Legend of the Magnate: Dropped Drama Diaries

Aug 15
3 min read

Title:	Legend of the Magnate (2025)
Platform:	iQIYI
MDL Rating:	8.2
Genre:	Period (Qing) Business
Episode Count:	40
Last Episode Watched:	5
Parental Guidance Rating:	PG-13: Violence and Blood
Starring:	Chen Xiao (Dream of Splendor) Sun Qian (Love Story in the 1970's) Luo Yi Zhou (Gen Z) Cheng Tai Shen (The Vendetta of An) Haung Zhi Zhong (The Long River) Li Chun (Joy of Life S2)

Synopsis:

In the late Qing Dynasty, a passionate young man named Gu Ping Yuan came from a family of small merchants. He wanted to study and pursue an official career to shine, but he failed in the imperial examination room. He was framed, became a prisoner, and was exiled to a foreign land. In order to find out the truth and return home, he fled to Shanxi with a private salt caravan and started a legendary business road by accident. With his astonishing courage, he led a caravan into the swamps and gained a small reputation in the ancient plains. Faced with the conspiracy of Tiangui, the overlord of Shanxi merchants, he was very happy and solved the situation, which attracted the attention of Li Qin, the son of a Beijing merchant tycoon. Gu Ping Yuan is regarded as an old enemy by Li Qin. In the struggle between the two, Gu Ping Yuan always turns defeat into victory in dangerous situations. From the pawn shop to the tea industry to the military grain and salt industry, Gu Ping Yuan gradually breaks out of his own world step by step, and at the same time discovers his own life experience. The conspiracy behind the murder was directed at the Li family. @MDL

Non-Spoiler Thoughts:

The Legend of the Magnate is a more serious and grounded historical period drama that tells the story of a rags to riches merchant trying to survive the turbulent times of the Late Qing Dynasty (around the 1860's), during the end of Xianfeng's reign. The time period is significant as it covers the reign of Emperor Xianfeng (1850-1861), which was a period ripe with conflict as the Taiping Rebellion, Nian Rebellion, and Second Opium war occurred under his rule, which resulted in the loss of (an estimated) 70 million lives.

I didn't love Chen Xiao's portrayal as Gu Ping Yuan (ML) and didn't think he had much chemistry with Chang Yu Er (FL), though I did enjoy her character. However, really got a kick out of Li Chun as Su Zi Xuan. Now that is feminism done right in "ancient" times. I was surprisingly the most invested in Bai Yi Mei and Li Cheng's relationship, and thought the two looked great together despite the age difference (He was 40 and she was 22 years old while filming). The cinematography and sets created an authentic tapestry that was just too slow in coming together, so I compromised by watching clips of the rest of the series after watching a full five episodes.