Spoilers please.1. What episode do they get together?2. Any breakups. How much episode?3 Any love triangle?4.…
1 from the start (first as a caregiver commissioned by the factory, lol, but do not expect it like a Florence Nightingale nurse type) 2 no 3 no 4 I believe so, although it has not finished airing 5 oh yes - and there's a funny moment when the FL reminds her husband of the "qiqiguaiguai" (bizarre) beds the two shared over time 6 a few, but not in the beginning.
This is the first time I'm watching Sun Qian's drama.. she's so natural at her craft and conveys all the emotions…
I remember Sun Qian from 2024 "Love Song In Winter", the thriller romance in which she was co-starring as FL medical worker with ML Johnny Huang Jingyu as police officer, faced with a hidden serial killer :) I made a gif for their characters in the Discussions section of the drama page then.
And yes, also as He Yuanzi, the lively girl promoted as GF by Daoming Si's mom, back in 2018 Meteor Garden, and Tian Qi in 2020 Dr Cutie, Yang Shanshan the fake "Friday" robot in 2022 A Robot in the Orange garden.
I am surprised to find out that I had watched all these, and noticed her along the way without getting curious about her biographical details and "Qiānjīn" 千斤 fandom. Just found out that her Weibo has 7.753 million followers. She was born in Harbin in 1997 (28 years old going on 29 in April) but educated in Beijing as a ballet dancer (7 years at the Affiliated Secondary School of Beijing Dance Academy) before entering the Central Academy of Drama,,majoring in acting. She can also sing, and was chosen to interpret the theme song When the Wind Blows for Remembrance of Things Past (2021).
Her career in c-ent started in 2016 ; since then she has appeared or starred in over 20 dramas and 6 movies, and taken part in many TV shows. Among her dramas, she mostly played in modern ones, although she also starred in two costume ones : Dr Cutie and Legend of the Magnate which is one she commented on a lot, and in one version of the Legend of the Condor Heroes epic which has been gathering dust on a shelf since 2017 (so many actors and actresses have spent time on such "cursed" dramas, sigh; a comment from 7 months ago states it has finally been approved for release... Now let's see if and when that will happen, but anyway, Sun Qian is not in the lead cast: she plays an unnamed character in "support" there, and since 2017-2018 is close to her debuts, we can safely assume it would not be as interesting as her role in Meteor Garden).
Better to anticipate the other upcoming dramas including : * "The Early Spring" which could air in March, where she plays FL alongside Jing Boran in a conventional looking workplace romance. * "Extreme Punishment Suit", a legal thriller in which she stars alongside Wang Yang and Chloe Xie Keyi, Dai Luwa and Tu Songyan. * Still without an English title: "xíngjǐng shíkè 1 fēnghuá zhèng mào" (Detective moment1: the Prime of Life) which just wrapped filming, in which she stars alongside Bai Jingting and four other in main cast. This one is based on a biography of Cui Daozhi (崔道植), a legendary Chinese forensic trace evidence expert and one of the founding figures of modern criminal investigation technology in the People's Republic of China.
Miscellaneous details include her "ideal type" boyfriend as she confided to press would be ... Daoming Si!! (lol) + she was so bold to say that if she liked someone she would be the one to pursue him (!) But the fandom profile I saw for her is not very informative about what she likes to eat or other likes except for drawing, enjoying to watch cartoons and movies, and a wish to travel to visit Iceland. Nothing about pets either, although her Weibo features the part profile of one brown dog, perhaps a dachshund (https://weibo.com/u/5983451319).
Her MDL actress page has over 130 mentions since 2018, many happy birthday wishes for April 18, but a meager 352 flowers gifts (whoever wants to add some?)
Is anyone having any problems getting Viki to load this morning? I have a Roku brand TV and Viki keeps crashing…
Just tested : no problem for me, except they want upgrade to Viki pass from episode 6 ("which will be available to all in 2 days time"). Anyway, I can watch it till Ep.11 without splurging into Express yet, on WeTV original platform (where first 5 episodes are free to watch for all). If all fails there... you could still "kiss it" until "11 pm", lol
I wish FL would just quit her side gig, especially I understand how she wants to help the chick with cancer but…
Yes about the heat : "Chán Nǚ" (蝉女) title formerly translated as "Cicada Girls" : an "urban love drama" from a manhua, "Cicada Girl: Love Appraiser". 蝉女 was filmed in August 2023.
does anyone know the name of the song? I love it and can't find it😭
OST : Secret of Love by Si Qi Man Cu (斯丹曼簇) Love is not True (爱不是真) by Zhang Lei Unicorn (独角兽) by Nicholas Teo Whale's Moan (离群的鲸) by Geng Si Han (耿斯汉) Waiting by Lauren Woo I Lie Awake by Ray Hou I Feel You by Lauren Woo
Baidu also mentions 7 other titles including the famous "Those Flowers" Pu Shu song.
