LayarHijau – The costume romance drama Pursuit of Jade (逐玉), starring Tian Xiwei and Zhang Linghe, has been a topic of discussion since the early stages of production. Since its premiere, the drama has continued to generate buzz, with strong popularity arriving alongside a fair share of controversy.
Discussions about the drama’s promotional strategy, its rising popularity, and the performances of its lead actors have appeared across multiple platforms. Despite the debates, Pursuit of Jade has undeniably delivered impressive results, both within its streaming platform and on several third-party ranking charts.
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Amid the noise surrounding the drama, the story itself has also attracted viewers’ attention. One particularly interesting aspect is the profession of its female lead.
In the drama, the character Fan Changyu, played by Tian Xiwei, is not introduced as a noble lady or a member of the royal family, which is often the case in many costume romance dramas. Instead, she begins the story as a village pig butcher.
Pursuit of Jade follows the life of Fan Changyu after the death of her parents, leaving her to depend on each other with her younger sister. One day, she accidentally saves a nobleman named Xie Zheng who is on the run.
The two later agree to enter a fake marriage, each with their own motives. However, as they spend more time together, their relationship gradually develops into genuine feelings. Unfortunately, political turmoil at court and unresolved conflicts from the past eventually force them apart.
Faced with this situation, Fan Changyu makes a bold decision to take her butcher’s knife and head to the battlefield. In the end, she and Xie Zheng fight to defend their homeland and eventually find happiness together.
Linking the profession of a pig butcher to the female lead in a romance drama may seem unusual at first glance. In many previous costume dramas, female leads are often portrayed as elegant noblewomen or at least given professions considered more “refined,” such as embroidery, business, or medicine.
Precisely because it feels unconventional, this background becomes one of the key attractions in the early part of Pursuit of Jade.
A closer look at the story reveals that the profession actually serves as an important foundation for Fan Changyu’s character development, while also creating dramatic moments and light comedic touches throughout the narrative.
The drama even opens with a striking scene. When neighbors struggle to control a restless pig, the petite Fan Changyu steps forward and quickly subdues the animal. She then lifts the entire pig onto her shoulder, carries it inside, and efficiently completes the butchering process.
The sequence immediately establishes a powerful and straightforward heroine, very different from the more traditional female characters often seen in similar dramas. Her background as a butcher also continues to create amusing contrasts and lighthearted moments as the story unfolds.
However, as the female lead in a romance drama, this profession is only the starting point of Fan Changyu’s journey, not its final destination.
Although she has received little formal education, she possesses extraordinary physical strength and has inherited an exceptional knife technique from her family. This skill explains how she has been able to handle such physically demanding work from the beginning.
At the same time, that ability also becomes an important foundation for her future development. The knife technique she inherited is closely tied to the true identity of her parents, planting an early clue to the major transformation awaiting her.
As the story progresses, Fan Changyu gradually leaves behind her life as a butcher and grows into a strong woman capable of fighting on the battlefield.
This development has sparked mixed reactions among viewers. Some believe it represents a logical and well-developed character arc, while others feel that the butcher background only provides temporary novelty before the story ultimately returns to a more familiar romance between characters of high status.
Even so, for many viewers, the image of a female lead wielding a butcher’s knife and possessing remarkable strength offers a refreshing change.
At a time when many costume romance dramas still portray female leads as gentle and refined, the presence of a character like Fan Changyu reflects an effort to create more diverse and independent female roles. Although the main characters in the story ultimately turn out not to be ordinary people, giving the heroine a grounded starting point along with the ability to survive independently and protect others is still seen as a fresh touch in Chinese costume dramas.
