Zhang Juzheng: Hu Ge Plays the Ming Reformer

What is confirmed

Tencent Video's 2027 slate includes a drama about Zhang Juzheng, the Ming dynasty official who effectively ran the government for a decade. Hu Ge plays the lead, and Chen Daoming, one of China's most respected actors, is attached as producer. The full title translates roughly as "Wind and Grain Rise: Zhang Juzheng".

Who Zhang Juzheng was

Zhang Juzheng was a senior minister during the Wanli emperor's early reign. He pushed through fiscal reforms, tried to make tax collection more predictable, and centralised decision-making around himself. He was effective and unpopular. After his death, his enemies reversed many of his policies and his family suffered. That arc, reformer to scapegoat, is why he remains a favourite subject for Chinese political drama.

Why this casting is interesting

Hu Ge is best known for playing elegant outsiders: the strategist in Nirvana in Fire, the disguised noble in other costume hits. Zhang Juzheng is a different kind of role: a man inside the system, making compromises and accumulating enemies. Chen Daoming's involvement suggests the production wants to be judged against serious historical drama rather than idol costume romance.

What to expect

Ming court politics, tax reform, a young emperor and a lot of very polite hostility. If the show follows the historical record, the central relationship is between Zhang and the emperor he effectively tutors, a bond that turns from gratitude to resentment. That is a richer story than a simple hero-versus-corruption plot, and it is the reason to watch.

Status

Announced for 2027, no date. Historical productions of this scale often take longer than the slate suggests. We will update when a trailer appears.