Interesting perhaps is that the Chinese title of the drama on its Baidu page translates to "Roses are growing" or "Rose bushes" - so no wonder it's all a messy and thorny business ;)
"Chán Nǚ" (蝉女) title formerly translated as "Cicada Girls" : an "urban love drama" from a manhua, "Cicada Girl: Love Appraiser". 蝉女 was filmed in August 2023. I was curious about it since "A Journey To Love", when I did a short Profile of LYN in the Companion piece that I added at the time https://kisskh.at/discussions/a-journey-to-love/121473-a-journey-to-love-notes-on-production-location-dates-cast-characters-and-more?pid=2910411&page=2#p2910411 Watching it now, it is different from what I had anticipated from the title, but the beginning has some funny moments (the cleaning lady...) and the mix of adult comics inspired animation and acting is interesting. I seem to remember some Jiang Yifan lead character from vertical dramas, wondering if there was a connection to those medias too, which "exploded" in popularity since 2023? I should perhaps have read the manhua, but did not get around to look for it, and up till now, nobody has pinned it in the Discussions section.
"Chán Nǚ" (蝉女) title formerly translated as "Cicada Girls" : an "urban love drama" from a manhua, "Cicada Girl: Love Appraiser". 蝉女 was filmed in August 2023. I was curious about it since "A Journey To Love", when I did a short Profile of LYN in the Companion piece that I added at the time https://kisskh.at/discussions/a-journey-to-love/121473-a-journey-to-love-notes-on-production-location-dates-cast-characters-and-more?pid=2910411&page=2#p2910411 Watching it now, it is different from what I had anticipated from the title, but the beginning has some funny moments (the cleaning lady...) and the mix of adult comics inspired animation and acting is interesting. I seem to remember some Jiang Yifan lead character from vertical dramas, wondering if there was a connection to those medias too, which "exploded" in popularity since 2023? I should perhaps have read the manhua, but did not get around to look for it, and up till now, nobody has pinned it in the Discussions section.
Fang Muyang may look unbelievably patient with his crush, but his family and experience background make that life commitment perhaps believable. He does not doubt himself though, and finds ways to express his art, even in a room or on a blackboard or as unacknowledged paid artist in his future job for the Liánhuán huà company.
These Liánhuán huà illustrated storybooks were very popular in the 1960-70s, and could still be found at flea markets in the 1990s: they embodied the youth imagination of many young Chinese who learned the classic tales from literature, but also discovered foreign heroes such as Tintin through reading the small booklets printed on rectangular 12,5x10 cm pulp paper) As an article about an exhibition in Brussels, Belgium stated : "The first Chinese comic strip hero to make a regular appearance, was born in 1929, the same year as Tintin. And China’s most famous comic strip character, San Mao, was created in 1935, the year of first publication of The Blue Lotus, which recounts Tintin’s adventures in China." Btw San Mao the Shanghai orphan during the war of aggression by Japan was also featured in popular Chinese movies. There is a wall along Lane 288, Wuyuan Road in Shanghai where n°3 was the residence of Zhang Leping, the comic strip artist who created San Mao (the house can be visited). Here is a feature about Zhang Leping and his work : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWLe46HqdOY
Why the fuck are the parents blaming Fang Muyang for the fake marriage agreement ? Why don’t they ask their…
Why didn't they just quietly destroy that incriminating paper and get a quiet explanation in a more secure environment than an apartment where neighbors could listen in, without dragging in the stupid son and half illiterate daughter in law? They are not very bright, ok, but supposed to love and dote on their daughter and support her dreams from the start. So why the over-the-top drama by the mom? Presence of Fei Ting was totally irrelevant.
I get it that the author believed it was fitting so the couple would admit publicly their feelings, months later. But I feel that was very clumsy.
Ok. I've just binged 10 episodes, and this is charming. It took me 8 episodes to recognise that FL is from Dr…
Since I also follow Johnny Huang Jingyu's movies and dramas, I remember Sun Qian from "Love Story In Winter". Johnny's drama "Our Dazzling Days" is also airing simultaneously to "Love Story in the 1970s", btw.
