For @TheNostalgicType : May you enjoy this summary combining two Mandarin articles from 15 July and 17 July (links at the end) about “Key To The Phoenix Heart” expanding on characters of Xiao Wuyi and Xie Jiayu.

An early morning at Hengdian Studios still carries an undissipated trace of summer heat.

The tale of “Key To The Phoenix Heart” starts out as a cold political marriage, without a hint of warmth. Daughter of the Grand Tutor, Xie Jiayu’s fate is bound by the interests of her family. She is forced to marry Xiao Wuyi as a secondary consort. Xiao Wuyi is the hot-blooded second son (this edit from "eldest" to "second" is due to the lines from this scene as of 13/08/2025): https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5199060202161142) of the Prince of Jing'An, and perceived by the world as a vain licentious domineering spoiled hedonist.

Their initial bond/union can be described as merely a contract on a piece of paper, lacking any warmth or tenderness. However, living under the same roof, confronting a common enemy while dealing with dark undercurrents inside and outside the Prince’s mansion, they had to re-evaluate each other.

Xiao Wuyi seemingly conceals other ideas beneath his surface, while Xie Jiayu’s naïve innocent appearance is not without definitive opinions. Xie Jiayu does not like makeup or poetry, but is mainly interested with ingenious inventions.

The development of the plot indicates this contracted couple will be forced to collaborate. In the turbulence of the Imperial Court, forces of all sides are tussling for influence while treachery and deceit is rife. One careless mistake could lead to an irreversible disaster and fate.

What is even more problematic is being deeply immersed in their own complex confusing misfortunes, where the truth of the past resembles a fog, twisted and wrapped around every step.

Xie Jiayu’s mastery of the techniques and knowledge of the Mohist Mechanism will be crucial to unravelling the predicaments in the story and moving along the plot. Xiao Wuyi bears the stigma of “regicide” and a heavy secret. Hou Minghao’s important highlights of his role will involve portrayal of his true innermost ambitions: To become strong and overcome certain challenges with reform of the world in mind, while struggling between disguise and reality, and wanting to successfully protect dear ones in dangerous situations. His character is kind-hearted and honest, despite the necessity of a mask.

From strangers only sharing mistrust to transform into necessary allies, finally becoming true partners you would trust with your life, this road of emotional transmutations is full of dramatic tension.

Not only must this couple deal with external conspiracies, but they must overcome (break through/pierce is literal, but it is better to use “overcome” for succeeding in this) each other’s mental and emotional defences during daily interactions while having to face certain inner truths together.

Ai Mi’s growth arc will be riveting, and her transformation will enable her to become a key figure crucial to the unfolding situations. Hou Minghao’s role is extremely challenging, as he goes through many challenges to become a brave and wise reformer with the world in his heart.

Riley Wang’s role as Li Mao will be interesting. Li Lejun is a loyal follower of Li Mao, and an obstacle on the road of love between Xie Jiayu and Xiao Wuyi.

Due to a certain actress landing in controversy regarding certain “sky-high priced” earrings, the producer decided to let Ai Mi take over the role of Xie Jiayu. This change has resulted in heated discussions and questions of suitability. As the dust settles, the focus returns to how the actors interpret their respective characters and roles. Whether Ai Mi can win the respect and recognition of the audience will be one of the key follow-up observations.

“Key To The Phoenix Heart” is not merely about simple love, but love being able to take root and sprout despite the stifling strangulations of power tussles and eventually being intertwined with responsibilities towards family and country.

Hou Minghao must precisely interpret and convincingly portray the contrasts between inner truths and outer appearances. Ai Mi needs to be convincing in demonstrating Xie Jiayu’s growth, morphing from naïve passiveness to active bold subversiveness because her role leads to transformations affecting the story. Ingenious usage of mechanisms and strategies as per the Mohist Mechanism can be original and visually-arresting, while lending an element of fun in puzzle-solving.

This finale of the second article is very true, about what determines the success possibility of “Key To The Phoenix Heart” because the general audience is tired of saccharine and shallow disputes: [ 观众早已厌倦了悬浮的甜宠和无脑的争斗，《雀骨》能否凭借扎实的权谋逻辑、可信的情感递进以及演员对复杂角色的精准把握脱颖而出？这取决于主创团队能否在漫长的拍摄期内，将开机时的这份期待和构思真正转化为屏幕上有血有肉、扣人心弦的故事。横店的摄影棚和景区里，一场关于权力、身世与真心的博弈刚刚开场，结果如何，唯有等待成片揭晓。]

The creative team is well-positioned to handle this drama. Director Gao Yik Chun has directed masterpieces such as the first season of “The Prince of Han Dynasty” and “The Empress of China”. Screenwriter Wu Mengzhang is well-experienced in plot arrangements and complexities, having been responsible for the likes of “The Song of Glory” and “A Beautiful Lie”.

This story integrating elements of mechanics in war and function with political drama will include realistic props doing justice to actual war scenes.

https://ent.tom.com/202507/1088802399.html

https://ent.china.com/movie/newszh/11005281/20250715/48611107.html

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 My opinion: The balance of challenges to each of the lead characters as individuals navigating court politics and various intrigues, plus the battlefield, will be the key focus. The bond between Xie Jiayu and Xiao Wuyi will depend on how these pieces of the plot are moved along while they evolve as individuals, before their partnership becomes a credible husband-and-wife team of two loving individuals.

