Zhang Yao is a Chinese singer and actress who was born in Beijing, China, on November 18, 1980. In 2000, she won a talent contest screened by TV network CCTV. She released her debut EP, entitled “House of Love,” in May 2002. She began acting in 2008, and has appeared in a wide variety of films and television dramas since, including “Oh My General” (2017), “Somewhere Winter” (2019), “God of Lost Fantasy” (2020), “You Are My Hero” (2021), and “The Crack of Dawn” (2022).

Zhang Yao

Cold and calculating, Lu Cen Yang (Zhao Zhi Wei) is a successful CEO who has no problem seeking revenge on those who have wronged him; but when he meets talented heiress Bu Ran (Lu Yang Yang), he finally finds a worthy opponent. Though their initial meeting is frosty, the more time they spend together, the more they’re reluctantly impressed by each other’s talents. But there's a thin line between love and hate, and Cen Yang discovers there's more to Ran than meets the eye... Forced to confront the complexities of their relationship, will their sizzling chemistry end in love or disaster? This is a 2024 Chinese romance drama directed by Shen Jin Fei.

Step by Step Love

☙ Alchemy & Temptation ❧

Wang Yan Qiang

MGTV

A hard-working woman with no shortage of ambition, Li Xiao Nan (Sandra Ma) lives a very full and active life. Working as a real estate agent during the day, Xiao Nan spends her evenings selling noodles from a stall which she sets up nightly. Though some might praise her dedication and admire her ability to provide so well for her family, others understand that there are much darker reasons why she chooses to work as hard as she does.

Married to a man praised by all, Xiao Nan should have been living a comfortable, happy life. Unfortunately her husband, Su Rui (Liu Kai) is anything but the “good man” everyone believes him to be. A violent man, with a bad cheating habit and an overwhelming amount of debt, Su Rui is anything but the “perfect” husband. Trapped in a living nightmare, Xiao Nan knows that she can’t endure much more of this miserable life, but finding a way out of such an awful marriage isn’t easy.&nbsp;

Suddenly reunited with an old friend, Wang Cheng (Bai Ke), Xiao Nan’s life takes an unexpected turn as their lives become increasingly entangled. Meanwhile, Su Rui’s current pursuit, Yu Hong (Zhang Yao), finds herself repeatedly falling for his honey-coated lies. Caught in a tangled web of desperation and deceit, will Xiao Nan ever find a way to break free?

A story of strength and self-preservation, “The Crack of Dawn” is a 2022 Chinese thriller drama directed by Niu Chao.

The Crack of Dawn

🌅 The Dawn Breakers Team 🌅

Youku

Having recently suffered a huge blow to her career, psychologist He Dun (Yang Zi) is currently struggling with her own set of psychological problems. Understandably depressed, He Dun’s friend, Xiao Xi, invites her out to dinner, where she happens to meet Ye Jia Hai (Wang Jia) and Qian Kai Yi (Jing Bo Ran). After speaking with Kai Yi, He Dun is persuaded to join him in hosting a radio program devoted to helping callers with their psychological issues.&nbsp;

Working closely with Kai Yi, He Dun’s career takes a positive turn as fans of their radio program start turning up to her counseling clinic in droves. With a successful radio program, a clinic that gets busier by the day, and very strong feelings developing between her and Kai Yi, He Dun couldn’t be happier. But fate, it would seem, can’t allow He Dun’s happiness to last for long. When her mentor, Ji Ming Cong (Huang Jue) is caught up in a scandal, He Dun is determined to uncover the truth. But as she searches for the answers that will clear her mentor’s name, her family life slowly begins to unravel.

Overwhelmed by stress at both home and work, He Dun finds herself relapsing as traumas from her past begin to resurface. Struggling to keep her life from falling apart around her, He Dun begins to reevaluate her priorities. Will this struggling doctor find a way to help others if she can’t first find a way to help herself?

Based on the novel of the same name by Bi Shu Min, “Psychologist” is a 2021 romance drama directed by Ke Wen Li.

Psychologist

Mind and Heart Healers ❤️‍🩹

Tencent

A new resident at the bustling metropolitan hospital, Mi Ka’s (Sandra Ma) life is far from boring. With a steady stream of patients to see and a variety of training exercises to complete, Mi Ka has little time for anything other than work, but she doesn’t mind. The chance to help people and save lives is all she has ever wanted and she’s happy she has finally found a way to make that dream come true. Ever one to volunteer when a new opportunity to help others arises, Mi Ka joins in a joint emergency rescue training exercise between the hospital and the police SWAT team, a decision that will change her life forever.

