations in China for helming hits such as "Winter Begonia" and "Story of Yanxi Palace".
"Whispers of Fate" is disappointing for CP lovers because there is no CP. The drama has been enjoyed and feted by so many people in China because of all the classical literature inferences strongly involving Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism while there is no romance or at best, one-sided romance, while enjoying how Tang Lici becomes good friends with multiple female characters and emphasises brotherhood ties which he cherishes.
The fact that you are disappointed as of episode 27 onwards strongly proves the point that CP and romance is not in this drama. Rating 1.0 for this drama despite your claims of episodes being "a good show" until episode 27 is educational, because you're telling those of us who finished watching this drama back in November 2025 to be loud and proud about the fact that this drama has no CP and easily viewed as no romance or one-sided romance.
If someone misled you into watching this drama by claiming CP with romance and/or an ending that never happened, I advise you to go and scold such a troll for lying to you especially if they did not finish watching this drama and gave you the impression they had done so.
Episode 27 saw the intertwining of dragons. Episode 27 onwards definitely sees the increasing improvements for one such example between Tang Lici and a new female character introduced in episode 26. Episode 29 is too much for those harbouring a CP hope since episode 1, because Tang Lici ends up confiding his innermost thoughts to 2 other female characters and more than that, in coming to terms with himself while settling comfortably into the role of having a disciple. The producers claim this drama is heroism-focused way before it aired, and that should have been widely circulated.
The Confucianism implications of brotherhood is quite strong in this drama, to cement the concept of 侠义. Tang Lici's emotional core of 侠义 based on 三教 (Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism) is demonstrated across the drama and becomes his key weapon to break the shackles of fate.
Tang Lici has experienced so much heartbreak and loss. The sacrifices of the Sword Masters and their followers in episode 32. The pugilists who died because of the pills which Gui Mudan wanted to use and found Liu Yan to recreate, to power the Sky-Reaching Pillar. The friendships broken, sects lost, innocent people wounded and families affected as collateral damage such as at the Sword King City- And of course, the beloved mother he has lost and can never see again but wanted to stay with. He knows he has lived a rich life, and he has seen it all. He knows only he has the power to change it all, by changing the exact circumstances which set forth the chain of reactions.
Without the Tianren Realm breaking the laws of nature and leaving Shenzhou, everyone is mortal including Ye Mo. Everyone gets a second chance to live their life as best as possible, without dealing with the consequences of Bai Nanzhu's schemes, Ye Mo's schemes and Gui Mudan's schemes. Gui Mudan's schemes go back twenty years. Removing the motives of the demi-gods who experience the five declines due to breaking the laws of heaven and nature is essential. And the only way to do so is to ensure the Tianren Realm never existed and never left their original position, so Gumo State never experiences what it does due to Ye Mo's innocent nature being misused and him nearly dying for it, which sets Ye Mo off on the wrong path affecting so many people.
Fang Zhou does not fight Yique Yin Yang and does not become wounded, needing Tang Lici to try to save him. Liu Yan will not have a falling out with Tang Lici and go half-insane because of the Rebirth Scroll. Zhong Chunji will never have to pretend to be a princess, and can stay by the side of Master Shao to the best of her abilities. A-Shui can be with her brother.
Tang Lici learns the lesson of unconditional love from his mother. And he understands her position. He too gives the Dragon Goddess another second chance, so she can have a family and children (if that happens) without needing to sacrifice herself as she did for him.
It's beautiful. I had lots of emotional sand in my eyes at times, especially when Tang Lici's mother appears. And it's sad that Tang Lici doesn't get remembered by anyone else except the benevolent mischievous Taoist sage Xue Xianzi. I want him to be remembered, even if it is only in poetry. But this is the only ending that made sense for me, given the themes that I already saw heavily present throughout the first ten episodes. Karma is the least of the Buddhist themes here.
Within Mahāyāna Buddhism predominant in China, shūnyatā (emptiness of self) and compassion are closely intertwined. Shūnyatā realises all unnecessary boundaries between living beings such as you and I being illusions, in order to transcend rigid self-concepts of self, and nurture true compassion for all beings.
