Tong Yao: A Retrospective in Progress
Introduction:
After watching #TongYao #童瑶 put in a sublime performance in Nothing But Thirty 三十而已 (2020) followed by an equally strong performance in Like a River Flows 大江大河 (2020), I have fallen well and truly in love with her as an actress. As is typical of me when I fall hard for an actor or actress, I want to watch them in as many things as they have done in the course of their career because I'm interested in where they came from and how far they have come. It's not an endeavor I undertake easily because there is often a very large backlog of material and there is also a very strong likelihood that there is some difficult to watch material especially in the earlier part of their career. This is especially difficult for me to do for Mainland Chinese thespians because their series tend to be longer and the pacing slower than similar series from the West or from Hong Kong. Also, Mainland Chinese series will often have military and historical themes and settings that are very unfamiliar to me which can make viewing them a little slow going.
I have only attempted to watch everything that Lau Ching Wan, Ada Choi and Sun Li have done previously. The only one that I've come close to success with is Ada Choi but that has not deterred me from trying to do the same for Tong Yao. So like with Sun Li and Lau Ching Wan, I expect that I'm not going to succeed with Tong Yao either but I'll still try. 😅 Haha!
Tong Yao is actually a pretty low key actress and has a minimal presence online. While she has a Weibo account, a Douyin account and a Xiaohongshu account, it seems like she only updates them occasionally and may update them more often when a series or film that she's in is airing or screening. She's been in the industry since 2002 when she first appeared in Tracks in the Snowy Forest 林海雪原 (2004) and has had a consistent amount of work since that series but she's not what you would call "hot" (红), at least not the ultra-popular kind of "hot".
Interestingly enough, Tong Yao herself has expressed no interest in being popular. She once said in an interview that with regards to her career, she's satisfied as long as she has good shows to work on, money to earn and that she's NOT popular. She further explained this unusual attitude by saying that she doesn't really like being the focus of attention. She feels that in life, she prefers to be comfortable and that to her that is a good way to live life. I found her outlook on life quite interesting.
Not all English sources of information regarding her work are accurate but this d-addicts wiki's filmography is more or less accurate. I don't intend to provide the most comprehensive guide for the actress but I certainly hope to give either capsule reviews or full reviews of as much of her work as possible. I'm not actually interested in her personal life unless it has something to do with her views on work or views of specific shows she's worked on. So, I'll mostly concentrate on her work but it will be very slow-moving.
NOTE: I've also decided to move change the longer capsule reviews into their own posts & convert them into short reviews. That's because I think the page is getting a little unwieldy. It make take some time but after I finish this page, I'll probably do the same for the Sun Li page.
This is of course a WORK IN PROGRESS. Enjoy. 😅
FILMOGRAPHY (Jump Links)
TV DRAMAS
- 2004 - 林海雪原 - Tracks in the Snowy Forest
- 2006 - 我的太阳 aka 我想更懂你 - My Sun aka I Want to Know You More
- 2006 - 行走的鸡毛掸子 - Walking Duster
- 2006 - 龙虎人生 - Life of Tiger and Dragon
- 2006 - 少年杨家将 - The Young Warriors
- 2007 - 一错再错 - Repeat an Error
- 2008 - 伤情 - Wounded Love
- 2009 - 风起第一关 - Wind up the First Pass
- 2010 - 家常菜 - Simple Dish
- 2010 - 军人荣誉 - Military Honor
- 2011 - 桥隆飙 - Qiao Long Biao
- 2011 - 雷锋 - Lei Feng
- 2012 - 民兵葛二蛋 - A Unique Militiman
- 2013 - 独生子女的婆婆妈妈 - Single Child's Grandmother and Mother
- 2013 - 大掌门 - New Year Picture
- 2014 - 新闺蜜时代 - Three Bosom Girls
- 2015 - 爸爸快长大 - Boys to Men
- 2016 - 后妈许多多 - Stepmother Xu Duoduo aka 重组家庭 The Blended Family
- 2016 - 转身遇到你 - My Spicy Girlfriend
- 2016 - 定制幸福 - Customized Love
- 2016 - 神犬小七2 - Hero Dog 2
- 2018 - 如懿传 - Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace
- 2018 - 乔家大院之光明之路 aka 诚忠堂 - Qiao's Grand Courtyard 2 aka The Road of Light
- 2018 - 大江大河 1 - Like a Flowing River 1
- 2018 - 将夜 - Ever Night
- 2020 - 不完美的她 - Imperfect Love
- 2020 - 清风明月佳人 - Moonlight Lady
- 2020 - 我不是结不了婚 - Get Married or Not
- 2020 - 三十而已 - Nothing But Thirty
- 2021 - 叛逆者 - The Rebel
- 2022 - 球状闪电 - Ball Lightning - unreleased
- 2022 - 超越 - Beyond
- 2022 - 心居 - Life is a Long Quiet River
- 2022 - 天才基本法 - The Heart of Genius
- 2024 - 小日子 - Simple Days
- 2024 - 微暗之火 - Tender Light (previously known as Gone with the Wind)
- 2024 - 足迹 (Zu Ji) - in post
- 2024 - 四喜 (Si Xi) - in post
- 2025 - 有你的时光里 - With Love With You
- 2025 - 奇迹 The Miracles - in pre-production
FILMS
- 2008 - Afraid to Say Love You - 不敢说爱你
- 2009 - Snow Fall in Taipei - 台北飘雪
- 2009 - Nine Dragon Jade - 九龙佩
- 2010 - Snapper - 食人草
- 2011 - A Big Deal - 巨额交易
- 2012 - Wings - 最长的拥抱
- 2012 - The Second Half - 另一半
- 2013 - Day of Redemption - 早见，晚爱
- 2014 - The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom - 白发魔女传之明月天国
- 2014 - To Love Somebody - 求爱嫁期
- 2016 - The New Year's Eve of Old Lee - 过年好
- 2021 - The Night Belongs to Us - 属于我们的黑夜
- 2021 - (no official English title) - 极境所在
- 2021 - We Will Grow Old Together - 爱情回想
- 2024 - Cesium Fallout 焚城
TV DRAMAS
2004 - 林海雪原 - Tracks in the Snowy Forest
This is Tong Yao's debut series. Production for this series began in the winter of 2002 and the series first aired in Jan 2004. The location of the shoot was in Heilongjiang. Tong Yao was 17 or 18 years old then and was in the first year of her studies at the Central Academy of Drama. I'm not sure how much screen time she has but I know that she makes her first appearance in the first episode.
