General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20266 min read

Love in Pavilion (淮水竹亭)

Love in Pavilion (淮水竹亭) is a 2025 Chinese fantasy costume drama starring Liu Shishi and Zhang Yunlong, adapted from the Fox Spirit Matchmaker manhua by Tu Xiao Xin (庹小新) and streamed on iQIYI. It tells the story of Dongfang Huaizhu (东方淮竹) and Wangquan Hongye (王权弘业), leaders of two great families who work to restore peace in a world divided between humans and demons, and who pledge to meet "on the seventh day of the seventh month, at the Bamboo Pavilion by the Huai River".¹ The series premiered on April 28, 2025, ran for 36 episodes, and drew record premiere heat on iQIYI alongside sharply divided reviews.²^•³^•⁴

Key fact	Detail
Source material	Adapted from the manhua Fox Spirit Matchmaker by Tu Xiao Xin, specifically the Zhu Ye (竹业) arc; the original arc spans 12 episodes, expanded to 36 for the drama¹^•⁴
Lead cast	Liu Shishi as Dongfang Huaizhu; Zhang Yunlong as Wangquan Hongye¹
Production	Director Du Lin; screenwriters Miao Wenjing and Ding Yaren; filmed May 2023 to December 5, 2023⁵^•⁶
Premiere	April 28, 2025, exclusively on iQIYI's Love On (恋恋剧场) programming; 36 episodes²^•⁵
Premiere heat	iQIYI content heat of 7569 on day one, the platform's highest premiere-day heat of 2025 and its highest in three years³
First-day views	Over 18.41 million all-platform views on premiere day by Kuyun's count; 22.02 million by Yunhe's count, first among 2025 drama premieres⁷
International reach	Topped iQIYI International viewing charts in 14 countries and regions; scored 8.4 on MyDramaList³
Reception	Polarized: praised for visual aesthetics and fight choreography, criticized for pacing, acting, and dubbing; "淮水竹亭难看" trended on Weibo⁴

Spoilers

Premise and adaptation

The drama is set in a world where humans and demons are in conflict. Dongfang Huaizhu, heiress of the Shenhuo (神火) manor, and Wangquan Hongye, leader of the vigilante group known as the Masked Gang (面具团), join forces to stabilize the situation and revive the Unity Alliance (一气盟). Their fates intertwine at the bamboo pavilion by the Huai River on the seventh day of the seventh month, a promise that anchors the romance.¹^•⁸

The series is one installment in the live-action adaptation of Fox Spirit Matchmaker, contributing to iQIYI's "Eastern Fantasy Universe" project.¹ Because the original Zhu Ye arc runs only 12 episodes while the drama runs 36, the adaptation required substantial expansion, and some viewers found the resulting pacing uneven, fast in places and slow in others.⁴ Commentators noted that the story's theme is not simply human-versus-demon opposition; the factions carry interests and intrigues resembling those of rival sects in a wuxia world.⁷

The ensemble cast extends well beyond the two leads: Wu Xuanyi plays Wangquan Zui, Zhai Xiaowen plays Yang Yitan, Hou Minghao plays the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord, and the supporting lineup includes Shen Yue, Chen Yuqi, Ding Yuxi, Zhang Ruonan, Meng Ziyi, Zhou Jieqiong, and Peng Xiaoran.⁶^•⁸ Several pairings among the ensemble, notably the tragic arc between Ding Yuxi's Zhang Zheng and Meng Ziyi's Qingmu Yuan, drew their own following.⁹

Production

Filming ran from May 2023 to December 5, 2023, with Du Lin directing and Miao Wenjing and Ding Yaren writing the screenplay.⁵^•⁶ The production built a detailed fantasy setting: the Shenhuo manor is rendered as a secluded, bamboo-filled retreat matching Huaizhu's temperament, the Wangquan manor as austere and ordered, and the villainous Nangong family as dark and sinister. Each character has a signature ability, including Huaizhu's divine fire, Hongye's heaven-splitting sword, Wangquan Zui's mind control, and Yang Yitan's heavenly eye.⁶

Chinese aesthetics. The series leaned heavily on traditional Chinese visual language, and this became its most consistently praised feature. Costume and set design drew on classical motifs: Huaizhu's costumes carry bamboo-leaf embroidery and accessories, and the overall style follows the restrained elegance associated with Song-dynasty aesthetics.⁶ The design of the black bitter-love tree, a major setting outside the human realm, borrowed from the Five Dynasties and early Song painter Li Cheng's Han Lin Ping Ye Tu (寒林平野图).¹⁰ Fight scenes combine divine fire and sword light with special effects in a style reviewers described as blending the crispness of traditional wuxia with fantasy spectacle.¹⁰ The music and sound design likewise aimed to combine poetic, jianghu-flavored Eastern character with fantasy color.¹¹

Reception

Commercial performance. The premiere was strong by any measure available in the coverage: iQIYI's internal heat index opened at 7569, the platform's highest first-day figure of 2025 and, per Xinhua, its highest premiere heat in three years; Kuyun counted over 18.41 million all-platform views on day one and Yunhe counted 22.02 million, ranking first among 2025 premieres.⁷^•³ Maoyan data showed daily all-network exposure above 500 million with over 10 million interactions, and the show led Maoyan's heat rankings from its second day.⁷ The series concluded its run in May 2025.¹¹

Divided reviews. Audience opinion split sharply. Within days of the premiere, the hashtag "淮水竹亭难看" ("Love in Pavilion is unwatchable") trended on Weibo. Critics targeted Liu Shishi's performance as Dongfang Huaizhu, describing her expression as vacant and stiff, and Zhang Yunlong's styling as lacking youthful energy; viewers also complained that the dubbing did not match the actors' lip movements. Defenders praised the visual effects, costumes, and the opening fight sequences.⁴ A Shanghai review noted that Liu Shishi, previously known for lively performances in Chinese Paladin 3 and Startling by Each Step, was mocked for "blind-person acting" with a rigid neck and unchanging expression across emotional situations.² Other recurring criticisms included an information-dense opening, plot conveniences such as the male lead freely entering the capital despite his border-post duties, and stock devices like the rescue-induced change of heart.¹² One commentary argued the opening episodes put the series at a disadvantage in an era when long dramas must land their "golden first three episodes" against competition from short-form video.¹³

Positive assessments emphasized the same qualities the critics conceded: poetic, painterly visuals, flowing fight choreography, a compact pace, and an attractive cast.¹⁴ Reviewers in Hong Kong and mainland outlets credited the show with reinvigorating a xianxia (immortal-hero) market fatigued by formula, calling it a new category of "Eastern chivalric ensemble drama" built on a youthful cast of heroes.⁷ DeTuwen data indicated the audience skewed young, concentrated among viewers aged 18 to 30.¹⁵

International release and promotion

The drama streamed internationally on iQIYI International with English subtitles.¹ It topped the platform's viewing charts in 14 countries and regions and opened at 8.4 on MyDramaList, with Google Trends showing notable search interest in the United States, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand.³ On May 11, 2025, iQIYI held a special screening at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, the first event of its 2025 "Starship Plan" overseas promotion, with Liu Shishi, Zhang Yunlong, Wu Xuanyi, and Zhai Xiaowen attending; Liu Shishi was named an iQIYI overseas ambassador at the event, her first overseas promotional appearance.³

Around the May Day holiday the production also ran tourism tie-ins within China, including a bamboo-forest spring event at the Anji Grand Bamboo Sea scenic area, a themed market at Seven Colors Yunnan Happy World, and a university-linked "spring bamboo viewing" gathering.¹⁵

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 › Chinese wuxia and martial-arts serials

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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