I added anyone that came to mind but I could have missed some. Some are already big names while others are just starting out. The bottom line is that you will be seeing a lot of these ladies in the upcoming years.
Zhou Dongyu
She debuted in 2010 and has received a lot of critical acclaim. I would say she is better known as a movie star with a lot of popular movies while Sparrow is her best known TV work. She was also named as one of the Four Dan actresses of the post-90 generation.
Zheng Shuang
Zheng Shuang made her debut in 2009 with Meteor Shower, a remake Meteor Garden. The drama was a big success and she shot to fame. She is a busy TV actress, often releasing two to three dramas per year. She was also named as one of the Four Dan actresses of the post-90 generation.
Yang Zi
YangZi started her career as a child actress in 1999, but it was her role in Home with Kids (2005) that made her popular. She had a good transition into more grown up roles with Battle of Changsha and Ode to Joy, which were well received critically. Yangzi is another one of the Four Dan actresses of the post-90 generation.
Guan Xiaotong
A child actress since the age of four, Guan Xiaotong grew up in the entertainment business. She appeared in many dramas and movies throughout the years landing her first adult leading role with Novoland: Castle in the Sky in 2016. Due to her popularity Guan Xiatong is regarded as one of the Four Dan actress of the post-90 generation.
Lin Yun
Best known for her role in the movie, The Mermaid, which was also her acting debut. The movie was a great success and launched Lin Yun to fame. She has had supporting roles in other popular movies and will make her TV debut in 2018.
Dilireba
She made her acting debut in 2013, but rose to fame in 2014 with supporting roles in Sword of Legend and Diamond Lover. This led her to get some lead roles in TV dramas and movies. But she is perhaps best known for her role in Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms and the variety show, Keep Running.
Guli Nazha
Nazha made her acting debut with Xuan Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky in 2012 and rose to fame with that role. Since then she has taken various TV and movie roles. She is also known for being a cast member in Up Idol and Divas Hit the Road.
Li Qin
Li Qin debuted very young with The Dream of Red Mansions in 2008. She has had many supporting roles and some leading roles over the years. In 2017, she participated in Deer White Plain, which was critically acclaimed and for which Li Qin was praised for her acting. That same year she had a second lead role in Princess Agents, which was very popular. The future looks even better with three leading roles set to air in 2018 and a supporting role in Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace.
Wu Qian
Wu Qian debuted in 2014 in Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties, but she is best known for her role as the young Zhao Mosheng in My Sunshine. Over the years she has had some other known roles in Fighters of Destiny and My Amazing Boyfriend. This year looks promising with some leading roles set to air in 2018 and a supporting role in Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace.
Tang Songyun
She started her career as a child actress in 2005, but it wasn’t until 2011 when she obtained popularity with her supporting role in Empresses in the Palace. She had many supporting roles until her first leading role in 2016, With You, which was critically acclaimed. Last year, she had some breakthrough with youth dramas, Fox’s Summer and My Mr. Mermaid.
Sun Yi
Sun Yi debuted in 2015 with the film My Original Dream, which was critically acclaimed. She was casted in various supporting roles, but only gained widespread popularity with her drama Because of You (2017). In 2017, she married Dong Zijan and later in the year welcomed a baby girl.
Ju Jing Yi
An ex-member of SNH48, who rose to fame as a popular member of that group. She made her acting debut in Novoland: Castle in the Sky in 2016. She is having three dramas debut in 2018 playing the lead role.
Ouyang Na Na
NaNa was born in Taiwan to veteran actors. She is very musically talented and in 2012 became the youngest cellist to give a solo recital debut in National Concert Hall of Taiwan at twelve years old. She made her acting debut in Beijing Love Story in 2014 and has since released at least one movie per year.
Song Zu’er
A former child actress Song Zu’er debuted in 2005 when she was only seven years old. She became known with her role in the drama Prelude of Lotus Lantern in 2009. After that she took some time off acting until 2017 with youth drama Boyhood and variety show Divas Hit the Road. She has a lot upcoming dramas so you will be seeing a lot of her soon.
Li Yi Tong
She made her acting debut in 2016 with a lead role in Demon Girl. But she is perhaps best known for her role as Hang Rong in a remake of The Legend of the Condor Heroes that aired in 2017.
Huang Maggie
She made her acting debut in 2013 with A Clear Midsummer Night. But she became well known with her role of SuJin in Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms in 2017. After that she had several supporting roles playing the villain on hit dramas that aired in 2017.
