A League of Nobleman
Directed by: Yang Fan and Jia Xiao Xiong
Written by: Adapted from The Mystery of Zhang Gong by Da Feng Gua Guo
Original Network: Tencent Video
Year of Release: 2023
Available on: Prime Video

A League of Nobleman was my first experience of Oriental television on Prime, and it left me impressed. This period suspense series is a web of political intrigue, historical drama, and detective work, set against the late Tang dynasty in China—a backdrop of imperial splendour and simmering corruption.

At the centre of the narrative are Zhang Ping (Song Weilong) and Lan Jue (Jing Boran). Zhang Ping, a noodle-selling scholar, has a talent for solving mysteries and a naive integrity, which Song Weilong shows with compelling sincerity. Lan Jue, the morally ambiguous Minister of Rites, is less to my taste. Jing Boran handles the character well enough, though his reserved performance left me more intrigued by his wardrobe than his personality—particularly the striking red frock he put on as an examiner during the imperial civil service examinations. I really fancy one of those for myself—though where I could wear it remains a mystery.

The Dowager Empress, however, was the true scene-stealer. Every moment she appeared, she dominated with a regal menace that hinted at untold depths of cunning. Characters like her elevate the series, setting it firmly in the regions that make a really good historical drama.

The plot was, as I’ve come to expect from Oriental television, a sinuous affair. Twists and subplots were woven together in a way that occasionally left me disoriented, though never indifferent. This kind of storytelling—complex and unapologetically demanding—feels refreshingly respectful of its audience’s intelligence.

Visually, the series is perfect. The effects are first class, the sets rich with atmosphere; the fight scenes are impressively choreographed. However, the depiction of ancient China leans toward the prettified. The streets are a touch too clean, the costumes a bit too polished. It feels removed from the gritty reality I imagine for the Tang dynasty.

What struck me most, though, was the tone of the series. Unlike so much Western television, it never tries to make its viewers hate themselves, or feel ashamed of their past. There is no overlay of moralistic droning or insincere virtue-signalling. It simply tells a story, wrapped in mystery and complexity, and never tells you how to feel about it. This is one reason I find Oriental television so refreshing—it’s unapologetically itself.

The experience left me considering whether I ought to learn Mandarin. It seems a pity to rely on subtitles—especially when I can doubt if they bear full relation to the dialogue.

In any case, A League of Nobleman was a good introduction, and I look forward to exploring more of what the gorgeous East with richest hand showers on those whose parents have an Amazon Prime subscription.