As for CFY, well.... I think I only am missing to complete a couple older dramas aside from the present one now, and also watched a half dozen of his movies. The one drama I liked least was "Eat Run Love" (did not like the script and the FL of that business drama), which is totally disappointing after "Lighter and Princess" (tech and revenge drama with a fabulous OST) and before "When Destiny Brings the Demon" (xianxia). He was great in those two, although his lines delivery was perhaps a tad too slow in the latter, if I need to quibble. But great presence and chemistry with co-star.
So many dramas landing on screen. Peachey Blossom is so busy with translating for the MV lyrics videos that she has not put an alert yet in Discussions, but here are the total OST four songs already posted by her (support her work!)
Totally agreeing with the comment by Sunshineeeeeee below. I binge watched over the past few nights, not missing a second, guffawing at Fang Muyang's cheekiness to win the heart of his long time beloved, his scheme to get that room and make it into an art one, the quick retorts when challenged for illegal fishing, for not using the "things" handed out by the factory because of their size (!!!!), the romantic moment on the roof.... Many of the' scenes tastefully sketched in opening credit and linked by the "string line" or "paper flyer" have now got into live actions, but I am looking forward to the rest.
As a companion to this drama, I re-watched the Dai Sijie movie "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" and put it into recommendations.
Chen Feiyu, although he did not experience first hand the period, surely read or heard the memoirs of his dad Chen Kaige from his time in Cultural Revolution Beijing. That 1989 book, unlike Dai Sijie's semi autobiographical novel from 2000, is not easy to come by now, but is also very interesting. It was first published in part form in Chinese, next translated to French, and I am not sure there has been a translation into English...
The ending of the novel and movie "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" , adapted by the author, may baffle naive young watchers, but rings perfectly authentic to those who read, watched, and heard enough from the "scars generation" accounts, and how they evolved and put behind them experiences that were both enthusiastic and traumatic, to adapt to the New China of Deng Xiaoping and later, like the "Fifth generation" directors Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Liu Miao Miao. . It is definitely not to be dismissed as "arts house movie". although it is not a recent movie any longer. The story of the tooth there remained long with me....
The actress Zhou Xun gained fame and is still now among the "4 Dan actresses" of China because of her act in that 2000 movie and another more contemporary (then) themed movie (Lou Ye's "Suzhou River") : both gaining fame at the time..
Another movie, more recent 2022 "A Woman", by Wang Chao, can also be watched as a companion depiction of the struggles of an artist storyteller forced to spend part of her life in silence as a factory worker, with an unloved spouse, in these difficult bygone times. Unfortunately, only the trailer is available on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdlIkF_Pn9I so I am only adding it to recommendation for those who may watch it in a Chinese movies festival now. There are many movies that fall through the grid because they did not get enough promotion, and are mostly watched by true blue Chinese movie fans who never miss some writer-directors works, lol. I admit to have been following all the 5th and 6th generation directors, meeting a few on the way...
I loved this movie when it first aired and was happy to rewatch it these days as a companion to "Love Story in the 1970s" ; the February-March 2026 drama featuring Chen Feiyu and Sun Qian.
Chen Feiyu, although he did not experience first hand the period, surely read the memoirs of his dad Chen Kaige from his time in Cultural Revolution Beijing. That book, unlike Dai Sijie's semi autobiographical novel from 2000, is not easy to come by now, but is also very interesting.
The ending of the novel and movie Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress , adapted by the author, may baffle naive young watchers, but rings perfectly authentic to those who read, watched, and heard enough from the "scars generation" accounts, and how they evolved and put behind them experiences that were both enthusiastic and traumatic, to adapt to the New China of Deng Xiaoping and later. It is definitely not to be dismissed as "arts house movie".
The actress Zhou Xun gained fame and is still now among the "4 Dan actresses" of China because of her act in the movie.
This is Shen Lan: https://duanjubaike.org/actor/5276 : )And yes she is confirmed as the actress: https://novelquickapp.com/series/yeseruhun712369619
Thank you, you are the champion ! :) Wishing you all the best while the CNY galloping festivities continue. They sidetracked me away from MDL and good wishes messaging on other social media...