2006 - 我的太阳 aka 我想更懂你 - My Sun aka I Want to Know You More
Baidu lists this series as 我的太阳 My Sun although I did find it listed elsewhere with the alternate title too. I'm just going to go with My Sun since I think that's the original title. Her name is listed second after the male lead Chi Shuai which I guess probably makes her lead female. I suspect that it's more likely that she shares almost equal screen time with the other female lead but I'll have to watch to be sure. I haven't seen much of this series, just zipped through the first episode to do a screen capture. The story is centred around Chi Shuai's character so I'm not sure how much screen time and focus etc the female characters get. For those of us who like trivial, the actress Xu Di who plays Tong Yao's character's mother played her mother-in-law in Single Child's Grandmother and Mother. Also, Tong Yao isn't dubbed here.
I'm not sure if this story is my cup of tea. It's probably closer to the bottom of my list. So we'll see if I ever get around to watching this. 😅
2006 - 行走的鸡毛掸子 - Walking Duster
Tong Yao only has a supporting role in this series and is the eighth name to appear in the credit roll at the end of the series. Sadly, she's dubbed in this series, I usually prefer it when they use the actor's real voices.
This is set in the early years of the Republican Era and the story is centered around the trials and tribulations of the Geng Family. They are famous for making high-quality dusters from chicken feathers.
I've watched this drama and it's surprisingly watchable and I dare say even quite good with some caveats. I really hope to getting around to writing a review of this series when I have time.
2006 - 龙虎人生 - Life of Tiger and Dragon
Tong Yao is the sixth name to appear in the credit roll at the end of the series. Again, I'm not sure how much screen time she has in this series but she does make an appearance in the first episode. This time they used her real voice in this series. The male lead in this series is Wang Zhiwen. For those of us who only started watching Tong Yao in the past few years, this is an interesting titbit because Wang Zhiwen was Lao Gu (aka Postman) in The Rebel which means that The Rebel isn't the first time she worked with him. Although, I don't remember them having any scenes together in The Rebel. Also, while looking at the credit list, I realise that Zhang Xinyi is also in this series, she also co-starred with Tong Yao in Three Bosom Girls.
Tong Yao plays a young nurse who aspires to be a doctor in this series. This is set during the Second Sino-Japanese War in Yucheng, Sichuan, China. I'm not sure if this is a fictitious place, I did a quick search and couldn't find it but this doesn't mean it doesn't exist, it just means that I will need to do a more in-depth search to be sure. I zipped through parts of the series while looking for a scene to make a screen capture for this page and looks like Tong Yao plays a fairly feisty character which has piqued my interest. 😁 I'm likely to try this series but it won't be anytime soon. 😅
2006 - 少年杨家将 - The Young Warriors
This is Tong Yao's first period/wuxia drama. There are a few big names in this drama. There's Hu Ge, Amy Chan, Eddie Peng and Peter Ho etc. It looks pretty male-centric too. Tong Yao was pretty much unknown then and comes in 12th on the credit roll at the end of the drama so I won't be surprised if her screen time isn't a lot in this 43 episode series. Tong Yao plays a character called 潘影 Pan Ying and from what I've read, she's one of the antagonists which automatically interests me since I believe this would make it the first time that she's played one of the antagonists. Pan Ying likes Hu Ge's character Yang Liulang but as we all know, in Chinese dramas, if you're just a support character, the lead actor's love interest won't be your character. It seems like Yang Liulang doesn't love Pan Ying but that won't stop her from unscrupulously trying to gain him anyway.
Unless I made a mistake, it seems like her first appearance in the series is in ep17 of the series. The circumstances under which Yang Liulang meets her are quite interesting. I might actually try and watch it from ep17 instead of watching the whole series because it's kind of long and I'm not sure if I'll enjoy it. 😅 Sadly, she's dubbed in this series, I usually prefer it if they use their real voices but it seems like a lot of them may have been dubbed in this series.
