2021 Mainland Chinese Dramas
Minning Town
Episodes: 23
Synopsis:
In the 1990s, the Chinese government set up a strategic plan to help impoverished towns relocate to new locations with better resources and to form a counterpart relationship with more developed and wealthy cities. This drama focuses on one such town called Minning Town which is located in Ningxia, China. The drama revolves around Ma Defu (Huang Xuan), a recent graduate of agricultural school (I believe it is similar to college) who returns to his town. The first mission he is assigned is to help his town relocate to Minning Town. However, the villagers refuse to immigrate because the "town" is currently just a plot of land and they would have to slowly build the town from the bottom up. This drama follows Ma Defu and the villagers who through a counterpart relationship with Fujian transform Minning Town into a prosperous town that specializes in red wine production.
Comments:
The year just started but this is already one of my top 2021 Mainland Chinese dramas hands down.
Never in a million years did I expect this genre of dramas to be something I would enjoy so much. These types of dramas about government and villages and development seemed like something my parents would watch. But boy oh boy was I wrong.
Minning Town felt more like an experience than a drama. I felt like I was a member of the town as I watched the drama. I found myself starting to talk with their accents. I found myself stressing over things they stressed about. I felt like I knew each villager. I cried when they cried, laughed when they laughed, and stressed when they stressed. If you have ever read a book where the world building was so good that it felt as if you were in the book, that is how Minning Town felt like for me.
My Favorite Things About the Drama:
1. Politicians
A lot of people are shocked by China's immense transformation within a few decades, but after watching this drama, they might understand why. Though there was a share of government workers that were corrupt or lazy or didn't care about the people, the majority of the government workers in the drama were amazing. Each leader we have met in this drama gave it their all. Many of the Fujian politicians volunteered to live in Ningxia where the living conditions were much worse just to help the people. These politicians and government workers worked tirelessly in terrible conditions and minimal pay just to help the villagers improve their living conditions. Seeing Minning transform from bare land to one with infrastructure, the latest technology, agriculture, and more, is so beautiful and gratifying.
2. Humor:
Most of the humor comes from the differences in accents, so if you can understand Mandarin, you will be able to truly understand the humor. Though they all spoke Mandarin, people from different regions still have different accents. The clash between Mandarin speakers from Ningxia and Fujian is hilarious.
3. Encouraging
This drama is super encouraging. Seeing them achieve their goals one after another through hard work makes you feel hopeful. Though initially, it seemed impossible to develop Minning as the ground was hard making it difficult to build houses and grow crops, seeing them develop the land inch by inch was so encouraging. If you need a little push and encouragement, this might help.
4. This Poster
It is such a nice poster. The bottom right-hand side is the Fujian people while the top left side is the Ningxia people. You see the Fujian people walking towards Ningxia with animals and produce and those from Ningxia come with just their luggage. This is such a good representation of the drama.
The Controllers
Episodes: 40
Synopsis:
On her way to visit her boyfriend in the countryside, Ke Ying (Cai Wen Jing) was almost killed by three robbers led by Shen Shi Jie (Peng Guan Ying), a psychopathic gangster who works for Feng Corporation. Using her wits, she successfully escapes and returns home. Her longtime boyfriend finally proposes to her, Sheng Shi Jie is reported to be dead after his corpse was found at the bottom of a cliff, and her life seems to be back to normal... or so she thought. One day she meets Feng Xiao Sheng, the CEO of Feng Corporation, who reminds her of Shen Shi Jie. Positive Shen Shi Jie and Feng Xiao Sheng are the same person and that he is back to take revenge, she enlists the help of Officer Chen. However, before Officer Chen can find concrete evidence proving the two are the same person, Officer Chen suddenly dies in a car accident. Thus, Ke Ying takes it upon herself to find evidence to prove that the two are the same person. As a talented economics professor, Ke Ying uses her knowledge to work closely with Feng Xiao Sheng and help him embezzle money from the company. With the help of Xiao Wu (Liu Kai), Feng Xiao Sheng's right-hand man and secretly a police informant, the two bring down Shen Shi Jie and his illegal company.
Comments:
This is the drama adaptation of a very popular online novel called 掌中之物. One of the most well-known aspects of the novel is the torturing of Ke Ying by Shen Shi Jie. In order for the drama to air, the drama had to tone down a lot of the torturing. However, there are still some scenes where Shen Shi Jie either physically or mentally tortures Ke Ying, so if you are not comfortable with that, here is a trigger warning. I will give an example just to help you gauge whether or not this is something you would be able to watch. TRIGGER WARNING (highlight to read): he chopped off her fiance's pinkyEND I would say this is the worst it gets, so if this is too upsetting to watch, I recommend you to not watch this drama.
Pacing:
The first 20 episodes felt really slow and repetitive, and I did not see any clear plot progression. Feng Xiao Sheng was mainly just torturing Ke Ying. I really did not know where the drama was going. The synopsis on mydramalist.com says that this drama was mainly about Ke Ying using her economics skills to help Shen Shi Jie gain power at his company, but she didn't even enter the company until much later on. Personally, I think the drama could've been 25-30 episodes and that the pacing was a lot faster. This drama was supposed to keep me on the edge of my seat but due to the slow pacing, I didn't feel that way. Lowkey because of how slow the pacing was, there were moments where I forgot how scary and insane Shen Shi Jie is so that also led to the lack of suspense for me.
