Against the Current
Against the Current is a 47-episode Chinese historical romance drama from CCTV. It aired from September 11, 2026 to October 12, 2026, and all episodes are out. In the US it streams officially on WeTV (VIP), checked October 25, 2026. It is adapted from a novel by He Yanshan.
Where to watch Against the Current
Official services only, checked by hand for your country. Free options come first.
Watching from the US? Did WeTV work for you?
Watching from the UK? Did WeTV work for you?
Watching from Canada? Did WeTV work for you?
Watching from Australia? Did WeTV work for you?
We check the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Showing United States.
Is it worth watching?
Final verdict coming soon. It goes up once our editor has seen the ending. How we rate
Viewers who loved The Story of Ming Lan and want a slower, more grown-up household drama
The story, without spoilers
What to Expect
We haven't watched this one. This section is based on the official episode synopses, WeTV's description and Chinese and English coverage, and we'll replace it with a verdict once we have one.
This is a household drama first and a romance second. For most of the first half, Lanxiang's goal is simple: survive, protect her adoptive parents, and buy the family out of servitude. The plots she untangles are domestic ones, such as a doctored account book, a hair-ornament trap or a rival who wants to be a concubine. Lin Jinqi notices that a maid can spot errors in the accounts that others missed, and the romance grows slowly from there. It is not an easy romance. For long stretches he holds real power over her, and the drama takes its time making him earn her trust.
The cast is large and mostly female. The four Lin daughters, the maids and Lin's first wife each get their own storylines about marriage, money and what a woman can do with little freedom. Chinese critics at Wenhui Bao and Xinhua praised this restraint and the many bonds beyond the central couple. The story covers most of Lanxiang's life, and Tan plays her from her teens into old age.
A content note: the drama depicts suicide and domestic abuse.
The Story
Shen Jialan is the eldest granddaughter of a grand secretary, engaged since childhood to Lin Jinqi, heir of a powerful official family. When the throne changes hands, her grandfather is accused of treason, the Shen men are executed, and the Lins break the engagement to protect themselves. Jialan survives only because two servants her mother once helped smuggle her out and give her the name of their own daughter, Xu Lanxiang, who has just been lost to illness. Six years later, as Lanxiang, she enters the Lin household as a low-ranking maid, serving the woman Lin married in her place, and keeps her real name to herself. Against the Current (兰香如故) is a 47-episode household drama starring Tan Songyun and Liu Xueyi. Tong Hua and Xiao Lou adapted it from He Yanshan's novel Lan Xiang Yuan (兰香缘), and Huang Yingxiang and Chen Dan directed. It aired on CCTV-8 and Tencent Video in China from September 11, 2026, and streams internationally on WeTV.
Release Notes
Against the Current premiered on September 11, 2026, on CCTV-8 in its second prime-time slot at 21:30 and on Tencent Video. Tencent members got two episodes a day at first. From September 27 the pace dropped to one a day, with a pause on September 30, and HK01 linked that to CCTV-8 scheduling. Tencent's paid early-access package unlocked the finale from October 5, and the regular online finale aired on October 12. We haven't confirmed when CCTV-8 aired its last episode.
The episode count was registered as 31 and changed to 47 in September 2026, according to Baidu Baike, citing the state broadcast regulator's filing notice. Rumors that the drama would be split into two seasons were denied: the official calendar showed all 47 episodes in one run. Some English fan wikis still list 40 episodes, but WeTV lists 47.
The drama was a hit in China. Yangtse Evening News reported that it had the highest single-episode rating of any 2026 CCTV-8 evening drama as of September 20, and that its heat score on Tencent Video set a 2026 record for the platform.
Internationally, WeTV carries all 47 episodes. When we checked from the US on October 25, 2026, every episode needed VIP, with English and 11 other subtitle languages. A press release from the producers in September 2026 said it was also streaming on Disney+ and other platforms across Asia, Europe and the Americas, and Yangtse Evening News said it had joined Disney+ in some regions. We haven't confirmed which countries' Disney+ catalogs include it.
Filming took place in Hengdian, Zhejiang, from May 7 to October 10, 2025. Zhou Shen (周深) sings the theme song Da Meng Gui (大梦归), and Yu Kewei (郁可唯) sings Yi Qu Wei Mang (一曲微茫). Dong Dongdong (董冬冬) and Chen Xi (陈曦) produced the 14-song soundtrack, released as an album on September 28, 2026.
Does Against the Current have a happy ending?
Nothing opens until you ask. The first step shows only the type of ending; the details come after.
Happy, sad or open?Shows only the type of ending, nothing about what happens.Show ending typeHide
We have not finished this one ourselves; this is based on outside sources.