2007 - 一错再错 - Repeat an Error
Although Tong Yao's name is the 5th name to appear in the credit roll, from several articles that I have read, it seems like she plays a pivotal role in the series. She plays university undergrad Fang Xiaorui 方小蕊. Fang Xiaorui wins the leading role in a play. Both Zhang Yang and Zhou Lisen like her and fight to win the leading male role in the same play. Their tussle will somehow stir up a 20-year grievance involving their parents. I only managed to find a pretty crappy quality version of this drama but it's good enough for viewing. She's not dubbed in this series which is my preference. The story looks promising but I'm not sure how good the production is. It's something that I think I might try but not anytime soon.
2008 - 伤情 - Wounded Love
I could not find a version of this series with an ending credit roll but Tong Yao's name is in the first group of names of actors that appear in the opening theme song. It's probably the fifth name on that title card. She's almost definitely a supporting character in this series because although she made it onto the cover image on the boxset release of this series, her face is one of the smaller ones and in the corner. Once again, like Repeat an Error I only managed to find a pretty crappy quality version of this series. It's hard to find better quality copies of these older, more obscure dramas.
Like Repeat an Error, it's another story that involves two generations of people. The story is about a pair of lovers, Ning Peiwen and Yao Zihan, who met in the 1920s at Qinghua University and who separated because of social and family pressure. Ning Peiwen leaves for the US where he eventually becomes a lawyer. Twenty years later, he returns to Nanking where a murder case brings the two former lovers together again. Tong Yao plays Zhang Zixuan 章子萱. She's not only Yao Zhihan's daughter, it's her father who is being accused of murder.
Tong Yao makes her first appearance in the first episode of the series and, happily, isn't dubbed. I watched part of the first episode from when she first appeared and it's quite an interesting opening scene for her. Apparently, she plays a nurse here too, like in Life of Tiger and Dragon. I'm not sure when I'll get to this but am curious to watch more.
2009 - 风起第一关 - Wind Up the First Pass
I haven't been able to find any video of this drama series at all. So I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to watch it. This is probably a supporting character as far as I can tell.
According to the synopsis of this drama, this series is set in 1644 and uses the Battle at Jiashen Shi River (甲申石河大战) as the backdrop. The protagonists of the series are the local gentry that lives in the Shanhai Pass area. Tong Yao plays a character called Chen Yuanyuan (陈圆圆) in the drama and if I'm not wrong, that would mean that she plays Wu Sangui's concubine.
2010 - 家常菜 - Simple Dish
I've finished this series and would like to write a review about it eventually. There are some interesting things about the series but I also have issues with some of the character and plot progression. Tong Yao plays a character called He Wenyuan. Although the story centres on Wenyuan's brother-in-law, Wenyuan is a significant character in the series and turned out to be my favourite character. In case you're wondering, it's not because I like Tong Yao that Wenyuan turned out to be my favourite character. I really like her character's progression. Among the female characters, Wenyuan goes through the biggest change. It's also a fairly logical and well-explained change for the most part except for some weird shift at the end. This is also why she's the most interesting character for me.
If you're a Tong Yao fan, I do recommend watching this series. She's amazing in the series. I was pleasantly surprised because this being an older series, I wasn't expecting that she would be this good. Her performance in this series is part of the reason why I would like to write a review on this series so that I can talk specifically about her performance as well.
Her character's screen time isn't a lot in the first half of the series so you will need to be patient if you want to see more of her but once you get to around about episode 20 (I will need to check) her character's story will become quite significant. Also do note that Wenyuan isn't exactly a likeable character although she's an interesting one. However, I do feel that after she changes she also became likeable to me.
2010 - 军人荣誉 - Military Honor
[Details for this TV Drama...]
2011 - 桥隆飙 - Qiao Long Biao
[Details for this TV Drama...]
2011 - 雷锋 - Lei Feng
[Details for this TV Drama...]
2012 - 民兵葛二蛋 - A Unique Militiman
I have a feeling that whoever gave this series its English title made an error in the spelling and that "militiman" should actually be "militiaman". Since I'm not sure if this is an official English title and I'm uncomfortable with using the wrong spelling, from henceforth, I will refer to this series as A Unique Militiaman.
I've actually watched part of this series but haven't finished it yet. When I have some time I will try and finish it and write some thoughts about it.
2013 - 独生子女的婆婆妈妈 - Single Child's Grandmother and Mother
I've finished this series and quite enjoyed it. Will do a small review when I have time.
2013 - 大掌门 - New Year Picture
[Details for this TV Drama...]
2014 - 新闺蜜时代 - Three Bosom Girls
I have to say that this is a somewhat intriguing series. I was under the impression that the rise of female centric series that is centered around a group of women friends was a direct result of the critical and popular reception to Ode to Joy. Then I watched this series which was released about two years before Ode to Joy and I have to say that some of the things critics apparently found refreshing about Ode to Joy were already apparent in this series and that kind of surprised me.