Dai Si
Her first drama was actually Detective Dee, but it didn’t air until late 2017. She is best known for her role as the Demon Tribe’s princess in Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. She has some upcoming dramas in 2018 including a leading role.
Sabrina Chen Yao
Chen Yao made her debut with Wu Xin: The Monster Killer in 2015. This role gained her some recognition. She then played the main character in Legend of Nine Tails Fox. She has some upcoming dramas that are set to air in 2018.
Shen Yue
Shen Yue had her debut in 2017 with a supporting role in a drama called The Autumn Harvest Uprising. She rose to fame later that year with her leading role in A Love So Beautiful. She was also casted as the lead actress in the remake of Meteor Garden.
Hu Bing Qing
She debuted in 2013, but rose to fame with her main role in the very popular drama, The Whirlwind Girl. She had several roles in known dramas and has a lot upcoming dramas that are ready to air in 2018.
Xing Fair
In 2015, she participated in a Hunan variety show, Freshman, about university students learning how to act, sing, etc. In 2016, she filmed a movie, Nezha, opposite Leo Wu that has yet to air. She finally debuted with a supporting role in The Whirlwind Girl 2, but only became known after playing the lead character of the popular web drama Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me.
Zhang Xue Ying
She began her career in 2003 as a child actress in the drama, Yong Le Ying Xiong. Since then she has had supporting roles on shows such as The Romance of the Condor Heroes, Love Yunge from the Desert, Fifteen Years of Waiting for Migratory Birds, and both seasons of The Whirlwind Girl. Her first leading role was in a web drama When We Were Young (2017) and she has more upcoming dramas for 2018.
Liang Jie
She debuted in 2015 with a supporting role in the drama My name is Liu Chuanshuo. She had several supporting roles but only became known after her popular web drama, The Eternal Love where she played three different characters. Right now she is filming a sequel to that drama.
Edit: I already had to add someone I forgot. I don’t even know how I forgot about her.
Qiao Xin
She debuted in 2013 with Distance to Love, but is best known for her role in Ode to Joy. I think she will probably be able to add Nirvana in Fire 2 very soon. She has a main leading role coming up in 2018.
Thanks to Katy for reminding me of these ladies:
Zhang Huiwen
She debuted in 2014 with the movie Coming Home. She was highly praised for her performance in this movie. She is mainly a movie actress but she did have a supporting role in Nirvana in Fire 2.
Xu Lu
She debuted through The Dream of Red Mansions in 2010, but became well known with her role in Empresses in the Palace. She is also known for participating in the Chinese remake of We Got Married. Last year she played a supporting role in Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy.
Gina Jin
She debuted in 2011 with the drama Peacock Feather. But she is best known for her role in the web drama Wuxin: The Monster Killer. She also had supporting roles in some somewhat popular dramas.
Xu Jiao
Xu Jiao made her debut in the 2008 movie CJ7 playing a boy and won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best New Performer. This ceremony is Hong Kong’s equivalent to the Oscars. Since then she had many film roles and a drama role in Ice Fantasy.
Zhang Tianai
I usually associate her with older actresses so I was surprised that she was born in 1990. Thanks to Lilac for pointing it out.
She debuted in a short film with Kim SooHyun in 2009, but didn’t gain recognition until 2015 with the web drama Go Princess Go. She has appeared in several movies after that, but I would say that still is her most memorable roles. She has a lot of dramas awaiting release in 2018.
Cecilia Boey
Former JYP trainer that made her acting debut in 2016 with Topple Your Ex-Girlfriend. Right now she is probably best known for Where the Lost Ones Go, a drama that aired in Hunan TV last year but overall it wasn’t that popular. She is part of the ensemble cast of Mr.Right, which is currently airing.
Koala Chen
Debuted in 2016 with My Fair Lady, but is probably best known for the youth drama Attack it Lighting. That being said the drama was not that popular.
Zhu Xu Dan
Debuted in 2013 and had several supporting roles in dramas and movies until her best known drama Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms in 2017. She has some upcoming dramas this year such as The Negotiators with YangMi.
I got the idea for this post from this article but I ended up adding more girls and doing a more general review. Let me know if I missed anyone. ^^ I am not taking any more requests, let’s leave it like this if more ladies start having hits we can do a new feature.
P.S. I think I am having a problem with some pictures so if you can’t see them please let me know.
