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The 5 Hottest Chinese Dramas of 2022 To Binge-watch

On October 19, Chinese streaming giant iQIYI released a list of the platform’s most popular shows of 2022. The two highest-ranked shows, Love Between Fairy and Devil and A Lifelong Journey, have already made their way onto Western streaming platforms Netflix and Disney+.

This year, 68% of Chinese adults reported using iQIYI, making it the most-used subscription streaming service in the country. Here are the platform’s five most popular shows of the year:

**1. Love Between Fairy and Devil (苍兰诀)**

wang hedi and yu shuxin in love between fairy and devil Chinese drama on iqiyi

Yu Shuxin and Wang Hedi in Love Between Fairy and Devil. Image via IMDb

A fantasy romance based on the eponymous novel by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang, Love Between Fairy and Devil stars female idol Yu Shuxin and basketball player Dylan Wang.

Yu, who plays a low-ranking fairy, accidentally revives the ancient and powerful demon played by Wang, resulting in a cosmic link between the two. The show follows their love story as they navigate the political intrigues of their world.

**2. A Lifelong Journey (人世间)**

promotional poster for a lifelong journey a Chinese drama

The promotional poster for A Lifelong Journey. Image via IMDb

The 58-episode-long A Lifelong Journey is an adaptation of a book of the same name. It tells the story of a Chinese family navigating half a century of social change, including the Cultural Revolution, the one-child policy, and economic upheaval.

The show is beloved by viewers for its exploration of human psychology and its depiction of the turmoil of the 20th century.

**3. Chasing the Undercurrent (罚罪)**

a scene from chasing the undercurrent on iqiyi

A scene from Chasing the Undercurrent. Image via IMDb

The crime show Chasing the Undercurrent is set in the fictional settlement of Changwu. The town is rife with trouble, perpetrated mainly by a local crime syndicate led by the powerful Zhao family.

Actor and model Huang Jingyu plays a deputy police chief trying to take down the Zhaos. In the process, Huang becomes embroiled in a murder investigation that uncovers unexpected mysteries about his own past.

**4. Thousand Years for You (请君)**

yu dengdeng and villagers in thousand years for you

Yu Dengdeng (Li Qin) and residents of her village in Thousand Years for You. Image via Youtube

Thousand Years for You is another fantasy romance, this time between a mysterious ancient general and a village leader.

The general, played by actor, singer, and dancer Ren Jialun, has put himself in a three-millennium-long sleep to resurrect a goddess. He is inadvertently awoken by the aforementioned village leader, played by Li Qin, who also starred in the hit time-travel series Joy of Life.

Li’s character tries to marry the general to protect her village, an effort that leads to a love story that spans thousands of years.

**5. The Heart of Genius (天才基本法)**

a scene from the heart of genius Chinese drama

Parallel worlds in The Heart of Genius. Image via Youtube

The Heart of Genius stars Zhang Zifeng, a 21-year-old actress known for her role in the comedy-mystery film series Detective Chinatown, and established actor Lei Jiayin, who also leads the second-hottest Chinese drama on this list, A Lifelong Journey.

The time-travel drama sees Zhang transported to a parallel universe where she is only 12 years old. She navigates through both realities with her genius father, played by Lei, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s in the show, and her love interest, played by Zhang Xincheng.

This tale of love, mathematics, and the universe is an adaptation of Zhang Er’s web novel of the same name.

Cover image via IMDb

Jay Chou Collabs With Hip Hop Dance Crew Jabbawockeez for New MV

At noon yesterday, Taiwanese Mandopop king Jay Chou dropped a new music video on his YouTube channel. The video features Chou wearing traditional Chinese clothes, playing Chinese plucked zither, or guzheng, and dancing along with the American hip hop dance crew Jabbawockeez.

The music video is for Chou’s recent Chinese-language R&B song ‘Cold Hearted,’ one of the 12 songs from his 15th album, Greatest Works of Art, which was released in July this year.