Three Bosom Girls is a story about three rather unconventional modern female friends who have vastly different personalities but are still able to remain fast friends by the end of the series. They seem to be living in a time of transition where they want to live modern lives but are still unable to be fully free from the traditional expectations that their families, society and even themselves have placed on hemselves. There is certainly nothing cookie-cutter about these characters. Interestingly enough, they aren't even outrightly likeable. What they are is that they are definitely intriguing and different.
While Three Bosom Girls has many flaws, what I liked about the series is just how unapologetically unorthodox these girls lived their lives for the most part. One of the best parts of this series are the actresses. Tong Yao, Zhang Xinyi and Jiang Xin have a great deal of chemistry. Their comic timing is also impeccable and their dialogue is really well written and skillfully delivered by all three of them. The scriptwriter was quite assiduous because the dialogue for each of them had a unique tone that suited each character perfectly.
Sadly, in the end, I can't wholeheartedly recommend this series not because I think it's bad but because it can be quite hard to appreciate the three main female characters. There are also certain issues with plot and character progression. These women are so unconventional, they should have more unconventional conclusions, especially Zhang Xinyi's character, but the script didn't dare to go that far. Pacing in the last third of the series could also have been better. BUT, that said, if you are the kind of viewer who can appreciate the good parts of imperfect and unusual series, then this is a series that you might find engaging to some extent. If you're a Tong Yao fan, then I think it's worth at least one look to see if you might enjoy it because she's really good in this series; very natural.
2015 - 爸爸快长大 -Boys to Men
Between the end of Simple Days and the premiere of Tender Light, I found time to try Boys to Men, a series featuring Tong Yao. It revolves around three fathers whose immaturity rivals that of their young children and centres around their journey towards maturity.
Tong Yao is listed second in the ending credits, right after Li Chen, the male lead, which suggests she’s the primary female lead. However, the narrative’s focus on the three male characters means she shares significant screen time not only with Li Chen but also with four others who form the remaining two couples. This wouldn’t be an issue if the screenplay were engaging, but at times, it feels like disconnected skits held together only by the friendship of these three men.
The pacing is another concern; the immaturity of the three men is established early on, making the ten or so episodes dwelling on this trait feel excessive. A few episodes to set the stage would suffice before progressing to the next narrative arc. It didn't help that a lot of it felt cliche. Additionally, the parallel plot involving one of the couples played by Qin Li and Jing Hao’s was unconvincing.
While Tong Yao and Li Chen’s storyline has its merits, it also tends to be somewhat predictable. Based on the portion I’ve seen, Boys to Men doesn’t quite capture the complexity I prefer in dramas. Having seen 12 of the 30 episodes, I may revisit it for Tong Yao’s performance, but it’s not a priority. Unfortunately, I can't wholeheartedly recommend this right now to anyone but devoted fans of any of the stars.
2016 - 后妈许多多 -Stepmother Xu Duoduo
I've finished watching this under-the-radar and underrated drama series. Not much is known about the series online and there doesn't seem to have been an official Weibo account for the series or officially released images. It's a light and easy watch that's held up by a good to competent cast, a consistent tone and creative comedic scenes. That's not to say that the series doesn't have its more serious and thoughtful moments. It does but they are handled with a very light touch because it doesn't want to be heavy on melodrama.
Tong Yao is Xu Duoduo, a scriptwriter who ends up marrying Wen Shuping (Wang Zhifei 王志飞), a man who is much older than her. He comes with a lot of baggage because he has twin daughters, a nosy ex-wife who has a family of her own and also he lives with his mother who is his step-mother. Tong Yao is GREAT in this series and she's very natural and I recommend that Tong Yao fans try this series. If you've only watched her in her later series where she generally plays more nuanced characters, this would be a refreshing change.
I've finished a short review of the series, you can click the link above to read it.
2016 - 转身遇到你 - My Spicy Girlfriend
2016 - 定制幸福 - Customized Love
2016 - 神犬小七2 - Hero Dog 2
Some web pages indicate that this is a cameo but after zipping through the entire series, I can pretty much confirm that this is without a doubt a guest-starring role. Even the opening theme song indicates that. Although she is the fourth name to appear in the end credit roll, she doesn't appear a lot in this 42 episode series. As far as I can tell, she appears in five episodes. They are episodes 27 to 29 and 36 to 37.
Tong Yao plays 路晰 Lu Xi, a guest at a resort hotel. Xiao Qi, the hero dog named in the title of the series, senses that something is troubling her attempts to help her.
Honestly, I'm not really that keen to watch this series. Even in fast forward, the overall story looks kind of lame. It has this made-for-tv look and I don't mean it in a good way. There are several dogs and animals used in this series, maybe the money that should have gone to a better production team went to paying for the animal "actors" since, to my knowledge, they are usually one of the most expensive "actors" to have on set. Also, Tong Yao is dubbed in this series which is something I usually don't like.
I might one day get around to writing a small capsule review of it because it is only five episodes so shouldn't be a huge time investment. I'm just not rushing to do it because the story doesn't look that interesting. 😅
2018 - 如懿传 - Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace
I've finished part of this series and enjoyed parts of it. Will do a review when I have time.
