The Chinese drama “Circle of Love” combines elements of romance and drama. The series aired on Youku, a Chinese video-sharing website, and has 24 episodes. There are a lot of unexpected turns in the plot that can confuse you.
There are several unexpected turns in the plot that can leave you scratching your head. Let’s dissect this in further depth: Gumeng fired several shots at Hongye, striking him in the stomach, the leg, and eventually the chest.
Hongye survived despite having many broken bones. Gumeng, though, seemed engrossed in his personal thoughts and feelings as he proceeded to ramble on. Gu Meng and Xiao Hongye’s love was doomed to end in tragedy. Gu Meng, the wealthy man’s only daughter, had a passionate affair with Xiao Hongye, a lowly servant.
Gu’s whole family was tragically killed by Xiao Hongye on the day of their engagement, and only Gu Meng managed to get away. Then she learned that both of these families were mortal adversaries and that Xiao Hongye was behind everything.
As the plot develops, we see Xiao Hong Ye struggle to balance his feelings for Gu Meng with the obligations of his role as a warlord. Their relationship is as complicated as the society they live in, where feelings of both love and hatred dance delicately together.
1. Maid’s Revenge (2022)
Everything about this story leaps off the page. Tingyao and Fang Yuze’s engagement immediately grabbed my attention after the Dong family’s death. TingYao and Yan’er are often confused with one other in identity theft schemes. A worm bin full of delicious morsels has been discovered, and no bird in its right mind would pass it up.
There is still a great deal to read, such as flashbacks involving Tingyao and one of the Fangs. The gradual and subtle rise in tension is what truly gets to me. After the death of her loved ones, Tingyao vows vengeance. She believes that Fang Tianyi was involved in the Dong family’s murder.
Since Yan’er married Fang Yuze while claiming to be Tingyao, we may call this “an imposter” case. Yan’er pretends she can’t remember anything trivial so she may investigate Fang Tianyi. Since they thought something was missing from the story, they made matters worse by making uncle and nephew enemies.
It was interesting to see a twist on the standard sibling rivalry, in which two brothers compete for the same girl and relive previous grudges. Since Uncle Tianyi and Nephew Yuze are vying for the family riches, Tingyao is more of a player than a catalyst.
If we apply even a shred of reality or give the story even a second of consideration, everything falls apart. Is Tingyao looking for retribution? A person who is hellbent on revenge will fail in her quest if she does not plan beforehand.
Once she got to the Fang’s home, everything went wrong. Instead of focusing on making the revenge subplot more interesting, the writers chose to flesh out the romance subplot and the enmity between the uncle and nephew.
The fictional Yan’er, Tingyao, is brave and fearless. Tingyao is a brave young woman, although she can be hasty and naïve at times. Her need for retribution overshadowed her better judgment, leading to several bad decisions. She overcame tremendous hardships in the Fang manor, and now she is an unstoppable force. She sought a way to channel her extroverted, domineering nature.
2. Cruel Romance (2015)
Er Yei, commonly known as Zhou Zhen or the ultimate leader of the Triads, has reestablished his control over the whole Shanghai economy. At first, he resists developing feelings for a woman because he finds them irritating. Fortunately, he meets Jin Xiu as she is on the hunt for the criminals who killed her family.
To make ends meet, she borrowed money from the Japanese, and now she’s engaged to Xiang, the richest man in all of Shanghai. Despite her sister’s best attempts to have her deported, Jin Xiu spends the early portion of the drama struggling to make a life for herself in Shanghai.
We also see Er Yei developing a subtle but steady crush on Jin Xiu and becoming overprotective of her. Meanwhile, Xiang’s younger brother YingDong, makes a move at her to get over his feelings for Jin Xiu’s sister Min Ju.
We now have a Japanese shogun who had a girlfriend who looked like Jin Xiu in the past and is determined to marry her as his new Yangzhi. Relationship dynamics, a tug-of-war between all of these characters, took center stage throughout the drama’s first half.
The story’s crescendo occurs when Jin Xiu finally succumbs to Er Yei’s charms and becomes pregnant by him. Zhou Zhen is the tough guy triad boss you’ve been looking for, outwardly unflappable but secretly sentimental about his brothers and his lady.
His knife combat abilities are second to none, and he also has a strong moral compass. He is the quiet kind and, of course, quite protective of his folks. And even though our protagonist risks everything for her, she delights in misconstruing his intentions.
3. Goodbye My Princess: Director’s Cut (2019)
Li Cheng is at his best when given challenging roles. His frequent outbursts of fury and excessive plotting are humiliating. The palace is the next level. The tone of this shift is dramatic. With the exception of a few brilliant expressions here and there, the new imperial roles are a waste of the actor’s talents.
This is one of the benefits of maintaining a constant persona. This is just one more instance of Danchi’s egotism. He made use of whomever was around, and he probably will again. What he puts Susu through is cruel, despite the fact that she finds it annoying.
The sentiments he had for Xiao Feng return. But it’s irrational that he should fall in love with her out of the blue when he has no memory of ever having done so before. Then, he treats her badly because he’s trying to protect her.