With lyrics penned by Chou’s longtime collaborator Vincent Fang, ‘Cold Hearted’ tells a sentimental love story inspired by the famous Chinese opera piece Feng Qiu Huang (凤求凰).

Chou dropped five tracks from the album between 2018 and 2020, including ‘Won’t Cry’ and ‘Mojito.’ With the release of the video for ‘Cold Hearted,’ he has released MVs for nine songs from the album.

Multiple hashtags for the music video have been trending on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, with viewers celebrating the release and Chou’s dance moves.

“Can’t believe I’m watching Jay Chou dancing in the video — a bonus for fans who tune in,” wrote a fan.

“Another music video without any female performers. It’s also a great Covid promo with a group of masked dancers,” joked another fan.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by JABBAWOCKEEZ (@jabbawockeez)

Chou teased his fans about the new MV one day prior to its release, announcing the news on his Instagram. The post had garnered more than 87,000 likes at the time of writing.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jay Chou 周杰倫 (@jaychou)

“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” wrote one fan under Chou’s post.

Another cheered, “No matter what you release, I want a copy of it immediately.”

Cover photo: screengrab via YouTube

Li Ning Sorry for Apparel Said to Resemble Japanese Military Uniforms

Chinese athleisure giant Li Ning recently found itself in hot water after netizens called its latest collection offensive and disrespectful. The brand’s fall/winter collection, which was first showcased on September 23, features military-inspired pieces that are said to resemble Japanese army uniforms from World War II.

The collection includes a range of apparel, including waterproof parkas with multiple pockets and puffer jackets, but it was the helmet-inspired hats that have really ticked Chinese netizens off. According to many, they bear a close resemblance to the ones worn by Japanese soldiers during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

li ning hat controversy

A netizen-made collage highlighting the similarities between Li Ning’s controversial hats and Japanese military caps from the Second Sino-Japanese War

An extremely sensitive topic in China, the Second Sino-Japanese War began when Imperial Japan invaded China in 1937, sparking combat that lasted until 1945. Ten to 25 million Chinese civilians died during the war. Japan’s denial of the wartime atrocities by Japanese soldiers, especially concerning the Nanjing Massacre, has further fueled the tension between the two countries.

Netizens on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo have expressed their discontent with Li Ning and posted comments like, “I used to buy Li Ning shoes pretty often, but I won’t do it anymore.”

That being said, others have pointed out the collection includes many other items of apparel that are far from offensive and deserve appreciation.

li ning china controversy

Li Ning’s fall/winter 2022 collection

Following the backlash, screenshots of an alleged post by Li Ning’s ecommerce general manager Feng Ye have made their rounds on the Chinese web. In the post, Feng defended the brand’s designs and named a traditional Chinese helmet called the lixing kui (笠型盔) as the true inspiration for the controversial hat.

Feng also accused Chinese consumers of being ignorant about their own heritage and culture, a statement that (unsurprisingly) didn’t sit too well with netizens.

li ning controversy china

The screenshot showing the alleged inspiration behind the helmet-shaped hat

A few days later, Li Ning issued an apology on its official Weibo account and took the opportunity to explain that the collection had been inspired by generic aviator uniforms. The brand also thanked Chinese consumers for their support and promised to work on improving its future designs.

Many have expressed their support for Li Ning, which is seen as a pioneer domestic brand, and have dismissed the scandal as a forgivable incident.

Some consoling remarks range from, “Keep doing what you have been doing so far. After all, I really like your products,” to, “At least you apologized; just don’t do it again.”

The controversy comes only a few months after the police detained a Chinese woman for wearing a Japanese kimono while taking pictures on the streets of Suzhou in Eastern China.

Such backlash is not uncommon in China. Rising nationalism often results in boycotts of foreign brands like H&M and Adidas and intense criticism against domestic brands that allegedly disrespect Chinese culture.