In Brief
Ending spoilerShow the ending in brief
Against the Current has a bittersweet ending. Lanxiang and Lin Jinqi marry, come to love each other and stay together for many years, and most of the supporting characters get settled endings. But Lin's old war wounds catch up with him around age 50, and Lanxiang outlives him by about three decades. The Shen family is cleared only long after her own lifetime.
Full Ending Explained
Full spoilersShow the full ending
This account comes from the official episode synopses for episodes 40 to 47 and Chinese coverage of the finale, not from watching.
Who knows her secret. In episode 42, Lin Jinqi pieces together that his wife is Shen Jialan. He doesn't confront her. He burns everything that could prove who she is and tells her that from now on she is simply Lanxiang, his wife. Around the same time his mother falls gravely ill and hands Lanxiang the household keys. After a power struggle within the family, the patriarch recognizes Lanxiang as head of the household in episode 43.
The pirates. Du Cuique, exiled earlier for poisoning the Lin household, fakes her own death and returns as a leader of coastal pirates working with the Wona (渥那), an enemy from the north. Lin's friend Yuan Shaohui is killed fighting them. Lin feigns illness while he goes after the pirate chief Zhang Shuizai in secret, and Lanxiang holds the house. When Du Cuique storms the Lin house with a firearm, Lanxiang and the household women face her down with oil lamps and break her men's nerve. Du Cuique's attack ends with her death. Baidu Baike says gunpowder caused it, while HK01 says Lin Xiuru ended it herself.
Han Liang. Lanxiang's childhood sweetheart rose to become a minister and backed the Prince of Chen when the emperor was captured by the Wona. When the old emperor returns and retakes the throne, Han Liang is framed by palace eunuchs, pleads his case in the snow outside the imperial study and freezes to death overnight. Lin escorts his coffin home and quietly supports his widow and child.
The family. Lanxiang's adoptive mother passes away peacefully, saying that Lanxiang has come to fetch her. The four Lin daughters each find their own way: Lin Xiulai leaves her abusive husband and returns to help run the family, Lin Xiuwan marries Xie Zhao and travels with him, Lin Xiuru divorces and later runs her late husband's estate alone, and Lin Xiushu marries happily.
Lin and Lanxiang. Lin comes home to Jinling and never leaves again. He teaches their daughter, Zhangcheng (章澂), to use a sword. Years later, around age 50, his old wounds and years of overwork catch up with him. He ties a red cord from a matchmaker-god temple around their wrists, asks to marry her again in the next life, and passes away in her arms.
The last scene. Lanxiang lives on for about 30 years more, to around 80, surrounded by family. She keeps writing plays and records her family's story in Shen Jia Ji (沈家记), the "Shen Family Record." She passes away peacefully in her sleep. Finale recaps say the Shen family is formally cleared 113 years after her passing, after generations of petitions. Chinese coverage called it one of the year's saddest finales, though not an outright tragedy.
Change what opens automatically in .
Did you finish it?
Anonymous. One vote per device. We never show a score from these.
Finished Against the Current? Watch next
Picked by our editors for the same feel. Finished dramas first.
The Story of Ming LanAll 73 episodes outHappy EndingHappy EndingA concubine's clever daughter grows up hiding her wits in a Song dynasty official's household, then marries a notorious marquis, over 73 episodes.
VikiVikiVikiViki
Story of Yanxi PalaceAll 70 episodes outBittersweetBittersweetA palace maid enters the Forbidden City to learn what happened to her sister, and fights back against every consort and eunuch in her way.
Prime VideoVikiVikiViki
Spring of the BladeAll 30 episodes outHappy EndingHappy EndingA revenge drama in a haunted-looking mansion: a daughter back to clear her mother's name, and the official who knew her as a child.
iQIYIiQIYIiQIYIiQIYI
Cast and characters
The novel behind it
The drama adapts Lan Xiang Yuan (兰香缘), a web novel by He Yanshan (禾晏山). The project appeared on China Literature's (阅文) 2025 slate of adaptations, but we haven't confirmed where or when the novel was first serialized. As far as we know, there is no official English translation.
Differences from the Novel
Ending spoilerShow the differences
Going by Chinese coverage of the adaptation, the drama changes a great deal:
- No rebirth. In the novel, Shen Jialan is reborn, with her old memories, as Chen Xianglan (陈香兰), a servant's daughter. In the drama she survives and takes a dead girl's identity instead.
- A different hero. The novel's Lin Jinlou (林锦楼) keeps many concubines, frequents brothels and forces her to become his concubine. The drama renames him Lin Jinqi and rewrites him as a restrained strategist, so the romance moves from coercion toward mutual respect.
- New names. Both leads and other characters were renamed. He Yanshan objected publicly from May 2025, saying the producers never contacted her. Tencent Video later added her credit to its promotion.
Novel Ending
Full spoilersShow how the novel ends
We haven't read the novel and haven't found a reliable summary of how it ends, so we can't yet say how closely the drama's finale follows the book.
