Frost_edelweiss

Fun to see another familiar face here with "Hans" although German is not his native tongue in reality!
MDL informs "Scotty Robert Cox was originally a Theater stage actor with the New Vic Theatre in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. He came to China and resumed his acting career in 2012, where he has been working as a professional actor, speaking Chinese and English in the Chinese film industry. He is also a teacher at Beijing language and Culture University Training Center."
He had a memorable support role as Anton Fei from the International Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, who wavered between supporting or not the idea of a private militia protecting business interests in Shanghai, in the Republican era romance Fall in Love (2021).

where did I mention fish??? But it's alright. You've already put intentions and words for me that were not in what I wrote (I mentioned toothpicks, for the record, and spinach and meat!)

Mind you, I don't hate romance. Just, I am not ruffled when there isn't any. Don't crave weddings either : in this day and age, it's become an optional addition, the value of marriage being debatable. Besides, I got my fix of sugar in the three other dramas I am watching simultaneously.

If you get too frustrated, there's in the Republican era dramas catalogue : Fall in Love (Chen Xingxu paired with Zhang Jingyi nice and strong love story), and City of Streamer (spectacular Jing Tian dancing tango with Timmy Xu: steaming hot chemistry! or if you don't mind a tad of fantasy mixed with Republican era, there's A Thousand Years For You, where Li Qin played FL, paired with Guochao : special chemistry in that one.)

Of course, if you need sugar here, perhaps your wish will come true. I won't mind one way or another, anyway.

True. Also because he is very short, almost looks like a midget. His voice was not so much effeminate that it never changed at puberty, something which used to be valued in falsetto singers in other centuries, so he got the idea, when he went abroad (to study dentistry, of all trades!) to give a try at bel canto in Lviv, Ukraine, and became comfortable with the knowledge that he could become an opera singer. He holds no grudges, has a solar attitude, now that some lesser singer friends (who aimed at becoming pro too) managed to drag him to sing in competition, where he wowed the judges with the Night on the Baikal song cover. That launched his stellar career. He has a circle of very faithful friends with whom he takes vacations and sometimes jams, recording it or not on vlogs.
You need to listen to this professional assessment of his voice and stage presence : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wMLugkPTIg
He also did one of the videos for Marvelous Cities about his home town of Guiyang : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zin5BL-GOKo

(Laughing : I am not even inducted into his fanclub! although I find it amusing to explore various fandom of singers and performers ! But ShenShen is on my favorite list of 'OST and beyond' singers, as is Liu Yuning, Z.Tao, Allen Ren Jialun, Timmy Xu, LYX, Zhao Lusi, Zhang Zhehan, whose colorful and diverse fandom I know better, among other ones.+ Guangliang, JJ Lin, Jay Chou, G.E.M., and many more.)

Zhou Shen is a legend. Some of my favorite singing from him :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1KwPqbPP5o (Upwards to the Moon, where his voice rises above that of soprano and composer Sa DingDing!!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-VpijW6qtI (a Halloween song!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHedu3KcPP0 (Dalabengba fairy tale song where he uses several "voices" spectacularly: the princess, the dragon, the giant, the kid.... )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbMymsOnrqY&t=251s (the C-929 Planet concert, inspired from the classic novel The Little Prince)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL4HVVFGUHA (Big Fish, his signature song)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNJjMJaaBm0&t=442s (starts at 8:10 Wei Feng Yin, "Song of Majesty" - the MV clip has unfortunately been made "private" on YT, so only the full recording of ZS's part at the National Exhibition day 2021 can be found at the moment, but cherry on top:you can hear him talk before the spectacular performance of the song about the founder of Tang empire.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qel1c3kb5L8 (Let it go in 9 languages - he speaks several, like Ukrainian, Russian, English, and sings in many more, having trained for opera at Lviv National Music Academy of Ukraine)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z325SnsDIU (Huangmei Opera - where he sings the specific style to demonstrate a snippet! he liked since he was small to attend the huangmei popular Chinese opera performances)
And tons of drama OST, since together with Liu Yuning, Zhou Shen is the ruling "prince of OST". Here is one of the many playlists compiling his songs : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGTptYeBL6M (72 songs - he has literally hundreds different titles performed)

Enjoy !