All images via Weibo

Mealtime in China Is Incomplete Without This Key Ingredient…

Lao Gan Ma and pickled sides are Chinese people’s solution to bland food. Just a spoonful of sauce or pickled radishes over rice can make a meal taste a million times better. But how are Chinese youth coping with overall lackluster dining experiences?

Between unexpected lockdowns and busy work schedules, many young people in China don’t have the luxury of enjoying insightful conversations with friends and family at the dinner table. Instead, they find themselves eating alone.

Rather than dining with loved ones, Chinese youth are kept company during these 20- to 30-minute windows by TV shows or short videos, which they stream on their phone, tablet, or television. In internet slang, such content has been dubbed ‘digital pickled vegetables’ (电子榨菜, dian zi zha cai).

digital pickled veggies

The term ‘digital pickled vegetables’ started trending among young people in China recently, as many find that it’s impossible to enjoy a good meal without streaming something interesting, funny, or relaxing.

Some popular picks include classic Chinese dramas and sitcoms like Empresses in the Palace (后宫甄嬛传) and My Own Swordsman (武林外传). American sitcoms such as Friends and How I Met Your Mother are also favored for their witty jokes and simple storylines. You don’t need to know anything about either to get a good laugh from a random episode.

Some Weibo users have even joked that as a result of watching these TV shows so many times, they have all the lines memorized.

“The true meaning of food is the happiness it brings after a long wait. A bowl of hot tofu rice cake, fried chicken fingers, and my digital pickled vegetables, ‘Empresses in the Palace,’ after a tiring workday. Life couldn’t get any better,” shared a Weibo user.

Highly perused digital pickled vegetables also consist of short clips and mini-series posted on platforms like Douyin (China’s version of TikTok) and Kuaishou (similar to Douyin, but with a reputation for producing down-to-earth content).

These include explainer videos with titles like, ‘Watch The Shawshank Redemption in 5 minutes’ and ‘What happened in the book Love in the Time of Cholera? Let me tell you in this 3-minute video.’ Videos under the hashtag ‘movie explainers’ (#影视解说#) have amassed over 589 billion views at the time of writing.

Low-budget, independently made mini-series that began surfacing on the aforementioned platforms about two years ago have also become a huge hit.

The short two-minute episodes usually feature a combination of cliche yet highly addictive storylines and sub-par acting. Many viewers find them cringy at first, yet can’t tear their eyes away, filled with questions like: Will she be fired after dating her boss? Can he survive cancer? Does his wife know he’s cheating? Can she retrieve the money her ex-husband stole from her?

The answers to such burning questions can be revealed in the duration of a single meal.

low-budget Chinese mini-series

Some low-budget mini-series that act as digital pickled veggies. Screenshots via Kuaishou

The plots of such series have improved and broadened over the years, proving that the mini-series model is here to stay. In fact, Kuaishou launched more than 50 mini-series throughout the summer, and approximately half of them have been viewed 100 million times.

digital pickled veggies chinese meals

Some of the most popular mini-series on Kuaishou over the summer. Image via Weibo

Some have questioned the value of such videos, pointing out that some explainers spoil good films and books and that no-brainer mini-series aren’t informational. On the other hand, we see nothing wrong with some harmless fun to accompany a solitary meal after a long day of work.

Cover image via Depositphotos

Instead of ‘Quiet Quitting’ Chinese Youth Become Security Guards

While the rest of the world is discussing quiet quitting, Chinese youth have found an alternative to their country’s involuted work culture: embracing the largely overlooked profession of guarding things and keeping places secure.

A ubiquitous role in China, security guards are stationed at the entrances of most housing compounds, companies, school campuses, and commercial complexes.

security guard china let it rot and lying flat

A security guard sitting in his hut of a workstation. Image via Xiaohongshu

In recent months, some young Chinese netizens have begun to share snippets of their lives as security guards (保安, baoan) using the hashtag ‘Baoan Diary’ (#保安日记#). The hashtag has gained a staggering 3.6 billion views on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, and 19 million views on the Instagram-like platform Xiaohongshu.