The journey of actively learning and enriching oneself in interplay of shūnyatā and karuna (natural expression of compassion due to understanding shūnyatā) naturally enables Tang Lici to gain a perfect spiritual body and fulfil his full potential, completely embodying the opening song of this drama. From his initial beliefs wielding arrogance and chivalry and doubts, Tang Lici essentially becomes universal compassion.
Buddhism is a key theme, but the Confucianism and Taoism elements fundamental to this drama are very strongly apparent if one understands the mandarin of the classical literature sources: https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24569086
I recommend TaraVerde's review and Mizuhira-san's review, which also expounds on other details! Happy New Year!
Who said that? Have you watched many Chinese dramas? THERE ARE SO MANY KISSING SCENES IN CHINESE DRAMAS. Chinese…
Happy New Year! May 2026 be an abundant year of blessings for you. Sorry about the delayed reply.
There is this very toxic culture that has permeated C-Ent industry plus fan behaviour approximately 15 years ago. I appreciate viewers such as Mizawako who clearly have at least 25 years of C-Ent experience, to be able to highlight all this and how it hurts the industry:
Frankly, I don't like kisses in C-dramas at least 99% of the time. I prefer the art and skill of making an audience long for a couple doing more. Here is my answer to the likes of ignorant new viewers who make a fuss about wanting kisses in dramas and go on about romance as if a drama will be dead without romance. I say they are completely wrong, because I use the hard reality of success in C-Ent today and not the bubble of an MDL page or a bubble of fandom. Some new viewers in C-Ent like stats so much that I'll use stats (I consider anybody with less than 10 years experience watching C-Ent visual media to be new).
The drama with the most successful statistics for 2025 in China is a heroism-focused xuanhuan-wuxia drama with no romance (it's one-sided romance if you take everything at face value, and you'll have to use your imagination extensively to believe in a romance). The producers said way before airing that this is a heroism-based drama, and they stuck to their guns.
Three channel categories make up total viewership in China for the following market shares:
#1. Terrestrial/Satellite TV ~ 20% #2. OTT (online platforms e.g. iQiyi, Mango, Migu, Tencent etc) ~ 50% #3. IPTV (set-top boxes via China Mobile, China Telecom, etc) ~ 30%
CVB (official govt.) calculates metrics for #1 & #3 separately; Maoyan/kuyun ("3rd parties") measures #1 & #2, but only from top 4 OTTs (Iqiyi, Tencent, Youku, Mango). Migu is excluded. CSM (leading media research organisation analogous to Nielsen's) is the only one who measures across all 3 channel categories using a methodology known as New TAM.
This drama aired in end-October to end-November 2025. The current confirmed results of this drama airing on all three channel categories (I'll call it X for now):
Hunan Satellite TV - CSM National Network Ratings - Number 1 across all Satellite TV for 19 days - CSM 71 (the richest cities) Ratings - Number 1 for 17 days
CVB rating also confirmed that X is top 3 in term of viewership from Satellite TV views in 2025, the only costume drama in the top 3.
As of 6 December 2025, X exceeded 4.9 billion views on MangoTV’s front-end broadcast statistics. The daily view count exceeded 100mil for 35 days, longest ever for Mango TV. As of 2 December, X reached #4 on Maoyan chart after garnering more than 1.8 billion views within 39 days of broadcasting, which makes X the fastest-moving entry of 2025 to move up the Maoyan chart for overall drama viewership. By 30 December 2025, drama X was ranked #2 on the Maoyan chart, having reached approximately the same number of views as "Immortal Ascension" (aired from July to mid-August 2025) and only second to "Moonlight Mystique" (aired January 2025 until 1 Feb 2025). Within 60 days of airing, drama X overtook all the other dramas on the Maoyan chart except 1. Maoyan doesn't yet include the other channel categories or Migu.
Drama X resoundingly broke all records for MangoTV, which might explain why MangoTV started a bidding war over the ML's next historical costume drama.
