Karen and Cathy provide an update on one of the most bizarre, hilarious, but also rather unfortunate stories from September 2026 featuring Dylan Wang (Wang He Di 王鹤棣).An anonymous, explicit rumor was falsely linked to Dylan Wang, prompting his team to deny the allegations and announce legal action. But instead of disappearing, the story took on a life of its own.We break down how the controversy spiraled into fandom wars, an internet-wide “male celebrity quality inspection,” some truly wild memes, and a larger conversation about Wang He Di’s declining general-public goodwill, or 路人缘.Important note: We are reporting on the online controversy and reactions surrounding this story. Wang He Di’s team denied the original allegation, and the account that linked the rumor to him subsequently apologized for falsely associating the story with him.Podcast: Our previous In the Know episode covering Wang He Di’s “Uncomfortable” controversy from this summer:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-know-swirling-negativity/id1476587202?i=1000770132651

In Cathy's first solo Chasing Dramas video, she dives into the history and cultural references behind The Road to Splendor (花开锦绣)! From the Ming Dynasty salt trade and the rise of the Shanxi merchants to chastity archways, wedding traditions, and the "East bed" signals a son-in-law.

Karen covers Chinese dramas that aired in August/September 2026.Modern day romance The Early Spring ft Jing Bo Ran and Sun Qian is a surprise hit right now, with over 30% market share.I personally quite liked The Road to Splendor for its history, costumes and cinematography.Other dramas that aired in August though were surprising duds like Pull Strings and Genius Girlfriend.#chinesedrama #cdrama

On August 27, crypto billionaire Justin Sun (Sun Yu Chen) published a 6,000-word essay titled "My Girlfriend Jing Tian" and Chinese social media blew up. Karen introduces C-drama star Jing Tian and crypto billionaire Justin Sun and goes into the details of the essay he wrote, the 30million RMB he's suing her for, and why the details of the essay could be career ending for her.

William Chan's Mystic Nine becomes a surprise hit for the summer (finally a "hit!) while Zhang Ling He's Overdo struggles to match the success of Pursuit of Jade. Other dramas like Royal Betrothal, Blossoms of Power, Key to the Phoenix Heart were all fine...but nothing exceptional

Karen lists the most viewed dramas in China through the first half of 2026. Unsurprisingly, Pursuit of Jade was THE biggest drama, dominating the metrics across almost all platforms. Other top dramas include The Lead, Born With Luck, The Punishment and others.

In the past few months, Chinese celebrities have flocked to giving concerts, performing at music festivals, and going on tour. That has worked well for some celebrities but not so much for others. Xie Na, a famous host, encountered significant backlash with the announcement of her tour in June. Listen to our latest podcast episode to hear what happened!

On July 6, influencer Si Xiao Di posted more explosive content implicating having an affair with Lu Han. After being silent for 6 months since her January posts, she also implicates other celebrities. All eyes are on Lu Han's camp and whether or not they will make a statement. Listen to our latest podcast episode on the latest developments!

Dramas airing in June/early July 2026 include detective thrillers, some modern day romances and a few other costume dramas. Though some have outperformed expectations, there has yet to be an "explosive hit" this summer.

We first give an update on Bai Lu's woes. Then discuss the changes in regulations on the budding new short drama and micro drama industry. Hong Guo, a new micro drama app, was rumored to have also set new guidelines on content. Listen to our latest podcast episode for more details!