That's exactly why there's an imbalance in C-dramas nowadays. More than 70% of C-dramas have become idol dramas…
Trying to tell some viewers that kisses were not the norm in C-dramas of the past isn't welcome given some replies I have seen, simply because some inexperienced viewers in C-dramas think the "real" peaking of C-dramas either started in 2010 or ignore the fact that there are quality C-dramas without kisses (but the platforms are hyping up the wrong ones).
In reality outside of MDL, the ongoing quality decline of longform C-dramas for more than 15 years is because of wrong attitudes from some fans in supporting their idols plus attitudes of some artists in the industry ever since early 2010, which is why active users (ie the ones who can actively pay for premium subscriptions) without blinking are continuously declining on Svod platforms such as IQiyi. And you can also see the repercussions in the latest quarterly financial reports.
These comments are from someone who clearly understands C-Ent for more than 30 years:
Hi everyone !! great news !! just checked mango app and WoF has hit 5 billion views !!! 🍻🍻🍷🍷🍻🍻🎉🎉🎉🎊🎊🎊is…
How many Mango medals are we at, for WoF? Mango medals require watching at least 30 minutes of an episode plus commenting, and WoF should have the most medals in MangoTV history.
I've made two updates up-top, after being away for several days 😊
BoTG has grossed more than 1.4 billion RMB and is making a profit. The movie will air until 16 April, in China. On 17 April, it opens in cinemas in UK and Ireland.
I believe anyone who grew up in the 80s and 90s should watch "Dream Of Golden Years"! I watched that fight…
Which police drama are you referring to? Mobius? Or a newer drama? (In Mobius, I enjoyed the on-screen couple formed by two supporting cast characters. Really beautiful and funny and heartwarming, and sadly too short).
Is it worth watching? I'm really torn about this series—should I skip it or watch it?
Fated Hearts has a good long tail and highly rewatchable, and this latest comment about its popularity on IQiyi months after airing is testament to that:
I read the novel, before the drama aired. I have also posted a spoiler-free review, with links in it to my forum…
The fight scenes here are wonderfully visceral. I'm not a fan of slo-mo and various camerawork tricks to try to camouflage the fact that artists don't have what I consider to be basics in martial arts eg equestrian training, stunt wirework training, stamina building, etc. I usually like hardcore wuxia.
Understandably, a significant number of artists have limitations in martial arts scenes. In "Fated Hearts", Li Qin and Chen Zheyuan demonstrate what they worked so hard to convey as warriors, and they obviously practised the basics well. Li Qin as Fu Yixiao is one of the few characters that convinces as a general if I recommend something to people with a military background to enjoy a drama for such aspects.
Fated Hearts is a fantastic drama, flaws and all. It doesn't try to be something it isn't, isn't pretentious, keeps palace politics relatively easy to enjoy and nimbly conveys human nature in all its shades of greys. This results in at least one very-realistically-exasperating character and an interesting cast that never allows viewers to forget their flawed human natures. The supporting cast is colourful, evoking heartache to revulsion. Very fun to rewatch :D
[ Cedric Behrel, managing director of Trinity CineAsia, said: “Here, we have four generations of martial arts stars unite. We remain committed to championing new and cutting-edge East Asian cinema in the UK and beyond, and are thrilled to present this modern masterpiece to audiences.”
The London-based distributor’s recent UK theatrical releases include Bi Gan’s Cannes award-winner Resurrection; Zhang Yimou’s counter-espionage thriller Scare Out; Second World War epic Dongji Rescue; recent Hong Kong hit Night King, from the director of box office hit A Guilty Conscience; Back to the Past; Ne Zha 2; and Jackie Chan’s latest crime actioner The Shadow’s Edge. ]
[ Production took place across Xinjiang and Beijing, with the cast undergoing intensive physical training to achieve the film’s demanding action sequences. The results are evident throughout, as the choreography unfolds with precision and intensity, seamlessly integrated into the narrative. Cinematographer Tony Cheung captures the vastness of the Western Chinese desert with striking imagery, turning the landscape into a character in its own right, while the use of natural elements enhances both scale and atmosphere. Complementing the visuals, William Wu’s score reinforces the film’s emotional and dramatic tone.