For #1#2 and #3: CSM (TAM) reports "total viewing hours" for X = 384 mil vs. 225 mil for Joy of Life season 2. (Joy of Life Season 2 was the top drama of 2024.) According to CSM data, 2.838 billion views for the drama X were reached across all platforms.
Drama X has done as well as Till The End Of The Moon, and is very impressive because unlike TTEOM airing without competition, Drama X aired at a time against five other traffic actor dramas and got this result. Weibo search results for Drama X are approximately 8.2 billion.
Despite newly-completing airing, in December 2025 X received nomination for CPOP 2026 (only other two dramas within these 3 years to be recognised and nominated were “Joy of Life” and “Till The End Of The Moon”).
Despite being a competitor platform also broadcasting drama X, IQiyi bought billboards in Hong Kong for drama X during its airing. In the footsteps of Mango & Migu’s big satisfaction thank-you ads weeks past the drama X finale, X peripheral brand KOOCI gave X a big “thank you” ad at Beijing Airport for 31 straight days, spotlighting the ML.
I haven't included IPTV data plus Migu's data here. IPTV data is impressive, showing how strongly drama X flattened the competition airing at the same time. IPTV holds a bigger market share than satellite TV.
Why is drama X such an outstanding success in C-Ent history? It did 99% of everything I insist for a historical costume drama: Went back to the fundamentals and strongly anchored this drama in traditional art techniques, plus strongly conveyed the wuxia of brotherhood via the three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Plot, characterisation and aesthetics were the main focus. Classical literature was woven into the screenplay and the sonic techniques (I noticed and can explain three of the references).
Of course there are older dramas which commanded higher views, back when audiences demanded that dramas resonate strongly with them in culture and linguistics. By older, I'm referring to more than 20 years ago.
When Ai Mi was supporting actress and acting with Zuo Ye and paired with him as a couple in two dramas, why wasn't this an issue for those raising a stink now?
The visual media industry always hones and focuses resources on those who can bring the industry the best results, and they have identified her as a notable possibility. That also means they will give her the resources and exposure that best benefits them, which means bypassing typecasting. That is elitist. But that is how the industry works. An industry that doesn't allow its best talents to flourish only damages itself. Furthermore, there are strict rules in place while all this takes place. Ai Mi also had minders with her all the time, even for the filming of a drama in 2025. I can't speak for other countries in Europe or Northern America, but I'm certain the media culture is very different and problems for other countries shouldn't be projected onto China (or other countries in East Asia or Southeast Asia where things are done differently).
Ai Mi has been trained by some of the best Directors in this industry across 10 years of her extensive filmography, and she has a network due to her own efforts. But she's a nepo baby, according to those who only want to rag on her now because some fans can never be in a drama with their idol and they have unhealthy parasocial relationships with the idol in their fantasies.
Ai Mi is only acting with their idol. She's not dating their idol. Some people need to see a therapist to understand this reality. And oh yes, I look forward to the day when actresses and actors have the power to decide not to kiss in a drama, because I respect them wanting to have autonomy on this. I'm quite sure there's a lot of very uncomfortable actors and actresses wishing they didn't have to kiss a stranger at least 90% of the time. One example is the BTS for LITC, where the ML really looked uncomfortable having to be steamy and kiss his FL.
This time-travel drama starring Lin Yi and Ai Mi is a great opportunity to do something groundbreaking and different, for a soul-swap dual redemption drama. I hope the creative team will take inspiration from the creative team behind drama X, and focus on what will make A-Chan wonderful. In short: majorly enhance the plot and characterisation and technicalities of this time-travel drama, and keep the side dish of romance old school. It will be magical.
So if people want better scripts, better roles, and better earnings for everyone in the industry including actors and actresses, recognising the creative teams and encouraging them is also key to this. Not rewarding bad behaviour from the industry or fans is another factor. Insisting on cheap-thrills low-grade popcorn instead of craftsmanship kills the golden goose that lays the eggs, and in the end there will be no geese or eggs.