- Original title
- 兰香缘
- Author
- He Yanshan 禾晏山
- First published
- Other
- In English
- No official translation that we know of
Words and customs you'll hear
The Jiaofangsi
When the Shen men are executed, the women of the family are sent to the Jiaofangsi (教坊司), the imperial bureau for court music and entertainment. In imperial China, the female relatives of officials convicted of serious crimes could be enslaved there as entertainers, which amounted to permanent disgrace. That fate is what Jialan's mother and the servants around her are desperate to spare her from, and it explains the risks the Xu couple take in the first episode.
Servant status
Lanxiang's adoptive parents are household servants on the Lin family's register, and so is she. In the drama's world that status is legal, not just social: a servant can be sold, married off or punished at the household's will, and the children inherit it. Buying a family off the register, called tuoji (脱籍), costs money and the master's permission. That is why Lanxiang's first goal is freedom for her parents and herself rather than revenge or romance, and why the gap between maid and master shapes everything between her and Lin.
Divorce by agreement
Several of the drama's women leave their marriages through heli (和离), a divorce by mutual agreement recognized in imperial law, as opposed to a husband simply casting off his wife. A wife who left this way could keep her dowry and her reputation, at least in principle. The drama returns to it again and again, from Lin's first marriage to his sisters' unhappy ones, as one of the few legal exits a woman had.
The title
The Chinese title, Lan Xiang Ru Gu (兰香如故), means roughly "the orchid's fragrance remains as it was." Lanxiang, "orchid fragrance," is the heroine's borrowed name, and ru gu, "as before," hints that the person underneath stays the same whatever name she carries. The official international title, Against the Current, used by WeTV and the producers, instead stresses her refusal to accept her fate.
Against the Current FAQ
How many episodes does Against the Current have?
Against the Current has 47 episodes of about 45 minutes each. It was first registered with 31 episodes, and the count changed to 47 shortly before it aired. It runs as one season, not two. Some English fan sites list 40 episodes, but WeTV and Chinese sources both give 47.
Where can I watch Against the Current?
Outside China, Against the Current streams on WeTV, Tencent Video's international service, which lists all 47 episodes. When we checked from the US on October 25, 2026, every episode needed WeTV VIP, with English subtitles. The producers say it is also on Disney+ in some markets. In China it aired on CCTV-8 and streams on Tencent Video.
Is Against the Current on Disney+?
In some countries, according to the producers. Their September 2026 press release said it was streaming on Disney+ in markets across Asia, Europe and the Americas, and Chinese media reported the same. We haven't confirmed which countries carry it. WeTV, where we checked it from the US, carries it more widely.
Is Lan Xiang Ru Gu the same drama as Against the Current?
Yes. Lan Xiang Ru Gu is the pinyin of the Chinese title, 兰香如故, and Against the Current is the official English title used by WeTV and the producers. It is the 2026 period drama starring Tan Songyun and Liu Xueyi, adapted from He Yanshan's novel Lan Xiang Yuan.
Is Against the Current based on a novel?
Yes. It adapts Lan Xiang Yuan (兰香缘), a web novel by He Yanshan. The drama changes a lot: it drops the novel's rebirth premise, renames the leads, and softens the hero. The author objected publicly to the changes. We know of no official English translation of the novel.
Who is in the cast of Against the Current?
Tan Songyun plays Xu Lanxiang, who is really Shen Jialan, and Liu Xueyi plays Lin Jinqi, her former fiancé. Niu Junfeng, Li Meng, Zheng He Huizi and Guo Keyu appear in major special-appearance roles as Han Liang, Zhao Xingtang, Du Cuique and Lanxiang's adoptive mother, Xue Guihua.
When did Against the Current come out?
Against the Current premiered on September 11, 2026, on CCTV-8 and Tencent Video in China. Tencent released two episodes a day at first, then one a day from September 27, and the regular online finale aired on October 12, 2026. All 47 episodes have now aired, and WeTV lists the full series.
Does Against the Current have a happy ending?
SpoilerShow the answer
Minor spoilerReveal whether it ends happily
Not quite. It is bittersweet. Lanxiang and Lin Jinqi end up married and devoted to each other, and most supporting characters get settled endings. But Lin's old wounds catch up with him in middle age, Lanxiang outlives him by decades, and her family is cleared only long after her lifetime.
How does Against the Current end?
SpoilerShow the answer
Ending spoilerReveal how it ends
Lin learns Lanxiang is Shen Jialan and burns the proof. Du Cuique's pirate attack on the Lin house fails, and Han Liang freezes in the snow outside the palace. Around age 50, Lin passes away in Lanxiang's arms. She lives to about 80, and the Shens are cleared 113 years later.
Still have a question about Against the Current?
Ask us anything: an episode, a character, where to watch it. We answer the common ones on this page.
If you liked Against the Current
More historical romance our editors rate.