Considering the complexity of these roles and the details involved for a solid storyline including the creative team involving a certain director and screenwriter, any actress or actor would be thrilled to be the leads IMHO. Done well, their performances would be powerful and unforgettable. Ai Mi’s excitement over Xie Jiayu as her first female lead role in a historical drama is understandable, because this character is unique in historical C-dramas. Can she carry it off? KTTPH is her second FL role, since her first FL role is as Lin Shuang Sheng in "Above The Wall" (https://kisskh.at/770155-above-the-wall)

Edited to add: As to the "Ai Mi is a minor and does not know what she is doing" comments, feel free to check out this comment referencing two more articles plus Ai Mi's first movie released in November 2024 and Ai Mi's first FL drama finished before commencing work for KTTPH. Then go criticise Ai Mi, her parents, and the director if you still feel the same way: https://kisskh.at/790870-que-gu#comment-22997542

Looking forward to this director and this screenwriter collaborating, to bring out the best in all the cast members. This is especially heartening, when PDA back then is not what it is in a lot of wuxia and historical dramas these days. Face-mashing and groping seems to be rather common nowadays to younger viewers, but to a large number of viewers beyond the bubble of an MDL page: PDA is a huge turn-off beyond chaste affectionate kisses in a historical drama. I am glad this director is in charge because he gives me the best hopes for a historical C-drama that I am used to: Conveying the impact of strong bonds in different types of relationships, without kissing, skinship or groping. This also means tradition plus inventiveness is required, to portray two individuals holding zero trust into becoming a strong true bond between husband and wife.

The Empress of China at 82 episodes of 45 minutes each was at least 55 episodes of plot, subplots and acting without PDA. I have added a link as another comment where all the episodes can be watched, for whoever wants to see what I am referring to. In short, my hopes for affection being limited to hand-holding, carrying, zooming in on small gestures, inventive ideas already carried out in other dramas for implications, and zero lip-locking PDA (which some people might label as old-fashioned) seems to be likely.

Content shared from these articles are accurate, as of the time of publication. Any changes during the current filming process will not be reflected in these articles.

Also, the three main posters for “Key To The Phoenix Heart” are gorgeous and rife with symbolism, simply touching.  

IQiyi should not have trouble with the intricacies and complexities tied to the concepts and details of Mohist Mechanisms regardless of whether the focus is traps and mechanisms within a fortress and/or weapons in battle, given a movie released under IQiyi in 2021 aptly titled 墨家机关术。

(trailer of movie here, if you want an idea plus visuals of Mohist Mechanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW4WMyrYYNU)

Mo Tzu was a Chinese philosopher during the Warring States period, known as “the sage of science” to later generations. As a contemporary of Confucius and a carpenter skilled in making mechanical devices, he also had interesting ideas (found in his school of thought known as Mohism, and fundamentally different from Ruism) and was also superior to other scholars when it came to considerations for military engineering or defensive techniques. He came from the working classes and understood the minutiae of materials and craftsmanship, enabling him to become an innovator.

Mohist manuals compiled details on scientific aspects such as optics and geometry, not just mechanics. Inventions included the traction trebuchet (a type of siege engine utilising people to launch projectiles), moveable platform walls, large siege crossbows, cylindrical caltrops, and other inventions for defending a city.

You can read more about Mo Tzu here: https://medium.com/time-chronicles/mozi-the-radical-philosopher-who-challenged-ancient-chinas-status-quo-d006756a369c

If you want to see examples of inventions, another link here:

https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%A2%A8%E5%AE%B6%E6%9C%BA%E5%85%B3%E6%9C%AF/37117

Edited to add: From 11/08/2025 props pertaining to Mohist Mechanism that I mentioned when first making this discussion post, these are related to Xie Jiayu (Ai Mi's character): https://weibo.com/7748292131/PFj5V4RHx 

Much appreciated for uploading such a detailed article about the drama, Xiang~ ^^

Thank you very much for this. Really appreciate it 🫶.

It's a very interesting complex storyline, especially when you consider the director and screenwriter involved. My understanding of the details (including whatever I left out and did not translate) is that this drama is not a romance drama first and foremost. Romance and history is part of it, but the story is plot-driven on political intrigues and the battlefield plus day-to-day interactions between the leads while concentrating on emotional developments to eventually deliver a solid husband-and-wife spousal relationship.

I mentioned two dramas being classified as masterpieces under this director as per one of the articles, but those who are not Mandarin speakers or Chinese history buffs would not have watched those dramas. From a C-Drama perspective of those who are familiar with this Director's work, "The Prince of Han Dynasty" and "The Empress of China" will be the examples raised to showcase this Director's suitable abilities when considering the demands for "Key To The Phoenix Heart". That is why those two drama series are mentioned in more than one article.

The first season of "The Prince of Han Dynasty" is a 2001 drama of 41 episodes, can be watched here
: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_ANktcyCR0

"The Empress of China" is a 2014 drama of 82 episodes, can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUDdmehiCmU&list=PLpWatZNpdyOKUZXyo8xWWsWzX71tIi93a&index=1

Neither of these dramas have English subs. The acting is what one wants, from a capable cast and a capable director. Some viewers will have quibbles with "The Empress of China" due to historical accuracy in terms of Wu Zetian, but it is overall a masterful series. 

 yjhjk:

Can I get the English translation of the novel

It's an original script, not from a novel :)

What drew me first and foremost for KTTPH is the Director and Main Screenwriter. When "Glory" had just aired (it has just finished airing) and the first four episodes were out, I wrote a summary of the first four episodes here: https://kisskh.at/772283-ming-men-shi-jia#comment-24642016 

[ What an awesome combination! The creative crew is a stellar powerhouse to draw in audiences of all ages, featuring the likes of Directors Guo Hao ("Winter Begonia" and "Story of Yanxi Palace") and Zhang Zhi Wei (short dramas such as "Dominion and Devotion" and "Fortune Writer"), the main screenwriter Zhou Mo (Story of Yanxi Palace") and highly-capable costume designer Song Xiaotao. This team is the key reason for "Glory" unfolding so well in camerawork and characterisations and subplots never losing sight of the main plot but enhancing it, because they know their craft and different strengths very thoroughly, and are able to compensate for any weaknesses.