Am still stuck at 26, not thrilled enough to purchase into express and since kiss has not either, I will see if…
What had caught my attention then was not only the good case solving, but also the interesting explanations and summaries with animation. Season2 did not completely abandon that format, but with the cases getting boxed in like a Russian doll, it still would have been better if the last standing villain had not been so obvious from ... let's say too early on. It did kill some of the expectation, despite the addition of methods of doing away with some chess pieces that just dropped on the scenes in makjang fashion, with sudden appearances of characters that were border to annoying (Chu He among them: why did we need the bro to get involved ?) and some whose roles were not clear in acting and appearance. Even the 4 felt not really clearly defined, as if they had been stuck in half stasis since season 1 and the time clue of years passed had not made them feel better together as "married couples" (well it remained unclear to me if Jing Yi and Leng Yue were or not, although as support, it was not that important, I suppose).
What I took away from this season was revising my beliefs as concerns some facts that I had been taught about a certain VD disease. Like many here (I suppose) I had been taught and told it originated on the ships of Vasco Da Gama or even Columbus, but ... yea, it was much earlier, although we did not get info on exactly where it came from... We do learn stuff from dramas, and also leave with new uncertainties. After all, diseases are mysterious even with gene tracking : we still have conflicting theories about the origin of the deadly flu of the 1918-20s and a century later of that of the dreaded covid. So, despite warnings about the threats, pandemic early preparations do not really work as perfectly as touted : in "my times", the big doomsday illness expected was supposed to be avian flu, but SARS came out of nowhere, although it finally looked to be containable enough through isolation, given its sheer deadliness, like Lassa fever or Ebola.
But to get back to drama on hand, unless the last episodes really deliver (I don't really expect them to be different than the usual rush wrapping up), I am sorry to side more or less with the Douban rating, and will probably only allow an 8 here because I am as always lenient and don't want to gun down the project. The production and cast tried to revive the magic, but sometimes it cannot totally work. Oh yes, and the villain looked fine at first, but I can't even remember the actor's name without checking cast now, and won't look for him in new projects.
I looked through Cho Na's notes (up in Discussions part, with illustrations) to get an idea of the end chapters... Those notes are well designed, for the ones in a hurry to get spoilers. Usually it is not my way of watching, but perhaps I got tired of waiting too long for the new episodes after the drag since our heroes traveled away from court to border wilderness. So, it confirms what I feel now, just wishing it soon be over. Aside from trouble with plot heaping up and actors not really catching attention, puppet-like, suddenly appearing, or dropped too casually to make an impression, this way of slow down releasing episodes was counter productive to keep up attention and expectation.
Already moving on to other leisure drama watching, despite I don't have much time for them these days any longer.
2 
4 
1 
2 no
3 no
4 I believe so, although it has not finished airing
5 oh yes - and there's a funny moment when the FL reminds her husband of the "qiqiguaiguai" (bizarre) beds the two shared over time
6 a few, but not in the beginning.
And yes, also as He Yuanzi, the lively girl promoted as GF by Daoming Si's mom, back in 2018 Meteor Garden,
and Tian Qi in 2020 Dr Cutie,
Yang Shanshan the fake "Friday" robot in 2022 A Robot in the Orange garden.
I am surprised to find out that I had watched all these, and noticed her along the way without getting curious about her biographical details and "Qiānjīn" 千斤 fandom. Just found out that her Weibo has 7.753 million followers.
She was born in Harbin in 1997 (28 years old going on 29 in April) but educated in Beijing as a ballet dancer (7 years at the Affiliated Secondary School of Beijing Dance Academy) before entering the Central Academy of Drama,,majoring in acting.
She can also sing, and was chosen to interpret the theme song When the Wind Blows for Remembrance of Things Past (2021).
Her career in c-ent started in 2016 ; since then she has appeared or starred in over 20 dramas and 6 movies, and taken part in many TV shows. Among her dramas, she mostly played in modern ones, although she also starred in two costume ones : Dr Cutie and Legend of the Magnate which is one she commented on a lot, and in one version of the Legend of the Condor Heroes epic which has been gathering dust on a shelf since 2017 (so many actors and actresses have spent time on such "cursed" dramas, sigh; a comment from 7 months ago states it has finally been approved for release... Now let's see if and when that will happen, but anyway, Sun Qian is not in the lead cast: she plays an unnamed character in "support" there, and since 2017-2018 is close to her debuts, we can safely assume it would not be as interesting as her role in Meteor Garden).
Better to anticipate the other upcoming dramas including :
* "The Early Spring" which could air in March, where she plays FL alongside Jing Boran in a conventional looking workplace romance.