Ps. I created a summary for the drama "Glory" which is now airing. I'm certain that up until now, nobody else on the drama page has been able to summarise the drama in the way that I have, after watching the first four episodes: https://kisskh.at/772283-ming-men-shi-jia#comment-24642016
I am at the 2/3 of the 2nd episode and I feel sick. I cannot carry on. I put it aside for now.Knowing that the…
Thank you for sharing your personal stories that resonate. Your godmother is a very strong woman, and may she rest in peace.
I may enjoy World War II dramas, but it also depends on moods and circumstances. There are specific dramas I don't recommend for people, once I know their triggers.
I would advise that dramas such as "Man's Inhumanity to Man" should be avoided for you.
Please take care of yourself. Come back only if you are ready.
Anyway, Liu Xueyi also dreamed of playing a villain. He finally did it, and I can't wait for "Jagged Peaks"…
Ooh, what kind of villain is Liu Xueyi? That sounds great! He was terrific in the first three episodes of "Kill Me Love Me" (and then screenwriters ruined the adaptation of the novel plus Murong Jinghe's character) *goes to the drama page* He's starring alongside Jiang Qi Lin and Xing Fei! Xing Fei was marvellous in "This Thriving Land"! Jiang Qi Lin always delivers solidly.
Would have loved Wanyu Yuedan and Shen Langhun to get more screentime! Puzhu and Tang Lici's interactions had…
Happy New Year!
I'll take one more look this week (because sometimes, some channels update certain BGMs later). In the meantime, I have just updated the recent statistics of success for "Whispers of Fate" in a new comment: https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24719990
Happy New Year! And congratulations to the "Shui Long Yin" Team!!🎉🥳🎊✨ The drama will go down…
This is a drama for the ages~ The creative team and cast should all take a deep bow, especially Luo Yunxi :D
There are celebratory comments on weibo such as: "国家广播电视总局发文：《水龙吟》在湖南卫视播出时，本地收视率1.601%，微博话题阅读量超82亿，位列2025年芒果TV电视剧播放量第一；並获央视频CPOP提名，旨在评选2025年文化出海顶流IP。剧集周边年冠，其中罗云熙周边占比将近9成，充份展现扛剧号召力与唐俪辞人物塑造的成功。"
WoF is a male-centric, non-romance drama blending Wuxia, Mystery, and Xinxia, centered on Tang Li Ci’s journey.…
This is a drama uniquely strong in wuxia elements by grounding it in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Viewers such as kwanto and myself have watched "Whispers of Fate" twice. I have shared three classical literature sources with translations and explanations, so viewers can better understand the four main relationships of Tang Lici with Fang Zhou, Liu Yan, Shen Langhun and Chi Yun as well as how Tang Lici makes decisions for pugilistic matters (especially the basis of the sonic techniques that you will see four of the cast utilising): https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24569086
Azure did a fantastic translation of an article further giving insight into Tang Lici's thought processes but as that contains spoilers, will refrain from sharing it here. Enjoy!
I've just finished the drama! I thought it would be too long and I wouldn't like it, but instead the story captivated…
This is a fantastic unique drama that captivates me, and I can see myself rewatching it for a third time this year within these three months. Some of us have already watched this drama for the second time XD
More than one song of the OST broke my heart. I have also just made a new post of statistics above sharing how Whispers of Fate fared in China, so viewers who don't know how to understand the stats might enjoy it too!
2 
7 
1 
3 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
Here is my summary of the strengths of the powerhouse creative crew, the themes, plus shared some details about cast after watching four episodes (strong cool scheming FL with a heart): https://kisskh.at/772283-ming-men-shi-jia#comment-24642016
River Sunset is a WWII drama that you don't need to know history to enjoy. Espionage thriller focused on a rescue mission, against the aftermath backdrop of Pearl Harbour being bombed (acting is top-notch): https://kisskh.at/27149-sunset-in-glory
You are enjoying The Unclouded Soul. I sincerely encourage the above viewer to enjoy it too :)
"Whispers of Fate" isn't for CP lovers or hardcore-romance lovers or people who want a ML with scenes primarily only with one actress. Tang Lici is the main focus of the story and has chemistry with everyone (I'm still chuckling about Tang Lici and Puzhu), since Luo Yunxi is the only lead.
