The Heir premieres on iQIYI on May 17th
A heads up for fans of Chinese actress Yang Zi as her latest drama The Heir has just been announced as getting a May 17th premiere date.
A premiere date poster was released on iQIYI’s social media channels, as well as character visuals for nine of its main characters. (below)
This time, she’s starring in a Ming Dynasty business-themed romance alongside Elvis Han that will run for 40 episodes, and is scheduled to stream on CCTV and iQIYI in China and, likely, iQIYI internationally.
The Heir a hit or miss with Yang Zi and Elvis Han?
Han (aka Han Dong Jun) is a co-star whose latest work I am interested in checking out as with Fake It Till You Make It, the last drama I watched him in, I couldn’t get passed Episode 6 and it is only 14 episodes in length.
And yep, I am interested as Elvis Han is a bit of a hit-or-miss actor. Not his performances, per se, as he usually gives solid portrayals of characters he makes feel authentic, but that he often chooses to star in dramas that are, frankly, not that good.
So much so, he has a plethora of duds already under his belt.
Yang Zi, for me at least, is also a love or dislike depending on the characters she chooses to play. And how she plays them.
I recently dropped the romance drama The Oath of Love at Episode 20, for instance, as I couldn’t stomach one more second of Yang Zi’s whiny and spoiled FL, even though Xiao Zhan’s calm and mature doctor was a big draw, and I am still struggling to finish Immortal Samsara years after it aired as, again, I don’t like how she plays the female lead.
She did give a decent performance in the environmental crime drama Born to Be Alive earlier this year, where it was obvious she had put a helluva lot of work into her role.
One that was filmed in the very harsh climate in Tibet as well.
My sense on The Heir then is the C-drama will either be a standout or yet another dud for Elvis Han and Yang Zi and, from viewers already pointing out the plot has been changed quite substantially from the novel it’s based on, I was currently moving towards the latter.
That is until I watched The Heir‘s latest trailer and, yep, this one does look epic. (watch below)
It will all depend then on how the plot of The Heir is told, as the C-drama follows yet another female lead who was hard done to, then struggles in the business world before eventually becoming a success.
Here’s the that plot in more detail:
During the mid-Ming dynasty, a Tribute Ink case shatters the long-established structure of the Huizhou ink industry. The Li Ink family, a century-old ink-making household, falls from its pedestal.
Severely weakened, the Li family sees the rise of the Luo family ink business, which enjoys unmatched prosperity after the Lis’ decline. But in the end, due to political entanglements, the Luo family also meets its downfall.
As time passes, Li Zhen (played by Yang Zi), the youngest daughter of the eighth branch of the Li clan, resolutely embarks on the path of ink-making to make a living. With her natural talent and hard work, she becomes a dark horse in the Huizhou ink industry.
Luo Wenqian (played by Han Dong Jun), the second son of the Luo family, schemes and strategizes to restore his family’s legacy, single-handedly stirring up the Huizhou ink industry. The two of them engage in a battle of wits and courage with the newly rising Tian ink family, and the Li Ink family returns to its peak.
When the maritime ban is lifted, facing challenges from overseas ink producers, Li Zhen gathers the essence of the Huizhou ink industry and produces a top-grade ink, earning Huizhou ink the title of “the best ink under heaven.” Li Zhen and Luo Wenqian eventually become a couple, working together to ensure Huizhou ink is passed down through generations.
See what I mean?
And, honestly, it could be an interesting drama from an historical perspective alone, regardless of the involvement of the two leads, as China is responsible for the invention of an enormous number of products we use often in daily life — in this case, ink.
But, whether the story will be told in a unique way, or with the same overdone anguish that we see again and again until we get tired of it like in similar Chinese dramas, I guess we will have to wait and see.
Alongside Yang Zi and Elvis Han, The Heir also stars Wang Zi Hao (In the Name of Justice), Zhai Yi Qing (The Lost National Treasure), Wu Mian (Love’s Ambition) and Tian Xiao Jie (Love on the Turquoise Land).
Look out for its first episodes dropping on iQIYI on May 17th, and I guess we will see if how the story is told and how its characters are portrayed are worth 40 episodes. (Baidu is still showing it at 42 episodes, so it could be even longer).
That trailer does look magnificent though.
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