2018 - 乔家大院之光明之路 aka 诚忠堂 - Qiao's Grand Courtyard 2 aka The Road of Light
Sadly, I have to say that I cannot wholeheartedly recommend this series. While it started out interesting, it got meandering in the middle and the last few episodes were pretty rubbish. Characterization in the middle of the series started to become inconsistent and character progression was not always well explained. Plot progression was also abrupt at times.
Tong Yao is the leading female, in the sense that her name is the second name in the end credit roll, just below the male lead’s. However, it’s in general a male-centric series and revolves mostly around a main male protagonist, Qiao Yingji (actor: Zhang Bo), hence she doesn't get the amount of screen time that a proper leading female lead should get.
She plays a revolutionary soldier, Lian Hua and she shows up quite quickly in the first episode and has a decent amount of screen time for about 10-15 episodes. However, when the series moves away from the revolution to the banking industry, she recedes into the background. She’ll make sporadic appearances and will only come back proper in the final arc when the topic returns to the revolution.
I actually thought that I might write a full review when I first started watching the series because the historical background was interesting for me. However, after finishing it, I’m not so sure I would like to invest so much time in it, although, I may still write a short review sometime in the future to address this series’ shortcomings.
2018 - 大江大河 1 - Like a Flowing River 1
I finished this series and loved parts of it. Will do a review when I have time.
2018 - 将夜 - Ever Night
I actually don't like xianxia dramas and I know she's only a support character. I'm not sure if I will ever watch this. I saw some clips and I've a feeling that this series isn't my cup of tea so I may have to skip this and never write anything more about it. 😅
2020 - 不完美的她 -Imperfect Love
Tong Yao guest stars in this series. It's not a big part nor a particularly significant part since she doesn't have a huge impact on Zhou Xun's character's decision making. However, Tong Yao's character does have one important function and that's to illustrate Zhou Xun's character's progress and change. Also, she has quite a bit of chemistry with Zhou Xun and both are strong character actors with expressive eyes so quite a few people online, including me, were shipping both their characters.
This series is based on a Japanese drama called Mother and I watched it a long time ago so I can't make a good comparison. The original drama stars Matsuyuki Yasuko and Ashida Mana with Machiko Ono, Ayano Go, Yamamoto Koji, Takahata Atsuko and Tanaka Yuuko etc in support. The Japanese cast is strong and this series made little Mana-chan one of the hottest child stars in Japan for a while.
2020 - 清风明月佳人 -Moonlight Lady
Lensed in ___ and was only just released in 2020.
2020 - 我不是结不了婚 -Get Married or Not
I've finished this series and quite enjoyed it. Will write up a review when I have time.
2020 - 三十而已 -Nothing But Thirty
I've finished this series and LOVED it. Will write up a review when I have time.
2021 - 叛逆者 - The Rebel
FULL REVIEW | ADDITIONAL COMMENTS 1
I've finished this series and enjoyed it. Have written a Full Review and an Additional Comments 1 post which I have already published, the link is above the image. Am also working on an Additional Comments 2 post. I Will link that when it's done. May write up a capsule review later too.
2022 - 球状闪电 -Ball Lightning - unreleased
This series is based on Liu Cixin's 刘慈欣 novel Ball Lightning and stars Tong Yao who plays researcher Lin Yun. The male lead is Wang Anyu 王安宇 who plays Chen. Production on the series officially began after the opening ceremony on the 25th April 2022 at Hengdian. The other cast members that were revealed on the day of the opening ceremony include Zhou Yiwei 周一围, Yang Lixin 杨立新, Wang Yang 王阳 and Yang Le 杨玏. Liu Cixin is a Chinese Sci-fi novelist of some renown. Some might be more familiar with his more famous work the The Three Body Problem which is part of the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy of novels.
As production just began, the likelihood of a 2022 release is low because post is likely to take more time since this is a Sci-fi series. I'm was guessing that they were aiming for a 2023 or 2024 release but at this point in time, unfortunately, we still don't know.
I'm honestly a little apprehensive about this even though I'm definitely looking forward to it. Chinese dramas tend to have a lot of misses when it comes to Sci-fi. The quality of the VFX for Chinese TV dramas are often a little iffy as well. Also, as far as I can tell from the synopsis, the main protagonist should be Chen and usually I prefer it if Tong Yao gets more screen time as opposed to less. Yes, I'm bias. :)
2022 (9th Jan) - 超越 -Beyond
Tong Yao has a special guest-starring role (特别出演) in this series starring Teresa Li Gengxi (李庚希) and Hu Jun (胡军). This is a drama about short track speed skating athletes, with the focus on Teresa Li's character Chen Mian. Hu Jun plays her father and Sha Yi (沙溢), who played Teresa Li's character's father in The Little Reunion, plays her coach this time around. Tong Yao plays Li Min. She plays the wife of Sha Yi's character.
I'm not a big fan of sports dramas/movies but I'll probably check this out for a few reasons. The biggest is of course because Tong Yao is in it, although her screen time is almost certainly going to be pretty small. Also, I actually have a very good impression of Teresa Li after The Little Reunion. Although I'm not a fan yet, she's probably my favourite Chinese actress of her generation right now. This is also by Linmon Pictures who also did Nothing But Thirty and The LIttle Reunion, which I enjoyed. It's not like everything they do is great but I think they are big enough to be able to get a good budget. It's probably why there is a small list of notable guest stars for this drama.