Now that the drama has finished airing for more than 6 weeks, I believe it is best to be upfront about this, so as to prevent unnecessary misunderstandings given the melodrama that ensued previously on this page during the airing of the drama due to more than one troll misleading other viewers by skewing descriptions and repeatedly taking a scene from one episode completely out of context.
The likes of xixicloudchaser, Azure and kwanto have been very clear about this drama before airing from the get-go as heroism-focused. The creative team would not want their work to be misrepresented, and no viewer likes being lied to.
I absolutely recommend "Glory", whereby I summarised the strengths of the powerhouse creative crew plus shared some details about cast: https://kisskh.at/772283-ming-men-shi-jia#comment-24642016
And given how The "Unclouded Soul" is faring, please urgently give your full support to that drama now. You can give 10/10 for all of them, especially because the CPs in there are guaranteed plus the ML is played by the same actor, so triple the eye candy within five months! But please be aware that unlike "Love In The Clouds", the CPs will be different. I hear the romance in TUS is sweet and tender and oh, it airs on CCTV8 at a certain time so don't expect pawing or hot and heavy smooching because it has to be acceptable for kids. The CP for "Glory" is about two scheming capable individuals where the FL is definitely strong and can be quite ruthless (her VA is fantastic), and the main directors plus main screenwriter have reputations in China for helming hits such as "Winter Begonia" and "Story of Yanxi Palace".
"Whispers of Fate" is disappointing for CP lovers because there is no CP. The drama has been enjoyed and feted by so many people in China because of all the classical literature inferences strongly involving Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism while there is no romance or at best, one-sided romance, while enjoying how Tang Lici becomes good friends with multiple female characters and emphasises brotherhood ties which he cherishes.
The fact that you are disappointed as of episode 27 onwards strongly proves the point that CP and romance is not in this drama. Rating 1.0 for this drama despite your claims of episodes being "a good show" until episode 27 is educational, because you're telling those of us who finished watching this drama back in November 2025 to be loud and proud about the fact that this drama has no CP and easily viewed as no romance or one-sided romance.
If someone misled you into watching this drama by claiming CP with romance and/or an ending that never happened, I advise you to go and scold such a troll for lying to you especially if they did not finish watching this drama and gave you the impression they had done so.
Episode 27 saw the intertwining of dragons. Episode 27 onwards definitely sees the increasing improvements for one such example between Tang Lici and a new female character introduced in episode 26. Episode 29 is too much for those harbouring a CP hope since episode 1, because Tang Lici ends up confiding his innermost thoughts to 2 other female characters and more than that, in coming to terms with himself while settling comfortably into the role of having a disciple. The producers claim this drama is heroism-focused way before it aired, and that should have been widely circulated.
Enjoy 2026! May you find the CPs you want!
We had many discussions throughout the airing of the drama, such as:
Azure explaining the philosophical exchange between the Abbot of Gold Leaf Temple and Tang Lici in episode 1: https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-23933494
HwaBinturong explaining the exchange between Fang Zhou and Tang Lici in episode 32: https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24224584
Azure explaining the philosophical background and symbolism in the exchange between Tang Lici and Zhong Chunji in episode 37: https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24245644
The Confucianism implications of brotherhood is quite strong in this drama, to cement the concept of 侠义. Tang Lici's emotional core of 侠义 based on 三教 (Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism) is demonstrated across the drama and becomes his key weapon to break the shackles of fate.
Tang Lici has experienced so much heartbreak and loss. The sacrifices of the Sword Masters and their followers in episode 32. The pugilists who died because of the pills which Gui Mudan wanted to use and found Liu Yan to recreate, to power the Sky-Reaching Pillar. The friendships broken, sects lost, innocent people wounded and families affected as collateral damage such as at the Sword King City- And of course, the beloved mother he has lost and can never see again but wanted to stay with. He knows he has lived a rich life, and he has seen it all. He knows only he has the power to change it all, by changing the exact circumstances which set forth the chain of reactions.
