I have been watching this Chinese drama lately and am absolutely hooked. This follows from having watched Sword Snow Stride, about which I might post later. The show is based on a novel of the same name, with two seasons out and a third one currently filming. It’s free to watch on YouTube (links below). It’s in Mandarin with English subtitles.
AI-generated overview — Joy of Life (Qing Yu Nian) follows Fan Xian, a man born in the Southern Qing dynasty with 21st-century memories, who navigates deadly political intrigue, uncovers the mystery of his mother’s murder by the Emperor, and seeks to live freely while using modern knowledge to influence a historical, feudal society.
Why do I recommend it?
On the surface, it looks like another wuxia-themed CDrama with powerful martial arts practitioners and grandmasters, but these are really just instruments within a highly rich and evolving story of struggle between the protagonist’s ideals and the antagonist’s. Once you get under the surface, a clear STO vs STS battle emerges, enmeshed in ideologies, physical battles, state conflicts, political dialogue, timing of events, and executions — all underpinned by the perceived necessity to maintain control above everything else.
There is a slow build-up, but it picks up quickly after the first 2–3 episodes and becomes increasingly intense and engrossing. The protagonist is a noble character, someone easy to look up to, and throughout his journey you’ll notice people gradually warming up to him, including his adversaries. He is very good at diffusing tense situations with witty dialogue, fully aware of the pitfalls of reacting in anger. He also tends to think a few steps ahead, keeping the consequences of his actions in mind. His mental and verbal battles with the aristocracy are particularly entertaining and engrossing.
The antagonist, revealed to be the Emperor a bit later in the show, is not your typical tyrant but a calm, highly intelligent ruler who believes deeply in order, stability, and control. He isn’t driven by rage or cruelty, but by long-term thinking and a belief that the empire must be tightly managed to avoid chaos. In many ways his actions make sense, at least in the short term, which is what makes him so compelling and unsettling. He sees people as part of a larger system, and anything that threatens balance — even well-intentioned ideals — becomes something that must be dealt with.
The acting is top-notch, and the story unfolds at the right pace as new characters are introduced. Chinese productions have really lifted their game in recent years in terms of storytelling and production quality. In my view, there’s very little in the Western sphere right now that matches this combination of long-form storytelling, character depth, and thematic ambition. Comparisons have been made to Game of Thrones, but I would consider Joy of Life to be much better.
I’m still on Season 1, although I know how the story unfolds and ends since the novel is well known. What’s already emerging, however, is that the show doesn’t offer easy answers to deeper, more esoteric questions. It doesn’t tell you who is “right” so much as it asks what kind of world you’re willing to live in. The protagonist is well-intentioned and has STO-centric ideals but finds himself navigating a heavily entrenched rule-based STS world and discovers that quick changes don't improve the human condition rather slow indirect actions do have a catalyst affect in bringing greater balance.
Give this one a go. If you liked Diriliş: Ertuğrul then you will find this to be twice as better if not more.
AI-generated overview — Joy of Life (Qing Yu Nian) follows Fan Xian, a man born in the Southern Qing dynasty with 21st-century memories, who navigates deadly political intrigue, uncovers the mystery of his mother’s murder by the Emperor, and seeks to live freely while using modern knowledge to influence a historical, feudal society.
Why do I recommend it?
On the surface, it looks like another wuxia-themed CDrama with powerful martial arts practitioners and grandmasters, but these are really just instruments within a highly rich and evolving story of struggle between the protagonist’s ideals and the antagonist’s. Once you get under the surface, a clear STO vs STS battle emerges, enmeshed in ideologies, physical battles, state conflicts, political dialogue, timing of events, and executions — all underpinned by the perceived necessity to maintain control above everything else.
There is a slow build-up, but it picks up quickly after the first 2–3 episodes and becomes increasingly intense and engrossing. The protagonist is a noble character, someone easy to look up to, and throughout his journey you’ll notice people gradually warming up to him, including his adversaries. He is very good at diffusing tense situations with witty dialogue, fully aware of the pitfalls of reacting in anger. He also tends to think a few steps ahead, keeping the consequences of his actions in mind. His mental and verbal battles with the aristocracy are particularly entertaining and engrossing.
The antagonist, revealed to be the Emperor a bit later in the show, is not your typical tyrant but a calm, highly intelligent ruler who believes deeply in order, stability, and control. He isn’t driven by rage or cruelty, but by long-term thinking and a belief that the empire must be tightly managed to avoid chaos. In many ways his actions make sense, at least in the short term, which is what makes him so compelling and unsettling. He sees people as part of a larger system, and anything that threatens balance — even well-intentioned ideals — becomes something that must be dealt with.
The acting is top-notch, and the story unfolds at the right pace as new characters are introduced. Chinese productions have really lifted their game in recent years in terms of storytelling and production quality. In my view, there’s very little in the Western sphere right now that matches this combination of long-form storytelling, character depth, and thematic ambition. Comparisons have been made to Game of Thrones, but I would consider Joy of Life to be much better.
I’m still on Season 1, although I know how the story unfolds and ends since the novel is well known. What’s already emerging, however, is that the show doesn’t offer easy answers to deeper, more esoteric questions. It doesn’t tell you who is “right” so much as it asks what kind of world you’re willing to live in. The protagonist is well-intentioned and has STO-centric ideals but finds himself navigating a heavily entrenched rule-based STS world and discovers that quick changes don't improve the human condition rather slow indirect actions do have a catalyst affect in bringing greater balance.
Give this one a go. If you liked Diriliş: Ertuğrul then you will find this to be twice as better if not more.
