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| Legend of Zang Hai and What a Wonderful World Get Douban Scores, Spark Controversy |
Two of the biggest dramas of the season—Legend of Zang Hai and What a Wonderful World—have finally gotten their Douban ratings, but instead of applause, it’s stirred up a digital storm. Netizens are now raising their eyebrows (and voices) over what they see as unexpectedly mid scores for both productions, given their star-studded casts and heavy buzz.
As of June 6, historical fantasy drama Legend of Zang Hai, starring Xiao Zhan and Zhang Jingyi, is sitting at a 7.1 on Douban. Sounds decent? Not if you ask its fanbase. The show had over 300,000 user ratings during the early voting period—a mind-blowing number that reflects its massive reach. With a whopping 40.1% peak market share, you’d expect a bit more love on the ratings board.
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Meanwhile, suspense drama What a Wonderful World, featuring Zhao Liying and Yin Fang in a moody, unconventional tale, got a slightly lower 6.7.
While that’s not a disaster, some netizens feel it doesn’t quite match the effort and ambition poured into the storytelling. It’s clocked in over 60,000 ratings so far, which is still a healthy chunk.
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Both dramas are tagged under Douban’s “D-type” category—meaning most users gave middling scores, either three or four stars, with fewer extreme five-star or one-star reviews.
But that hasn’t stopped users from questioning whether the algorithm behind the rating system is truly fair or if certain dramas are being “penalised” for being too mainstream, or in Wonderful World’s case, too niche.
On Weibo and comment threads across the board, people are pointing out the gap between popularity and rating. “How can Zang Hai hit 40% market share and still only land a 7.1?” one user asked. Another wrote, “What a Wonderful World wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, sure, but it was smart and bold. 6.7 feels stingy.”
It’s not just the fans who are split—critics, too, seem divided. Legend of Zang Hai, co-directed by industry heavyweight Zheng Xiaolong, is praised for its lavish production and tight pacing, but some viewers say it plays too safe to break any new ground.
On the flip side, What a Wonderful World, helmed by The Bad Kids writer-director Xu Bing, is more experimental in tone and structure, leaving some audiences confused and others calling it “ahead of its time.”
At the end of the day, whether the scores reflect reality or not is still up in the air. What’s clear is that Douban’s influence remains huge—and a few tenths of a point can set off passionate debate across the net.