Without the Tianren Realm breaking the laws of nature and leaving Shenzhou, everyone is mortal including Ye Mo. Everyone gets a second chance to live their life as best as possible, without dealing with the consequences of Bai Nanzhu's schemes, Ye Mo's schemes and Gui Mudan's schemes. Gui Mudan's schemes go back twenty years. Removing the motives of the demi-gods who experience the five declines due to breaking the laws of heaven and nature is essential. And the only way to do so is to ensure the Tianren Realm never existed and never left their original position, so Gumo State never experiences what it does due to Ye Mo's innocent nature being misused and him nearly dying for it, which sets Ye Mo off on the wrong path affecting so many people.
Fang Zhou does not fight Yique Yin Yang and does not become wounded, needing Tang Lici to try to save him. Liu Yan will not have a falling out with Tang Lici and go half-insane because of the Rebirth Scroll. Zhong Chunji will never have to pretend to be a princess, and can stay by the side of Master Shao to the best of her abilities. A-Shui can be with her brother.
Tang Lici learns the lesson of unconditional love from his mother. And he understands her position. He too gives the Dragon Goddess another second chance, so she can have a family and children (if that happens) without needing to sacrifice herself as she did for him.
It's beautiful. I had lots of emotional sand in my eyes at times, especially when Tang Lici's mother appears. And it's sad that Tang Lici doesn't get remembered by anyone else except the benevolent mischievous Taoist sage Xue Xianzi. I want him to be remembered, even if it is only in poetry. But this is the only ending that made sense for me, given the themes that I already saw heavily present throughout the first ten episodes. Karma is the least of the Buddhist themes here.
Within Mahāyāna Buddhism predominant in China, shūnyatā (emptiness of self) and compassion are closely intertwined. Shūnyatā realises all unnecessary boundaries between living beings such as you and I being illusions, in order to transcend rigid self-concepts of self, and nurture true compassion for all beings.
The journey of actively learning and enriching oneself in interplay of shūnyatā and karuna (natural expression of compassion due to understanding shūnyatā) naturally enables Tang Lici to gain a perfect spiritual body and fulfil his full potential, completely embodying the opening song of this drama. From his initial beliefs wielding arrogance and chivalry and doubts, Tang Lici essentially becomes universal compassion.
Buddhism is a key theme, but the Confucianism and Taoism elements fundamental to this drama are very strongly apparent if one understands the mandarin of the classical literature sources: https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24569086
I recommend TaraVerde's review and Mizuhira-san's review, which also expounds on other details! Happy New Year!
I hope the drama adaptation and any changes will do justice to the novel and characters in the end results.
Thank you for your efforts! 🥰🥰🥰
There is this very toxic culture that has permeated C-Ent industry plus fan behaviour approximately 15 years ago. I appreciate viewers such as Mizawako who clearly have at least 25 years of C-Ent experience, to be able to highlight all this and how it hurts the industry:
https://kisskh.at/486-chinese-paladin#comment-16908031
https://kisskh.at/486-chinese-paladin#comment-16973239
Frankly, I don't like kisses in C-dramas at least 99% of the time. I prefer the art and skill of making an audience long for a couple doing more. Here is my answer to the likes of ignorant new viewers who make a fuss about wanting kisses in dramas and go on about romance as if a drama will be dead without romance. I say they are completely wrong, because I use the hard reality of success in C-Ent today and not the bubble of an MDL page or a bubble of fandom. Some new viewers in C-Ent like stats so much that I'll use stats (I consider anybody with less than 10 years experience watching C-Ent visual media to be new).
The drama with the most successful statistics for 2025 in China is a heroism-focused xuanhuan-wuxia drama with no romance (it's one-sided romance if you take everything at face value, and you'll have to use your imagination extensively to believe in a romance). The producers said way before airing that this is a heroism-based drama, and they stuck to their guns.
