When it comes to a good spy thriller, especially one set in China during the Republican days, in my mind we can’t have enough of them. Not if they’re well-written, nicely-acted and have a unique plot.
That’s why I am massively curious by the upcoming Tencent drama Abyss Dweller (潜渊), which has its premiere on June 9th, 2025, as its plot sounds truly intriguing.
Adding to that intrigue, we got two new posters today of Abyss Dweller stars Huang Xiao Ming and Karlina Zhang (aka Zhang Jia Ning).
The posters dropped via Tencent’s Weibo account, along with the mysterious message:
Lurking in the shadows for years, waiting for that fatal strike.
Only with both courage and wit can one break through the abyss and embrace the light.
Liang Shuo (Huang Xiao Ming) and Xie Nianci (Zhang Jia Ning) are about to ignite a mind-bending spy thriller.
Yep. Like I said, intriguing.
What is the Abyss Dweller plot?
That plot, by the way, is long and involved but, if you like a drama full of suspense, I am guessing this one will provide that in spades.
And yep, it is a bit spoiler-y, so if you like to be surprised right from the first few minutes of a new drama, read at your own risk:
In January 1940, Liang Shuo, an underground operative of Our Party (ie: the CCP), regains consciousness in a snowstorm deep in the mountains after suffering a head injury.
Due to his wounds, he has lost his memory and so travels to Shanghai following clues to uncover his identity, only to find himself hunted by Japanese forces—leading him to suspect he might be a member of the Military Statistics Bureau (军统).
Agents from the Wang puppet regime’s No. 76 Institute also track him down, claiming he was the head of their Operations Department.
At the same time, the Japanese-Wang collaborationist government is about to hold a “Peace and Co-Prosperity Conference,” during which a group of refugee laborers, imprisoned under strict Japanese surveillance, will be sent to the front lines after the event, and that means their lives are hanging by a thread.
Our Party devises the “Abyssal Infiltration” plan to rescue their compatriots during the conference. However, at this critical moment, “Qingshuang,” the underground operative assigned to execute the plan, goes missing.
Amidst the traps set by Japanese and puppet spies, Liang Shuo gradually regains his memories, and remembers his real identity.
The C-drama’s directors and writer are also likely to make sure Abyss Dweller is a gripping thriller.
They are Mao Wei Ning (director of The Power Source) and Wang Yi Wei (My Life as a Villain Character) who are co-directing, and Yuan Shuai who wrote the wonderful The Truth of Scent writing scripts.
Abyss Dweller premieres on June 9th. You can reserve it if you’re watching in Mandarin Chinese on Tencent Video, or look out for it internationally on Mango TV on YouTube.
Update: 9 very cool character posters for Abyss Dweller dropped today as Chinese drama premieres
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