The Chinese epic historical drama Swords into Ploughshares premiered on January 23rd and has just exceeded 23,000 on the Tencent Video heat index.
The latest achievement was announced by Tencent this morning with a gorgeously vibrant poster featuring leads Bai Yu, Zhou Yu Tong, Zhu Ya Wen and Yu Hao Ming against a background with the lettering 23,000.
A poster, I will point out, that makes the drama look far more light-hearted than it is. (Believe me, it’s not at all).
And no, it’s not surprising, to me at least, that Swords into Ploughshares has already passed 23,000, or that it will likely hit the magic 28,000 at least before its done.
After all, everyone I talk to who watches Chinese dramas has been excited about this one as it covers a very complicated and extremely violent part of Chinese history, and it is one of the first C-drama in a few years to drop with a full 50 episodes.
Yep, Chinese authorities have finally dropped their ban on longer dramas and so, along with this one, we can probably also expect more to drop soon.
International C-drama viewers’ reactions to Swords into Ploughshares so far
Overall, the reaction from non-Chinese viewers on various platforms for the first few episodes has been extremely positive.
While most are admitting they have no idea what’s going on, a few episodes in and many viewers are complimenting the cinematography (it’s stunning), the performances (superb) and the OST (gorgeous opening theme song).
For me, unfortunately, Swords into Ploughshares was an immediate “put on hold” after Episode 1. Not because it isn’t beautifully filmed, acted and produced, as, yes, it is all of those, but because the writing is far too confusing for the limited amount of time I currently have available.
Hundreds of characters with similar sounding names are introduced in just the first 45 minutes, intricate details of palace intrigue/military intrigue/potential overthrowing of a King (I think?) all occur within the first half an hour, but little of it is connected to each event.
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Hence, a 45-minute episode took me over an hour and a half to finish as I had to keep rewinding to clarify what was happening, and I am still not sure (?)
48 episodes of that, and I will be here until next Christmas.
For people with a grounding in Chinese history, for those who are Chinese, or for C-drama fans with enormous amounts of free time, Swords into Ploughshares will likely be a stunning experience.
Unfortunately, I don’t fall into any of those categories so, for me, it has sadly turned out to be a put on hold until I have more time to really study what’s going on.
Swords into Ploughshares stars Bai Yu, Zhou Yu Tong, Zhu Ya Wen, Yu Hao Ming, and Dong Yong. The supporting cast, which is vast, is equally impressive.
If epic dramas like Lord of the Rings, but that cover sweeping changes in Chinese society in an era of massive social upheaval, and featuring a huge number of kings and emperors, is your thing, you will love this.
Just be prepared to keep hitting the rewind button, or your head will explode with all that confusion.
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