Tong Yao and her studio have announced that The Miracles (奇迹) will premiere on December 22, 2025. If I understand the announcement correctly, the short episode she stars in alongside Chen Xiao will be among the first batch to air. New images have also been released, and we now have the official English title for this short episode: The Keyboard of Dreams (城的琴).
Well, this is interesting!! It looks like the Nothing But Thirty sequel, which Tong Yao had previously confirmed was going to start production in 2026 (if nothing else changes), has now received further, official confirmation. This is slated to be a co-production with Singapore's Mediacorp and is currently titled Only Thirty-Five. This is awesome news for Singapore fans, since it's likely that Tong Yao will shoot some scenes here. At least, that is what I hope.
AMENDED 6th Nov
The official Weibo account for Si Xi has announced that the series is slated to begin airing on November 7th. The various stars of the series have also shared new promo photos and accompanying messages in support of the release.
After finishing Footprints of Change (足迹), I found myself so engrossed that what began as a simple review quickly morphed into a detailed commentary. Three weeks later, I decided to pause and reframe my thoughts into a more condensed response to the series.
Although it’s no longer a big secret, Ball Lightning, the drama series adaptation of Liu Cixin’s novel, has never officially announced its cast till today.
As part of a larger iQiyi drama showcase announcement, the official Weibo channel (along with the cast members) released the official poster and introduced their characters for the first time.
While looking around for information about Encounter with You (转身遇到你), I realized there's very little available in English, and some of the Chinese information about this drama also seems to be incorrect. I hope to fill that gap, ensuring international fans have a more accurate picture so they can decide if they want to invest time into this series.
I recently watched and subtitled the "Character Feature" video, one of the promotional clips for Footprints of Change, as preparation for starting the series. Some parts of the feature were particularly interesting, especially the sections set in the 50s and 90s. The characters in the 30s seem more typical of that period as in we've seen similar characters before in other series from that era. But I won't know for sure until I begin the series itself. That will be soon, since I’ve already purchased a subscription on iQiyi to watch both this drama and Encounter with You.
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I haven’t had time to watch Footprints of Change yet because I’ve been quite busy, but Tong Yao’s part of the story proper started airing last night for VIP members from Episode 11 onwards. What some people may not realise is that she actually appeared way back in Episode 1, about five minutes in.
Quick update today because I’m pressed for time: the official English title for 足迹 is apparently Footprints of Change, and honestly, I think it’s perfect for this drama.
On 26 August, CCTV’s official Weibo account released a series of promotional stills and video clips to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. All the stars involved in the short film anthology marked the occasion by forming the numbers “4” and “5” with their hands.
I'm writing a quick post to update the status of the iQiyi series, 《隐秘的对决》, from "unconfirmed" to "confirmed."
Although I haven't seen an official confirmation from iQiyi on Weibo or found the original source of the promotional image, I can now confidently confirm the series is happening. The key piece of evidence is a composite image posted by Tong Yao's management company on their Weibo account to celebrate her birthday on August 11th. Yes, I should have updated the blog earlier, but I've been busy with work, my studies, and my new photo blog. 😅
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Hello fellow Tong Yao fans! The plot for Tong Yao's chapter in The Miracles (奇迹) just got thicker. New details have emerged that confirm some rumors while making the details even more mystifying.
First, let's start with what we know. The Guomao Building's official XiaoHongShu account has been a good source of information. Not only did it confirm that Tong Yao's story is set at their iconic location and that Chen Xiao (陈晓) is her co-star, but the post also tagged two more actors: Deng Jiajia (邓家佳) and Dong Yong (董勇). While their exact roles are unconfirmed, we now know more details about the cast, whereas previously all we knew was that Tong Yao would most likely be starring in this short story.
NOTE 20th Dec 2025: I think I might have jumped the gun or there were further changes but it's unlikely that the series will premiere in 2025. Looks like a 2026 release now.
More fantastic news for Tong Yao fans! The Shanghai TV Festival continues to be a source of exciting announcements. First, we got direct confirmation that Nothing But Thirty 2 is in the works. Now, the news we've all been waiting for on Ball Lightning (球状闪电) has arrived in a one-two punch of confirmation.
After a long and confusing silence, Tong Yao herself has confirmed it: the sequel to the smash-hit drama Nothing But Thirty is officially back on track and expected to begin filming in 2026!
For fans who have followed this journey, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster. To understand why this new confirmation is so significant, let's look at the full story.
Exciting news for Tong Yao fans! The upcoming series Si Xi (四喜) just dropped new posters, a trailer, and a listing on Tencent Video in China over the past few days.
Since there don't seem to be any official English subtitles available yet, I took some time to create them for the new trailer. As of now, as far as I can tell, the series isn't listed on Tencent's international YouTube channel or on WeTV, so many fans outside of China may not have seen it. It's also worth noting that there is no official English title yet. While it was once announced with the working title Those Days, the official Weibo account for the drama series has never used that name, so I'll be sticking with Si Xi for now.
In this adaptation of Qu Bo's novel Qiao Longbiao, Tong Yao co-stars in a key role as Xiao Bailong, the fiercely loyal adopted sister of the protagonist, Qiao Longbiao. The series charts Qiao Longbiao’s transformation from a charismatic bandit leader into a dedicated communist guerrilla fighter. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Anti-Japanese War (1937–1945) and the subsequent Civil War, it’s a story of heroic struggle against foreign invaders and reactionary forces. It’s worth noting that this drama is a prime example of revolutionary romanticism, a genre where patriotic politics are central to the narrative. To fully appreciate the story, it helps to approach it on its own terms, with an understanding of this specific historical and cultural context.
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CCTV held a 开机 (start-of-production) event for The Miracles on 25 May, where they unveiled a more complete cast and crew list. The newly announced actors linked to the project are impressive, including names like Bai Yu, Lei Jiayin, and Song Jia.
They also released official promotional stills and video clips featuring the cast and crew expressing their congratulations, although I wasn't able to find many instances where they discussed the script or their characters.
