With the start of a new year, China has released many anticipated dramas for their viewers to enjoy. But what are they thinking? There are 24 hours a day - we can't spend that entire 24 hours binge-watching Chinese dramas.

So my plan? To watch the first two episodes of each drama and see which one I am most interested in.

My prediction: General and I > Pretty Li Hui Zhen > Love & Life & Lie > Guardian of Beauty

I personally like to watch historical dramas more so I placed General and I number one. I like all of the four main leads in Pretty Li Hui Zhen so I placed that second.

***Credit: Most of the summaries are from Soompi Forum

1. General and I

The first two episodes were sufficient to pique interest but insufficient to keep me watching especially with 62 episodes! I am definitely going to come back to this but the plot hasn't picked up yet so I will wait until more events happen.

It was more of an introduction so I will wait until Episode 10 is out and see where the drama is leading us.

Synopsis:


Bai Ping Ting had never believed in the saying that “ladies without a talent is a virtue.” She is Xiao Jing An Wang’s maid, yet lives with more dignity than the usual ladies, what she relies on is not beauty, but instead is her head that is more wise and intelligent than that of a man’s. She does not need others to sympathize on her average appearance. What she wants is another soul of the same level as her, whom she can compete with. So, even if that man is the general of the rival country, even if there exist deceits and schemes between them, she is still unable to not be tempted by this man. If between love and loyalty, there is only one choice, she can only hope, Chu Bei Jie’s love, is not as deep as she expects…

Cast:

Wallace Chung as Chu Beijie
Angelababy as Bai Pingting
Sun Yi Zhou as He Xia
Gan Ting Ting as


2. Pretty Li Hui Zhen



Perhaps it's a new year so I want to start it off with something fun and light. I love all of the four main actors as well as their characters. There is no crazy third-party or difficult parents.

Adapted from the Korean drama She Was Pretty, the story follows the adaptation very closely --- even closer than the historical dramas (Princess Wei Yang and General and I) and the novels they are adapted from.

Synopsis:

Li Hui Zhen was a pretty child when she was young. But because of a family incident, she lives a stressful life and loses her looks as well. Her childhood friend Bai Hao Yu emails her to reconnect with her again. Expecting him to be the obese Bai Hao Yu she knew since they were kids, she realized he has transformed into a handsome prince charming. She believes he will be disappointed after realizing that she has become like this so she asked her friend Xia Qiao to be her in order to create a perfect closure to their childhood memories. She enters fashion magazine Immortal and befriends Lin Yi Mu. But unfortunately, Bai Hao Yu is actually the new editor-in-chief for the magazine, causing more headache for Li Hui Zhen.

Cast:

Dilireba as Li Hui Zhen
Peter Sheng as Bai Hao Yu'
Sierra/Nikki Li as Xia Qiao
Vin Zhang as Lin Yi Mui


3. Love & Life & Lie



A very cliche idol drama yet very entertaining. I didn't expect much but the usual slapping faces, the other woman using every method to separate the main leads, the swapped-at-birth story, etc. This drama is sprinkled with a little something from the past modern dramas I've seen.

Swapped at birth - Shining Days
Impoverished female lead attracts the male lead's attention because she is "different" - Lots of dramas
The female lead (of course) works in the male lead's company

But all in all, still very watchable to my surprise. I really hate Ye Qing's Ji Zhi Zhen but I think it's because she doesn't always get what she wants - her brother, her fiance, and even her father side with Xin Tong. The character I hate more than Zhi Zhen would be Xin Tong's mother - selfish and unreasonable.

Synopsis:

An accident changes her life forever. Liu Xin Tong (Zhou Dong Yu) is an optimistic girl who comes from an impoverished family. But when an accident occurs, Xin Tong and her mother are forced to move into the home of the wealthy businessman Ji Bai Jun. There, Xin Tong lives with the two Ji kids, the spoiled Zhi Zhen (Ye Qing) and the sweet, adopted Zhen Yu (Jia Jing Hui), and also meets their friend, Li Yao Nan (Chen Xiao). When both Xin Tong and Zhi Zhen fall in love with Yao Nan, can Xin Tong overcome all of the obstacles to be with her one true love? It is adapted from the novel “Glass Slippers” by Zheng Yuan.

Cast:

Zhou Dong Yu as Liu Xin Tong
Chen Xiao as Li Yao Nan
Ye Qing as Ji Zhi Zhen
Marc Jia as Ji Zhen Yu


4. Guardian of Beauty



I've watched only one episode with my mom and I thought it wasn't bad at all. The cast is very unappealing but the characters and the storyline give the drama some entertainment value. Lin Jia Yi is like Love & Life & Lie's Ji Zhi Zhen except she has no one on her side because her mother has passed away.

The second leads were in Sammul Chan and Shu Chang's Beauty at Crossfire starring as the villains so I'm interested to see them in the "good-guy" roles.

Synopsis:

Lin Jia Yi has been spoiled by her father since she was young. Unfortunately, her father decided to remarry and marries Zhu Qi Qi's mother. Lin Jia Yi couldn't accept the fact and continues to wreak havoc in the household. She is eventually kicked out by her father to learn how to make a living using her own hands. She lives with Chen Xi who is a delivery driver and from him understands to value her family and friends. Huang Zai Yuan was Lin Jia Yi boyfriend from the start but he eventually gets with Zhu Qi Qi since he thought he didn't like Lin Jia Yi.

Cast:

Jacqueline Lu as Lin Jia Yi
Zhang Yi as Chen Xi
Wu Jin Yan as Zhu Qi Qi
Kelvin Li as Huang Zai Yuan

Final Verdict: Love & Life & Lie > Pretty Li Hui Zhen > Guardian of Beauty > General and I