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Li Yun Rui and Liu Xie Ning’s Sea of No Return kicks off filming – historical romance drama sounds epic

Michelle Topham March 6, 2026

Li Yun Rui at Sea of No Return booting ceremony

New Li Yun Rui drama features a stellar cast, director and screenwriter

Is it just me, or has Li Yun Rui been teaming up with some even more amazing cast members recently?

Take a look at the 29-year-old Chinese actor’s newest C-drama that just kicked off filming today.

Titled Sea of No Return (归良辰), it’s another big budget drama, and co-stars Liu Xie Ning (Perfect Match), Zhang Shi An (Blood River), Zhou Qi (The Vendetta of An), Bai Shu (Whispers of Fate), Xuan Lu (Rose and Gun), Ye Zu Xin (The Abyss) and Yin Xiao Tian (Shendu Fox Detective) among others.

Liu Xie Ning at C drama Sea of No Return booting ceremony

Add in, among a sea of epic C-dramas, I have a feeling this one will be gloriously magnificent as it is not only written by Ren Ya Nan, who created the phenomenal dramas Glory, The Double and Scent of Time, it’s also helmed by director Jin Xiong Hao, who did a fantastic job with 2024’s You Are My Secret.

From the synopsis, Sea of No Return also looks like it will give Li Yun Rui a chance to portray another multi-layered character — a kickass vassal prince who is ambitious but also driven by revenge.

A much louder role than his recent one as the massively popular Lin Yan/Cui Che in Yummy Yummy Yummy, and a role just as juicy as playing Song Mo/Yan Tang in Blossom. A fascinating character that allowed the Chinese actor to give the performance of his life.

So far at least. Although, I will add, Li Yun Rui, like a fine wine, is one of those actors who only gets better and better with age.

His pairing with Liu Xie Ning, who was superb as Shen Zhi Yi in Story of Kunning Palace, should also be phenomenal.

Li Yun Rui and Liu Xie Ning at Sea of No Return booting ceremony holding the usual red envelopes

Synopsis of Sea of No Return 

The plot of the upcoming C-drama, by the way, is intriguing as, in my humble opinion, nobody does revenge better than the Chinese:

In a world steeped in turmoil, Yuwen Liang Shi (played by Li Yun Rui), an ambitious prince weighed down by a bitter family vendetta, and Princess Murong Jun (Liu Xie Ning), a royal figure tasked with upholding her dynasty’s honor, find themselves on opposing sides of power and fate.

The emperor grows wary of Liang Shi’s rising influence, while the prince, fueled by resentment, quietly nurtures his own claim to the throne.

As conspiracies unfold and enemies close in, the two navigate a dangerous game of strategy and survival. Though both are driven by duty — his for vengeance, hers to defend Daye — their calculated moves gradually give way to an unexpected and undeniable connection.

Zhou Qi at Sea of No Return booting ceremony

Sea of No Return drops booting ceremony cast photos

As I would expect, the booting ceremony photos for the historical romance drama are more of the usual fare, but seeing the actors getting ready to put their heart and souls into a new project always makes me excited, doesn’t it you?

Let’s hope this one fulfills its potential.

Update, April 15th, 2026: If you are coming late to this article, don’t forget Li Yun Rui is currently starring in the action/historical romance drama Rebirth.

Some viewers are complaining about the performance of his co-star Huangyang Tian Tian in that one (I’m not one of them!), but Li is doing a brilliant job as Zhuge Yue.

About the Author

Michelle Topham

Michelle Topham

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British-American journalist currently residing in Vienna, Austria and obsessed beyond measure with C-dramas, a subject I have been writing about for more than two decades. How many C-dramas have I watched? Many many hundreds. How many are still in my backlog? Hundreds more.

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What is Michelle Topham?

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A blog dedicated to Chinese dramas founded by Michelle Topham -- a British-American journalist who spent almost two decades living in Asia, and wrote about Chinese series for most of that time. That's me!

Come on, if I'm this obsessed with C-dramas, you need to be as well.

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