Yao Chen and Wu Xiubo Star as “Divorce Lawyers” in Love

By joanna February 20, 2014

In the upcoming mainland television drama Divorce Laywers <離婚律師>, Yao Chen (姚晨) Wu Xiubo (吳秀波) put a fresh spin on the oft-seen plotline of jaded divorce lawyers discovering the true meaning of love.

In its first released preview, Divorce Lawyers gives viewers their first look at main characters Luo Li (Yao Chen) and Shi Haidong (Wu Xiubo), both of whom are successful divorce lawyers. Unfortunately, they start off on the wrong foot as Haidong loses his divorce case against ex-wife Jiao Yanyan (Alina Zhang 張萌), who is represented by Luo Li. Through endless rounds of bickering and fighting, Luo Li and Haidong grow to respect each other’s talents and ultimately end up walking together toward matrimony.

Although modern Chinese drama fans may find some of the scenes in Divorce Lawyers familiar, such as when Shi Haidong gets coffee poured on him by an enraged woman, many netizens seem pleased with the drama’s ability to subvert the “god” and “goddess” images that Wu Xiubo and Yao Chen typically portray. The preview even includes a humorous clip of Yao Chen imitating cute hand gestures popularized by Chinese youth born after 1990.

Helmed by mainland Chinese director Yang Wenjun (楊文軍), Divorce Lawyers also features Hong Kong actor Alex Fong Chong Sun (方中信) as a well-known lawyer who falls for Luo Li, mainland Chinese actress Han Yuqin (韓雨芹) as Luo Li’s close friend, and mainland Chinese actor Jia Jinghui (賈景暉) as Shi Haidong’s assistant. The series will be Yao Chen’s first television drama appearance since Living with a Flight Attendant <和空姐同居的日子> in 2009.