Cnewsdevotee 
I love this list… . and the comments here. but the comments system for this blog is really not working out especially when some replies are long and commenters respond to each other and their responses start forming really complicated sub-threads.. It gets really hard to read especially when there’s only 1 word per line because of the formatting. Just a suggestion to the admins, could you try another commenting theme or system?
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I know 😦 I have trouble with comments too. It is the current web design that made comments like this. Maybe we should think about updating the blog. I will take it up with the other admins since I also struggle with comments.
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That’s great! Hope it all works out smoothly in the future. It’s probably the wordpress theme that’s the problem. A pity because this is an awesome c-ent blog.
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Zhou Dongyu: I know everyone loves her but she really hasn’t impressed me in any of the movies/dramas I’ve seen her in (Palace, Sparrow, Ten Miles etc).
Zheng Shuang: not fond of her acting or onscreen persona so that’s all.
Yang Zi: I’d love to see her in a role similar to Hu Xiang Xiang in Battle of Changsha again – the character development in that drama was A+++. She needs to do less of the ditzy type roles she’s kinda typecasted in now.
Dilireba: liked her in Pretty Li Hui Zhen, and great to see her being popular now, just hope she keeps working on her acting.
Gulinazha: actually liked her debut role. After that she hasn’t impressed me much but let’s see how she goes in her dramas this year.
Li Qin: she was pretty good in the parts of Deer White Plain that I did watch. Definitely not a character that most of the 90s actresses would be able to portray.
Wu Qian: one of my favourites (obviously haha) since she’s quite lowkey (everyone follow her on instagram!) and a decent actress who just needs meatier roles & better dramas.
Chen Yao: she was cool in Wuxin but don’t remember seeing her in any dramas recently.
Xing Fei: quite liked her in Freshman. Would be great to see her as a quirky character in a ancient drama.
Liang Jie: she was awkward in Eternal Love.
Qiao Xin: I don’t think she’s a very charismatic actress though I liked her as Guan Guan in Ode To Joy. Hopefully we’ll get to see improvements in her new drama(s) this year.
Xu Lu: really likeable onscreen, another actress that I’d like to see take on meatier roles.
Gina Jin: pretty versatile and just needs a hit drama.
Cecilia Boey: didn’t like her in Freshman but I did check out a few eps of Where the Lost One Go and she was much better than expected.
Zhu Xu Dan: she was good in Hua Xin Shi.
Zhang Tian Ai: hooray she’ll be back in dramaland this year!
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I agree so much with YangZi, she is really typecasted now. All her latest dramas are ditzy roles and rumor for her next drama is the same :(( she can do better
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Dont forget about Zhu Xu Dan (Xuan Nu in TWTLTMOPB). I love all Yang Mi’s kids ❤️ They really know how to cast versatile actresses & actors ❤️
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thanks! She didn’t stand out for me so I forgot her. I will add her with the latest batch when I get some free time.
I just hope she gets a bit more professional in the future. I remember she had to do a kiss scene and they were pretending with camera angles but she was complaining about how the actor was too close to her.
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I am surprised at myself! Out of the 29 names, I have only not watched 4 in dramas/movies (Lin Yun, Song Zu Er, Liang Jie and Xu Jiao)! :
I would say that my favs for this age-group would be Sun Yi and Gina Jin as they are eminently watchable and versatile. while both Sun Yi’s roles in 10 Years and Because of You were Mary Sues, they were quite different in nature and interpretation (cough,cough Tang Yan/Yang Mi/Liu Shi Shi). Same goes for Gina Jin who was adorably peasant in Wuxin, annoyingly petty/biatchy in the The Imperial Doctress and super kick-ass in Mu Ye Gu Shi. They also dont give off the frail vibe even when they are meant to be weak in body and somehow still have feminine grit.
For cute, sassy roles – my fav is Wu Qian. She really nails it (bubbly, refreshing without being annoying) but have yet to see her in anything different to test her range. The more adult version of her would be Tan Song Yun whom I also adore (after Fox Fall In Love) as she balances cute with snazzy realism and looking forward to her other roles – I started My Mr Mermaid but her role was too vanilla and Dylan Xiong freaked me out a little!