Three channel categories make up total viewership in China for the following market shares:
#1. Terrestrial/Satellite TV ~ 20%
#2. OTT (online platforms e.g. iQiyi, Mango, Migu, Tencent etc) ~ 50%
#3. IPTV (set-top boxes via China Mobile, China Telecom, etc) ~ 30%
CVB (official govt.) calculates metrics for #1 & #3 separately;
Maoyan/kuyun ("3rd parties") measures #1 & #2, but only from top 4 OTTs (Iqiyi, Tencent, Youku, Mango). Migu is excluded.
CSM (leading media research organisation analogous to Nielsen's) is the only one who measures across all 3 channel categories using a methodology known as New TAM.
This drama aired in end-October to end-November 2025. The current confirmed results of this drama airing on all three channel categories (I'll call it X for now):
CVB records 160+ million views, for the premiere episode of X (from this link: https://weibo.com/7689086611/QkNIb2eTe)
Hunan Satellite TV
- CSM National Network Ratings - Number 1 across all Satellite TV for 19 days
- CSM 71 (the richest cities) Ratings - Number 1 for 17 days
CVB rating also confirmed that X is top 3 in term of viewership from Satellite TV views in 2025, the only costume drama in the top 3.
As of 6 December 2025, X exceeded 4.9 billion views on MangoTV’s front-end broadcast statistics. The daily view count exceeded 100mil for 35 days, longest ever for Mango TV. As of 2 December, X reached #4 on Maoyan chart after garnering more than 1.8 billion views within 39 days of broadcasting, which makes X the fastest-moving entry of 2025 to move up the Maoyan chart for overall drama viewership. By 30 December 2025, drama X was ranked #2 on the Maoyan chart, having reached approximately the same number of views as "Immortal Ascension" (aired from July to mid-August 2025) and only second to "Moonlight Mystique" (aired January 2025 until 1 Feb 2025). Within 60 days of airing, drama X overtook all the other dramas on the Maoyan chart except 1. Maoyan doesn't yet include the other channel categories or Migu.
Drama X resoundingly broke all records for MangoTV, which might explain why MangoTV started a bidding war over the ML's next historical costume drama.
For #1#2 and #3: CSM (TAM) reports "total viewing hours" for X = 384 mil vs. 225 mil for Joy of Life season 2. (Joy of Life Season 2 was the top drama of 2024.) According to CSM data, 2.838 billion views for the drama X were reached across all platforms.
Drama X has done as well as Till The End Of The Moon, and is very impressive because unlike TTEOM airing without competition, Drama X aired at a time against five other traffic actor dramas and got this result. Weibo search results for Drama X are approximately 8.2 billion.
Despite newly-completing airing, in December 2025 X received nomination for CPOP 2026 (only other two dramas within these 3 years to be recognised and nominated were “Joy of Life” and “Till The End Of The Moon”).
Despite being a competitor platform also broadcasting drama X, IQiyi bought billboards in Hong Kong for drama X during its airing. In the footsteps of Mango & Migu’s big satisfaction thank-you ads weeks past the drama X finale, X peripheral brand KOOCI gave X a big “thank you” ad at Beijing Airport for 31 straight days, spotlighting the ML.
I haven't included IPTV data plus Migu's data here. IPTV data is impressive, showing how strongly drama X flattened the competition airing at the same time. IPTV holds a bigger market share than satellite TV.
Why is drama X such an outstanding success in C-Ent history? It did 99% of everything I insist for a historical costume drama: Went back to the fundamentals and strongly anchored this drama in traditional art techniques, plus strongly conveyed the wuxia of brotherhood via the three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Plot, characterisation and aesthetics were the main focus. Classical literature was woven into the screenplay and the sonic techniques (I noticed and can explain three of the references).
Of course there are older dramas which commanded higher views, back when audiences demanded that dramas resonate strongly with them in culture and linguistics. By older, I'm referring to more than 20 years ago.
