General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

Love and Destiny (宸汐缘)

Love and Destiny (宸汐缘) is a 2019 Chinese television series in the xianxia (immortal-hero) fantasy romance genre, produced for the streaming platform iQiyi and set in the same fictional universe as the 2017 drama Eternal Love.¹ It tells the love story between Jiu Chen, the God of War, and Ling Xi, a young fairy maiden whose existence can free the demon lord he once sealed away.² The series ran for 60 episodes from July 15 to August 16, 2019, and stars Chang Chen and Ni Ni.³

Key fact	Detail
Original title	宸汐缘; also known as 三生三世宸汐缘 (San Sheng San Shi Chen Xi Yuan)⁴
Broadcast	iQiyi, July 15 to August 16, 2019; 60 episodes of about 45 minutes, weekdays³^•²
Censorship record	Licensed by China's National Radio and Television Administration as 三生三世宸汐缘, 60 episodes, license (沪)剧审字(2018)第045号, issued December 24, 2018, later renamed 宸汐缘⁵
Leads	Chang Chen as Jiu Chen; Ni Ni as Ling Xi / Lin Mo²
Directors	Lin Yufen (Yu Fen Lin) and Liang Shengquan⁶
Genre	Xianxia, fantasy, romance⁴
Universe	Produced by the team behind Eternal Love (2017) and set in the same universe; a spin-off, not a prequel or sequel¹^•⁷

Spoilers

Premise

Ten thousand years before the story begins, Jiu Chen, the God of War, fell into a deep slumber after sealing away the demon lord. Ling Xi accidentally wakes him, and the two fall in love. It then comes to light that Ling Xi carries an evil miasma from birth, one that could free the demon lord and enable the demon tribe to gain ascendancy. Jiu Chen refuses to kill an innocent and tries to change her fate; through his encouragement, Ling Xi, once innocent and naive, grows into a brave leader in the fight against evil.²

The conflict comes to a head when the Ghost Lord undoes the spell and becomes free again, plaguing the world so that people of all tribes suffer. To ensure the peace of the world, Jiu Chen jumps into Fulingyuan to lock up all the demons.⁸ A reviewer for Douban summarized the central dilemma as a God of War who loves a fairy maiden with the power to release the Lord of Evil, and who chooses to sacrifice himself to protect both the realm and the woman he loves.⁹

Production and broadcast

The series was produced by the Juku Media (剧酷传播) studio under Huace Croton, together with iQiyi; IMDb also credits Shanghai GCOO Entertainment and Huace Media among the production companies.³^•¹ It was announced in July 2019 as an "Eastern legendary love story" headlined by Chang Chen and Ni Ni, with a supporting cast including Li Dongxue, Zhang Zhixi, Li Jiaming, Hai Ling, Liu Qianhan, Zhang Haiyu, Na Guangzi, Wang Qingxiang, and Huang Haibing, and directed by the well-known director Lin Yufen.¹⁰ The production emphasized traditional Chinese aesthetics, with imagery of cloud terraces, moonlit palaces, and peach groves, and an insert song, 《水从天上来》, sung by Zhang Bichen and Zheng Yunlong in a pentatonic musical style.¹⁰ The opening theme song, "It's Fate", was composed by Xuan Tan with lyrics by Duan Sisi and performed by Aska Yang.¹

Release schedule. iQiyi streamed the series exclusively from July 15, 2019, updating two episodes each weekday at 20:00, with VIP members able to watch ahead.¹⁰ The final episode aired on August 16, 2019.² Internationally it became available with subtitles in many languages on Rakuten Viki and Apple TV.¹¹^•⁶

Cast

Actor	Role
Chang Chen	Jiu Chen (voiced by Zheng Xi)⁴
Ni Ni	Ling Xi / Lin Mo (voiced by Ji Guanlin)⁴
Li Dongxue	Jing Xiu³
Zhang Zhixi	Qing Yao⁴
Li Jiaming	Yun Feng³
Hai Ling	Yuan Tong³

Place in the Three Lives, Three Worlds universe

Love and Destiny belongs to the "Three Lives, Three Worlds" franchise built around the novels of Tang Qi. It was produced by the same team as the 2017 hit Eternal Love and is listed by IMDb as a spin-off from that series, set in the same universe.¹ The entertainment site Soompi, however, notes that it is not a prequel or sequel to Eternal Love, but a separate installment recounting the love story between a kind-hearted fairy and a solemn God of War with a mysterious past.⁷

A Chinese newspaper industry report noted that after broadcast-policy adjustments, only a handful of costume dramas, including Love and Destiny, reached the summer 2019 streaming season, with other planned series delayed to 2020.¹²

Reception

On Rakuten Viki the series holds a user rating of 9.5 out of 10 from more than 23,000 ratings.¹¹ A Japanese drama information site reports that it ranked first among 2019 period dramas on Douban, China's main review platform.¹³ The series received nominations at the 2019 Huading Awards for Best Television Series and at the WenRong TV Awards for Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best TV Series.⁸

Commentary highlighted two choices that set the series apart from its genre. A Douban review observed that, unlike typical Chinese historic fantasy dramas starring young idols, its leads were in their 40s (Chang Chen) and 30s (Ni Ni), and that the love between the characters develops on a foundation of trust, respect, understanding, sacrifice, and shared values rather than on romantic moments or good looks.⁹ Soompi praised Ling Xi as a heroine who is neither physically nor magically strong, yet shows strength of will in standing up to far more powerful beings to protect the people she loves, and noted that Jiu Chen avoids the familiar trope of the sensible male lead who becomes foolish after falling in love.⁷

Other works with the same English title

The English title "Love Destiny" is also used by unrelated productions: a 2026 Thai Channel 3 series about a modern surgeon transmigrated into a 17th-century Ayutthaya troublemaker,¹⁴ and a 2026 Nigerian drama film about a food vendor deceived by a wealthy businessman.¹⁵ Neither is connected to the Chinese series.

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 Iv to My

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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