Chinese dramas and films

So now it is official — what almost everyone following the industry had known unofficially for a month. Zhang Linghe («Pursuit of Jade», «Story of Kunning Palace») and Lu Yuxiao («Love Between Lines», «Perfect Match») star in the drama «Revenge» (刺棠, Citang, Ci Tang).

Filming began on 12 September and will take place in Hengdian and Inner Mongolia. It will run for 125–140 days.

The drama will be directed by Guo Hu («Mysterious Lotus Casebook», «A Dream within a Dream»).

The title of the drama, translated into English as «revenge», is «刺棠» in Chinese. Citang is the name of a pivotal event: an assassination attempt on the crown prince during a state ceremony. The character «刺» (ci) means «to kill, to strike», while «棠» (tang) refers to the prince himself. The result is a play on words that defies easy translation — with the Chinese, it is always complicated.

The drama is set in a wholly fictional historical context and is not tied to any real dynasty or historical period. The main characters have no prototypes in real history.

This is a story of revenge with a tangled knot of secrets, betrayals and dual roles. At the centre of the plot is Crown Prince Song Lin (Zhang Linghe), who miraculously survives an assassination attempt on the night of a state sacrifice. The event becomes known as the «Ci Tang case».

He dies to the world, changes his appearance and returns to the palace under the name of the cruel and influential official Ye Tingyan. At the same time, he is convinced that his former beloved Su Luowei (Lu Yuxiao) betrayed him by marrying his brother Song Lan, who took the throne. For her part, Su Luowei, seeking to avenge the death of her beloved, herself seeks an alliance with this mysterious Ye Tingyan, unaware of who he really is. Thus begins their dangerous game, full of mutual suspicion and unspoken feelings.

Zhang Linghe plays two roles at once: the noble and radiant prince Song Lin and his dark alter ego — the official Ye Tingyan (and, according to official data, also a character named Ye He).

Lu Yuxiao plays Su Luowei — a young woman who transforms from a gentle lady into a «queen of revenge», ready to do anything for the truth.

For Zhang Linghe and Lu Yuxiao, this is their second collaboration after the drama «My Journey to You», in which Zhang Linghe was paired with Yu Shu Xin.

Also appearing in the drama are Wang Hongyi, Li Qing, Liang Jie, Sun Ning, Sun Zhenni, Gao Hanyu and An Yuexi.

Long before filming began, in July 2026, Zhang Linghe's fan club publicly opposed Lu Yuxiao's participation in the project. It was not merely an appeal to the actress but pressure on the artist's agency and the production company. Nevertheless, Lu Yuxiao remained in the project and, according to rumours, even joined the group early on purpose to meet expectations.

Fans were opposed because they remember the events of 2023, when the two filmed together in the drama «My Journey to You». At the time, in the view of Zhang Linghe's fans, Lu Yuxiao's team behaved unethically. The actress was allegedly caught interacting with a well-known blogger who spread false rumours about Zhang Linghe. When fans asked Lu Yuxiao herself whether she knew about it, she reportedly replied «I know» and laughed, which was seen as a betrayal. Neither Lu Yuxiao nor her team ever issued a public apology for the situation, which only added fuel to the fire. Both actors work for the same agency. Zhang Linghe's fans are convinced that the company is using his popularity to promote the less well-known Lu Yuxiao. At this point, one can only sigh heavily and wave it off.

Sources 1, 2, 3