With them at the helm, storyboarding and editing of the first four episodes have been fun, compacted with precision, and well-paced. Zhang Zhi Wei's dramas include themes of female empowerment, so he's right at home here. Guo Hao is capable with micro-details (such as when Shang Xi Rui in Winter Begonia... ]

Directors with a reputation tend to be able to draw viewers of all generations in the domestic market, especially the older generations crucial to satellite TV viewership. You can read for yourself whether I know what I'm talking about or not :)

twinty:

Now I am even more interested in this. I hope there is some romance. 

Once upon a time, romance in C-dramas is not what you see today ie too much kissing and PDA, and inadequate build-up. There are C-dramas which understand how to tell a captivating striking romance and a great overall story, but requires three factors:

1) Good screenplay and strong characterisation allowing for range and depth
2) Seasoned experienced director who knows how to really tell a story, help the cast interpret scenes as they should be conveyed, and able to elicit the best performances from cast (The KTTPH Director is one of less than ten directors for me that falls into this category).
3) An above-average supporting cast with well-told stories of their own.

I usually don't spend my C-Ent time here. When I do, I contribute articles. I predicted in the MDL drama page for "Blades of The Guardians" that the movie would easily hit 1,2 billion RMB and would reach 1.5 billion RMB, and I was correct (I put together an article for this movie before its airing). BoTG smashed all records for the wuxia genre at China’s box office within 6 days, grossing more than 1 billion RMB within 11 days. BoTG is now the highest-grossing wuxia film of all time as of 1 April when adding international sales, and has grossed more than 1.44 billion RMB domestically. I made my predictions in January 2026, at a time when everyone only believed it might hit a maximum of 900 million RMB including Maoyan. Jet Li said the most a wuxia movie might make is 1.2 billion RMB. This is because a majority of wuxia films don't gross more than 100 million RMB in China, ever since Covid.

https://news.mydramalist.com/article/cinematic-wuxia-epic-blades-of-the-guardians-premieres-on-february-17

MDL recently published a third article I put together. It is about two upcoming dramas, where Zhang Yunlong romances Ju Jingyi and Esther Yu in two different novel adaptations.

https://news.mydramalist.com/article/revenge-retribution-responsibility-in-upcoming-zhang-yun-long-dramas-with-ju-jing-yi-esther-yu

As of this week, Ai Mi is the top female scorer in the exams to enter Beijing Film Academy, while ranked third nationwide within China. BFA only accepts 400 to 500 students for the acting department each year, out of at least 40,000 yearly applicants. Given her acting at a level to match Luo Yunxi in "Whispers of Fate" when that drama aired in October to November 2025, her performance as Shui Duopo is highly-lauded as FL material amongst mandarin-speakers of all ages who admire Luo Yunxi's performance.

"Whispers of Fate" is easily the top revenue-earning C-drama of 2025, scoring more than 1 billion views on Monomax Thailand and has CSM data showing its viewing hours are effectively equivalent to or surpassed TTEOM ie 2.838 billion views across all media platforms. The first episode premiered with 160 million views for satellite TV alone, according to CVB. Yunhe is a joke to those of us who know how to evaluate data.

https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin/discussions/146888-shui-long-yin-whispers-of-fate-3weeks-post-svip-finale-achievements?pid=3495170&page=1#p3495170

According to the latest Datawin 2025 paper, Luo Yunxi outstrips every other actor and actress in sales of personal peripherals, while creating lucrative commercial benefits including tourism that lasts for years. And that's enough here, for detailed C-Ent news breaking the MDL bubble. To continue in this manner would derail this thread.

KTTPH has romance. Let this Director tell it his way. Ai Mi will step up to the mark, given her well-lauded performance in "Whispers of Fate". As with all good to great stories, the main plotline comes first and romance second. Best to have a well-developed relationship first :D

monkeylover, thanks for sharing details about Hou Minghao's preparation work and on-set shooting :)

Actors and Actresses who work hard to portray their roles should always be lauded. 28-year-old Liu Haocun took 2 years to prepare and get into the role of a Qinqiang opera performer Qin Yi'e in "The Lead" produced by Zhang Yimou. This recently-airing drama has broken TV-viewership records this year in China with CCTV ratings surpassing 4.487%, while also opening with a Douban score of 8.2 utilising more than 50,000 ratings. Should be WeTV's best drama of 2026, which will be confirmed once the financial revenue results are in. Liu Haocun is garnering career-defining praise and accolades, and I am very happy for her.

Here's an article sharing a bit of what Neo Hou and Ai Mi each embarked upon, for preparations before the drama:

https://cj.sina.com.cn/articles/view/7879776328/1d5abd84806801hlia

3 months before the drama, Neo Hou underwent martial arts training which included equestrian training plus fencing skills while wearing 30 kilograms of armour during all that. He didn't use stand-ins, naturally suffering many bruises to his knees for various stunts and wirework.

