Promotional material for The Forbidden Flower Photo: Courtesy of Tencent Video

The Forbidden Flower

Chinese romance series The Forbidden Flower has earned good reviews on media platform MyDramaList since its released on Tencent Video on Monday. So far the show has a score of 8.3/10.

An adaptation of a popular novel, the show tells the story of a romance between a young woman named He Ran and a middle-aged man called Xiao Han. They are attracted to each other, but where will their story lead next?

Suffering from a serious illness, the young woman is attracted to the well-known gardener Xiao, who lost his faith in life due to his unforgettable sad past. The two both find a new mission in life through their interactions with each other and regain hope and confidence toward life.

The drama breaks free from typical tasteless romantic stories. Instead of relying on the shackles of marriage or family like many do, the show focuses on the romance of first love, and how the two save each other.

Under the Microscope

Since its release on February 9 on iQIYI, the new suspense drama Under the Microscope has ignited hot debate on Sina Weibo.

Adapted from a well-known book by Chinese novelist, columnist and blogger Ma Boyong, the drama tells the story of math genius Shuai Jiamo, who stumbles into an investigation after discovering a century-old taxation error.

The drama doesn't focus on imperial power struggles, but is instead set in the small county of Renhua, where citizens and officials from all levels get involved in the taxation case. In the drama, everything that Shuai does can be seen as an attempt to resist the ancient feudal system in which the powerful bully the weak.

"Finally, there is a costume drama with regular people as the protagonists," commented one fan.