2022 (17th March) - 心居 -Life is a Long Quiet River
PREVIEW WRITE-UP | SHORT SPOILER FREE REVIEW | COMMENTARY (With Spoilers)
Life is a Long Quiet River is a thought provoking series and it may not appeal to all. However, that's not to say that it's not worth a watch. The narrative structure is interesting and the performances of the cast is top notch. I think Tong Yao fans should at the very least try this series because she is one half of the two protagonists that hold this story together. Tong Yao plays Gu Qingyu and I really liked this character and Tong Yao's performance here.
Also, she looks stunning in this series. Gu Qingyu is a very successful and wealthy person and her wardrobe really accentuates this aspect of this character. Pretty much everything she wears is from a luxury brand and she manages to make it all look good too. So if you're a Tong Yao fan, even if in the end the story doesn't appeal to you, there's always Tong Yao eye candy for you. 😁
It took a lot longer than I hoped but here is the short spoiler free review, (CLICK ME). Here is the link to the Long Commentary (CLICK ME), note that this has spoilers.
Tong Yao also talks about the series in the Madame Figaro Apr 2022 article (CLICK ME).
2022 - 天才基本法 -The Heart of Genius
I'm honestly not sure what the series is about yet except that I think it's about parallel timelines or something like that. I've been quite busy lately and I didn't even watch the trailers. I knew that Tong Yao has a guest role in this series because months ago when Zhang Xincheng did an interview around the time of the release of the Vogue short which starred both of them, he mentioned that it wasn't the first time that he had worked with her. He said then that he had worked with her when Tong Yao had a guest starring part in The Heart of Genius which he stars in. I didn't put it in the blog then because it was just a screen capture of an excerpt from an interview and I couldn't find the source to confirm it for sure. But that was one of the main reasons why I had my eye on this series for some time.
I do like Zhang Xincheng so I'll probably check it out. But time skips and parallel timeline stories can be tricky so here's hoping it's at the very least decent. I'm almost certain that Tong Yao's part is very small, possibly even just a cameo and likely to have even less screen time than her part in Beyond but we won't know till the series actually screens. When I know more, I'll rewrite this bit.
2023 - 小日子 -Simple Days
Set in contemporary Shanghai, Simple Days tells the story of a young married couple with a child. Their bustling lives become increasingly complicated and unbearable as their in-laws start to interfere more and more in their daily affairs. Yearning for simpler times, the couple takes a bold and radical step. This decision, while intended to bring simplicity, instead exposes vulnerabilities in their relationship and tests their bond. They had hoped this move would lessen their in-laws’ involvement, but they hadn’t anticipated it also providing an opening for others to intrude on their relationship. Simple Days is a thought-provoking exploration of love and family, where a young couple’s pursuit of simplicity amidst modern life’s complexities leads to unforeseen challenges, testing the resilience of their bond.
I have finished the series and I think it's not a bad watch even though there are some issues. Time permitting, I hope to write a spoiler free review and a longer commentary with spoilers. But we'll see. As you can probably tell, I have been very busy because I have not updated the blog for a year. Hopefully, I will get to these sooner rather than later and when I do, I'll place the links there and delete this paragraph.
I have written a write-up about the cast, production and the novel it was based on prior to the release of the series. Some of the information in the write-up is no longer accurate but, if you wish to read it, please CLICK ME).
2024 (27th April) - 微暗之火 - Tender Light
CONFIRMED | 1st Trailer - write up | 2nd Trailer - write up | 3rd Trailer - released date announce | Making of Video (English Sub) | View Alt TV ending (SPOILER ALERT) | REVIEW (spoiler free)
I recently finished watching Tender Light and absolutely LOVED IT. The arthouse aesthetic used to narrate the story truly captivated me. Without a doubt, I can confidently say that this is one of the best Chinese dramas I have ever watched. If you’re a fan of Tong Yao, this series is, in my opinion, a must-watch. Her sublime performance, coupled with her amazing chemistry with Zhang Xincheng, who is also excellent in this series, makes it a standout.
However, I feel the need to caution that this series may not be for everyone. If you’re not accustomed to the arthouse aesthetic, you might find the slower pace, the focus on visual artistry, and the non-linear and unconventional narrative structure a bit challenging. You might not appreciate the way the story is told. Also, it’s worth noting that although Tong Yao and Zhang Xincheng are billed as leads, their screen time isn’t as extensive as what traditional leads usually get. This might upset some fans to the extent that it could affect their overall enjoyment of the story.
I’ve already written a spoiler-free review, but I feel that this story is profound and has depth. There are numerous details, including symbolism and themes, that I could delve into in a few more posts. Unfortunately, I’m uncertain if I’ll have the time to address them all. However, I remain hopeful that one day, I’ll be able to do so. Fingers crossed!
This series had been two years in the making. It began and wrapped up production in 2022, with several interviews and collaborative videos released in the first two quarters of 2023. However, all this buildup led to a resounding thud before its release on April 27th. This is based on Jiu Yuexi’s (玖月晞) novel, Xiao Nan Feng (小南风). Tong Yao plays the main female character, Nan Ya, and Stevan Zhang Xincheng, the male lead, plays Zhou Luo.
