Perfect Match (Chinese Drama 2025)

Cast: Lu Yu Xiao (Kang Ning/Third Lady), Liu Xie Ning (Shou Hua/First lady), Wu Xuan Yi (Fu Hui/ Second Lady), Ke Ying (Hao De/ Fourth Lady), Huangyang Tian Tian (Le Shan/ Fifth Lady), Wang Xing Yue (Chai An), Chen He Yi (Du Yang Xi), Huang Sheng Chi (Fan Liang Han), Liang Yong Qi (Shen Hui Zhao), WinWin (Yang Xian), Ni Hong Jie (Madam Li), Zhao Qing (Chun Lai), Ling Mei Shi (Qiong Nu), Ayden Sng (Yan Zi Mei)
Director: Yang Huan, Bai Yun Mo, Ma Shi Ge
Producer: Yu Zhen, Yang Le
Screenwriter: Zhou Mo
Production: Huayu Entertainment Production
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date: 25th Jan 2025
Platform: Netflix

Rating: 3/5

Perfect Match is a tale of 5 sister’s journey into marriage. The plot has elements of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice incorporated and portrayal of heavy and I mean heavy themes of nouveau feminism.

The respectable Li family has 5 unwed daughters, with only a mother widowed at an early age to care and bring them up. She sets out to Bianjing where her second and only married daughter lives hoping to find better prospects for her other girls. Lacking strong male support and facing countless instances of being taken advantage of, the girls grow up to naturally have fierce personalities earning them the moniker of The Six Tigresses of the Ling family.The girls display strong solidarity and learn early on that they have only each other to rely on and being united is the way to tackle problems.

Each of the girls are unique in their own way and the 36 episode Chinese drama explores each of the girls’ courtships in turn as they face ups and downs before settling into their relationships.

The stories of courtship also overlap each other, with events and instances inserted to act as a preclude for the next pairing or a teaser for a future pairing.

The pairs (In chronological order of coming together in the series):-

1. Fu Hui (Second Lady)/Fan Liang Han

• Fu Hui and Fan Laing Han are already married at the beginning of the series. When Madam Li alongwith her daughters come to Bianjing, Fu Hui initially refuses to greet them due to the embarassment of her ongoing marital troubles. Fan Liang Han is a lazy and indulgent human being, who spends his time with courtesans and easily bestows favours on them. The passionate and fiery Fu Hui sets him right by employing several schemes with her sisters. Fu Hui does improve as the series progresses.

2. Kang Ning (Third Lady)/Chai An

• This couple is probably the de-facto lead amongst all the couples. They are also modeled after Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The famous scene where Darcy actually proposes for the first time, stating his hopeless infatuation at the same time unflinchingly pointing out her inferior connections has been replicated in the series. Kang Ning is shrewd and cunning, with an attention to detail as well as an accomplished Tea Expert. She proves to be a perfect match for Chai An, owner of the Pan Restaurant and wealthy land-owner. Chai An is also a steady family friend of Fan Liang Han and saves him several times whenever he lands himself in soup.

3. Shou Hua (First Lady)/ Du Yang Xi

• Du Yang Xi or popularly called the Third Ranking Scholar was initially to be engaged to Kang Ning, till circumstances intervened and he was instead thought to be best suited to Shou Hua. Yang Xi owes the family for helping him through a difficult time and hence quietly accepts the re-match, though he is initially unhappy and refuses to acknowledge the bride. Everything changes when he glimpses her for the first time and realises she is actually well read, perhaps even better read than him and the only reason she is not attempting the Imperial exams is due to her limitation of being a woman.

4. Hao De(Fourth Lady)/ Shen Hui Zhao

• Hao De as per her self-declaration is the most easily pleased amongst all the sisters. She falls for Shen Hui Zhao first, though his dangerous job role has him deny her and any other possible matches before her. Though, Hao De relentless pursuit and fearlessness to dangerous situations eventually wins him over

5. Le Shan (Fifth Lady)/ Yang Xian

• Yang Xian had initially set out to marry Kang Ning forcefully to avoid another match set by his father. Though his plans were foiled and set him for a poor first impression with the Li family. Yang Xian forcefully abducts Le Shan through an orchestrated Bride snatching based on a prior debt of saving Hao De and her husband from a band of robbers. Their relation is pure violence and Yang Xian reforms himself from a life of pleasure towards being a responsible and hardworking individual.

And a 6th pairing of:-

6. Qiong Nu/Yan Zi Mei

• The time frame for their romance to play out is just 1.5 episodes. Qiong Nu is the adopted daughter of Madam Li and she was bethrothed at a young age to Madam Li’s only son. Her son was presumed dead in a feak drowning incident though the body was never found. Found by military family who resides in the harsh climatic conditions in the North West/East frontier, he was trained in military arts at a young age. In his visit to Bianjing to meet with the emperor, he reacquaints with the family. 

Divorce and Separations are thrown often and almost carelessly around and discussions of the girls remarrying into better prospects are considered casually, which I really doubt was that simple then when it’s a big deal even today.

The series also incorporates kinks into some of the pairings. Shou Hua, who is older than Du Yang Xi, is jokingly referred to as big sis by him and Hao De who is initially supposed to live like a sister to Shen Hui Zhao continues to refer to him as brother. Le Shan’s antics for inflicting violence, is borne happily and almost welcomingly by her husband, hinting at an angle of masochism. 

Perfect Match does weave perfect and interesting plots but I don’t understand the need to show excessive submissiveness in all the male leads. The Ling daughters all land up marrying well, but the drama reduces smart, worldly wise, handsome and sought after men into wife petticoat chasers, scared to offend their girls and displays multiple instances where they bend their knees to their demands and wishes, however unreasonable. The females don’t compromise under any circumstances, on the contrary their actions are actually lauded and justified.The men get accused of conspiring together while it’s perfectly fine for the women folk to do so. Especially in the case of the 5th couple, the interactions are actually domestic violence.

Perfect Match is an example of female chauvinism set in a supposedly male dominated era in China. In that sense, the premise of the drama does not make sense, but the back and forth between the couples does make for a no-brainer entertaining watch. 

You can check out oure review of Bollywood film Dhoom Dhaam which also has a strong female lead played by Yami Gautam.