Besides posting pictures and videos of their uniforms and workplace (which is often a cramped roadside shed), users discuss their salaries, working hours, and what inspired them to become security guards.

A viral post on Xiaohongshu reads: “Monthly salary is 4,500 RMB (about 620 USD), there is AC, Wi-Fi, electric plugs […] Every day I sit there, draw, and learn some English. My life is so happy. No pressure at all!”

security guard let it rot

An 18-year-old security guard’s selfie of herself in uniform (left) and a snapshot of a security guard’s typical ‘work desk’ (right). Images via Xiaohongshu

Similarly, a video of another young security guard went viral on Douyin after he shared how taking on the role in his 20s would prevent him from making a “40-year detour” (少走40年弯路) — a reference to the trouble of hustling for a better paying but stressful job in one’s youth, only to settle for a low-effort job with lower compensation when older.

Many admiring netizens have adopted the catchphrase and expressed their respect for those who settle for easy and stable jobs with lower salaries instead of wasting time trying to ascend the corporate ladder.

Following in the footsteps of the ‘cadre chic’ trend that saw young Chinese people embracing civil servant attire earlier this year, security guard uniforms have become a fashion statement. Netizens have been cosplaying as security guards on Douyin and posting bizarre thirst-traps while dressed in uniform.

secuirty guard laying flat china

Young security guards who have gone viral online. Screenshots via Douyin

The viral security guard trend is the latest chapter in a Chinese phenomenon dubbed ‘lying flat,’ which has many similarities to quiet quitting in the West.

The movement, which emerged in 2021, promotes taking a relaxed attitude toward one’s work and has become a silent yet powerful way to protest the country’s involuted working culture.

In 2022, the catchphrase ‘let it rot’ took ‘lying flat’ to new heights, capturing a darker, more cynical mentality that describes completely giving up on the pursuit of one’s goals.

Cover image designed by the author

Chinese Black Metal Band Holyarrow Partners With French Label Antiq Records

Holyarrow, an epic black metal band from Xiamen in East China’s Fujian province, recently announced a collaboration with the notable French black metal label Antiq Records. The news is the latest in a broader push to bring Chinese black metal music to the global stage.

Holyarrow Chinese black metal band with Antiq records

Screengrab from Holyarrow’s Facebook page

According to the band’s profile page on the Chinese streaming platform NetEase Cloud Music, Holyarrow aims not to imitate or follow Western black metal predecessors. Instead, they have been sticking to their own expressions and paying tribute to Chinese history, ancient battles, spirits, and national heroes.

Formed in 2015, Holyarrow has released two singles, three EPs, and two full-length albums to date. Their music often features Chinese musical instrument elements and lyrics in their local dialect of Hokkien, a regional Chinese variation widely spoken in southeastern China and Southeast Asia.

Antiq Records is a label founded in 2009 with a dedication to “the fully coherent concept of making music through sound, image, video, and attitude.” They are known for high-quality outputs and signing reputable black metal bands such as Véhémence, Mésalliance, Hanternoz, and Créatures.

The collaboration is not only a rare one for Antiq, as they don’t traditionally work with non-European bands, but also an exciting announcement for fans of the genre in China, where a partnership between a Chinese metal band and a professional label outside the country is a new phenomenon.

The first release born of this cooperation, a compilation named La Légende de Koxinga, is expected to be out soon. It will include the remake of Holyarrow’s 2016 debut album, Oath Of Allegiance, and the band’s latest EP, The Siege Of Fort Zeelandia, which was released earlier this year.

Holyarrow’s brand new EP My Honor is My Loyalty, which will become the band’s eighth release, is also on its way. With the battlefield described in their songs moving from ancient dynasties to modern China, this new release will spotlight China’s fight for national awakening and independence in the early 20th century, according to renowned Chinese metal label Pest Productions, which will unveil this new EP next month.

Chinese black metal band Holyarrow’s upcoming EP ‘My Honor is my Loyalty’