When a deadly earthquake shakes the very foundations of the world, Mi Ka is part of the team ordered to the epicenter of the quake to help with rescue operations. Joined by a team of military personnel, including Xing Ke Lei (Bai Jing Ting), a special ops agent who first met Mi Ka through a series of misunderstandings that left them both with a less-than-favorable impression of each other, Mi Ka and her medical team set out on a mission fraught with danger. Despite their initial misgivings, Xing Ke Lei and Mi Ka have no choice but to put aside their differences to help those hit hardest by the recent earthquake. Working side-by-side, their feelings towards each other gradually begin to soften as they observe how tirelessly each works to save lives.

When the nation in which they’re working is thrown into turmoil, Mi Ka and the rest of the medical team find themselves in very real danger. Putting his life on the line, Xing Ke Lei is determined to come to their rescue, but will he be able to get to them in time?

Based on the novel of the same name by Mu Qing Yu, “You Are My Hero” is a 2021 romantic medical military drama directed by Zhang Tong.

You Are My Hero

Mango TV

Three female friends –&nbsp;Li Si Yu (Liu Shi Shi), Gu Xiao Ling (Chen Mi Qi), and Yu Meng (Kan Qing Zi) – have a close bond and a shared goal: to make a success of their busy urban lives.

But their lives have taken very different paths, and now present them with a host of very different obstacles.

Li Si Yu is a focused woman with a brilliant career as a sales rep. She thinks she has met her perfect match in a boyfriend who also has a successful career. However, when he suddenly loses his job, the pressure starts to take a toll on their relationship.

Things are a little different for Gu Xiao Ling, who has been holding out for Mr. Right. Beautiful and attractive, she has always relied on her many charms to help her on her quest, but she discovers that age is no longer on her side…until she meets a certain someone.

Yun Meng, meanwhile, wants a quiet life. She has a husband and adoring young daughter, as well as an unassuming office job. But things take an unexpected turn when she discovers that her husband is having an affair. Things get even worse when he finds his job is under threat and then falls ill. Can Yun Meng forgive his wrongdoings?

Will the trio find happiness? And can their friendship help them through the rough times – and the smooth?

“To Dear Myself” is a 2020 Chinese drama series that was co-directed by Ren Zhong, Den Zhing, and Fu Ce Xin.

To Dear Myself

My Dear Myself

Jiangsu TV

The adopted son of the Qin family, Qin Wen Tian (Peter Sheng) was born with the entire world against him. Sick and weak as a child, his family eventually decides that it would be best to send him to live at the Bai Manor. Having arranged a marriage between Qin Wen Tian and Bai Qiu Xue (Tang Jing Mei) when the two were very young, the move would solidify the ties between the two families. Little do the elders of the Qin family know that the Bai family has set their sights on a much more advantageous match.

With Qin Wen Tian standing between them and a connection to the royal Ye family, the elders of the Bai family make plans to have Wen Tian assassinated. However, their plans go awry when Wen Tian escapes. Running for his life, Wen Tian seeks refuge with the Jiuhua Sect, a school dedicated to the study of martial arts. While planning his revenge, Wen Tian befriends his new master’s daughter, Mo Qing Cheng (Wang Zi Wen), and the crown prince, Yi Wu Wei (Jacky Heung), who was forced into hiding after his brother made a play for the crown.

Putting his own desire for revenge aside, Wen Tian agrees to help Wu Wei take back his rightful throne. Making their way to the Imperial City, the three friends set out to confront the usurper, Yi Tian Jiao (Liu Run Nan). But to take back the crown, they’ll have to confront more than a greedy prince. Will their strength and determination be enough to overthrow the plans of the dark-hearted villain backing Tian Jiao and undo the evil that has been wrought at his hands?

Adapted from Jing Wu Hen’s novel, “Ancient Godly Monarch”, “God of Lost Fantasy” is a 2020 action historical fantasy drama directed by Hu Chu Xi.

God of Lost Fantasy

Beijing Dinosaur Film Co., Ltd.