Already a major success in China, “Blades of the Guardians” has emerged as the highest-grossing wuxia film of all time in the country, signaling both the enduring appeal of the genre and the impact of Yuen Woo-ping’s return to form. With its blend of tradition and innovation, the film stands as a significant entry in contemporary martial arts cinema, reaffirming the genre’s relevance while honoring its legacy.
A must-see for fans of action and historical epics, “Blades of the Guardians” marks the return of a master filmmaker operating at the height of his craft. ]
I was obsessed at Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon at the time of its airing.Blades of the Guardians gave me the…
You're welcome!
I just made two updates about BoTG uptop, since I was busy offline and hence away for a few days. Rotten Tomatoes is at 96% for professional film critics, and at 95% for audience reviews.
BoTG is a multi-generational hit, and draws in new viewers! Most-importantly, BoTG proves proper wuxia movies are appreciated, including finding actors and actresses who are willing to do the hard basic work to be convincing in wuxia films. Yuen Woo-ping gave two interviews that I believe should be shared!
Will surpass 14.1 billion yuan today. March is a cold month for movies at the domestic box office. Raking in millions of yuan a day is not viewed as something normal but great :D
Blades of the Guardians was written in 2015, while Pegasus was in 2019. Wuxia genre are already made to death…
I have made two new posts of updates to include two interviews, where Yuen Woo-ping clearly was the biggest driver and the original decision-maker persuading Wu Jing to take part as his first choice for a ML. Wu Jing has been an absolute champ in how he guided and protected various artists during training and on-set, including sacrificing his screentime to be given to the younger actors and actresses. He has also started an initiative to ensure there are future martial arts stars.
A majority of wuxia films generally don't gross more than 100 million RMB at the China box office ever since Covid. BoTG has been phenomenal because it does many things right, including slicing out unnecessary romance to focus on the main story and colourful characters that captivated Yuen Woo-ping, who also recognised that Xu Xianzhe understands cinema and wuxia in how the manhua was drawn.
Also consider checking out the background of the anti-Chinese troll account you're engaging that likes to trash actresses and actors, knows nothing about wuxia, and spams C-Ent-related pages such as "Blades Of The Guardians" with irrelevance just to get reactions from others.
Given how hard everyone has worked for this, a lot of wuxia fans are excited! I'm looking forward to the action…
BoTG's domestic run is extended to 16 April and grossed 1.4 billion RMB two days ago, which I finally got around to making and update and sharing about Yuen Woo-ping (a sequel has been registered): https://kisskh.at/767811-blades-of-the-guardians#comment-25562884
Currently watching "Dream of Golden Years" and it is a fantastic drama!
Looking forward to the sequel "Battle Arises in Jiangdu" being produced, hopefully starting by the end of this year so Yuen Woo-ping can direct all of it! "Battle Arises In Jiangdu" is expected to be released in 2028, according to reporter Kong Xiaoping as per what is seen in the official registration details.
Hu Weili, renowned music director for music in movies (https://m.weibo.cn/status/5280974168655197), also responsible for the score that buoys BoTG, is 89-years-old this year. Will he be able to do so for the sequel?
Due to festivities and overwhelming volume of posts, I have happily given up on attempting to keep pace with C-Ent content for this movie.
"Blades Of The Guardians" is a movie adaptation based on acclaimed comic artist Xu Xianzhe's original 12-volumes manhua, which has also been converted into a 15-episodes well-received animation series by Tencent. Tencent has partnered French company ADN to distribute the animation in Europe (https://variety.com/2025/tv/global/tencent-blades-of-the-guardians-adn-1236423501/). The manhua has been praised by the likes of popular manga artists Takahashi Rumiko (mangaka for the likes of "Inuyasha" and "Mermaid Saga") and Fujisawa Tōru (mangaka for "Great Teacher Onizuka").
