Introduction
I don’t usually watch youth dramas. Youth romances often feel too familiar, following the same path of first love, misunderstandings, and growing pains. So I wasn’t expecting Dazzling to leave much of an impression on me.
Yet somewhere between the charming coastal town, the warm community, and the quiet moments shared between the couple, I was completely swept away by this drama and the simple beauty of watching them grow up.
So you know, my review title above is not a romantic pun. Read more to find out why I named my article “Swept By the Sea Breeze”!
Drama Info
Drama title: Dazzling (Native title: 耀眼)
Alternative title: Yao Yan
Genres: Romance, Youth, Family
Aired: 27 May, 2026 - 10 Jun, 2026
Episodes: 30 | Duration: 45 minutes
Director: Zhu Dong Ning (杨龙)
Screenwriters: Liu Fei (刘飞) - Chief, Sun Bi Bo (孙碧波) and Lin Qing Xia( 林青霞)
Adapted from the novel "Yao Yan" (耀眼) by Shi Jiu Yuan (时玖远).
Where to read the English translated novel: ReadtheDrama or MyDramaNovel
Where to watch: MangoTV and Viki
OSTs
耀眼 (“Dazzling”) by Liu Yu Ning (刘宇宁) – theme song
自由的夏天 (“Summer of Freedom”) by Liang Yong Qi (梁詠琪) – ending theme
一百颗星星 (“A Hundred Stars) by Guan Xiao Tong (關曉彤) and Li Yun Rui (李昀銳) – opening theme
少年夜航 (“Night Voyage of Youth) by Duao Ao Juan (段奥娟) – insert song
“I Promise” by Yao Chen (姚琛) – insert song
时差 (“Time Zone”) by Jeffrey/Dong Youlin (董又霖)
Trailer
Synopsis
After a family emergency, Qing Ye returns to her hometown in her senior year of high school. Finding it difficult to adjust after spending most of her life in a bustling city, Qing Ye vows to leave as soon as she gets a chance. But when she meets Xing Wu, a local teen who’s struggling with school, she resolves to help him graduate. Gradually, Xing Wu and Qing Ye grow closer to each other, despite their different personalities and priorities in life. Upon graduating high school, Qing Ye moves away for university, but ends up returning years later – and so does Xing Wu, who still has feelings for Qing Ye. Will this second chance give them a chance to finally realize their feelings for each other? (Source: Viki)
Characters
Main Characters
Guan Xiao Tong (关晓彤) as Qing Ye
Li Yun Rui (李昀锐) as Xing Wu
Relationship Chart
I will not detail the supporting characters, since the English-translated relationship chart below does a better job of explaining them!
Credit: Clara on MyDramaList
Review
Story and Plot
Story
Strength
While romance is the emotional core of the story, Dazzling never feels like a world that exists solely for its leads. The drama invests considerable time in family members, classmates, friends, neighbors, and townspeople, creating a living community where everyone has their own struggles, dreams, and growth. They contribute meaningfully to the narrative. Their stories reflect different experiences of youth, family expectations, economic realities, friendship, and adulthood. These parallel journeys enrich the central themes and make the drama feel realistic.
Weakness
The official synopsis emphasizes that Qing Ye and Xing Wu separate after high school, grow up, and reunite years later. Therefore, I naturally expect the story to focus heavily on the secondary chance, where Qing Ye and Xing Wu leave for university and later return to the small town as adults to confront unresolved feelings.
Instead, the drama spends roughly 26 of 30 episodes on the high-school period, skips most of their five years apart, and then compresses the reunion and romance into the final four episodes!
Plot
Strength
The plot centers on emotional realism, with conflicts arising from family circumstances, personal insecurities, life choices, distance, and timing. These obstacles feel more relatable than the exaggerated misunderstandings or love triangles often found in romance dramas.
Weakness
My biggest criticism is likely to be the pacing. The drama spends significant time on everyday interactions and emotional transitions. I don’t look for constant excitement in a romance drama, but I feel that some episodes in Dazzling move too slowly. I was lulled by the sea breeze in the drama and fell asleep to its slow pace!
Characterization and Acting
Qing Ye (Guan Xiao Tong)
Qing Ye is the emotional anchor of the story. She arrives in the seaside town feeling displaced and frustrated, carrying the burden of family circumstances that have upended her life. What makes her compelling is that she isn’t a flawless heroine because she can be stubborn, guarded, and occasionally sharp-tongued. Those traits make her growth feel authentic.