When Ai Mi was supporting actress and acting with Zuo Ye and paired with him as a couple in two dramas, why wasn't this an issue for those raising a stink now?
The visual media industry always hones and focuses resources on those who can bring the industry the best results, and they have identified her as a notable possibility. That also means they will give her the resources and exposure that best benefits them, which means bypassing typecasting. That is elitist. But that is how the industry works. An industry that doesn't allow its best talents to flourish only damages itself. Furthermore, there are strict rules in place while all this takes place. Ai Mi also had minders with her all the time, even for the filming of a drama in 2025. I can't speak for other countries in Europe or Northern America, but I'm certain the media culture is very different and problems for other countries shouldn't be projected onto China (or other countries in East Asia or Southeast Asia where things are done differently).
Ai Mi has been trained by some of the best Directors in this industry across 10 years of her extensive filmography, and she has a network due to her own efforts. But she's a nepo baby, according to those who only want to rag on her now because some fans can never be in a drama with their idol and they have unhealthy parasocial relationships with the idol in their fantasies.
Ai Mi is only acting with their idol. She's not dating their idol. Some people need to see a therapist to understand this reality. And oh yes, I look forward to the day when actresses and actors have the power to decide not to kiss in a drama, because I respect them wanting to have autonomy on this. I'm quite sure there's a lot of very uncomfortable actors and actresses wishing they didn't have to kiss a stranger at least 90% of the time. One example is the BTS for LITC, where the ML really looked uncomfortable having to be steamy and kiss his FL.
This time-travel drama starring Lin Yi and Ai Mi is a great opportunity to do something groundbreaking and different, for a soul-swap dual redemption drama. I hope the creative team will take inspiration from the creative team behind drama X, and focus on what will make A-Chan wonderful. In short: majorly enhance the plot and characterisation and technicalities of this time-travel drama, and keep the side dish of romance old school. It will be magical.
So if people want better scripts, better roles, and better earnings for everyone in the industry including actors and actresses, recognising the creative teams and encouraging them is also key to this. Not rewarding bad behaviour from the industry or fans is another factor. Insisting on cheap-thrills low-grade popcorn instead of craftsmanship kills the golden goose that lays the eggs, and in the end there will be no geese or eggs.
Ps. I created a summary for the drama "Glory" which is now airing. I'm certain that up until now, nobody else on the drama page has been able to summarise the drama in the way that I have, after watching the first four episodes: https://kisskh.at/772283-ming-men-shi-jia#comment-24642016
Did I mention international channels, such as Youtube? https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5231497711977143
I may enjoy World War II dramas, but it also depends on moods and circumstances. There are specific dramas I don't recommend for people, once I know their triggers.
I would advise that dramas such as "Man's Inhumanity to Man" should be avoided for you.
Please take care of yourself. Come back only if you are ready.
I'll take one more look this week (because sometimes, some channels update certain BGMs later). In the meantime, I have just updated the recent statistics of success for "Whispers of Fate" in a new comment: https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24719990
Oh yes, I just updated the success statistics of "Whispers of Fate" in this new comment: https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24719990
I have just updated the success statistics of this drama in a new post: https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24719990
There are celebratory comments on weibo such as: "国家广播电视总局发文：《水龙吟》在湖南卫视播出时，本地收视率1.601%，微博话题阅读量超82亿，位列2025年芒果TV电视剧播放量第一；並获央视频CPOP提名，旨在评选2025年文化出海顶流IP。剧集周边年冠，其中罗云熙周边占比将近9成，充份展现扛剧号召力与唐俪辞人物塑造的成功。"
All I can say is, "唐俪辞天下第一!" 💪🌵🌗☄️🥰😘
Azure did a fantastic translation of an article further giving insight into Tang Lici's thought processes but as that contains spoilers, will refrain from sharing it here. Enjoy!
More than one song of the OST broke my heart. I have also just made a new post of statistics above sharing how Whispers of Fate fared in China, so viewers who don't know how to understand the stats might enjoy it too!