Despite starting with 13.8% to 16.8% of first-day screenings and mostly at disadvantageous times for screen schedules, consistently strong word-of-mouth and people willing to make sure they are heard for more cinema screenings and better schedules has led to this historic momentous result!
36 days including the airing day to achieve all this for a wuxia film is unprecedented. Comic artists in China are very happy, because this film's success significantly increases the likelihood of their works being approved for future movies :D
As per this article of 25 March, third and fourth-tier cities this far constitute 53% of the audience, with females accounting for 58.6% of these audiences. Chen Lijun as Ayuya, Li Yunxiao as Yanzi-niang, Xiong Jin Yi as A-Ni, and other strong female characters are lauded and praised. Cutting out all traces of romance for sisterhood and unique individuals bound to uphold honour and revenge, reviving visceral hardcore wuxia rather than fantastical elements in wuxia as per the manhua, works well.
Hard-core film production rules of Yuen Woo-ping include no stand-ins and minimising green screens for this wuxia movie, which has paid off handsomely. The movie's domestic run has now been extended until 16 April.
And of course, everything is first and foremost because of the legendary visionary for martial arts in films: Yuen Woo-ping. He was the one who approached Wu Jing, introduced Wu Jing to the manhua, and had to convince Wu Jing to overcome self-doubts and work with him (his zinger being the claim to Wu Jing that BoTG could be his final film: https://kisskh.at/767811-blades-of-the-guardians#comment-25218938)
Yuen Woo-ping knew what he wanted for Wu Jing and Jet Li plus the screenplay, and Wu Jing also contributed to casting choices after listening to Yuen Woo-ping. Here are the views of Yuen Woo-ping about multiple aspects including what it is like to shoot inside a sandstorm, which have been English-subbed:
Yuen Woo-ping speaks of being confident in making this movie, and also elucidates about original characters such as Dao Ma in Xu Xianzhe's manhua as having passion and personality, thus he believed these characters could be made into a great wuxia film.
"Wu Jing was my first choice. Then we approached others."
He also wanted younger actors for certain roles.
"Even before we started filming, just seeing the cast come together felt worthwhile!"
Yu Hanyi agrees that a martial arts world needs different generations.
Yuen Woo-ping's biggest fear during the filming was anyone falling sick because the general temperature could exceed 40 or 50 degrees, and ground temperature could exceed 60 degrees in the desert.
"The fighting style in the movie demands realism. It has to be hard-hitting, truly bone-crunching."
Check out both interviews, which also uses BTS footage!
Even though Pegasus 3 has grossed more than 4.3 billion RMB but grossed less than "Blades Of The Guardians" in the recent two days of single-day domestic box office takings, I'm glad both films are record-breakers for what they each achieved this far in their totally-different genres since 17 February, in attracting audiences to cinemas, and help sustain cinemas :)
Tomorrow's episode preview seems interesting it is getting more and more interesting ❤️
Shame that when this drama got to 8.3 on MDL, a concerted attack by accounts with nefarious intentions made this drama's ratings abruptly drop to 7.9.
Shameful tactics, sad mindsets.
I am wondering if this will happen to Xiaolan (under spoiler tag, for those who have not yet watched 21 episodes of the drama): https://kisskh.at/776939-again-my-life
This is such a lovely drama, a gem. For some of us who grow up in the 80s- 90s, it brought us back to the height…
I believe anyone who grew up in the 80s and 90s should watch "Dream Of Golden Years"! I watched that fight twice.
The HK TV drama influences in this drama are wonderful. The screenwriters have done a marvellous job to transition from 80s to 90s. Only 15 episodes left, alas...
"I don't think there are actually two timelines. One possibility for her not being able to find her parents…
If they pull this off without another ending of "It was all a dream", so Xiaolan can stay- I believe Xiaolan would seriously be happier this way, even if it means forgetting everything of the future in time to come (maybe an accident happens at some point, that causes her to lose her memories of her future self but she remembers everything else).