On my to-watch list is also Sebrina Chen Yao, Hu Bing Qing and Guan Xiao Tong. Sebrina Chen Yao was deliciously cuckoo in Wuxin , HBQ sufficiently strong demure female in Legend of Qin and GXT embodying spunky youth in Novoland and the bits of Xuan Yuan Sword that I saw. While I enoyed DIlireba in Pretty Li Hui Zhen, it was clear to me after watching a few episodes of The King’s Woman that she needs way, way more time to practise her craft – didnt watch her in Diamond Lover where she apparently did very well so cant comment if that was just her being herself or actually acting!
I am also excited to watch more of Li Qin as after Princess Agent, she seems to have broken out of her wronged-but-positive Mary Sue roles and has toned down her standoffish acting a little. Same goes for Gulinazha (whom I know gets a lot of flack for having deadfish eyes) but she did lively quite well in Legend Nine Tails Fox although clearly she doesnt yet have the acting chops to deliver cold/inward without being stiff (similar to Yang Zi in Chusen) but still, in my books, infinitely better than Zheng Shuang. She and Ouyang Nana tops my list of do-not-watch after the bits I saw of please-give-me-hour-of-my-life-back The Cage of Love/Chronicle of Life (ZS) and Yes!Mr Fashion(OYNN).
I have also yet to be blown away ZDY because only having watched Ten Miles/Love&Life&Lie where she was lead, she comes off uncomfortable and on the verge of either a Meryl Streep monologue or crazed Bridget Jones.
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ZDY does better in movies imo. Dilireba does need more practice. GXT gets hate for her acting but I don’t think she is bad. She does feel like an idol but she is not awkward like some other girls in this list. At least I can watch her dramas.
Best one here is SunYi, she is a really good actress. She makes her characters feel very real.
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I forgot to say great article @fireflymaoh can’t be easy compiling so many pics and write ups! Also, two more for you – Zhu Xu Dan and Koala Chen !
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Yes, another thank you for your generous compilation.
I enjoy Gina Jin & Sun Yi most out of this list. I like Chen Yao in Wuxin, but haven’t been impressed by her non-Wuxin roles. I liked Tang Songyun in Tornado Girl & With You. But I was bored by her other roles and I couldn’t watch Jiang Chao or Fox Summer. Mao Xiaotong and Xu Lu have a similar effect on me. Not bad, but I’m just a very mild fan. Hu Bingqing, Dilraba’s acting does not speak to me. They are often in fluff idol genre. I only like a couple of those and typically not any of Yang Mi’s productions. I think they could be more spirited in their roles. I suspect “I like Shen Yue that much” if I start watching Shen Yue dramas. I enjoyed GL Nazha once in Green Hills only. I cannot yet watch Ju Jingyi. OY NN, Liang Jie, GXT. “GXT either hits things too high or too low for me”. Hard to explain in a few words. I’m undecided on Li Yitong. I wasn’t crazy about Yu Mama’s Demon Girl. I didn’t like Xu Jiao’s acting in Midnight Diner.
I’m intrigued by some newer actresses not on this list: Zhou Yutong (showed improvement in Cambrian Period), Li Landi (Huckleberry Friends), Eleanor Li (The Big Boss, Tribes & Empire). I like Yang Zi best when she’s being playful or silly (Dragon Pearl, Ode To Joy when she’s overdosed on caffeine). An Yuexi is very lively and funny in Let’s Shake it ET. I like Wu Qian but haven’t liked her dramas. I’m about the same with Zhou Dong Yu and Li Qin’s dramas. Hope they will be in dramas that I can watch.
Waiting to see Song Zu Er and a few others.
I’m hoping Qiao Xin can improve her acting. I find her ok for now. I haven’t seen enough Zhang Huiwen yet.
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I agree a lot. I adore An Yuexi, she is a 89 line but she will probably get grouped this these girls. I havent really seen one of her dramas. I have just seen her in supporting roles but I like my impression of her. Same goes to Wu Qian.
Sadly I drop a lot of dramas so some of these girls I saw for like a few episodes and then dropped. Can’t say I have finished a drama where they play lead except for GXT (and I confess it was all about Zhang Ruo Yun), YangZi, SunYi, Liang Jie, and Zhang Tianai.
I like YangZi and like you I think she is really good at silly roles but I am really afraid she is getting typecasted and I think she really has potential. So I am a bit upset with her latest picks bc she keeps picking characters that are kind of silly 😦 It is a conundrum. I am happy that she keeps getting casted for all these stories I have read, but then I realize they are all kind of a ditzy type of character and I am upset she is being typecast into these roles as much as they suit her.