Other posts related to the series:
Youku Announce (not directly about the series though)
Update 1
Update 2
Madame Figaro interview with Tong Yao about Tender Light
2024 - 足迹 -Zu Ji - in post
WRITE UP 1 | WRITE UP 2 | WRAP SP WRITE UP
Tong Yao will portray Yi Yi in an anthology series about three generations of women whose lives are entwined with an old Western-styled house in Shanghai. Not much is known about the series yet. I have written up two post about what we currently know about it, the links are above. Please feel free to check those posts out.
2024 - 四喜 -Si Xi - in post
WRITE UP (开机) | WRITE UP 2 (official announce) | WRAP/CCTV EVENT
Si Xi (Weibo account) was officially announced on 19th Sept and wrapped on 15th Dec 2024. Currently, this is slated for a 2025 release and was one of the series that was highlighted at the CCTV 2025 Series Event (总台2025年电视剧片单) on 11th Dec.
The cast for this series is quite strong and includes several names which Tong Yao has worked with before like Jiang Xin, Xu Di and Yue Hong. There is no official English title at time of writing although an earlier announcement seem to indicate that the working title was Those Days (十月人生).
They haven't released much information on the adaptation so we still don't know how closely they will follow the novel. There is also currently no official English tile at this point of time so I will continue to refer to the series as Si Xi for now.
I found some time and did the translations and subtitling for related videos: the Wrap SP and the CCTV 2025 TV Series Release Event. You can check it out here. :)
2025 (29th Mar) - 有你的时光里 -With Love With You
Production for this series began in January 2024 in Shenzhen, China and wrapped in May 2024. The series was released on the 29 Mar 2025 accompanied by a new trailer and additional promotional material. The series is currently being released on Mango TV for international audiences and it comes with English subs. A new trailer was also launched just before the release of the first episode, which you can watch here here. You can also watch this series for free but it'll be at a slower pace of course. If you wish to check it out, this is the link to the Playlist on their YouTube channel.
The story centers around two sisters, Wang Yan and Wang Lingjun, who have contrasting personalities. Tong Yao portrays the older sister, Wang Yan, while Zhou Yiran plays the role of the younger sister, Wang Lingjun. Wang Yan is a highly successful professional suffering from congenital anemia, whereas her younger sister is rebellious and willful. Against her family’s wishes, Wang Lingjun relocates to Shenzhen, where her sister resides. This disrupts Wang Yan’s seemingly peaceful life, leading to chaos and conflict. However, as time goes by, the sisters’ relationship evolves and becomes harmonious. When Wang Yan’s illness recurs, Lingjun chooses to stay by her side to support her through the challenging times.
I subscribed to one month of VIP access on Mango TV's YouTube channel to enjoy this series, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it so far. I find the portrayal of the relationship between the sisters to be very realistic. I’m not sure how well it translates across cultures, but as an older sister to a younger sister, living in Asia and being of Chinese ethnicity, a lot of it feels relatable and authentic—this is one of the series' main strengths for me. Moreover, Tong Yao and Zhou Yiran have incredible chemistry, and their alternation between moments of conflict and care is truly enjoyable to watch. Additionally, Tong Yao and Li Zhefeng look fantastic together and have great chemistry, just like they did in Nothing But Thirty
I’ve already written a Write Up and subtitled the wrap-up video in English. You can click the links above to access them if you’re interested
2025 - 奇迹 -The Miracles - in pre-production
Announced on January 21st, 2025, The Miracles is a joint venture between CCTV and the Shenzhen Municipal Publicity Department to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and showcase it's rapid transformation. The window for story submission closed on the 31st of March.
The first short drama in the anthology has Hu Ge and Tong Yao as the leads. Shen Yan has been enlisted to direct and Liang Zhenhua to write the script. There is currently no set release date and details are scarce. All that we know right now is detailed in the Write Up linked above.
NOTES (TV Dramas):
Some sites indicate that she was also in another series called 大河儿女 A River Children (2014), but the only information I managed to find about this series is an article accompanied by a photo of her. She apparently made an appearance at the 开机 ceremony, but after that, I found no mention of which character she played in the series. I also found the series and looked at the credit list of the first episode, and I could not find her name. So I'm not sure at all if she ever appeared in this series. She may have a cameo, but I don't really want to scroll through 43 episodes just to try and find her because if it's really a cameo, it could just be a short scene or even just a shot or two, and we're done. That's just too much effort for me, especially since I don't even know if she's really in this series.
FILMS
2008 - Afraid to Say Love You - 不敢说爱你
[Details for this film...]
2009 - Snow Fall in Taipei - 台北飘雪
[Details for this film...]
2009 - Nine Dragon Jade - 九龙佩
[Details for this film...]
2010 - Snapper - 食人草
I cannot find this film anywhere at all. To be honest, I'm quite curious to watch it but don't know if I will ever be able to find it.
2011 - A Big Deal - 巨额交易
[Details for this film...]
2012 - Wings - 最长的拥抱
[Details for this film...]