By the night of 31 March, 30 of 36 episodes will have aired. Some of us have already finished watching all aired episodes on IQiyi (21 episodes as of now), but others without VIP membership will take longer.
I'm reluctant to say goodbye to this series honestly, I'm taking my time really slowly for me to be able to watch…
It is very fun! I finished episode 21 yesterday night. Will definitely rewatch this drama!
Never thought I would enjoy a retro drama so much, but here we are! Watching Bai Zhenzhu and Kang Wei protecting the business that reminds me of an IKEA in the 80s, Xiaolan being more open about her vulnerabilities and doubts and fears- I nearly fell off the couch upon seeing her and Zhou Cheng together in episode 19.
The music is so apt for the episodes. By episode 20, we are in the 90s. It's amazing to see the juxtaposition between the 80s versus entering the 90s, when progress is rapid.
2 
7 
1 
3 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
In reality outside of MDL, the ongoing quality decline of longform C-dramas for more than 15 years is because of wrong attitudes from some fans in supporting their idols plus attitudes of some artists in the industry ever since early 2010, which is why active users (ie the ones who can actively pay for premium subscriptions) without blinking are continuously declining on Svod platforms such as IQiyi. And you can also see the repercussions in the latest quarterly financial reports.
These comments are from someone who clearly understands C-Ent for more than 30 years:
https://kisskh.at/486-chinese-paladin#comment-16908031
https://kisskh.at/486-chinese-paladin#comment-16973239
Ps. the OST for Chinese Paladin is amazing, especially on the guzheng.
And hence, support for quality dramas such as "Dream of Golden Years" is important.
BoTG has grossed more than 1.4 billion RMB and is making a profit. The movie will air until 16 April, in China. On 17 April, it opens in cinemas in UK and Ireland.
The ever-evolving comic page for such milestones is getting beautified: https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5280298652665289
I'm all ears :D
https://kisskh.at/768987-wan-xin-ji#comment-25560588
Understandably, a significant number of artists have limitations in martial arts scenes. In "Fated Hearts", Li Qin and Chen Zheyuan demonstrate what they worked so hard to convey as warriors, and they obviously practised the basics well. Li Qin as Fu Yixiao is one of the few characters that convinces as a general if I recommend something to people with a military background to enjoy a drama for such aspects.
Fated Hearts is a fantastic drama, flaws and all. It doesn't try to be something it isn't, isn't pretentious, keeps palace politics relatively easy to enjoy and nimbly conveys human nature in all its shades of greys. This results in at least one very-realistically-exasperating character and an interesting cast that never allows viewers to forget their flawed human natures. The supporting cast is colourful, evoking heartache to revulsion. Very fun to rewatch :D
https://www.screendaily.com/news/blades-of-the-guardians-lands-at-trinity-cineasia-for-uk-ireland-malta-release/5214957.article
[ Cedric Behrel, managing director of Trinity CineAsia, said: “Here, we have four generations of martial arts stars unite. We remain committed to championing new and cutting-edge East Asian cinema in the UK and beyond, and are thrilled to present this modern masterpiece to audiences.”
The London-based distributor’s recent UK theatrical releases include Bi Gan’s Cannes award-winner Resurrection; Zhang Yimou’s counter-espionage thriller Scare Out; Second World War epic Dongji Rescue; recent Hong Kong hit Night King, from the director of box office hit A Guilty Conscience; Back to the Past; Ne Zha 2; and Jackie Chan’s latest crime actioner The Shadow’s Edge. ]
https://asianmoviepulse.com/2026/03/yuen-woo-pings-blades/
[ Production took place across Xinjiang and Beijing, with the cast undergoing intensive physical training to achieve the film’s demanding action sequences. The results are evident throughout, as the choreography unfolds with precision and intensity, seamlessly integrated into the narrative. Cinematographer Tony Cheung captures the vastness of the Western Chinese desert with striking imagery, turning the landscape into a character in its own right, while the use of natural elements enhances both scale and atmosphere. Complementing the visuals, William Wu’s score reinforces the film’s emotional and dramatic tone.