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Thanks! Not easy but I wanted to do it since we will be seeing these ladies and I don’t really know most of them. Once I get some time I will do the latest ones. 😛
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We do agree a lot. That’s always nice to see. Partly because it’s so rare. lol. The new young actress in Mystic Tientsin piqued my interest too though her acting is a tad awkward in spots. But her acting is about on par with her co-star Li Xian (Dr Qin’s young cop). It looks like she has serious dancing training. Whenever she lifts her leg high in action scenes, it looks rather impressive. Her role is not the usual can-do-it-all Mary Sue type.
I’m guessing Yang Zi’s personality may not be best suited for enhancing her insights or optimizing strategies to advance her career. Another reason may be other actresses don’t do the ditzy roles as well as she does whenever they do try-outs.
I’m happier with the variety of these young actresses available today. Around the Chinese Paladin years, many high profile dramas were dominated by Yang Mi, Tang Yan, Liu Shishi, Ady An. Then Hawick Lau, Zheng Shuang, Angelababy also dominate a large number of dramas. Plus Ruby Lin and Yu Mama dramas. Since I wasn’t their big fan, it was not easy to find many watchable dramas.
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yes def more variety.
I read a YangZi interview a while back and I don’t think she particularly likes playing these roles. I think maybe that is all they are offering her or her agents think that these are her best chances of reaching the next level since she can do roles with rising male leads, etc. She seems to really dislike her Ode to Joy character and I was like yes YangZi bc I also find her character annoying. It only made me like her even more bc to play certain character traits that you don’t like and find annoying, it takes skill. That being said as much as she is able to get lead roles with rising male leads, she should give up on her ditzy roles. Her next drama is rumored to be the drama version of Honey Stewed Squid and the main lead is ditzy. Someone please her a different role, she can do it.
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So interesting to read. Thank you. It’s good that Yang Zi is bold to speak out that she hates that Qiu Ying Ying character. QYY drove a lot of viewers crazy whenever QYY falls in love. C dramas seem to be trending to having more docile female leads, so they seem to have higher number of ditzy roles the last few years. There are fewer non-ditzy female roles now. With the financial successes of Li Huizhen, Diamond Lover, My Wonderful Boyfriend (Wu Qian), ISWAK remake, The Big Boss. There are fewer intelligent female lead characters. Especially in the younger age group. Princess Weiyoung and Shen Zhenzhu of Glory of Tang are not exactly female geniuses too. Even in period dramas, female roles are not that interesting.
Qin Jun Jie is luckier in that he got offered the emperor role in Dragon Pearl Legend. That role is more different than his previous ones. I haven’t watched a Zhang Yi Shan drama but he seems to get offered more diverse roles as well. I hear ZYS and YZ are BFF-like. Male roles are more diverse than female ones generally.
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yes after talking about this with you I started thinking about how little variety there was for female roles. You are either a smart badass or you are a ditzy person. And if you are smart you have to naturally be cold in nature. It is really hard to find characters deviating from these two types.
Even for guys you have the cold unfeeling teacher or young master that actually cares a lot. And occasional the silly male character. But yes overall they have way more variety than women. It is really sad to see because there are so many different types of girls out there and we are kind of stuck within these two boundaries. Why can’t we have someone who is really smart and really caring? Why do they make successful career women into the cold type? Or house wives into gold diggers? I feel like like they don’t account for variability in personalities when they create these characters. That is why some female characters that were a bit different than the usual stand out for me.
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For modern dramas, if you favor the more successful leading ladies, you have to check out medical, legal, crime dramas. Youth school dramas can be neutral to good. And period dramas like Nirvana2, Advisors’ Alliance sometimes have good female roles.
Fluffy rom-coms with kind-hearted, docile leading ladies meet handsome rich lads who can solve all life problems are dominating and filling the rest of the industry. As if men’s position in the world and world order will be threatened if competent women lead a happy or normal domestic life in dramas. So they feel safer putting stronger female roles in ancient timelines. Or in wuxia, mythical xianxia, C mythology context like Hua Qiangu, TLTW. lol. Women can excel in those mythical realms, but not as appreciated in the modern world.
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I don’t think it is men not knowing how to write women since like 80% of these stories are written by women. I just think that just like tropes everyone just feels like they should use those models for female characters.
There are some good roles out there but just not the majority.