I'll just reply by pointing out that there is no "romance" tag on this drama.

You seem to believe that a drama like this one absolutely needs a touch of romance between the leads. I think it is not necessary, but will humor you that who knows, since we are far from end, it might evolve so, to please those who absolutely can't do without a cherry on top of the spinach and meat dish, or rather without a compulsory dessert to main fare.

But that said, one conception of dessert for a not small part of older Chinese is: the Toothpick! Of course, I'm slightly exaggerating. There are lots of dishes, even meat based, that mix sugar in, and there are genuine desserts, albeit not always same taste as in the West. Still if you ask those who lived in the leaner and rougher times before the 1980s in the PRC and even in SEA, you might hear that joke about the toothpick.

I hope you get what I mean now, since you like subtlety and metaphors.

Arsenal Military Academy
The Rebel
2016 Sparrow
2023 Thin Ice
2024 Dark Night and Dawn, upcoming, which will star Chen Zheyuan, NIe Yuan, Xing Fei, Annabel Yao : I'm looking forward to that drama 😅,

Other ones are probably too much leaning towards romance for your taste :
Love In Flames Of War
The Last Princess (see my detailed Review on its drama page)

Not to mention the memorable romances first, just using Republican era costume ones:
City of Streamer
Falling in Love
Maid's Revenge (mini)
Provoke (mini)

It also crossed my mind that those dumplings filled with burning hot soup, specialty of Shanghai, might be laced with something, but then LQS still does need that surgeon. The teeth and behavior of that one looked so much like a scurrying scared rat !

Sure good at portraying a character we love to hate! (LQS)

Yes, it looks like LQS has changed his idea of conquering her to finding a new target to torture and kill, as he graphically depicted what he did to his former best friend at the academy... Worrisome.

LQS is a throwback to feudal times when those who were suspected of going against emperor were demoted, exiled, thrown into slavery, or if too close to central power, all killed from ancestors, descendants, sometimes to collateral family, while data about them was erased. He serves as the horrible executioner / "running dog" of "corrupted nobles" of his days.
There's no hope of redemption from that sort!

This drama is not based on a novel from famed Jinjiang e-romance publishers, if I am not mistaken, it is an original script? It focuses on the evolution of an ordinary employee of the Central Bank, in the 1930s, to become a revolutionary smashing the Kuomintang's economic blockade of the Central Soviet Area, according to synopsis, which on Baidu further states "Communist Party member Shen Jinzhen (played by Li Qin) used the guiding light of Marxism to illuminate Wei Ruolai's heart." (well, it’s common theme in Chinese Republican era / Revolutionary times dramas, movies, and stories, which showcase their own form of patriotism, different from other countries’ historical experience and tenets.)

In episode 15, Shen Jinzhen played a key role in saving Wei Ruolai's lfe, but not out of sentimental entanglement. It was interesting that even those corrupt "investigation officers" manipulating evidence were beaten down by clues and facts. I was impressed by the very good German spoken in that episode. Will it serve any purpose if LQS manages to get LSD (that's a joke?) to talk after his operation? Suspense!

Anyway, we are only at episode 16 of the 38, so will there be "slight romance" in the "inspirational story" of patriotism ? We shall see. It is possible, if the lyrics of this OST song don't refer only to love of country : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=towyMP9NFjo But I do not expect torrid romance, as I wrote before!

I am sure there will be more trilling events, as the story moves now into the territory of foreign concessions.

