C-drama, for the uninitiated, which until very recently included me, is Chinese drama, usually in Mandarin with English subtitles. It is immensely popular with vast Chinese audiences inside and outside China. But it has barely attracted any Western attention. But now Netflix is streaming this big-budget murder mystery action drama about Di Renji, a humble detective who becomes a judge and an imperial court official. Critics have likened him to a Chinese Sherlock Holmes.
We are in China during the first century Tang Dynasty and reformist Empress Wu Zetain is vulnerable to power plays from palace officials.The spirited action sequences give way to hints about the young Di Renji and the mysterious fate that befell his father. And then there’s the delicious political intrigue at the palace as forces range against the vulnerable Empress who is keen to modernise. Or, at least that was how it seemed to this ignorant Laowai.
This is thanks to ancient Chinese storytelling and author Dutch author Robert van Gulik who adapted the stories in the 1950s. His novels were regarded as a cultural bridge between East and West and now this series is too, thanks to Chinese networks CCTV-8 and Youku as well as Netflix. It’s the distraction you need. The series is 32 episodes of about 50 minutes each, so that’s your winter sorted.is a special correspondent for The Age. He was previously deputy editor of The Sunday Age and a CBD columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former media diarist and features editor of The Australian. He spent six years in London working for The Guardian.
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