Fan Xian and his siblings head out for a nice lunch in the capital. They find that the Dream of the Red Chamber that Fan Xian memorized and wrote for Fan Ruo Ruo is now an incredibly popular book that's selling in the black market. Fan Si Zhe hears this and immediately wants to partner up with Fan Xian.

Meanwhile, they are intercepted by Guo Bao Kun and Li Hong Cheng and invited to a literary/poetry meeting the next day.

A full new slate of dramas have geared up for the summer season. New Wu Xia Drama Legend of Heroes is another adaptation of Legend of the Condor Heroes. Luo Yun Xi and Song Yi star in an original period romance drama Follow Your Heart. Meanwhile, Zhang Ling He has found his groove in The Princess Royal with Zhao Jin Mai. The hotly anticipated season 2 of Lost You Forever is slated to air on July 8th! Listen to our thoughts on these recent dramas in our latest podcast episode

Fan Xian meets his father Fan Jian who gives him the rundown of the capital. The Princess Royal Li Yun Rui currently controls power of the Royal Treasury which she would lose once Fan Xian marries her daughter Lin Wan'Er, thus making him a prime target for attack.

Summer 2024 has been dominated by two dramas that are star representatives of the genre of their source IP, Nan Pin or Books of the Male Gaze and Nv Pin or Books of the Female Gaze. In today's podcast episode, I discuss these two book genres, the tropes typically found in these books, and how they have translated on screen. Joy of Life represent the Nan Pin books and dramas and the Double represent the Nv Pin books and dramas.

Fan Xian heads to the Capital of the Qing kingdom but meets a myriad of characters along the way including a beautiful "Ms. Chicken Leg". When he finally arrives at the Fan Manor in the Capital, his family dynamics also become quite eventful.

Actress Zhou Ye garnered negative publicity due to her attitude towards the "6th Princess" which is actually CCTV6. We discuss what happened and why the "6th Princess" is important.

We kick off with our discussions of Joy of Life Season 1 with the first 2 episodes! We start with an episode recap and then move onto culture and history! We discuss how the author chose the name 庆余年 and references behind it. Join us on this journey for Joy of Life

Our next drama to discuss is the wildly popular Joy of Life 庆余年! Starring Zhang Ruo Yun, Li Qin, Chen Dao Ming and a star-studded cast, the drama follows the story of Fan Xian, who is reincarnated into another world as a baby, as he grows up and is thrust into the machinations of the Qing Empire. For this intro, we discuss the plot, the actors, and our own Joy of Life connection as Cathy travels around in China! Listen and get ready for Joy of Life Season 1.

The summer season for Chinese dramas is now in full swing. Yang Mi and Gong Jun offer Fox Spirit Match Maker: Red Moon Pact which is stunning in both set design and costumes, but has failed to capture audiences. Meanwhile, Wu Jin Yan from The Story of YanXi Palace returns with The Double which is a surprise hit. The Tale of Rose featuring Liu Yi Fei is slated to air on June 8, a modern day drama, and we highlight Golden Trio which features some of our favorite, more senior actors.

We wrap up our in depth discussion of the extraordinary drama, The Longest Day In Chang'An with a recap of episode 48. We also discuss overall thoughts of the drama, go over book differences, highlight key historical character endings and also elaborate on careers of the 3 main cast members.

Thank you all for joining us as we complete another drama!