His martial arts work during the "sea of fire" was impressive. Left him hoarse with all the breathing technique preparations. A historical consultant also ensured he learned the etiquette of ancient generals, and this includes him having to practise kneeling down one hundred times and hence resulting in bruises on his forehead.

Ai Mi was also not having it easy, when it came to historical etiquette and having to look like an expert with the Mohist Mechanisms knowledge that she must demonstrate in the drama.

Cultural heritage craftsmen taught her about the Southern Song Dynasty's "sparrow-with-ring-in-beak" woodcraft mechanism lock that she had to be able to handle speedily, amongst other mechanisms such as the Luban Lock(also known as Kongming Lock) that she had to understand:

https://baike.baidu.com/en/item/Luban%20lock/1418223

She had to practise 4 hours a day. Her nails cracked because of this. And because she insisted on using actual locks for authenticity during shooting (such as the seven-layered Kongming Lock) despite her fingers already rough with calluses, the props team destroyed six antique locks to enable this to happen.

After dividing her character understanding into three different stages, she also wrote a 10,000 word biography (Hm, Ci Sha does something like this for his movie role preparations) and had to attend a psychology course at BFA.

I appreciate this specific sentence pertaining to the collision and connection of their different individual performance philosophies, which matches the material out there in BTS and other event videos:

"侯明昊沉浸式体验带动情感浓度（雨中火海戏拍至虚脱），艾米自然流表演反哺对手——她下意识的微表情让侯明昊重新审视搭戏方式"-

Neo Hou immersed himself completely for maximum emotional concentration, such as driving himself to the point of collapse just to film the "sea of fire" scenes in the rain. Meanwhile, Ai Mi's natural flow of subconscious micro-expressions made Neo Hou completely re-examine how two people should act with each other (which he also said at least twice with other context, but that's not in this article).

They protected each other in various incidents during shooting, such as being each other's human shields during a specific explosion scene. Given their very-different backgrounds in acting, it's great to see two individuals (each with at least 11 years of acting experience) totally meshing in all aspects for a drama.

If people watch any BTS of "Key To The Phoenix Heart", I'd say this one is great to showcase how both artists comfortably discuss and interact and rehearse about scenes during breaks, before changing their emotional gears to give off totally different vibes for the necessary scenes (I advise turning off the sound unless I hear actual lines, because that is the most accurate way to evaluate any BTS with edits):

https://www.tiktok.com/@foraimi/video/7645273556074384660

Without seeing any of this, people wouldn't have a clue of how comfortable they are with each other during the entire filming duration that wrapped on 5 November 2025, as professional colleagues.

@Sharlottka, before I address your question of other interesting aspects about “Key To The Phoenix Heart” aside from the leads with enough information, I’d say the leads have always displayed admirable work ethics in their different filmographies. For “Glory”, Neo Hou Minghou had minor stomach surgery at one point, and he still joined the crew for filming without fully recovering. He also went through 22 takes for a specific scene. I’m very impressed that he made it through the filming of “Glory” given his health, which is thanks to his dedication to complete immersion. He also demonstrates this, in BTS of KTTPH.

“Love In The Clouds”, “The Unclouded Soul”, “Glory”- He’s been the male lead in more than ten dramas and positively getting increasingly-wide audience exposure, but I also think he has been over-worked. I’m glad he is getting some breathing space to focus on his music after “Immortalis” wrapped filming, which he promoted at IQiyi World Conference on 20 April on-stage after first promoting “Key To The Phoenix Heart” with Ai Mi.

Almost 2 months ago on 20 April, Hou Minghao made it very clear during both segments of the IQiyi World Conference promotions for “Key To The Phoenix Heart” that he is very happy to have Ai Mi as his FL in “Key To The Phoenix Heart”. His entire demeanour has been very cute and lively, when he replied to questions from the hostess with answers such as saying he couldn’t stop praising Ai Mi. He loudly and vocally conveyed his congratulatory support for Ai Mi when the hostess for the group interview segment mentioned Ai Mi’s Beijing Film Academy entrance exams achievement (which C-Ent also praised Ai Mi for). I will quote a bit of his exact words:

“…我听说是艾米来演谢嘉鱼, 我当时就非常的开心。我也非常替她而感到高兴-” – Neo Hou

Translation: (When I heard Ai Mi would be Xie Jiayu, at that time I was very happy. I was also very happy for her-)

When Ai Mi became an option due to the emergency situation of May 2025 needing a replacement-FL for KTTPH urgently finalised because shooting would begin in July 2025, “Key To The Phoenix Heart” director and casting director would have seen details of already-wrapped projects in 2024 and 2025. After opening the condensed preview of her submission and evaluating custom notes, they will choose to read her acting resume.

What I share now is from reliable mandarin sources. I advise against using mandarin sources which only watch idol dramas, because I’ve yet to see such sources get basic details right about Ai Mi. Please also note that MDL pages can be echo chambers, depending on the extent of accurate information shared or withheld.

As examples, you might have seen many negative sentiments from international viewers in English about Ai Mi, such viewers sniping at her agency and parents because she is the female lead role for “Key To The Phoenix Heart”, or maybe you heard about her being accused by an online account as arrogant for not posing for a photograph nor giving an autograph at the gaokao this month.