I fear that Shifu will become an alcoholic if he relocates to the capital. He promises Xiao Feng that he can win her undying love. After that, his amorous gestures consist only of watching her from a nearby tree, at which point he loses interest. He should make her laugh, take her places, and do things that will excite her.
What happened to the Xi family is likewise mostly forgotten. The appearance of the emissary causes the whole state to vanish into thin air. They may as well have disappeared, Xi and the whole imperial family.
The queen’s outfit has such an interesting, out-there aesthetic. At first, she seemed chill, so it was a letdown to discover that she was really a deceptive schemer. I was startled to find that the vast majority of Xiao Feng’s female admirers support him.
4. The King’s Woman (2017)
Gong Sun Li is the granddaughter and pupil of the military commander Gong Sun Yu. When the Qin army arrived, childhood friends Jing Ke and Sun Li were forced to escape together. However, the Qin Emperor Ying Zheng is captivated by Sun Li’s beauty and has her transported to his palace.
The news that she is carrying Jing Ke’s child comes as quite a shock to her. He is the equivalent of a son or grandchild to Ying Zheng. Jing Ke plans to assassinate Ying Zheng one disastrous day.
A number of different nations fought and allied with one another before China ever existed. This era is often referred to as the Warring States era. Qin, Wei, Zhao, Han, Qi, Chu, and Yan were the seven great kingdoms. The King’s Woman takes place during this time period and focuses on the life of the renowned ruler Qin Shi Huang.
He was the first reigning Emperor of China and is credited for unifying the seven kingdoms that made up the country. As a kid, he was harassed in Zhao. He was terrified and abandoned, so he rushed away. Two children risked their own safety to help him.
Then, the three of them wished upon the moon. The youngster dreamed of one day being a master swordsman, able to slay his enemies with ease. The girl wished for a world where everyone was safe and healthy, and there were no conflicts.
Ying Zheng anticipated becoming a formidable figure so that he could shield those he cared about from harm. This is a pivotal moment since the tale ultimately centers on these young people and their hopes and dreams.
5. Fall in Love (2021)
Even though Lu Tian Xing is widely recognized as an advertising business genius, he recently made a shocking announcement: he would be taking a three-month hiatus from his career. During his time off, he hid his true identity behind a simple mask and worked with the advertising firm Oz, which is known for its warm and fuzzy commercials.
After the death of Oz’s founding brother, Tao Le Si stepped in to lead the firm to success. The introduction of Uncle Fu and Xiao Lu into the play also brought a lot of laughs. With the entire case of mistaken identity issue, you are capable of numerous things with the characters, making Xiao Lu’s visit here humorous and carefree.
The plot summary led me to believe that Xiao Lu would be present throughout the whole drama, but in actuality, he was only seen for around half of the episodes. The “threat” made by Huan Huan’s mother made no sense to me. She raised him for the last decade, which suggests that she shouldn’t give him the middle finger.
Huan Huan started off as a kind girl, but she quickly turned into the worst kind of character—a mix of great stupidity and bitchiness. Initially, I was hoping she wouldn’t turn out like every other drama’s bitter loser love rival.
Since Huan Huan stopped seeking medical help for her legs, I’ve pretty well given up on this drama as well. The fact that she would give up absolutely everything for Tian Xing baffled me. A person with such an obsession would terrify me. In my opinion, she deserves a partner who appreciates her just as thoroughly as she does, instead of a person like Tian Xing.
6. City of Streamer (2022)
The drama China City of Streamer is set in early modern China. Warlords have started to grab control on the Shanghai shore, where our narrative unfolds. Then, a number of heroes appeared, and an upstart movement started to gain momentum. The powerful Rong Jia Shang family is notorious for committing atrocities with the resources at their disposal.
Feng Shi Zhen chose the road of vengeance in order to protect the integrity of the law. He insinuated himself into the Rong household and eventually turned into Rong Jia Shang’s private instructor. The story of City of Streamers ends well.
Jia Shang’s father had abducted Shi Zhen and planned to kill her on the anniversary of Fang Hua and Yun Chi’s wedding, but he died a few years previously. The gunshot from Meng Xu An sent him tumbling out the window, where his scarf became entangled and ultimately cut his neck.
After his father passed away, Jia Shang finally did what he had always planned to do: he exposed his father’s transgressions to the world in an effort to redeem the family name.
Fang Hua and Yun Chi eloped and promptly moved overseas after their wedding. Jia Shang had Fang Lin come along on the trip so she could continue her education while on the road. When it comes to acting, Jing Tian’s Feng Shizhen is powerful and savvy. Jing Tian performed well in this part.
From sneaking about and snooping like a nanny to showing her true feelings at just the perfect time, she has it all down pat. From the beginning, I had a strong affinity with and support for the protagonist. In the meanwhile, Xu Weizhou is the Rong family’s youthful master. Since he was a little lad, Jia Shang had been a model student at the military school.
7. Gunman In Joseon (2014)
Even though viewers are relieved that Yoon Kang lives in the end, It is totally appreciable where Lee Joon Gi got his information from when he said in late July that he hoped for Yoon Kang to die.
