General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20264 min read

Charming and Countries (十国千娇)

Charming and Countries (浮世双娇传), formerly titled Shi Guo Qian Jiao (十国千娇), is a 2020 Chinese costume drama set in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, adapted from the web novel Shi Guo Qian Jiao by the author Xifeng Jin (西风紧). It stars Aarif Rahman (Li Zhiting), Meng Ziyi, Li Yitong, and Wang Zhuocheng, and premiered on Tencent Video and WeTV on September 28, 2020.¹^•²

Key fact	Detail
Original title	十国千娇, renamed 浮世双娇传 (Charming and Countries) for release¹
Source	Web novel Shi Guo Qian Jiao by Xifeng Jin, serialized on Zongheng Chinese Web with over 8 million total clicks³
Production	Penguin Pictures and Siba Pictures; directors Lan Zhiwei and Huang Jiahui⁴
Cast	Aarif Rahman, Meng Ziyi, Li Yitong, Wang Zhuocheng in lead roles¹
Format	40 episodes of about 41 minutes each, in Mandarin²
Premiere	September 28, 2020, Tencent Video and WeTV; ran to October 26, 2020 with updates Monday through Wednesday²^•⁵
Filming	Began October 12, 2019⁶

Spoilers

Plot of the drama

The series is set in the Later Zhou dynasty. A folk prophecy called "Fu girl becomes empress" (符女帝后) holds that a daughter of the Fu family, descendants of a minister who served through five reigns, is destined to become the future empress. Some factions scheme to obtain a Fu daughter believing it will win them the realm, while others plot to destroy the Fu daughters to undermine the throne. After the death of Emperor Taizu Guo Wei, the succession is unsettled, and the two sisters Fu Yuzhan and Fu Jinzhan fall in love with rival men. Amid the intrigue of Later Zhou, the sisters remain true to their principles, reconcile, and work together to stabilize the state.⁴^•⁸

In the cast list, Aarif Rahman plays Xue Rong, a prince; Meng Ziyi plays Fu Yuzhan; Li Yitong plays Fu Jinzhan; and Wang Zhuocheng plays Jiang Shao, a wandering swordsman.⁹^•²

The source novel

The novel Shi Guo Qian Jiao is a time-travel historical story by Xifeng Jin, a contracted author on Zongheng Chinese Web and a member of the Sichuan Internet Writers Association, whose other works include Da Ming Wu Sha and Da Ming Chun Se. Its protagonist transmigrates into the chaotic Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms era as a common soldier named Guo Shao, who knows the future history of the period, including Zhao Kuangyin's rise, and competes with the historical figure Zhao Kuangyin to win the empire. The completed novel runs about 2.65 million characters and has accumulated more than 8 million total clicks on Zongheng.³^•⁷

Departure from the novel

The adaptation changed the novel substantially. A Douban review of the broadcast version describes the original as a male-lead harem time-travel historical story, while the drama became a fictionalized romance with two male and two female leads, with character names and the historical setting rewritten.¹⁰ Specific changes include:

The novel's protagonist Guo Shao became the drama's Jiang Shao, with an added plotline as the old emperor's illegitimate son; in the novel, Guo Shao defeats Chai Rong and Zhao Kuangyin and takes the throne himself.¹⁰
The historical Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, Chai Rong, a minor early casualty in the novel, was elevated to a co-lead as Xue Rong.¹⁰
Emperor Taizu Guo Wei became the fictional "old emperor" Xue Wei; his nephew Li Zhongjin was renamed Li Huaijin, and his son-in-law Zhang Yongde was renamed Zhang Yongyao.¹⁰
The sister Fu Yuzhan is an original character not present in the novel, where Fu Jinzhan is the eldest daughter of the Fu family.¹⁰

The surname changes and invented figures moved the story from real history to a fictionalized setting, and reviewers noted the resulting plot resembles The Legend of Dugu, which uses a similar prophecy about daughters of one family marrying into the imperial line.⁸

Broadcast and distribution

The series premiered on Tencent Video in mainland China on September 28, 2020, with two episodes released each Monday through Wednesday at 20:00, and also streamed on WeTV, myTV SUPER, TVB Anywhere USA, and the free ad-supported service encoreTVB with traditional Chinese subtitles.¹ A TVB Cantonese-dubbed version aired on Astro AOD in Malaysia from September 5, 2022, and on TVB Jade in Hong Kong from May 5, 2025.¹ The series is also distributed internationally under the English title Charming and Countries and the alternate title Legend of Two Sisters in the Chaos.⁹^•⁵

Other adaptations

The novel has also been adapted into other media. A multi-voice audio drama narrated by the broadcaster Ye Tingfeng, produced as a time-travel historical audio series, was released on Ximalaya and reached 913 episodes.³^•¹¹ The novel has also been adapted into comic form.¹²

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › East Asian web and streaming serials › Titles symbols to Co

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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