Cnet came out to defend her about the gaokao incident, citing her recent excellent BFA-entrance results quietly achieved (gossipers and jealous people online claimed Ai Mi wasn’t taking any university-entrance exams and trashed Ai Mi, but now look like complete fools when reality proved them wrong). Like Cisha, Ai Mi doesn’t talk big but knuckles down for results. A gaokao is the wrong place for such frivolous activities. Cnet also shamed that over-entitled bully into deleting their original hateful post about Ai Mi. As to “Key to the Phoenix Heart”, Ai Mi replaced Huang Yang Tian Tian due to the emergency situation. They have completely different filmographies. There is no competition.

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Is Ai Mi qualified to be a lead actress in a drama? People have made comments about her not being suitable for an FL role nor being suitable as an FL in “Key To The Phoenix Heart”. I will also answer that in this entire post, while also providing information for your question about interesting details and other characters for “Key To The Phoenix Heart”. You have seen her act opposite Zuo Ye, but I believe you don’t know exactly why she can emote well opposite Zuo Ye. I am not surprised Ai Mi is in the top 3 of the BFA-entrance scores and the top female scorer. This would be obvious in July 2025 if someone understands how to evaluate her acting resume, which resulted in the screen test for a chemistry read for “Key To The Phoenix Heart”. Ai Mi’s acting resume, as of May 2025:

Having filmed more than 25 idol and non-idol dramas as supporting roles, her extensive non-idol works background is a strong stand-out, clearly professional in choices and hugely impressive for any actress not yet 18. She is definitely capable of being FL in “Key To The Phoenix Heart”, with roles in the likes of “Minning Town” in 2021 usually cited by non-idol-drama C-Ent watchers, alongside roles in at least ten movies that have given her nation-wide exposure. As to FL roles, her first FL role in C-Ent is in a war movie that aired in November 2024. First FL role in a drama is a non-idol drama directed by screenwriter and Director Cao Dun, where she is a teenage student with certain goals. Significant supporting role as the teenage student younger version of the FL, in a non-idol drama directed by Mao Kunyu and led by one of China’s golden princes of TV always in demand with Directors since his studies at Beijing Film Academy (the critically-acclaimed National Second-Class actor Luo Jin). Ai Mi received praise for her micro-expressions and overall acting in that role, being able to hold her own within a veteran cast of very-strong actors and actresses. Ai Mi was juggling filming for Directors Cao Dun and Mao Kunyu with school, in 2024. “The Double” also aired in 2024, and she was also lauded for her acting as Tong’er.

“Key To The Phoenix Heart” is Ai Mi’s third FL role in C-Ent, her second FL role in a drama, and her first FL role in an idol drama. -> This is the one detail every idol-drama-only watcher will get wrong, where they claim KTTPH is her first FL role.

Cao Dun being the Chief Director of her first FL drama, before Ai Mi became an FL option for “Key to the Phoenix Heart”- Cao Dun is critically acclaimed and renowned for the likes of “Longest Day in Chang’an” and “Litchi Road”, also at one point a judge on the panel of the 8th Wenrong Awards. For him to helm a serious no-romance drama of suspense and mystery requiring skilled micro-emoting as her first FL drama role for someone not yet 17 is a tremendous achievement and the best solid advertisement proclaiming her prodigious carefully-nurtured talent and hard work, from fellow Directors to other Directors of dramas and movies to note (especially casting directors).

Casting directors can recognise fellow Directors with serious reputations and notable achievements in their genres. Being in these projects with significant roles helmed by both directors in the same year is outstanding. Ai Mi has already explored professionally-difficult teenage student roles with two lauded Directors in two significant projects. Industry professionals will view high-school romance dramas as a step backwards for her career, given her resume as of May 2025. Her resume is extensively varied and versatile, signifying extensive micro-emoting experience and would stand out to the Director of KTTPH.

It is not “The Double” that I view as her break-out project, but these two projects filmed during 2024. With all these under her belt, Ai Mi is ready to be FL in a production helmed by Director Gao Yijun of “Key To The Phoenix Heart”.  

Screen tests for a chemistry read are necessary to identify a suitable replacement-FL option in “Key to The Phoenix Heart”. Whether it is an in-person read or a virtual read (each medium type has different demands for emoting performance), chemistry reads are hugely informative. This crucial step during auditioning is best-defined as the emotional and psychological rapport between two artists, regardless of whether the artists are portraying enemies, buddies, non-platonic partners, or something else complex.

Ai Mi must demonstrate that her acting can qualify for the requirements of creating authentic dynamic relationships, whereby she must gel with the ML as opposed to “performing for herself”. Producers, Directors, and Casting Directors will be looking for an improvisational synergy that feels alive and memorable, in silences, words, plus body language. The balance of individualism, synchronicity, and mirroring will depend on the ability to improvise and complement whoever you are cast against. Ai Mi is recognised within the industry as a 老手 once her resume is seen in its entirety, while international viewers are understandably far more clueless about her.  

