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Karen and Cathy explain cultural and historical references episode by episode in popular Chinese historical dramas as well as Chinese pop culture news. The podcast is in English with proper nouns and phrases spoken in Mandarin Chinese. Currently, they are discussing Season 1 of Joy of Life. Completed dramas/movies include: The Story of Yanxi Palace, The Longest Day in Chang'An, The Story of Ming Lan, Empresses in the Palace, Royal Nirvana, Palace (2013 film), and Mulan (2020 Disney movie) among others.
Karen and Cathy list the most viewed Cdramas both on streaming platforms and on TV as well as the dramas that breached coveted popularity thresholds across key streaming platforms.
We're now hitting the high summer season and all of the major platforms are releasing what they hope will be the smash hit of the summer. There's thrillers including The Seven Relics of Ill Omen. There's spy dramas such as Deep Undercover. There's period romance dramas including The Princess's Gambit, A Dream Within a Dream, In the Name of the Blossom, and Qing Chuan's Veil of Vengeance. But the biggest winner so far is the modern day case thriller In the Name of Justice. Listen to our latest podcast episode as we have been watching several of these dramas!
Despite advice to leave the capital, Fan Xian decides to seek an audience with the Emperor instead. The meeting turns out fine and his next step is looking for Teng Zi Jing's widow and son in Bao Yue Lou, a new brothel.
Labubu has taken China by storm and has gotten a ton of traction in the West! What exactly is Labubu and why is Brad Pitt even talking about it on his F1 press tour? There's also an update on the Naer Naxi college entrance exam scandal that exploded everywhere on social media. Listen to our latest In the Know podcast episode to find out!
After 5 years of waiting, we finally learn how Fan XIan actually survives from being stabbed by Yan Bing Yun. His "fathers" are distraught but then pleased to learn he faked his death. Fan Xian and Wang Qi Nian return back to the capital to find a rather interesting sight.
Lei Jia Yin returns to the Tang Dynasty with his new drama the Litchi Road. It's a welcome return to see many familiar faces from The Longest Road in Chang'An. But the biggest controversy is with actress Naer Naxi, a woman from Inner Mongolia and of the Mongolian minority. News surfaced that she might have taken advantage of her minority status to get preferential treatment for her college entrance exams. Listen to our latest podcast episode to hear more!
We provide a brief intro to Season 2 of Joy of Life that was presented to audiences 5 years after Season 1.
There's been quite a few new topics dominating the trending topics in China. The first is an interesting fan feud between the two female leads of the 2015 drama, The Diamond Lovers. The two female leads (Tang Yan and Dilraba) didn't instigate anything but rather, a producer decided to jump into the fray. Then there's an influencer He Qiu Shi who was accused of plagiarism at his most recent concert. He tried to defend himself but it didn't go over too well. Lastly, the two leads of the 2021 dark horse drama, Rattan, starring Jing Tian and Zhang Bin Bin announced their pairing up again to star a new drama. Listen to our podcast on the latest in Chinese entertainment news!
The Prisoner of Beauty ft Song Zu'Er and Liu Yu Ning and The Legend of Zang Hang ft Xiao Zhan and Zhang Jing Yi were heavy hitters in May. For upcoming dramas, Bai Lu and Zeng Shun Xi come forward with Feud and Lei Jia Yin returns to Chang An in the Tang Dynasty Drama, the Litchi Road. Listen in to hear more!
We noticed a LOT of electric vehicles in our latest trip to China. This episode discusses latest EV trends that are also making headlines in the west.