2026.06.09 | Beijing Daily weibo update.
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#XiaoZhan breaks 13 year barrier to actor nominations for ancient costume drama 🏆
on may 26th, the nomination list for the 31st shanghai tv festival magnolia awards was officially announced, with the ancient costume drama
#LegendofZanghai receiving 6 nominations. among them, lead actor xiao zhan was nominated for best actor for his role as “zanghai” — becoming the first ancient costume drama actor to be nominated for the award in 13 years.
in recent years, ancient costume dramas haven’t performed well at the magnolia awards. however, this year, the 31st shanghai tv festival magnolia awards nomination list saw a significant turnaround for ancient costume dramas. of the 10 nominated best chinese tv series, four are ancient costume dramas — legend of zanghai, the legend of tang dynasty: chang’an, the peaceful year, and the great businessman — accounting for almost half of the nominations.
legend of zanghai is particularly noteworthy for its ingenious scriptwriting. the drama tells the story of the protagonist, zhinu, who after suffering the massacre of his entire family, goes into hiding under the alias zanghai — played by xiao zhan — for 10 years before returning to the capital to seek revenge. if it were merely a revenge story, it could easily fall into clichés. the brilliance of legend of zanghai lies in the fact that this revenge is not a simple act of quick retribution, but rather filled with twists and turns and struggles, profoundly showcasing the complexity of human nature. as the revenge plan progresses, zanghai’s inner world undergoes a significant transformation, from initial pure hatred to a gradual realization of the responsibility he bears.
because of the character’s complex inner world, the role of zang hai is difficult to portray, but xiao zhan, as the lead actor, delivers a satisfactory, even excellent, performance.
in the drama, zanghai carries the burden of hatred and is single-mindedly focused on revenge, exhibiting a restrained exterior. however, xiao zhan skillfully avoids simply portraying the character’s hatred, pain, and revenge instead allowing the audience to see a wise, gentle, and resilient young man beyond that. whether in character portrayal or dialogue delivery, xiao zhan’s performance is remarkably convincing.
xiao zhan accurately conveys the logic of zanghai’s growth and transformation. zanghai chooses to infiltrate the marquis’s mansion as a strategist, proceeding cautiously under the noses of his enemies. he befriends the son of his enemy and deals with the suspicions of various parties. in advancing his revenge plan and interacting with all sides, he begins to contemplate the meaning of revenge, gradually shifting from personal hatred to a compassionate heart for all living beings on the path of pursuing justice.
through his nuanced performance, xiao zhan showcases zanghai’s multifaceted personality and rich inner world, allowing the audience to see a flesh-and-blood, realistic, and three dimensional character. this performance absolutely deserves a best actor nomination.
the appeal of legend of zanghai also lies in its innovative integration of traditional cultural skills and strategic elements into the core of the plot, constructing a path distinct from the conventional “以武复仇” deeply captivating the audience.
from the moment zanghai begins learning his skills, whether it’s geomancy and architectural design or the art of diplomacy, all showcase the unique charm of traditional culture.
when zanghai arrives in the capital, as many as 18 kinds of intangible cultural heritage skills appear in the plot, from mortise and tenon architecture to medicinal puppetry, from kunqu opera singing to traditional ventriloquism, from shadow puppetry to qinhuai lanterns. these intangible cultural heritage skills appear one by one, eliciting amazement from the audience. the intangible cultural heritage elements in the drama not only allow viewers to ──