Why does the show randomly turn into a comic book during action scenes?

The Long Ballad is adapted from a famous manhua (Chinese comic) by Xia Da. Because of COVID-19 filming restrictions and budget limits on massive water and fire stunts, the directors used illustrated panels whenever someone jumps off a broken bridge or a city catches fire. It's jarring at first, though it only happens a handful of times across the 49 episodes.

How violent or gory does the warfare get?

There is plenty of sword fighting, arrow volleys, city sieges, and political assassination, and several prominent characters die. However, Chinese broadcast censorship keeps the actual visuals very clean—expect blood at the corner of the mouth and dramatic slow-motion falls rather than Western prestige-TV gore.

Is there any spicy romance Parents should know about?

Zero. The romance between Changge and Ashina Sun (and the fan-favorite secondary couple, Leyan and Hao Dou) is built entirely on mutual respect, longing looks, and protecting each other. One of the main couple's biggest romantic scenes famously pans away to two parakeets kissing in a cage.

How historically accurate is the story?

The backdrop—the 626 AD Xuanwu Gate Incident where Li Shimin killed his brothers to become Emperor Taizong, and the Tang Empire's clashes with the Eastern Turkic Khaganate—is real history. Li Changge herself is a fictionalized composite based on a historical princess, and the show plays fast and loose with timelines to make a great adventure story.

The Long Ballad – WISE Score & Parent Review

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

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Screenwise Verdict

The Long Ballad is a lavish, earnest 49-episode Chinese historical drama adapted from Xia Da's popular manhua (comic). It stars Dilraba Dilmurat as Li Changge, a fictionalized Tang Dynasty princess who survives the real-life Xuanwu Gate coup, disguises herself as a man, and sets out to raise an army against her uncle, Li Shimin. Along the way, she loses a city siege to Ashina Sun (Leo Wu), a general of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, and ends up serving as his military strategist.

If you have a tween or teen who loves Mulan, Avatar: The Last Airbender, or sprawling historical fiction, this hits a great sweet spot. Because of Chinese broadcast standards, you get high-stakes warfare, palace intrigue, and an enemies-to-allies romance without the graphic gore or sexual content that usually comes attached to Western prestige dramas like Game of Thrones. The violence is bloodless wire-fu swordplay, and the romance is so chaste that one famous kissing scene literally cuts to a pair of parakeets.

The biggest hurdle is the runtime and a quirky production choice: during big action beats—falling off cliffs, roaring fires, massive cavalry charges—the live-action footage freezes and turns into semi-animated comic book panels. If your kid can roll with that quirk and handle 35+ hours of subtitles, it's a smart, big-hearted epic about choosing peace over a blood feud.

Age Fit

Fits tweens and teens (12+) who have the stamina for a 49-episode subtitled historical drama and enjoy swordplay, military chess matches, and zero-spice slow-burn romance. Nothing here is graphic or sleazy, though younger kids will bounce right off the court politics and subtitles.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

82

Despite opening with a royal coup and a revenge quest, the core narrative arc is about letting go of personal vendettas for the greater peace of the people, backed by fiercely loyal friendships and a slow-burn, respectful romance.

Imaginative

80

Brings early Tang Dynasty China and the Eastern Turkic Khaganate to life with lush production design, clever military strategy, and a unique animated comic-book transition style.

Safe

78

Features stylized martial arts combat, battlefield warfare, political assassinations, and character deaths, though China's broadcast standards keep gore minimal and romance strictly PG-level.

Enriching

84

Offers a great jumping-off point into real Tang Dynasty history (the Xuanwu Gate Incident) and wrestles with mature ethical questions about whether personal revenge is worth plunging a country into war.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Real historical hooks — Opens with the 626 AD Xuanwu Gate Incident, where Li Shimin (later Emperor Taizong) killed his brothers to seize the throne, making it an easy bridge into Chinese history.
Outsmarting over overpowering — Li Changge wins her battles through siege tactics, supply-line manipulation, and diplomacy rather than magical martial arts.
Earnest moral growth — The whole 49-episode arc tracks a teenager realizing that burning down the empire to avenge her father hurts ordinary citizens far more than the man on the throne.
Standout secondary characters — Zhao Lusi's subplot as the sheltered cousin Princess Leyan, who gets lost in the countryside and learns how regular people survive, steals the middle stretch of the show.

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What to Watch For

Jarring comic-book transitions — Whenever a big stunt, a bridge collapse, or a massive battle happens, the show abruptly cuts to illustrated manhua panels. It was a budget/COVID-era workaround and a nod to the source comic, and it will either charm you or drive you crazy.
Heavy body count and grief — The premise kicks off with the murder of the heroine's family, and several likable supporting characters die during the siege and grassland arcs.
Subtitled marathon — At 49 episodes of roughly 45 minutes each, this is a massive time sink that requires eyes-on-screen reading.

Conversation Starters

"At what point does Changge realize that getting revenge on her uncle would actually hurt the country she loves?"
"What did you think of the illustrated comic panels during the action scenes—cool stylistic choice or weird distraction?"
"Between Changge's intense military life and Leyan's survival journey in the countryside, whose story did you like following more?"
"Since Emperor Taizong went on to become one of China's greatest rulers in real life, how does the show make you feel about him being the guy who killed her family?"

Deep Dive

History vs. Manhua Fiction

The Long Ballad (Chang Ge Xing) drops viewers right into one of the most famous succession crises in Chinese history: the Xuanwu Gate Incident of 626 AD. In real history, Prince Li Shimin ambushed and killed his two brothers—including the Crown Prince Li Jiancheng—forced his father to abdicate, and took the throne as Emperor Taizong.

Here is the twist that makes the show's central conflict so interesting: Emperor Taizong is almost universally regarded by historians as one of the greatest, most enlightened emperors China ever had, ushering in a golden age. By making the protagonist the daughter of the murdered Crown Prince, the story forces Li Changge (and the viewer) into a tough spot. Her uncle murdered her family, which makes him her villain—yet he is also a brilliant, benevolent ruler who is genuinely good for the common people. Watching a stubborn teenager slowly realize that her righteous quest for vengeance would plunge millions of innocent peasants back into civil war gives the show real ethical teeth.

The Two Halves of the Cast

While Dilraba Dilmurat and Leo Wu carry the main plot of military strategy, border sieges, and nomad politics on the grasslands, the show's secret weapon is its secondary leads.

Princess Leyan (Zhao Lusi): Changge's sheltered, crybaby cousin starts the show terrified of her own shadow. When she gets kidnapped and separated from her guards, she has to walk across provinces penniless, working in weaving mills and surviving alongside refugees. Her transformation from a helpless royal into a compassionate, steel-spined young woman is arguably the best character arc in the series.
Hao Dou (Liu Yuning): The stone-faced bodyguard/assassin tasked with hunting down Changge and protecting Leyan. The slow thawing of his ruthless exterior alongside Leyan's growth is the subplot most fans end up rewatching.

Watching on Viki or Plex

The show streams free (with ads) or via subscription on Rakuten Viki and Plex. If your family watches on Viki, turn off the "Timed Comments" (the user chat scrolling across the top of the video) using the speech-bubble icon in the player bar. While Viki's volunteer subtitles are generally the best in the business and often include helpful historical notes at the top of the screen, the live timed comments are full of spoilers and fandom shipping wars.