As I mentioned in my https://kisskh.at/discussions/yu-feng-xing/124265-notes-about-the-legend-of-shen-li-xianxia-drama (Discussions part of the Shen Li drama page) :
Zhao Liying is the only Chinese actress whose dramas has exceeded 10,000 heat on 3 online platforms: IQIYI, Youku, and Tencent platforms. Youku's The story of Xingfu, IQIYI's Wild Bloom, and Tencent's The Legend of ShenLi. So if you had not watched Wild Bloom, there is that one too 😁 Enough to keep busy for a while 🤣

If you just wanted to see Zhao Liying in something else, then I'd rather recommend wholly different, more slice of life The Story Of Xing Fu. Lighter, with possibility to make pauses and watch later so you don't need to commit to watch 40 episodes too fast, one you can enjoy with no qualms, despite an unhappy event in the first episode, that triggers Xing Fu to go on the war path and eventually to grow to show other ways to develop personally and with the people she works with.

Princess Agents is too long, unfinished, and too heavy, despite it has a stellar cast with so many well known actors and actresses : Shawn Dou, Lin Gengxin, Li Qin, Deng Lun, Xing Zhaolin... I have not seen many episodes, just had a look because so many referred to it, but don't think I'll go on further, also because I am busy with other dramas: Shen Li, War of Faith (not for those who are not really interested in the period, it is not a romance), In Blossom, Burning Flames. Enough on my plate for the moment, as is!

As for Lin Gengxin, I liked Master of My Own, also in modern setting, in which he starred with Seven Tan. Not too long a romance, 32 episodes, it is about female empowerment, even though it starts in apparent office bullying (although it is not as vicious as it seems).

This is a seriously good drama, the pace is good, the lighting and colors are appropriate, the story is riveting (which I was not sure could be achieved with such dry stuff : finances and stocks and banking wars in the center). And the cast is just great. I already knew Li Qin, and Wang Yibo, from other dramas different from the one everybody thinks about, and know his seriousness in dance and choreography on stage (another facet of his talent), but am discovering Wang Yang here ; that said even the supporting roles are for the most very well played !

Looking forward to stay till end. I probably should read more background about those financial intricacies in the 1930s, although I do know about the Green Gang, the Nanjing government, the deadly enmity between the Guomindang and the rising Communist Party, the Jiangxi Soviet Republic, the lingering role of warlords, the special status of Shanghai as a magnet for both Chinese compradors and foreign influences in that time where the city was carved up by "concessions". All that backdrop has already been covered a lot in other dramas and movies about the Republican era. The struggles and intricacies of finance and tariffs without using them as clothing for a romance is something new to me, and I feel that it has bearing beyond the period.

It probably is not a drama for people who come with zilch knowledge about that period in China, and the political game where finance was part of History there. Nor for those who only see the names of WYB and LQ and expect them to pair up in torrid romance.
I am sure the actors have been happy to play something different than what triggers the hackneyed "where is the love triangle?", "when do they kiss?", "how much bromance?" that looks like it's become the main concern for commenters on MDL to decide or not to watch a drama.

(Hint, for those who look for such cloying stuff, not too badly done, just for entertainment and thrills, try instead some thrilling mini romances like Maid's Revenge, Provoke... Or for longer dramas, focusing almost only on romance : Fall in Love starring Chen Xingxu and Zhang JIngyi. That should satisfy cravings.
But these are not as "fulfilling" to me as War Of Faith, now.
I am happy to have clicked on this one, on iQiyi!)

Clearly it was food for thought for WRL.

It was #2 in the top ten most watched dramas on TV in China this week, only because it was one day late in computing viewing scores as compared with the #1 so it is expected it will rise above 600 pts (a score that marks the "really popular dramas") and be #1 by next Sunday.

Wow, you are going to have made some people happy ! Thanks for your dedication to OST (while still traveling?)

Notice that my answer was a response to OP who was inquiring and has good reasons to be likely having a good time with this xianxia. So my answer was tailored to bring them objective information in view of the OP's watchlist. It may mesh with other readers of comments own questioning, therefore I did not put it under spoilers at first, but on reflection I did, to be consistent and avoid people who only watch a couple episodes at most before starting to put in their likes and dislikes, butting in for no good reason.

It is difficult to watch 4 long dramas simultaneously with same pleasure and mindset, so if you prefer BF after sampling, and can't get into the other ones, that's fine, go to the MDL page of the one you decide to spend time on, and continue commenting there how you like it!