Ai Mi also has a supporting role in Director Stephen Chow’s hugely-anticipated sports-comedy movie “Shaolin Women’s Soccer” (a sequel to his 2001 classic modern wuxia comedy movie “Shaolin Soccer”), which the “Key To the Phoenix Heart” casting director plus Director would have seen on her resume. In “Key To The Phoenix Heart”, Ai Mi has to demonstrate suitable comedic abilities, as witnessed nationwide by audiences in November 2025. The 2001 movie launched Stephen Chow into international stardom, and became a massive box-office hit. Stephen Chow put out a global casting call that wrapped filming in June 2025, and stars Dilraba Dilmurat. “Shaolin Women’s Soccer” is slated to air this year, possibly on the 25th anniversary of the 2001 movie i.e. July. Cinemas in countries such as Malaysia are already prepared for its launch this year:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36103784/

https://www.tgv.com.my/movie/shaolin-soccer-2

Any Director also depends on the screenwriter(s), if a drama is going to be decent or strong. Wu Mengzhang is a Beijing Film Academy graduate. He is the main screenwriter for “Key To The Phoenix Heart”, holding awards such as Best Screenplay at the 24th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards for “God of War”. I usually pick my dramas-to-watch based on the individuals in the production team before I look at the cast (unless the likes of Luo Jin is in it), and even if I frown at the style and technical bad habits of a Director that I don’t like to watch eg. Lu Hao Jiji, I am willing to indulge my curiosity if the screenwriter is the original novelist (as an example).

If a screenplay is bad or seriously flawed, that alone can tank up to 50% of a drama. I’m certain this isn’t the case here, unlike “Rebirth’s” terribly uneven script and horrible editing post-production in storytelling. For “Key To The Phoenix Heart”, I am hoping the main screenwriter sticks to certain streamlined sub-plotlines, to keep the main plot of KTTPH balanced with the emotional emoting. “Key To The Phoenix Heart” wrapped filming on 5 November 2025, and obtained its airing license on 6 February 2026.

Not having unnecessary PDA alongside a Director understanding the NRTA likely helped “Key To The Phoenix Heart” obtain approval in less than three months. Back in the 90s, hugging was a big deal in China’s C-Ent. Over the past ten years, there has been more fan service for PDA in an increasing number of historical costume idol dramas, but this new trend cannot compensate for the fact that IQIYI burned through hundreds of billions in funds during these ten years.

In 2025, IQiyi content costs reached 15.45 billion yuan, constituting 56% of total annual revenue. Annual net loss was 206.3 million yuan. Operating profit was only 640 million yuan, which is a 73% decrease compared to 2.36 billion yuan in 2024. IQIYI's net profit in 2023 reached a high of 1.93 billion yuan, the highest since the company's founding. IQiyi's free cash flow has plummeted from over 3.3 billion yuan in 2023 to less than 10 million yuan.

Some viewers have opined IQiyi was not spending money to promote all its dramas evenly in Q3 2025 onwards, some dramas being airdropped with minimal prior notice or close-to-zero promotion such as “Archives: The Nanyang Mystery” which is currently airing. IQiyi’s biggest blockbusters are “The Knockout” and “This Thriving Land”, being totally different genres. They do not receive many comments on their respective MDL drama pages, when compared to MDL pages of historical costume dramas. I believe “Key to The Phoenix Heart” is able to beckon to audiences in “The Knockout” and “This Thriving Land” with the sense of realism we want in a historical costume drama, but reality unfortunately indicates that sufficient marketing for this drama by IQiyi with the correct angles to reach receptive audiences is something I am not likely to see materialising.

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I’m not sure if the tag “mild romance” should be used instead of “romance”, for “Key To The Phoenix Heart”. And what piques my interest is always the much-larger silent audience of males and females necessary to achieve solid financial presence in blockbusters, such as “Pegasus 3” or the drama blockbusters I mentioned. They vote with their dollars and views, not online comments.    

In “Key To The Phoenix Heart”, Peter Ho adopts the role of Ai Mi’s father, the Grand Tutor of the Imperial Court. Is he a big villain, misunderstood, or a mixture of both? Peter Ho can do smarmy revolting villains and heartfelt repentance well enough.

Another character to highlight is Li Mao. Riley Wang’s got crackling chemistry with Ai Mi! They are childhood sweethearts but due to a political marriage of convenience (as per the drama synopsis on MDL), Hou Minghao’s Xiao Wuyi comes between them. Riley Wang’s character is also important in “Key To The Phoenix Heart”, and I’ll explain why.

In “Fangs of Fortune”, Ai Mi met kind big brothers such as Zuo Ye, Tian Jiarui, Yan An, and Hou Minghao. She had zero scenes with Riley Wang there, because of their respective characters. In “Key To The Phoenix Heart”, Riley Wang as Li Mao will reveal shades of jealousy, tenderness, protectiveness, and has plenty of opportunities to emote. A complicated relationship between Li Mao and Xiao Wuyi, a big brother to Li Le Jun (portrayed by Ma Qiuyuan, who is a talented actress in vertical dramas that I’m happy to finally see in long-form dramas)… Where is his character in the whole scheme of things? You’ll have to watch to find out.

Here’s a few BTS links. One is an example of Ai Mi and Riley Wang’s interactions (I have left out the most-intense Riley close-ups from the drama):

https://www.tiktok.com/@foraimi/video/7629689444056272149

The second example is Hou Minghao and Riley Wang having a terse exchange:

https://www.tiktok.com/@hou_minghao83cambodia/video/7566646268781546760

Ai Mi and Riley couldn’t stop laughing between scenes. Their playful chemistry:

https://www.tiktok.com/@houxige/video/7543075924816825605

https://www.tiktok.com/@hmh_neohou/video/7544064402966727956

“Xie Jiayu” and “Li Mao” clearly get along well, at events such as IQiyi Scream Night 2025 (He always makes her laugh):

https://www.tiktok.com/@foraimi/video/7582948966732500245

That said, BTS of all scenes available clearly doesn’t work out time-wise to romance as a primary focus. Romance in “Key To The Phoenix Heart” is about portraying emotional connection. Definitely no kisses or unnecessary groping for which I am super-thankful. I watch a drama or movie for acting talent and plotlines and characterisations, not face-planting or pawing unable to hide those issues. The main plot is a focus of family and country incorporating character developments of Xiao Wuyi, Xie Jiayu and Li Mao, and their emotional connections.