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I’m not blaming men at all. It’s the messages that dramas that seem to push that make things illogical and unnatural.
In modern rom-coms, in OTPs, often the males do disproportionately more career advancement and problem solving than female leads. One of the reasons why male roles are more interesting. Men are (future) strong industry leaders in many dramas and rarely have serious flaws except for initial cold exterior, like you said. Love Me if You Dare, When Snail falls in love, Dr Qin. Hua Qian Gu is not too far off. Ode To Joy’s Liu Tao is successful, but the guys she dated are even more successful.
C Dramas seem to like to suggest subtly (or not so subtly) that men are valued for their competence, wealth or power (and sometimes good looks.) Women are more valued for their beauty and cuteness. It’s important they are cute, adorable, endearing under guidance of the spectacular shifu or supervisors. The females are often the apprentices, or a junior member in the office (The Interpreters is an example for the latter). Or a younger female classmate (Love 020), or female classmates who are not so good with academic stuff (some of the school dramas). Female leads personality is also often leaning on the sassy side, which can be slightly more annoying or a bigger flaw than male’s cold exterior. Often the lead guy is actually caring and attentive, it just didn’t show at first glance.
You rarely see modern dramas with strong or very intelligent female characters with a happy love life or marriage. Only in a few cases like Love 020. Even then, Yang Yang’s character is still superior to Zheng Shuang’s. YY sets up his own firm despite backstabbing etc. And YY is ZS’ senpai. Male lead’s cliques and buddies also tends to be more superior in dramas. Leading male’s cliques tend to be formidable industry competitors or industry stalwarts. (Like Zhang Binbin in Love020. A topnotch hacker.) Or wuxia experts (Wallace Huo’s fellow colleagues in Hua Qian Gu). Or major political figures (Advisors’ Alliance, Nirvana). While female leads’ screen time can be more bogged down by backstabbing annoying petty young ladies, petty maids/servants/classmates (schoolmates in Hua Qian Gu, maids in Princess Agents) , or bullied by overbearing older relatives or older acquaintances (Pretty Li Hui Zhen, Interpreters), love rivals (Princess Agent and many palace dramas). These things make me feel like drama producers/writers have a very fixed pecking order that they favor. They feel the need to put men high up on the highest pedestal. Women can be good at times. But still cannot be at the very top, unless they are Empress Wu or some Fan Bingbing roles. Even then, in many Sun Li palace roles, they often still have a male Emperor, who is at the peak. Female regents are not as well documented in C history as male emperors.
Whereas in real-life, is FBB and Li Chen pairing really so scary, forbidden or threatening? Arguably, LC’s fame and worth may not quite be as flashy as FBB’s. FBB may have been nominated or won more international acting awards etc. The world did not end when FBB and LC started dating.
There’s just certain drama logic that I really don’t get. I wasn’t blaming men or male authors. I was just stating a few of my observations in an unclear fashion.
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yeah, I do think that overall men always get much more interesting roles. You will never see the female lead being smarter than the guy. At the very least they are equals. While a lot of female leads are portrayed as not that smart but they have good heart. It is so frustrating. I think these writers are capable of writing more realistic relationships and characters. After a few dramas with the same dynamic it is frustrating.
As for the backstabbing, I find it so annoying. A lot of times you have the backstabbing friend or sister. And yes they are usually girls just betraying each other. While this happens sometimes, it is used to much to move plots along. It is like a catfight in slow motion.
I also find some female leads frustrating when they are portrayed as smart and cold. I would also like to see less cold smart male leads, even if I do tend to like this type. I just find it annoying that smart characters are always a bit more emotionless like they are constantly designed that way. You can have both.
Also, please less harems and reverse harems on dramas. Each guy either has three to four girls fighting over him or the girl has four guys that love and help her. This rate is just so unrealistic within one story. Just give them two tops and I would actually enjoy no love triangles.
I think writers should write down all the major used tropes and forbid themselves from using more than three. Then we will get an interesting story.
We have a lot of pent up frustration with these writers lol They should listen to us we are given sound advice here. 😛
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I had some typos above. I didn’t mean Li Chen’s “worth”. I meant “net worth”, as published by relevant groups, whoever they are. I didn’t do any fact-checking. It’s just based on a rough guess. Other typos are less prone to misunderstanding…. I hope.
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I agree completely with all your points. Harem issues: I didn’t even bother watching Return The World, Nothing Gold Can Stay after hearing several viewers said there were so many Gary Stus falling for the lead Mary Sue. Despite the lead actresses being charming.
