Zhang Ya Qin confesses her heart ached for her character in 'In the Name of Blossom'

Flourished Peony sequel, In the Name of Blossom, has concluded amidst raving reviews. Zhang Ya Qin shares her insights into the C-drama and her character. 

The C-drama tells the story of He Wei Fang, a businesswoman and the owner of Fang Garden, and Flora and Fauna Envoy Jiang Chang Yang, who navigate challenges and face danger to bring peace to their people.

Yang Zi played He Weifang, the owner of Fang Garden; Li Xian played Jiang Chang Yang, the Flower and Bird Envoy; Zhang Ya Qin portrayed Li You Zhen, the County Princess of Ji'an. The actress has been dubbed by netizens as the "vicious supporting female character" for her outstanding performance.

In an interview with Chinese reporters, Zhang Ya Qin admitted, "If she were to be reborn, I hope she could break free from her cage, find what she truly wants to do, like He Wei Fang, gain the ability to stand on her own, and also achieve freedom."

Li You Zhen hails from a distinguished family. On the outside, she appears a gentle and elegant woman of wealth and beauty, but that hides her sharp and calculating nature. 

Forced into a marriage for the sake of her family's interests, she gradually awakens within the confines of that union, transforming from a "victim of patriarchal tradition" into a "rebel who wields love as her weapon." After breaking free from her previous marriage, she becomes determined to seize the one thing she desires most: a sincere heart.

However, Li You Zhen senses that her husband, Liu Chang (Miles Wei), has had a change of heart. She tries to win him back through flattery while secretly tormenting her rival in every possible way. 

Some netizens pointedly remarked that this character "was once noble and pure, but was gradually changed while exerting power and using authority." Others empathized with her, saying: "She isn't a vicious supporting female character in the traditional sense, but rather a tragic person trapped by the shackles of her era."

Speaking about her understanding of the role, Zhang Ya Qin shared, "The County Princess is a complex, atypical villainess — someone audiences may both love and hate. She has been fighting for freedom all her life, but excessive persistence easily traps one in a cage woven from love and hate.

I'm not sure how people will perceive the County Princess after watching In the Name of Blossom, but while portraying her, I had very complicated feelings — what I felt most was heartache."

In the drama, Li You Zhen goes from initially pleading and showing vulnerability to force a marriage, to fiercely retaliating upon discovering her husband's deceit and change of heart. The actress's brilliant portrayal of the character's contrasting sides has earned her widespread acclaim from Chinese audiences.

Speaking about Li You Zhen's feelings for Liu Chang, Zhang Ya Qin said, "She does love her husband. And she hates him because she loves him. Loves him for having once loved her with a pure heart, yet hates him for his change of heart and coldness."

Zhang Ya Qin summarized the couple's married life in the drama as: "He tries to escape, I chase — he can’t fly even if he had wings. As long as the County Princess wants it, she can have it (domineering)!" Both of them are super obsessed. He Wei Fang was initially innocent but was forced into a triangle between the County Princess and Liu Chang... Actually, the County Princess's hatred — no matter how intense — is simply because she can't return to the past; can't find the pure heart Liu Chang once had, nor can she find the best version of herself from those times."

Beyond her character arc, Zhang Ya Qin's makeup and styling have also grabbed eyeballs. "For the makeup, the production team prepared many Tang Dynasty–style looks. Even the County Princess's bridal headpiece was a 1:1 replica — very exquisite. I was absolutely amazed when I saw it."

To accurately portray the role, Zhang Ya Qin even purposely gained weight to align with the aesthetic standards of a Tang Dynasty County Princess. "The County Princess is a noblewoman with very high status among women of those times. The Tang Dynasty's beauty ideal favored a full-figured, radiant appearance, so before filming began, I intentionally gained some weight to make the character fuller."

In terms of her performance, she had her own approach: "To embody the noblewoman status of the County Princess, I was a little more restrained when acting — so she could appear dignified and awe-inspiring — the kind of calm, indifferent 'villainess' who, under imperial power, sees humans as nothing more than ants."

Zhang Ya Qin also shared a fun anecdote about acting alongside Yang Zi: "Yang Zi and I often got together for hotpot. I thought it would be a relaxed time to eat and chat, but she ended up rehearsing lines with me while eating. She's seriously such a hard-core woman. Yang Zi has her own ideas about acting; she performs excellently and is very driven. Acting alongside her is both an enjoyment and a challenge. Whenever I had questions about my performance, I discussed them with her. When rehearsing scenes on set, we always had discussions about how to act this and that."

She also expressed hope for a future second collaboration with Yang Zi, aiming to continue delivering more captivating performances for the audience.

Source: Cover News