7 Tian Xiwei shows you need to watch after ‘Pursuit of Jade’

Make sure not to skip this when choosing Tian Xiwei shows. One of her most charming performances comes in Wrong Carriage, Right Groom, where she plays Li Yuhu, the outspoken and martial-arts-trained daughter of a school owner. Unlike the demure brides typically found in historical romances, Li Yuhu is impulsive, sharp-tongued and more comfortable throwing punches than embroidery needles. When a rainstorm causes two brides to swap carriages on their wedding day accidentally, she ends up married to Qi Tianlei, the supposedly sickly heir of a wealthy family, played by Ao Ruipeng.

The joy of the drama comes from watching Li Yuhu try—and fail—to act like a proper society lady while secretly using her intelligence and fighting skills to protect her husband and uncover the corruption surrounding his family. Tian is especially good at balancing comedy with warmth here. She turns Li Yuhu into the kind of heroine who barrels into every situation headfirst, yet still feels deeply lovable. It is the performance that cemented her as one of costume drama’s most refreshing young stars.

Not all Tian Xiwei shows are period projects. This is Tian in modern-drama mode, and it gives her one of her messiest roles yet. She plays He Zhinan, a young woman searching for love while trying to make sense of adulthood, friendships and the uneasy feeling that everyone around her is moving faster than she is. Unlike the warm optimism of New Life Begins or Pursuit of Jade, this series is much more cynical about relationships. It is filled with cheating scandals, emotionally immature men, complicated friendships and characters who are not always easy to root for.

That is also what makes it interesting. Fans were especially excited to see Tian move away from her “cute girl” image into something morally greyer and more realistic. If you want proof that she can do contemporary angst and romantic chaos just as well as historical charm, this is the drama to watch.

If Pursuit of Jade showed Tian Xiwei at her most poised and romantic, Moonlit Reunion is set to show her at her wildest. She plays Wu Zhen, a noblewoman in Chang’an with a scandalous reputation: she dresses in men’s clothing, frequents brothels and behaves like the city’s most notorious dandy. But the outrageous persona is a cover. In reality, Wu Zhen is the mysterious Cat Master, the hidden ruler of the Demon City and one of the most powerful figures in the supernatural underworld.

Her dynamic with Xu Kai’s Mei Zhuyu is what makes the drama especially irresistible. He is a gifted Taoist who can see spirits, serious to the point of being humourless, while she is all flirtation and chaos. Together, they investigate strange happenings and battle supernatural threats, but the real appeal is the contrast between her reckless charm and his buttoned-up restraint. Among the must-watch Tian Xiwei shows, Moonlit Reunion combines monster hunting, romantic comedy and dazzling visual effects into one of the biggest fantasy spectacles.

Romance on the Farm gave Tian one of her most charming showcase roles before Pursuit of Jade. She plays a modern woman who somehow ends up inside a farming simulation game, where she has to survive rural life, build relationships and slowly fall in love. The premise sounds quirky, but the drama works because Tian makes her character feel funny, determined and unexpectedly relatable. There is plenty of cosy wish-fulfilment here: beautiful countryside scenery, slow-burn romance and the fantasy of escaping modern life for something simpler. It is lighter than Pursuit of Jade, but it delivers the same kind of immersive world that makes you want to stay there for a while.

Before Tian Xiwei became one of costume drama’s most in-demand leading ladies, she charmed audiences in Lovely Us, a nostalgic coming-of-age series about a tight-knit group of teenagers growing up in the early 2000s. She plays Huang Chengcheng, the bright and lovable girl at the centre of a friend group navigating first crushes, family tensions, school pressures and all the awkwardness of growing up. The drama has the warm, bittersweet feeling of looking through an old photo album: funny in one scene, quietly heartbreaking in the next. It is also one of the clearest examples of Tian’s natural screen presence because even in a simple modern setting, she is impossible not to watch.

If Pursuit of Jade showed Tian Xiwei at her most elegant and emotionally devastating, Guardians of the Dafeng looks like it could show her at her sharpest. The fantasy historical drama stars Dylan Wang as a modern man transported into another world full of court intrigue, supernatural mysteries and political chaos. Tian plays one of the key women in his orbit, and early previews suggest she will bring the same mix of intelligence, warmth and chemistry that has made her such a magnetic screen presence. The scale is also huge: think lavish costumes, sprawling world-building and the kind of high-concept fantasy storytelling that turns a drama into a full-blown obsession.

See more: Rising C-drama stars: 9 up-and-coming Chinese actors set to dominate 2026

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