Already a major success in China, “Blades of the Guardians” has emerged as the highest-grossing wuxia film of all time in the country, signaling both the enduring appeal of the genre and the impact of Yuen Woo-ping’s return to form. With its blend of tradition and innovation, the film stands as a significant entry in contemporary martial arts cinema, reaffirming the genre’s relevance while honoring its legacy.
A must-see for fans of action and historical epics, “Blades of the Guardians” marks the return of a master filmmaker operating at the height of his craft. ]
I just made two updates about BoTG uptop, since I was busy offline and hence away for a few days. Rotten Tomatoes is at 96% for professional film critics, and at 95% for audience reviews.
BoTG is a multi-generational hit, and draws in new viewers! Most-importantly, BoTG proves proper wuxia movies are appreciated, including finding actors and actresses who are willing to do the hard basic work to be convincing in wuxia films. Yuen Woo-ping gave two interviews that I believe should be shared!
Will surpass 14.1 billion yuan today. March is a cold month for movies at the domestic box office. Raking in millions of yuan a day is not viewed as something normal but great :D
A majority of wuxia films generally don't gross more than 100 million RMB at the China box office ever since Covid. BoTG has been phenomenal because it does many things right, including slicing out unnecessary romance to focus on the main story and colourful characters that captivated Yuen Woo-ping, who also recognised that Xu Xianzhe understands cinema and wuxia in how the manhua was drawn.
Also consider checking out the background of the anti-Chinese troll account you're engaging that likes to trash actresses and actors, knows nothing about wuxia, and spams C-Ent-related pages such as "Blades Of The Guardians" with irrelevance just to get reactions from others.
Here are examples:
https://kisskh.at/discussions/support/148548-constant-spamming-plus-advocating-for-illegal-piracy-of-currently-airing-movie-on-the-page
https://kisskh.at/discussions/755725-shui-long-yin/146464-whispers-of-fate-is-too-similar-to-renegade-immortal
Currently watching "Dream of Golden Years" and it is a fantastic drama!
Hu Weili, renowned music director for music in movies (https://m.weibo.cn/status/5280974168655197), also responsible for the score that buoys BoTG, is 89-years-old this year. Will he be able to do so for the sequel?
Due to festivities and overwhelming volume of posts, I have happily given up on attempting to keep pace with C-Ent content for this movie.
"Blades Of The Guardians" is a movie adaptation based on acclaimed comic artist Xu Xianzhe's original 12-volumes manhua, which has also been converted into a 15-episodes well-received animation series by Tencent. Tencent has partnered French company ADN to distribute the animation in Europe (https://variety.com/2025/tv/global/tencent-blades-of-the-guardians-adn-1236423501/). The manhua has been praised by the likes of popular manga artists Takahashi Rumiko (mangaka for the likes of "Inuyasha" and "Mermaid Saga") and Fujisawa Tōru (mangaka for "Great Teacher Onizuka").
BoTG has topped Malaysia's box office for three consecutive weeks (Malaysia is not a Chinese-majority country): https://www.malaymail.com/news/showbiz/2026/03/13/malay-mails-top-10-picks-blades-of-the-guardians-leads-box-office-again/212454
In the cold month of March for movies at the China box office, on 25 March two days ago, Dengta shared Jet Li's poster for grossing 1.4 billion RMB:
https://cj.sina.com.cn/articles/view/1623886424/60ca8a5804001gi2q
Despite starting with 13.8% to 16.8% of first-day screenings and mostly at disadvantageous times for screen schedules, consistently strong word-of-mouth and people willing to make sure they are heard for more cinema screenings and better schedules has led to this historic momentous result!
