Autumn Cicada (2020)

Ren Jialun is back with another drama just a few months after Under the Power, and the actor who’s usually in the historical genre suits up for a fresh look in Republican-era style.

Autumn Cicada 秋蝉 set in 1941 Hong Kong follows Ye Chong (Ren Jialun), a double agent who operates under the codename autumn cicada. He is on a secret mission to infiltrate the Japanese military and in trying to keep his cover, he encounters He Ying (Li Man), a hot-blooded young student who has mistaken him for her brother’s killer.

Autumn Cicada is one of Ren Jialun’s unaired dramas that he filmed in 2017. He pairs up with his The Destiny of White Snake co-star Li Man who played the green snake. The plot feels like your typical Chinese spy drama with themes about a Communist hero willing to make sacrifices for his country. Politics is not really something I’m interested in, but I have to give it the genre for producing some gems. Autumn Cicada is produced by H&R Century Pictures, the same company that made Sparrow. It already sounds similar in a number of ways, so I’m kind of excited that we will finally get to see it tonight.

Also in the cast are Liu Huan, He Dujuan, Jian Renzi, Liu Xueyi, Liang Jingxian, Bo Fangjun, Hu Yajie and Li Tingzhe. Actors Zhang Hanyu, Li Xiaoran, Wang Jinsong and Han Dong will also appear in supporting roles.