I also agree on minimizing love triangles and other cliches. They like making intelligent women cold and flawed in various ways bc they want to leave room to make the leading men to be the better half of the OTP, which is their C-drama gold standard. So female leads have to be more problematic. If the females are intelligent, then they have to have bigger character flaws to maintain the male superiority in the OTP. That’s the fastest way for writers to have the male leads ahead of the female leads. Writers already have too many poor lead girls, so the next generation of lead girls are smart but cold.
When the drama is about true love, and the story tells it well, you don’t need all the extraneous male and female admirers to get jealous, go bananas and backstab. I think writers just add multiple love rivals to increase the episode count to about 50, so they can get compensated more handsomely. lol.
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I agree ;;;; they need to listen to us
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Just want to thank you again for such a satisfying C-drama discussion. I rarely share so many things in common another C-drama fan. Down to the less smart girl who has a very kind heart. I don’t like that either. I hope you’ll find good dramas to watch among the February offerings. If I get lucky, I hope to see you write about dramas that don’t have these same old cliches. I haven’t had the time to watch dramas the last few weeks. It took me so many days just to say thank you again. For the generous use of your time to write up these posts.
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Thank you for ranting with me 😉
I vented all my current frustrations with writers. I think a lot of us feel that way but it is kind of hopeless since we don’t really have an influence. I do wonder if some writers don’t realize how they are limiting their characters.
As for upcoming dramas nothing that is really interesting for me. I think SARFT affected a lot of upcoming dramas.
If you want a drama with characters that are very real, check out Battle of Changsha. It is one of the reasons that I feel frustrated that YangZi got stuck with ditzy roles. The drama is all about character development and no one is perfect, everyone has weaknesses and strengths. It doesn’t look enjoyable due to the whole war stuff but it is very good. It also has a bit of a love story.
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I couldn’t agree more lol
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Really enjoyed Where the Lost Ones Go, but A Love So Beautiful got all the attention during that time, this one is so underrated. You can add Cecelia Boey to the list too.
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I agree. Cecelia was very good. It was so disappointing Where the Lost Ones Go was so underrated.
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Really anticipating further break outs of Reba, Li Qin & Xu Lu. Love the 3 of them, hope they’ll take on more challenging & mature roles, don’t want to see them typecasted.
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Oh yeah is Zhang Tianai considered a 88-er or a 90-er?
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I guess I should add her to the list, I thought she was older. She doesn’t get associated with the post-90 generation for some reason. She is usually grouped with the 85-89 group.
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There are two different birth dates associated to her. Don’t know which one is the real one, but honestly, she looks more like a 88-er.
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ohh that kind of makes sense
I am going to go with the one on her baidu baike page. Thanks!
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This is a great article. Thanks!
I know Guan Xiaotong is popular but has she actually had any hit dramas as an adult leading actress. She is a lot younger but looking at the work from the other Four Dan actresses she is not comparable. She is everywhere and constantly being hyped up but her work doesn’t reflect the amount of attention she gets at all.
Tang Songyun is so cute. I remember she caught my eye when I watched the Whirlwind Girl and she was playing the best friend and now she is getting lead roles left and right.
Speaking of The Whirlwind Girl I wondered what happened to Hu Bing Qing. There was a lot of hype as it was such a big success but then everyone else seemed to benefit from it more than her. I don’t even need to talk about how big Yang Yang is now!; Bai Jing Ting had a big hit and stole the show in Rush to the Dead Summer; Tang Song Yun is in leading lots of successful dramas; Leo Wu is super successful; Chen Xiang seems to be super popular
Dilireba’s rise has been astronomical in such a short time especially when you consider the prejudice some still have towards Uyghurs. Yang Mi did an amazing job promoting and nurturing her career.
Sun Yi had so much potential and heat especially after Because of You was an unexpected hit but she didn’t strike whilst the iron was hot because she got knocked up and a shotgun marriage Deng Lun is everywhere after Because of You but she has no new projects except her two delayed projects with Elvis Han and Wallace Chung and they are both controversial. I wonder if her career will recover.
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Glad you liked it!
