Chasing Dramas
Karen and Cathy explain cultural and historical references episode by episode in popular Chinese historical dramas as well as Chinese pop culture news.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.
Episodes
On Aug 2, Chinese Drama actress Zhao Lu Si publicly blasted her management company on Weibo for mistreatment following her illness at the beginning of the year. She has since been on continuous live streams with both positive and negative commentary. Listen in to hear more!
Fan Xian leaves the palace, disappointed that the Emperor will not take action against the 2nd Prince. He finally has a face to face conversation with Chen Ping Ping about the trajectory of his life. He finally returns to the Fan Manor and must inform his father and mistress Liu of Fan Si Zhe's involvement with Bao Yue Lou. The family make a decision for Fan Si Zhe's future with the hopes for him to gain some real-world exp...
July/August 2025 Chinese dramas that are airing include historical detective romance, The Coroner's Diary ft Li Lan Di and Ao Rui Peng, fantasy drama, The Immortal Ascension starring Yang Yang and Jin Chen and Sword Rose featuring Dilireba and Jin Shi Jia. Other dramas include The Wanted Detective and Legend of the Female General among others.
In episode 6 of season 2 of Joy of Life, Fan Xian clashes with the 1st Prince, who has just returned to the Qing capital after many years patrolling the borders. The Crown Prince comes to quell tensions as all of the Princess arrive at the gate to welcome the 1st Prince home. Fan Xian is still furious with the 2nd Prince and decides to report his findings to the Emperor. Listen to our latest podcast episode to hear more!
Chinese singer influencer Wang Zai Xiao Qiao recently caught the ire of online netizens for her expensive concerts but also caused singer Zhang Bi Chen and Wang Su Long to be embroiled in a feud over who had singing rights to a popular song Nian Lun.
Zi Yu, the 2nd main male lead to gay drama Revenged Love, was revealed to have cheated in a recent relationship.
In episode 5 of Season 2 of Joy of Life, Fan Xian wraps up the ordeal with Bao Yue Lou. He must now return to the diplomatic envoy and devise a plan of how to "publicly" return to life as his death was widely publicized. He finds a new person as a member of the crew, a Qi Princess who is now to wed the 1st Prince. Listen to our latest podcast episode to hear more!
Revenged Love is a new highly popular C drama airing outside of China that features a gay couple. However, the main male leads are embroiled in personal scandals. Elsewhere, we discuss Xiao Zhan going solo from his boy band and the results of the investigation into Huang Yang Tian Tian's family.
Fan Xian is furious to find his brother Fan Si Zhe as the owner of the brothel, Bao Yue House. Except, he's not the only one. Shortly after, the 3rd prince, the 2nd prince AND the crown prince arrive for an eyebrow raising gathering.
Fan Xian continues his quest to discover the secrets of Bao Yue Lou. With guidance from the courtesan, Sang Wen, he learns of a new girl, Miss Jin, who has been forced to the brothel. Fan Xian encounters a vegetable vendor, Old Man Jin, who is desperately trying to save his daughter, the same woman Sang Wen mentioned. Fan Xian agrees to help the old man but is shocked at the outcome. Seething, Fan Xian vows to find the owner of thi...
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 winn...
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 late...
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 hi...
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.
The biggest bombshell over the past two weeks involve the 17 year old actress Huang Yang Tian Tian and a pair of earrings that she wore. This set off a firestorm with everyone focusing on her background and potential corruption. Meanwhile, Zhao Li Ying has a new rumored boyfriend that has sent her fans spinning. Listen to our latest podcast episode to hear about these two new events!
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