2012 - The Second Half - 另一半
[Details for this film...]
2013 - Day of Redemption - 早见，晚爱
[Details for this film...]
2014 - The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom - 白发魔女传之明月天国
[Details for this film...]
2014 - To Love Somebody - 求爱嫁期
[Details for this film...]
2016 - The New Year's Eve of Old Lee - 过年好
I finally got around to watching this in part to see if it's any good and in part to check out Tong Yao's cameo in this film. It's not bad but it's not great either. It's a relatively generic story about an elderly man, Mr. Lee, who's suffering from Alzheimer's disease. His daughter Yang Duo just found out about it and returns immediately with her daughter Zhu Li in tow to celebrate the Spring Festival. The simmering grievances and resentment surface during this short visit and given that this is a Lunar New Year film, you can expect a happy ending. Which means, in a film like this, the journey is more important than the conclusion. And in this film, the journey's nothing special and I don't really recommend it. If you wish to see a video clip of Tong Yao in the film and read more about it, CLICK ME for the short review.
2021 - The Night Belongs to Us - 属于我们的黑夜
(released as part of a short film anthology 对立面)WRITE UP ABOUT ANNOUNCEMENT of 对立面 | UPDATE on how to Watch on iQiyi
This was a short film made during the 15th FIRST Training Camp for the 2021 FIRST International Film Festival in China. This is the first time that Tong Yao has participated in the Training Camp. She collaborated with director Bo Hanxiong 薄汉雄 and actor Song Yang 宋洋. The short film was shot in Xining in three days and post-production took an additional ten days. Production stills from the set look interesting. I have done a little write-up about the announcement of the release of this short film as part of the 对立面 (Face's a Verb)which is an anthology of all the short films made during the training camp. I'm unsure if I will be able to watch it yet but if I do, I'll write and do a small review.
2021 - (no official English title) - 极境所在
To be honest, I know this doesn’t qualify as a film but I like the posters and I wanted an excuse to post at least one of them. The advertising this documentary have a very indie, gritty film feel which I really like.
This is made by a company called Bobosnap and is supposed to be a documentary on the making of The Night Belongs to Us, the film mentioned above. It’s essentially a 12-minute behind-the-scenes video with an interview with Tong Yao. It also seems to be sponsored by Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv and Tong Yao is one of the spokespersons for the brand so there is a little bit of product placement. The documentary itself is interesting if you understand Chinese and like Tong Yao. To watch it, please CLICK ME
I have finished the full write-up for this documentary, the link is above (next to the title) or you can CLICK ME too. I still need to revise my capsule review for Qiao's Courtyard II. Will do that another day. Am still not sure if I will ever get around to writing a review of Sun Li's The Ideal City. I would like to watch it at least one more time before I decide if I would like to write a full review.
2021 - We Will Grow Old Together - 爱情回想
This is actually another short film but this time produced as a part of a series of short films for Vogue Film, which I think is part of the Vogue fashion and lifestyle magazine family. This isn't the first time they've produced a series of short films, I've watched at least one previously and it was on the artsy side which I don't mind at all, as long as it's well done and interesting.
Tong Yao stars in this with Steven Zhang Xincheng who is an up and coming young actor in China. I'm actually quite pleased with this partnership because I have a good impression of him. I watched him in Go Ahead, which was a series I didn't particularly like but I thought he was good in the series. I also saw him in The Justice, which was a series that had several flaws but was an overall good watch, and he was good in that again.
I finally got around to watching this in Mar 2022 and wrote up a simple review and provided a link to the video on YouTube too (CLICK ME). It's only approximately 10 minutes long and isn't bad at all. Definitely well worth the watch if you are fans of either stars or if you like short films.
2024 - Cesium Fallout - 焚城
Tong Yao has a small guest-starring role in this captivating disaster film set in Hong Kong. The movie tells the story of Hong Kong on the brink of devastation after a radioactive leak of Cesium-137, triggered by an explosion at a container terminal.
Andy Lau stars as Simon Fan, a guilt-ridden radiation expert on a path to redemption, while Tong Yao plays his wife, Li Meiyi. Though her role is brief, it’s pivotal, deeply influencing the story and key character arcs—especially for Simon Fan and her brother, Li Jiefeng, played by Bai Yu.
The film surprised me with its engaging mix of disaster drama, political intrigue, and heartfelt storytelling. It’s not perfect, but it’s an absorbing and emotional take on the disaster genre, with solid performances and themes that resonate.
If you’re a Tong Yao fan, her role may be small but it’s impactful. And if you’re into disaster films with a bit more heart and depth, Cesium Fallout is definitely worth your time.
Aside from the Write Up & Trailer, I've also written a review with a focus on Tong Yao, please check them out.
NOTES (Films):
None for now
INTERVIEWS:
I don't actually plan to do a lot of interview translations because I won't actually have time for it but if I feel like it and do do them, I'll collate the links to the separate blog posts here.
2021 - Giorgio Armani Crossroads Podcast interview with Tong Yao
2022 - Madame Figaro Apr 2022 - Cover Story
- Talks about Life is a Long Quiet River
- Talks about 微暗之火 (Tender Light)
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