Guan Xiaotong’s first leading role was popular for its genre. I actually really enjoyed it and I remember it was popular enough that right before it aired its last episode the director said they were ready to film another season, etc. He was really excited but since then both leads have gotten more popular so I doubt it can happen with the same cast. I digressed. Anyways, she does have a lot of roles both in films and tv shows. She has won prestigious awards for some of her work, sometimes a bit questionable imo. I think maybe she just lacks in amount of dramas where she is the main lead, but she has three dramas coming out this year and had two last year. Last year, her dramas didn’t really do well.
Hu Bing Qing has been making dramas, she just got unlucky that none of them have aired. TV stations sometimes shelved dramas for a long time while other dramas have issues getting approved by SARFT. It kind of killed her momentum.
Dilireba’s company promoted her like crazy. I think she got really lucky with some stuff but I think it was mainly due to the company. They have a good strategy to put their artists as supporting actors in YangMi’s dramas expecting a hit and getting them recognition.
SunYi doesn’t seem to really care about being a celebrity. She seems very aloof and more like the type of person that does acting because she likes it over trying to become a celebrity. I just see her as more of an actress than a celebrity. Actually, I think she and her husband really love each other and it seems like they are really happy together. Her husband is a movie actor so she can probably take her time to come back. She is good so I am sure when she does she will do well kind of like Liu Tao.
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Thanks for responding @fireflymaoh!
I guess 2018 will be more decisive about GXT’s star power.
I feel sorry for Hu Bing Qing and so many of her drams being delayed. I think that’s one of the risks of the C-Drama industry that the restrictions can leave dramas in limbo for so long which can really screw over the poor cast and crew..
I agree Sun Yi is talented. I became a fan because I was impressed with her work in “15 years of migratory birds” and “Because of meeting you” but I just mean with how the entertainment industry works, unfortunately young woman are easily replaced. It will be interesting to see if she can regain her place as her career was developing so well. I’m not doubting she loves her husband but it was obviously an oops pregnancy and marriage. I don’t think it’s accurate to compare her to Liu Tao who was older and much more established in the industry when she got married and subsequently had children.
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yeah but I meant it from the aspect that they are both good actresses. I feel that is such a rare talent in this industry that even if she is not clearly established she can make a comeback a few years down the road. And she still has some dramas that have yet to air.
Picking the right projects is everything. A lot of celebrities take gambles and sometimes they dont work.
Yep 2018 will be important for GXT, but I feel like Hunan would still buy her dramas even if they don’t do that well.
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So many new faces! It’s amazing how quickly Reba got known. But her role in diamond lover was very likeable. Love how some of actresses in the recent popular dramas r here (Da Si and Li Qin). They defintely score more roles in the future.
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Yep, those two were some of my favorites from last year. I remember I liked DaSi so much in TMOPB and I didn’t even know her name. She is sooo pretty. Her company knows how to promote people and I think she will be their next big thing. Huang Maggie is a really good actress imo, but she is calmer and she really doesn’t like the spotlight so I don’t think she can be pushed as the next it girl like they are doing to Dilireba.
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Yang mi and her team have an excellent eye. Her agency is full of winners.
DaSi is my girl crush. So pretty! *heart eyes*
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I think most of them are not really under her management, just the agency. But they like using YangMi’s name to promote them.
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Dilreba got really lucky since YM studio is promoting her. I recalled her in many supporting dramas. Yes, she would have become popular, but not at the rate she is at now.
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yeah, I agree.
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Omg. How can I forget about Huang Maggie. She was so good in TMOPB that I really disliked her character! hahaha But yea. I see her in more supporting roles than leads.
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There’s also Zhang Huiwen, Xu Lu, Gina Jin and Xu Jiao. Competition is intense for this age group, lol.
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I will add them if I get time today if not tomorrow. Thanks!
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There’s something about Shen Yue’s look that I just love, she looks very natural and fresh.
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I’ve watched dramas/movies with most of these actresses except 4. ;o
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I havent seen like 6 but I have seen their names going around. They all have a lot of dramas coming up. ^^
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I love this article. I definitely support you guys in continuing to do things like these because it really exposes more actors/actresses to more people. Keep up the great work!
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I would say Zhou Dongyu became known from Under the Hawthorne Tree. Li Yi Tong from SNH48 is different from that Li Yi Tong actress
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Thanks on Li Yi Tong, I don’t follow either so I just assumed they were the same person. I just didn’t go into details with Zhou Dongyu, to me she is just known for being a good movie actress.
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ZDY is more known as a movie actress. I find her TV career lackluster.
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Same. She’s definitely in more movies than dramas.
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