36 days including the airing day to achieve all this for a wuxia film is unprecedented. Comic artists in China are very happy, because this film's success significantly increases the likelihood of their works being approved for future movies :D
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260325A021XG00
As per this article of 25 March, third and fourth-tier cities this far constitute 53% of the audience, with females accounting for 58.6% of these audiences. Chen Lijun as Ayuya, Li Yunxiao as Yanzi-niang, Xiong Jin Yi as A-Ni, and other strong female characters are lauded and praised. Cutting out all traces of romance for sisterhood and unique individuals bound to uphold honour and revenge, reviving visceral hardcore wuxia rather than fantastical elements in wuxia as per the manhua, works well.
Hard-core film production rules of Yuen Woo-ping include no stand-ins and minimising green screens for this wuxia movie, which has paid off handsomely. The movie's domestic run has now been extended until 16 April.
And of course, everything is first and foremost because of the legendary visionary for martial arts in films: Yuen Woo-ping. He was the one who approached Wu Jing, introduced Wu Jing to the manhua, and had to convince Wu Jing to overcome self-doubts and work with him (his zinger being the claim to Wu Jing that BoTG could be his final film: https://kisskh.at/767811-blades-of-the-guardians#comment-25218938)
Yuen Woo-ping knew what he wanted for Wu Jing and Jet Li plus the screenplay, and Wu Jing also contributed to casting choices after listening to Yuen Woo-ping. Here are the views of Yuen Woo-ping about multiple aspects including what it is like to shoot inside a sandstorm, which have been English-subbed:
http://www.china.org.cn/2026-03/25/content_118400762.shtml
Yu Hanyi of CGTN talks to Yuen Woo-ping in this illuminating interview, to understand how BoTG became such a historic hit in the wuxia genre of films:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-03-14/Director-Yuen-Woo-Ping-on-crafting-the-epic-Blades-of-the-Guardians--1Lv7DOggApy/index.html
Yuen Woo-ping speaks of being confident in making this movie, and also elucidates about original characters such as Dao Ma in Xu Xianzhe's manhua as having passion and personality, thus he believed these characters could be made into a great wuxia film.
"Wu Jing was my first choice. Then we approached others."
He also wanted younger actors for certain roles.
"Even before we started filming, just seeing the cast come together felt worthwhile!"
Yu Hanyi agrees that a martial arts world needs different generations.
Yuen Woo-ping's biggest fear during the filming was anyone falling sick because the general temperature could exceed 40 or 50 degrees, and ground temperature could exceed 60 degrees in the desert.
"The fighting style in the movie demands realism. It has to be hard-hitting, truly bone-crunching."
Check out both interviews, which also uses BTS footage!
Yuen Woo-ping can gladly take his place in the annals of wuxia visionaries. BoTG grossed 1 billion RMB within 11 days of its debut and notched at least 14 records, which I summarised here: https://kisskh.at/767811-blades-of-the-guardians#comment-25245918
Even though Pegasus 3 has grossed more than 4.3 billion RMB but grossed less than "Blades Of The Guardians" in the recent two days of single-day domestic box office takings, I'm glad both films are record-breakers for what they each achieved this far in their totally-different genres since 17 February, in attracting audiences to cinemas, and help sustain cinemas :)
Shameful tactics, sad mindsets.
I am wondering if this will happen to Xiaolan (under spoiler tag, for those who have not yet watched 21 episodes of the drama): https://kisskh.at/776939-again-my-life
The HK TV drama influences in this drama are wonderful. The screenwriters have done a marvellous job to transition from 80s to 90s. Only 15 episodes left, alas...
By the night of 31 March, 30 of 36 episodes will have aired. Some of us have already finished watching all aired episodes on IQiyi (21 episodes as of now), but others without VIP membership will take longer.
Never thought I would enjoy a retro drama so much, but here we are! Watching Bai Zhenzhu and Kang Wei protecting the business that reminds me of an IKEA in the 80s, Xiaolan being more open about her vulnerabilities and doubts and fears- I nearly fell off the couch upon seeing her and Zhou Cheng together in episode 19.
The music is so apt for the episodes. By episode 20, we are in the 90s. It's amazing to see the juxtaposition between the 80s versus entering the 90s, when progress is rapid.