Guan Xiaotong’s performance works best in the quieter moments. Rather than relying on dramatic outbursts, she conveys Qing Ye’s loneliness and gradual emotional opening through subtle expressions and body language. As Qing Ye matures from teenager to adult, Guan adjusts her performance naturally, making the different life stages believable. However, her portrayal of Qing Ye can feel somewhat restrained, especially in scenes that call for stronger emotional impact (for example: her reunion with Xing Wu after five years of separation).
Xing Wu (Li Yunrui)
Xing Wu is the “small-town boy with a heart of gold,” a total green flag. He is portrayed as the dependable, supportive presence in everyone else’s life, an everyday hero for everybody. Xing Wu feels less dynamic than he could have been. Luckily, the drama gives him more depth. He struggles with uncertainty about his future and carries insecurities that feel relatable rather than exaggerated. That makes Xing Wu one of the more grounded male leads in romances.
Li Yunrui’s performance is understated but effective. He excels at portraying sincerity and emotional restraint. Instead of overwhelming scenes with intensity, he creates a character whose feelings are often communicated through small gestures and lingering looks. Li Yunrui is undeniably charming as Xing Wu, but his performance sometimes feels too safe, favoring subtlety over emotional depth when the story calls for something more powerful. For example, the death of a family member.
With the calm male lead and the calm female lead dynamics, the chemistry between Qing Ye and Xing Wu is actually the greatest strength of their romance. Their relationship develops through shared experiences and mutual support. Their chemistry feels comfortable rather than explosive.
Supporting Characters
Ironically, the most memorable performances in Dazzling don’t always come from the main couple. The supporting characters, especially the adult characters like Grandma, or Xing Wu’s mom and her friends, frequently steal the spotlight, bringing warmth, nuance, and emotional weight to their stories. Their journeys feel lived-in and authentic, sometimes making the central romance seem less compelling by comparison.
Visuals
Cinematography
One of the strongest aspects is the visual direction, especially the seaside setting. Soft natural lighting dominates most scenes. Wide shots of the coast, town streets, and school life create a realistic mood. Camera work is steady and unobtrusive, focusing on emotion rather than stylized angles. The result is a visual style that feels calm and warm, like the sea breeze.
Shooting Location
The drama was filmed on Shidao island of Weihai, where a local market played a key role. With its neatly arranged stalls offering a wide array of fresh produce, seafood, cooked goods, dried delicacies, and regional snacks, the market buzzes with the sounds of local dialects and haggling between vendors and customers. These authentic scenes capture the most genuine and vibrant pulse of daily life on Shidao Island.
The breathtaking visuals is why I titled my article “Swept By the Sea Breeze”
Now you understand why I titled my article “Swept By the Sea Breeze.” Honestly, i was compelled to start this drama because of the visuals. Even because of Xing Wu’s blonde hair—and his friends’ hair, too! Dazzling is a very “visual-first hook, emotional-second payoff.” I was drawn to the seaside lighting, soft color palette, and that calm coastal atmosphere, feel almost like a travel show rather than a typical youth romance setup.
My Rating
I used my rating system with additional scores of:
- 0.5 for the slice-of-life story
- 1.0 for the nice characterization of ML and FL, acting, and the supporting characters
- 1.0 for the visualization, especially the ocean view!
Total rating 8.5/10.
Conclusion
Dazzling is the kind of drama that doesn’t rely on dramatic twists or grand declarations to make an impact. Instead, it wins viewers over with its heartfelt storytelling, authentic character growth, and the quiet chemistry between Qing Ye and Xing Wu. For viewers who appreciate slow-burn relationships, emotional realism, and a touch of seaside saltiness, this drama is well worth the journey.
Spoiler of the most asked question
When did they get together?
Not until the last episode. The first 26 episodes are about their high school life. They met again as working adults on Episode 28. Confessing their love on Episode 30!
For Chinese dramas, Chinese TV and streaming platforms follow content standards that avoid promoting puppy love in school settings, prefer portraying students as focused on studies and personal growth, and limit explicit romantic behavior in teenage characters.
So, in this drama, they keep Qing Ye and Xing Wu’s romance subtle. They separate with “missed chances.” Their romance is delayed until their adulthood arc, which is not that long. Their kissing scene? Only at 10 minutes before the drama ends!