A student of Beijing Normal University, An Ran (Sandra Ma) was a pretty typical university student. She worked hard at her studies but she wasn’t opposed to taking a break to have a little fun; especially not when her favorite band was playing just across town. Desperate to see this once-in-a-lifetime show, An Ran fights her way through the crowd of overly excited fans mobbing the stadium, but without a ticket, she has no hope of getting in. At least not until a handsome stranger steps in and offers her a seat next to him. Without hesitation, An Ran accepts and in that moment her life changes forever.

A Taiwanese photographer with a studio in Beijing, Qi Xiao (Wallace Huo) couldn’t help but be drawn to the pretty girl he noticed trying to get into the concert. When she accepted the ticket he offered, his heart leapt and the time they spent together that evening would stay with him forever. That was in 1991. Today, things for An Ran and Qi Xiao are very different than what they imagined they would be, all those years ago.

A once-famous talk show host, An Ran, now a widow, lives in California with her estranged teenage daughter, Yu Xiaonian (Vicky Chen). When An Ran’s father becomes ill, Xiaonian returns to Beijing to care for him. While there, she discovers a collection of letters and photographs that tell the story of An Ran and Qi Xiao’s love; a love that was torn apart by family obligations, government restrictions, and the cruel interference of others. When these glimpses of the past combine with Xiaonian’s own memories she begins to see her mother in a whole new light. Will the truth of An Ran’s past be enough to heal the breach between them?

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Rao Xueman, “Somewhere Winter” is a 2019 romance film directed by Wang Weiming.

Somewhere Winter

❄️The Crossed Souls Team 🧩

A descendant of the royal tribe of Shen Mu, Mu Xing Chen (Li Hong Yi) has been studying and practicing his family’s traditional medical practices his entire life. A dedicated student, he has always lived up to his family’s expectations and now sits as next in line to the throne. But when Ye Yun Shang (Zhao Lu Si), a doctor from the human realm, enters the Shen Mu Tribe’s sacred lands by mistake, his whole world changes.

Determined to save Yun Shang from the trouble she now finds herself in, Xing Chen helps her escape his realm and return to her own. On the way, Xing Chen decides to follow Yun Shang back into the mortal realm, hoping that in doing so, he’ll be able to escape the political struggles that plague his day-to-day life.

Journeying with Yun Shang through the mortal world, Xing Chen finds himself in a land suffering from a mysterious and lethal plague. Joining hands with Yun Shang, the two put their medical prowess to the test as they search for a way to save humanity before it’s too late.

An exciting adventure through realms both old and new, “Prodigy Healer” is a 2019 fantasy romance drama directed by Hu Chu Xi.

Prodigy Healer

Prodigious Team

During the Song Dynasty, a mighty female general accomplishes the unthinkable for a woman of the era. When tragedy befalls her family, Ye Zhao (Sandra Ma) dresses like a man and takes the place of her father in the Chinese military and rises to the rank of general. 

When the Empress Dowager begins to worry about Ye Zhao gaining too much power, she decides to marry Ye Zhao off to Zhao Yu Jin (Peter Sheng), the prince of Nanping who is known for being incredibly handsome, lazy and pampered due to his weak health. 

Ye Zhao’s love transforms Yu Jin into a different man. But who will end up holding the ultimate power in the kingdom?

“Oh My General” is a 2017 Chinese web drama series directed by Wen Jie He. It is adapted from the novel General Above I Am Below by Ju Hua San Li.

Oh My General

Gone with the Shirt Team 

Beijing Ruyi Xinxin Film Investment

Who will she choose: the man who has always loved her, the man who hurts her, or the man who will do anything for her?

Shu Ya Wang (Lu Shan) has been lifelong friends with Tang Xiao Tian (Han Geng), and two fall in love. While in high school, Ya Wang’s family takes in Xia Mu (Kris Wu), a boy several years younger, who has been through a traumatic childhood. Although Ya Wang grows fond of Xia Mu like a younger brother, Xia Mu develops romantic feelings for her as he grows older.

After finishing college, Ya Wang and Xiao Tian become engaged, and Ya Wang goes to work for a landscape development company. When Ya Wang meets Qu Wei Ran (Joo Won), the CEO of another company that does business with Ya Wang’s company, he becomes interested in her to the point of making her uncomfortable. When Wei Ran drugs and assaults Ya Wang after a company event, will an angry Xia Mu throw his life away to protect her?

“Sweet Sixteen” is a 2016 Chinese-South Korean film directed by Jo Jin Kyu.

Shows

About

Discussion