As to ‘romance’, an intimacy director (or a director capable enough to stand-in for an intimacy director) is always present for scenes involving any physical contact, such as a hug. Hand placement, duration of hug, etc- It’s highly-technical and not romantic, with no less than five cameras almost in your face and having to pretend there aren’t at least twenty strangers surrounding you plus any other cast members, while you have to appear emotionally-immersed with whoever you’re hugging.

Ai Mi has always been appropriately clothed in all projects she participates in, with no improper scenes for all her previous dramas and movies. Hou Minghao will have at least five different ways of carrying her or holding her in his arms (which he also explained with context), plus Neo Hou and Riley Wang will be hugging her, but also express fury at certain points with her in “Key To Phoenix Heart”. Everyone knows it is all acting because of specific context, especially once you see them relax after a take is finalised. Her male co-stars protect her and support her even after a drama filmed together had finished airing, as Zuo Ye and Tian Jiarui and Yan An have demonstrated via social media.

China’s censorship laws and improved protection of minors in recent years is strong and strict as per culture I expect and am familiar with (unlike South Korea’s K-Ent that I hugely disapprove of wrt minors, and especially USA wrt Hollywood plus their TV dramas). Some viewers unfortunately do not realise the gigantic differences between their media consumption experiences versus their assumptions about “Key To The Phoenix Heart”, hence they project all sorts of negativity without realizing that Hou Minghao and Ai Mi have always been mutually respectful and positively enthusiastic about working together as professionals concerned only about the project KTTPH, right from the casting of FL replacement being finalized.

Ever since working together in “Fangs of Fortune”, both leads have had very positive respectful impressions of each other as professionals. The script for “Key To The Phoenix Heart” prioritizes professionalism and emotional emoting, not sexualization issues imagined by some people due to a narrow modern definition of romance whereby sexualization has become part of expectations from some viewers.

In “A Splendid Match” which finished airing last month, multiple viewers complained on the MDL page about the Ming Dynasty drama because the drama commenced with the female lead fictional character being 15-years-old. Cisha and Ren Min are 29 and 26 age-wise, but what happened? People groused about the age of the FL’s FICTIONAL character in a FICTIONAL drama relative to FL character’s large age gap with ML’s FICTIONAL character, which the drama adhered to in a historically-realistic setting. It is impossible to please unrealistic expectations from people who can’t see their primary issues with a historical costume drama isn’t the project or the leads itself. And I can also understand if people don’t want to watch “Key To The Phoenix Heart”, based on their assumptions.        

Director Gao is from Hong Kong, and started out in movies (I submitted the details of one of his movies from the 90s on MDL, which is under his list of works). When he shifted his career to China, he focused primarily on historical costume dramas. He has the best of both worlds, able to evaluate the details and camerawork used on movie sets able to enhance the sets and shooting of a drama. His style of directing for “Key To The Phoenix Heart” reminds me somewhat of the acclaimed European Director Michael Haneke (who has directed some of the best European actresses and actors) in the personal moments, and focuses on little details to reveal a character’s mindset and emotions eg. hand movements, pauses, etc. But unlike Michael Haneke’s heart-wrenching and sometimes powerfully-uncomfortable films due to unsettling themes tackled, a happy ending for “Key To The Phoenix Heart” is what I am looking forward to.         

“Key To The Phoenix Heart” reminds me of a return to historical period C-dramas of more than ten years ago (Sun Mengfei’s action choreography is an apt reminder of such dramas more than ten years ago), where older viewers who enjoy classic wuxia and other themes might remember (only with better technology and more-attractive sophisticated set creations today): Great action scenes with fiercely-engaging fight choreography, and immersive emotional involvement primarily based on acting. Here is the official music video for the KTTPH theme song, sung by Hou Minghao, with plenty of awesome fighting scenes:

https://www.weibo.com/8009692919/R0oWWAmhT

Family. Country. Patriotism. Hidden dreams. A tender heart. A fiercely devoted unceasing promise with all of oneself. Classic anthem of a warrior.

The MV showcases intensive battle scenes and vicious deadly fights as a general should be and what I expected since July 2025, after becoming aware of the name of the action director for “Key To The Phoenix Heart” (which is part of the reason why I started this forum post by translating two articles about this drama).

Industry veteran Sun Mengfei is a martial arts instructor, also the action director and director of a notable number of martial arts projects involving numerous Jin Yong classics. Director Gao’s extensive decades of experience with lavish historical costume dramas and epic sets combined with Sun Mengfei’s expertise is going to be a beautiful harmony. The production team for "Key To The Phoenix Heart" is an exciting experienced team from the get-go, and any meaningful discussions involving them has been best enjoyed with knowledgeable fellow Chinese viewers not on MDL 😊  

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It’s important for a drama to reach older viewers plus male viewers. Hopefully “Key To The Phoenix Heart” can attract some of the core male-dominated group of donghua-watchers on Youku and/or Tencent which provides stable long-term revenue (I’m a donghua-watcher) and the gaming division that sustains Tencent. Tencent Financial Report for Q12026 reveals a net income of 58.1 billion yuan, and its net profit is sustained to a significant extent by its gaming division while Tencent's film and television division lost 1.028 billion yuan. As of May 2026 one month ago, Tencent has shed 160 billion USD this year (approximately 23% of its market value), but has been pivoting super-fast in terms of what they produce this year for future airing dramas.

