Recent Watches

I binge-watched My Destiny (我的山与海), starring Tan Song Yun (谭松韵), and it was one of the best dramas of 2026.

The first time I discovered her was through the TV series Go Ahead (以家人之名), and I completely fell in love with the show because of the values it portrayed (and, of course, because she’s incredibly pretty—the natural kind of beauty). I remember watching Go Ahead in 2020, the year after I got married (I got married in December 2019), and one quote from the show spoke straight to my heart: 「他們終將離開你的世界，他們也會有自己的世界。」Translated—“One day, they’ll eventually leave your world to build worlds and families of their own.” Back then, I was struggling with my new identity as a wife and also moving away from KL to start life anew in JB.  Slowly, feelings I had never noticed before began to surface. I missed sleeping in the same bed as my sisters. I missed going home every weekend. I missed going on holidays with just my sisters or with my family. All of a sudden, I had this new person (my husband) to care for and build a life with, and I found it hard to let go of pieces of my single life. The following year, my elder sister got married. Since then, every time I returned to my hometown in Seremban, I was not used to not seeing her in the house (she lives about 40 minutes away and only come back during weekends). I expected the usual warm welcome from my sisters as I burst through the door after a long journey from JB, but only my parents were there to greet me. I was still transitioning from being a daughter and a sister to becoming a wife, and when the main character Li Jian Jian (李尖尖) was told these words by her father, both she and I broke down. I believed that ugly cry that day brought me healing, and gave me courage and peace to embrace that phase of my life.

《以家人之名》Go Ahead

「年紀小的時候，從沒有想過分別，總覺得時間很慢，
可時間在任何時候，有一隻看不見的手，它在牽著我們走。」
“When we were young, we never imagined parting. Time always felt slow and endless, yet all along, there was an unseen hand quietly guiding us forward, leading us toward change.”

The next TV Series that I fell in love with ( also starring her) was Dear Mayang Street (親愛的麻洋街).  The show was like a quiet playback of youth and of innocent love. The main character Ma Xiao Xiao马晓晓 once loved a man with all her heart. It was a love filled with certainty, intensity, and the kind of innocence that only existed when we were young enough to believe that love alone can shape the future. But life, as it often does, intervened. Misunderstandings crept in, timing fell out of sync, and the story that once felt destined slowly unraveled. In the end, she married someone else. And yet, what makes this story so deeply moving is not just the heartbreak, but the quiet truth it reflects: how love in our youth is often less about endings, and more about becoming. It broke my heart as the show reflected what I, and what everybody else, once went through in their youth. I also ugly cried throughout the show. We don’t always end up with the person we once thought we couldn’t live without. How we once believed we couldn’t live without them, and how we cried our hearts out through the silence of the night. There is a gentle sadness in that realization, but also a strange kind of peace. And perhaps, in the end, the story is not about who we lost, but about how all those almosts and what-ifs quietly shaped who we became. The theme song 回忆是你 is still one of my favourite songs up to this day. 

《親愛的麻洋街》 Dear Mayang Street

「既然讓她變成平凡人，何必給她那麼優秀的曾經……」
“Since she was destined to become an ordinary person,
why was she ever given such an extraordinary past…”

Along the way, there were a few more dramas, both modern and ancient, also starring her, but none left as great an impact as My Destiny（我的山与海）, my most recent watch. I cried at every single episode— all 30 episodes. There was not a single episode that did not leave me in tears. I like that this show discussed perspectives or taboos that society is still struggling with, such as child adoption, succeeding without an academic background, and a father’s love. The first episode itself spoke of how this young girl, the main character Fang Wan zhi (方婉之), was adopted into a wealthy yet humble family. She was born into a very poor family that deeply favoured sons over daughters. Because of these outdated beliefs, she was abandoned by her biological parents at birth. However, life took on an unexpected turn. Her adoptive mother was a respected “principal” in the local community and also a volunteer doctor who constantly gave her service in rural parts of China. Her adoptive father was a county magistrate. From then on, she grew up in an exceptionally well-educated and intellectual family.

I like how the movie openly explores both the value and the social taboo of child adoption. I believe child adoption (through the proper channel) should not be viewed in a negative light; rather, we should encourage greater understanding, acceptance, and compassion toward it. Growing up, I had read stories about adoption, but mostly from overseas, from Western countries. Joel Mullen (FB page) and his family had been a great inspiration since I was a youth. In my own family, both my cousin brother and sister were adopted, so adoption was never something strange to me. I hope that one day, if I have the ability to provide love, time, and financial stability, I will also have the courage and strength to explore adoption. This movie gave me a quiet but powerful sense of encouragement. It made me reflect on how love is not defined by blood but by choice, care, and consistency over time. The main character, whose life was transformed through the gift of adoption, later chose to pay that kindness forward by adopting a child of her own as well. That part stayed with me. It felt like a reminder that love, when received in its purest form, does not end with us. Instead, it continues through us.

「人有三命：一是父母给的，叫天命；二是生活经历给的，叫实命；三是文化给的，叫自修命。天命是你无法选择的出身，实命是你脚下走的路，而自修命，则是你怎么看待自己。」Translated— "Human life is shaped by three kinds of fate: the first is the fate you are born into; the second is shaped by your life experiences; and the third is formed through culture and self-cultivation.”

The love between the main character and her adoptive father also brought tears to my eyes every single time they interact. I thought their father–daughter relationship would crumble after her adoptive mother passed away, since it was her mother who had initiated the adoption. But the father continued to show his love for his adopted daughter, again and again. It is the kind of love that whispers in the chaos and noise of life. You need to slow down and be still to hear it speaking. I would say that the father–daughter relationship is the highlight of this drama, woven throughout the fabric of the story from beginning to the very end.

主题曲 Theme Song 1： 背着山的人

"年少时我总看你俯下身

如同大地不语 却背起山峰

你用你沉默向前的脚印

回应头顶同样沉默的星空

你用你不曾停驻的远行

回答一生不曾停驻的秒针

你用你心中不灭的火种

温暖回敬沿路不灭的风雨声"
- 背着山的人-

主题曲 Theme Song 2 : 命里有时

From the Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:

For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.

 

I love dramas that stay with me long after the screen fades to black. It’s like reading a book. You need to watch slowly (took me 2 months!) and savour the details. Hence, dramas like these tend to feel slow or even boring for those who don’t enjoy reading, I think? (I recommended these to my friends, but they gave up watching halfway 😹) Also, writing an English reflection on a Chinese drama is kinda hard. I wanted to write this post in Mandarin, but decided otherwise (not ready? lol). I also originally wanted to do a “recent check-in” all in one post, but this drama reflection alone already feels quite long. So I’m changing my blog title from “Recent Check-In” to “Recent Watches”, ha-ha. 

Thanks for reading with me all along the way! And I hope you find healing and restoration through these dramas too 😜