THE WIND BLOWS FROM LONGXI (2022) was some real next level greatness, in my opinion, though I am a fan of Spy Thrillers, Historical C-Dramas, as well as many members of the cast. The writing, including the story, subplots, characters, and dialogue were all top notch amazing! I'm not sure why this hasn't gotten more 10 star ratings. Cinematically this series was simply stunning to the eye. The writing made it an intellectual mental feast. The acting was incredibly brilliant and realistic.
Taking place in the Three Kingdoms Era (224 AD) (during the Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu contention), this spy thriller was a very unique series. Chen Gong (Chen Kun) as the Shu spy also known as "The White Emperor" and Feng Ying (Yuan Nie) as the director of Shu's Intelligence Beareau, as well as Xun Xu (Yu Bai) the Shu spy called in to fix things, after the spy channel in Wei was infiltrated by Wei counter-intelligence. The mysterious Wei spy is called Candle Dragon and everyone seeks to find his identity. And what an intriguing, thrilling ride it was.
I highly applaud the acting, as everyone was excellent, but especially parts played by the masterful Chen Kun (Chen Gong / White Emperor), Yuan Nie (Feng Ying / Shu Intel Director), Yu Bai (Xun Xu), Yi Sun (Di Yue), Angelababy (Miss Liu / Liu Ying), Zhusheng Yin (General Lin Yan), Guangjie Li (Prime Minister Zhuge Liang), and Xiaochen Zhang (Libationer Huang Yu). There are so many others as well. The cast was superb!
This series really became immersive after the first few slower episodes, meant to set the stage for the highly complex strategical story. Through the course of the series, the mystery gradually unravels and the tension builds, leading to an intense outcome. This series was excellently casted and acted. The characters are really well written and motivated. The story was super intriguing, although it may prove a little more slow burn for those uninterested in a historical spy story. After watching this one, I found myself longing for more. The mere 24 episodes this series consists of is quite short for a Chinese Drama, especially one with such epic premise. Normally a Chinese historical epic might be 80+ episodes. I hope we'll get a season 2, quickly!
Overall, this was a fantastic watch. Excellent writing, direction, and acting, and stellar cinematography as well! It made it that much more appealing. This complex series was seriously worth the watch and hopefully there will be more coming. A must watch if you are a fan of C-Drama's, Historical Spy Thrillers, and the Three Kingdoms Era. It was a highly enjoyable series. Hope to see more. Brilliant!