Confusing:
Initially, I was kind of confused as to why he was torturing Ke Ying. It isn't like she killed him. I didn't understand what revenge he was taking. This really affected my viewing experience because I really didn't understand why he was torturing her. I will explain why he is torturing her to show you all how confusing and convoluted a reason it is. MAJOR SPOILER ALERT (please only read if you do not mind major spoilers. highlight to read): He is torturing her because had she not successfully escaped, the police would not have hunted him down and maybe he might not have "died." Also, she is one of the few people who know that he is actually Shen Shi Jie. Torturing her makes him feel alive and himself. That feeling of knowing someone remembers him and is afraid of him as Shen Shi Jie and not Feng Xiao Sheng brings him great satisfaction. This man is cray-cray. END
Overall, decent drama. I think the plot had a lot of potential but the pacing just wasn't what I would've preferred. If they made this more of a thriller with a faster pace, more suspense, the drama would be a lot better.
Rebel Princess
Episode: 68
Synopsis:
Wang Xuan (Zhang Ziyi) is the daughter of the Crown Princess (Zhao Yazhi) and Prime Minister (Yu Hewei). As the only daughter of the Wang family, everyone expects her to become the next empress as there is a prophecy that states, "To acquire thee, is to obtain the world." However, she has no desire to marry the Crown Prince (Guo Jiaming) but instead wants to marry her childhood sweetheart the Third Prince (Tony Yang). Much to her dismay, her father betroths her Xiao Qi (Zhou Yiwei), a general who comes from a humble background but becomes a Lord due to his outstanding military achievements. Though off to a rough start, the two slowly fall in love with each other after bonding over their mutual goal to help bring peace and prosperity to the nation. However, between them and their goal stands a corrupt nation led by corrupt leaders whose only concerns are to maintain their wealth and status.
Comments:
I did a dedicated post for this drama, so here is the link. TLDR for that long post: Everything about this drama is top tier from the production team to the sets to the costumes to the star-studded cast... everything BUT the script and plot. Pretty illogical at times and tries too hard to make the female lead seems smart.
The Days of Becoming You
Episode: 26
Synopsis:
After being stuck in an elevator together, Jiang Yi (Zhang Xin Cheng), a member of a popular boy band, and Yu Sheng Sheng (Liang Jie), an entertainment reporter, switch bodies. To hide the fact that they have switched bodies, they try to live each other's polar opposite lifestyles.
Comments:
This was a very nicely made rom-com. It is not too different from other body-switching dramas but its humor, themes, and chemistry between the leads really make this a good drama to watch. The drama was popular during its run mainly because of Zhang Xin Cheng's acting. He was amazing. He perfectly played both the distant, perfectionist, health guru Jiang Yi, as well as, the bubbly, warm Yu Sheng Sheng. He added lots of little movements to sell him as Yu Sheng Sheng.
Unlike a lot of body-switching dramas, this drama highlights a lot more of the differences between the genders. For example, they discuss topics such as menstrual cycles, bras, makeup, fashion, and etc. I hope one day there could be a drama that can deep dive into these differences. Such as the differences in how society treats different genders, different expectations, stereotypes, discrimination, etc.
Aside from switching bodies, I like that the drama discusses the importance of family and love. Jiang Yi grew up in a broken family. His parents got a divorce when he was very young. The mother left for the United States while the father remarried and had another daughter. He was raised by his aunt who had a husband who just wanted to get rid of Jiang Yi. After he grew up, his only connection with his mother is the one birthday gift she would send him each year, and every time his father called, it was to request more money from him. This unpleasant upbringing resulted in his cold and distant personality. After switching bodies with Sheng Sheng, he felt familial love for the first time. Her parents were respectful and loving. After Sheng Sheng learned about his past, she started to encourage him to rebuild his relationship with his mother and learn to accept his half-sister. I really understood why they fell in love. They truly cared for one another and wanted the best for each other. She would always encourage and motivate him; while, he would always support her.
Overall, a nice lighthearted rom-com that goes by quickly. I just wished they had a different ending (NOT A BAD ENDING, just a weird and unneeded one).
Delicious Romance
Episodes: 24
Synopsis:
Three best friends experience major changes romantically and professionally as they turn 30 years old. Xia Meng (Wang Ju) is a perfectionist, workaholic whose excellence makes everyone around her, including her boyfriend, feel pressured. The beautiful Fang Xin (Zhang Han Yun) grew up showered by love and attention, but her seemingly perfect world is shattered when she learns that her husband has been cheating on her. Liu Jing (Li Chun) is an average girl who loathes her job as an IT support worker in a bank and learns that her true passion lies in cooking. The three friends work through the many changes they are suddenly bombarded by to find true love and their true passions in life.
Comments:
Finally! A good modern romance drama at the end of 2021!
Currently, China is undergoing a lot of social changes and one is the rise of feminism. Countless dramas allegedly about "female empowerment" are pumped out each year; however, most are just Mary Sue dramas at their core. Despite its cheesy, overused title (I initially didn't want to watch this drama because the title reminded me of some cheesy, poorly executed Mary Sue drama of the early 2010s) Delicious Romance was a pleasant surprise and definitely a palate cleanser in the Mainland Chinese drama market which is saturated by bad, overly done Mary Sue dramas. The drama also mocks a lot of the negative aspects of Chinese dramas which is pure comedy. I hope more dramas continue to learn from Delicious Romance and have relatable characters, realistic plots, nice chemistry, and good actors.
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