The show’s promise to provide a message of optimism and optimism in the face of adversity is fulfilled. True, a revolution in those days would not have been a revolution without casualties, and Show has a hefty toll. Deaths on all sides of a conflict, whether for or against the cause, are never meaningless or unjustifiable.
The real champion for the equality of the people, Park Yoon Kang is an embodiment of courage for the people, not the cause, right up to the death.
While Choi Won Shin (Yoo Oh Sung) remains the principal antagonist throughout the story, the introduction of new antagonists serves the narrative well. It’s intriguing that Yoon Kang and Choi Won Shin both end up on the opposing side of the aisle of politics, even if Choi Won Shin stays the villain because of individual animosity.
He may be a heartless businessman and killer, but he’s a nice dad to Hye-won, and she’s a large part of why he wants to become the most powerful businessman in Joseon.
Her last remarks, remembering when they were struggling merchants and earning barely enough to purchase a bowl of hot soup to share as a father and daughter, are all the more heartbreaking for this reason.
Before they made it big, she was happier, so she doesn’t understand why they changed so drastically. Choi Won Shin shooting Hye-won instead, although unintentionally, is very harsh.
8. Mr. Sunshine (2018)
What makes Mr. Sunshine so intriguing is how the movie weaves a huge love tale with so many facets of undiscovered historical truth, in addition to its excellent acting, majestic setting, and cinematography. The world should be aware of how Korea became under the control of an adversarial force for half a millennium with the tacit approval of international leaders.
It’s brilliantly put together, with a conclusion and plot twists that will blow your mind. It is profound, eye-opening, and important entertainment that also serves as a social commentary on themes of social injustice. Without question, Mr. Sunshine is a cutting-edge, mind-blowing masterpiece that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Three men from different but complementary origins were united by their love for one lady and became heroes by fighting for her and for Korea’s independence. A further lady who loved Joseon so much that she served as a spy and freedom warrior on behalf of the Crown and the men she came to love and admire as their devotion to Joseon deepened.
The brilliant storyline and directing by Descendants of the Sun’s Kim Eun-Sook and Lee Eung-Bok will leave every viewer feeling something. In contrast to Descendants, this drama is far better written and has better performances. The audience experiences a range of emotions as they see events they wish they could alter or prevent.
Even more so than the horrible killing of Koreans in their struggle for independence, the sad fate of the ousted Emperor Gojong and his guardians, freedom fighters among Gunnar’s men, will always linger in the imagination. One’s freedom is more valuable than one’s own life.
9. Faith (2012)
The events described take place in Goryeo-era Korea, some 700 years ago. The former captive king Gongmin has been chosen king of Goryeo and is now on his journey there with his newly crowned queen, the Princess of Yuan. Yuan is a larger kingdom somewhere near China that controls Goryeo.
Assailants ambush them along the route, severely wounding the queen beyond the scope of treatment available at the time. The minister continues by saying that only the great healer “Hwata” or a doctor from the skies can rescue her and that he knows of a means to contact one of these heavenly physicians.
Choi Young, commander of the King’s elite guard, the Wudalchi, is charged with tracking down the “heavenly doctor” in the sky. To meet Eun Soo, a plastic surgeon in present-day Seoul, Choi Young uses the portal to time travel to the future. After rescuing the queen, he takes Eun Soo with him, but the passageway closes, and she is trapped.
Choi Young, the supreme ruler of the Wudalchi, is portrayed by Lee Min Ho. The fictitious events in the show are inspired by the real-life general Choi Young, who lived during the Goryeo dynasty.
Kim Hee Sun portrays our contemporary physician who finds herself transported to a period and place 700 years in the past. A lady from the present day who finds herself transported to an earlier age should have difficulties owing to the radical changes in lifestyle.
10. The Bridal Mask (2012)
The story is set in 1930s Korea when Japan still had sway over the country. Lee Kang To, a Korean detective, works for the Japanese police. His own countrymen see him as an adversary because of his ruthlessness and lack of compassion.
His whole existence becomes focused on tracking down the mysterious freedom fighter known only as Bridal Mask. A series of shocking developments have prompted him to don the mask once again in his quest for Korean independence. Kimura Shunji, a Japanese teacher and Lee Kang To’s best friend.
These two boys’ worlds are flipped upside down and permanently changed by one incident. Bridal Mask, the protagonist, starts out as a bad guy. For my money, this is Joo Won’s best acting moment. His performance in the pilot set the bar so high that I ended up watching the same episode many times just to see how he topped it each time.
His inner turmoil was on full display when he kicked his disabled sister, and his anguish was palpable as he wept over the grave of his mother. My heart goes out to Shunji more than any of the other helpless characters in this show. Despite being close friends, he is the complete antithesis of Lee Kang To.
In spite of his father’s disapproval, he is shown as a likable Japanese teacher who works with Korean children. Eventually, he rises through the ranks to become a police station’s superintendent, and it becomes his mission in life to remove Bridal Mask, as Lee Kang To.