Personally, I was amazed by the transformation of JJY in first episode of In Blossom, so that's why I decided to continue watching and mention it, only in passing, here since this is not the relevant drama page.
Perhaps I shall have to reluctantly, at some point, record putting on hold one or more of the four dramas, because that's a lot on watching plate. But not out of dislike, just for time management so as better to focus. Trouble with "on hold" is that it is often difficult to go back, but not the same as "dropped" for disliking.

I notice that you don't publish a watchlist, btw.
Perhaps you can put a spoiler tag on your previous comment too since what you wrote is not really relevant to this drama and might look as spoilsport for those who look for something interesting to watch, asking why it may be nice to watch TSoSL.
Or like you are fond of broadcasting your hate for some actors/actresses.

Don't spoil it too much, dear Goddess : we are still enjoying, aren't we ? Similar to when reading fairy tales to young ears, and making it so that their eyes light up before peaceful slumbers 😂😂😂
Reminds me of times when I was reciting some of those, like Red Riding Hood, in a revamped modernized adaptation from my imagination, to make sure the young one would be careful on the way back from school, but also entertained: it's always possible to spin a new version of the same old tales.

Yes, that's almost polar opposite to the (excellent, but heavy) incurable disease romance played so well by Lin Yi and Li Landi! I had braced myself for the (thankfully not going all the way to bitter end) last episode of that one, by watching on the side a sweet mini.
While waiting for Shen Li, because of both leads, although I am not a returnee from Princess Agents, where they famously played together in a stellar wuxia, that ends in cliffhanger, so one reason I refrained from diving into it, but after all the snippets I could not escape, I think I shall finally watch it soon.

It's not that the other dramas I saw where they starred separately were that spectacular, but Lin Gengxin (male lead) captured my attention through the wry humor he weaved into his acts (and bts, and live stream: I did follow up some, although not -yet- exploring his fandom of "Kids") and Zanilia is someone I watched on and off from way back; she seems never aging, despite she is a mom and also a busy singer, producer, and more in the real world, with a huge fandom of "fireflies/glowworm", second only to the one of Yang Mi.

I particularly liked that she rose to the challenge of doing a modernized long drama version of the iconic slice of life Story of Qiu Ju, the vivid tale of a countryside woman challenging the village chief, filmed back in the days by Zhang Yimou. This modern version was particularly interesting to me, as an illustration of the societal changes in just one generation since the 1990s : both were very true to life, as I have witnessed it, and Zhao Liying did not shy away from appearing sunburnt and without flashy clothes and ornaments.

She is a seriously good actress, despite some criticize in Shen Li that she "lacks expression", although she plays totally in character the half demon "immortal" warrior who needs to appear calm and composed, and still is unsure if she is right in suspecting that the Divine that follows her everywhere is the same as the Mortal she grew feelings for. That changes when he acknowledges that he is indeed, but he, on the other hand, still holds back on his end, because as an ancient god, he can't play the spontaneous youth he is not, and has responsibilities that put obstacles to his opening up to feelings that are alien to his kind.

The first four episodes of Shen Li are delightful, with the addition of a "chicken" that has captured the heart of many who like this drama. It is a xianxia, so, if you are not used to the genre, it might be difficult to get into, but since you already liked LBFAD, AoL, ALP, TSL, TTEOTM... you will find it easy, and I hope, interesting. The "geography" of Shen Li is different from the one in LBFAD (the story of which is based on a novel by same author) and what in other xianxias are "demons" is merely called "immortals" here, while those from "Heaven realm empire" are just "Diviners", who for once are not bitterly opposed, but working together to contain the evil in the Abyss.

There are a slew of interesting dramas in different genres airing these days, so it's hard to make a choice, and harder to watch them all simultaneously : Burning Flames (costume drama starring Ren Jialun), In Blossom (costume/wuxia starring a less bejeweled as in other dramas Ju Jingyi), War of Faith (riveting Republican Era drama featuring Wang Yibo which I also dived into -- but I'm eclectic and like stuff in any genre). Each including of course Shen Li are worth watching !