“Key To The Phoenix Heart” will be airing against the backdrop of these financial circumstances from IQiyi and Tencent, as I have summarized in this reply to you.

Many male viewers on Migu (China’s premiere digital sports channel belonging to the world’s largest mobile network operator China Mobile) became aware of Ai Mi’s emoting capabilities in the historical costume drama that broke Migu’s heat index repeatedly and scored a new record-high for Migu near end-2025, resulting in the platform buying ads on China’s tallest building to thank that drama. But many male viewers usually need (at the least) a strong cohesive political plot and great action scenes with fights they can relate to, for a historical period drama (romance not a priority), also a ML and/or 2ML they can resonate with. Any FL has to be compelling. After the Director and screenwriter, the leads in “Key To The Phoenix Heart” will be responsible for retaining any male viewers, especially Hou Minghao.

I don’t envy the pressure that Hou Minghao faces for “Key To The Phoenix Heart”. I really hope him and Riley will have a relationship that male viewers can relate to, in terms of buddies and enemies and perceived betrayals. I am typically plot and choreography-in-action and emoting first, which is also crucial to a great love story. I definitely reckon Ai Mi and Hou Minghao have the potential to join my list with “Key To The Phoenix Heart”, which includes Chang Chen and Ni Ni in “Love and Destiny”, Ni Ni and Chen Kun in “Rise Of The Phoenixes”, and Huang Xiaoming with Yin Zheng of “Winter Begonia”.  

All the fans who support different cast members and crew members of “Key To The Phoenix Heart” are vital to its extent of success. Fellow artists such as Zuo Ye and Tian Jiarui posting encouragement for their fellow artists on social media to fans such as yourself to watch “Key To The Phoenix Heart” will also be important, when the time comes. Reservations have grossed more than 660,000 on IQiyi.

Have you ever wondered what Hou Minghao thought about Ai Mi, when they first acted together in “Fangs Of Fortune?  That experience is also why he became very happy and his heart felt at ease, upon hearing Ai Mii had secured the role of Xie Jiayu as the female lead for “Key To The Phoenix Heart”. Hou Minghao had very strong positive first impressions of her as an actress, despite sharing only a few scenes with her. Here’s part of what he said about Ai Mi pertaining to their scenes in “Fangs of Fortune” (his exact words):

“......然后并且我们在现场对戏的时候, 我是完全被感染到的。

然后当时我就觉得: 如果她在面对其他的角色......”

To describe oneself as “completely infected” by another artist is to recognise that person as an excellent collaborator and individual, while indirectly acknowledging the compelling strengths of that artist as an excellent acting partner. Hou Minghao gave Ai Mi the highest form of praise for her portrayal of Qing Geng by describing himself as “completely infected” while he portrayed Zhao Yuanzhou, and he’s been a wonderful gentleman in how he has been so gallant on-set during “Key To The Phoenix Heart”: Many examples include ensuring she is alright on horseback with him or comfortable in their scenes together, trying to teach her how to whistle with two fingers, and buying her various snacks.

Naturally Ai Mi will do her best during their scenes to reciprocate. Hou Minghao has been encouraging towards her whenever she over-analyses her performance at times. It is wonderful of him to recognise this trait of hers, and to also witness how protective he is towards her via BTS and at the IQiyi World Conference, given all the online bullying and baseless gossip Ai Mi has always been subjected to. Seeing fellow professionals inspire each other to greater heights is always engaging and inspiring!

“Fangs of Fortune” was filmed from October 2023 to February 2024, just before Ai Mi embarked on filming under Cao Dun’s directions from July 2024 to October 2024 while also handling the filming of Mao Kunyu’s drama that also wrapped in October 2024. Ai Mi has a long road to walk, and I would want her to improve further. I’m sure Ai Mi will capably meet the demands of her scenes with Hou Minghao, having been taught by some of the best Directors around, and justify Hou Minghao’s confidence in her as Xie Jiayu from “Key To The Phoenix Heart”.

If you wonder what the casting director and other members of the production decision-making saw for the professional chemistry test, a promotional clip for their CP in "Key To The Phoenix Heart" was released on 20 May and shared by the likes of Beijing Joy Radio 87.6 FM: A fresh unspoken balance of individualism, synchronicity, and mirroring reflecting pure chemistry.

In 11 seconds, without words- Telling someone specific details of how to pose and what to do isn’t going to work, if they don’t sync. Here’s emotional immersion from two leads of “Key To The Phoenix Heart” obviously comfortable with each other, relaxed and playful, quietly radiant with contentment and joy in the moment:

https://www.weibo.com/detail/5300602594921274  

I hope this reply is informative enough using reliable mandarin sources, to give insight into “Key To The Phoenix Heart” and other details related to the cast and production (while minimizing spoilers). Hou Minghao and Ai Mi have invited everyone to watch "Key To The Phoenix Heart" and in the same spirit, I extend what they have advocated at IQiyi World Conference on 20 April. Please feel free to share with fellow Zuo Ye enthusiasts, and anybody else who likes dramas as I have described above :D