* "Extreme Punishment Suit", a legal thriller in which she stars alongside Wang Yang and Chloe Xie Keyi, Dai Luwa and Tu Songyan.
* Still without an English title: "xíngjǐng shíkè 1 fēnghuá zhèng mào" (Detective moment1: the Prime of Life) which just wrapped filming, in which she stars alongside Bai Jingting and four other in main cast. This one is based on a biography of Cui Daozhi (崔道植), a legendary Chinese forensic trace evidence expert and one of the founding figures of modern criminal investigation technology in the People's Republic of China.
Miscellaneous details include her "ideal type" boyfriend as she confided to press would be ... Daoming Si!! (lol) + she was so bold to say that if she liked someone she would be the one to pursue him (!)
But the fandom profile I saw for her is not very informative about what she likes to eat or other likes except for drawing, enjoying to watch cartoons and movies, and a wish to travel to visit Iceland. Nothing about pets either, although her Weibo features the part profile of one brown dog, perhaps a dachshund (https://weibo.com/u/5983451319).
Her MDL actress page has over 130 mentions since 2018, many happy birthday wishes for April 18, but a meager 352 flowers gifts (whoever wants to add some?)
Confirmation enough for me, at least. 😍
Anyway, I can watch it till Ep.11 without splurging into Express yet, on WeTV original platform (where first 5 episodes are free to watch for all).
If all fails there... you could still "kiss it" until "11 pm", lol
Secret of Love by Si Qi Man Cu (斯丹曼簇)
Love is not True (爱不是真) by Zhang Lei
Unicorn (独角兽) by Nicholas Teo
Whale's Moan (离群的鲸) by Geng Si Han (耿斯汉)
Waiting by Lauren Woo
I Lie Awake by Ray Hou
I Feel You by Lauren Woo
Baidu also mentions 7 other titles including the famous "Those Flowers" Pu Shu song.
Interesting perhaps is that the Chinese title of the drama on its Baidu page translates to "Roses are growing" or "Rose bushes" - so no wonder it's all a messy and thorny business ;)
I was curious about it since "A Journey To Love", when I did a short Profile of LYN in the Companion piece that I added at the time https://kisskh.at/discussions/a-journey-to-love/121473-a-journey-to-love-notes-on-production-location-dates-cast-characters-and-more?pid=2910411&page=2#p2910411
Watching it now, it is different from what I had anticipated from the title, but the beginning has some funny moments (the cleaning lady...) and the mix of adult comics inspired animation and acting is interesting. I seem to remember some Jiang Yifan lead character from vertical dramas, wondering if there was a connection to those medias too, which "exploded" in popularity since 2023? I should perhaps have read the manhua, but did not get around to look for it, and up till now, nobody has pinned it in the Discussions section.
I was curious about it since "A Journey To Love", when I did a short Profile of LYN in the Companion piece that I added at the time https://kisskh.at/discussions/a-journey-to-love/121473-a-journey-to-love-notes-on-production-location-dates-cast-characters-and-more?pid=2910411&page=2#p2910411
Watching it now, it is different from what I had anticipated from the title, but the beginning has some funny moments (the cleaning lady...) and the mix of adult comics inspired animation and acting is interesting. I seem to remember some Jiang Yifan lead character from vertical dramas, wondering if there was a connection to those medias too, which "exploded" in popularity since 2023? I should perhaps have read the manhua, but did not get around to look for it, and up till now, nobody has pinned it in the Discussions section.
These Liánhuán huà illustrated storybooks were very popular in the 1960-70s, and could still be found at flea markets in the 1990s: they embodied the youth imagination of many young Chinese who learned the classic tales from literature, but also discovered foreign heroes such as Tintin through reading the small booklets printed on rectangular 12,5x10 cm pulp paper) As an article about an exhibition in Brussels, Belgium stated : "The first Chinese comic strip hero to make a regular appearance, was born in 1929, the same year as Tintin. And China’s most famous comic strip character, San Mao, was created in 1935, the year of first publication of The Blue Lotus, which recounts Tintin’s adventures in China." Btw San Mao the Shanghai orphan during the war of aggression by Japan was also featured in popular Chinese movies. There is a wall along Lane 288, Wuyuan Road in Shanghai where n°3 was the residence of Zhang Leping, the comic strip artist who created San Mao (the house can be visited).
Here is a feature about Zhang Leping and his work : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWLe46HqdOY
I get it that the author believed it was fitting so the couple would admit publicly their feelings, months later. But I feel that was very clumsy.
As for CFY, well.... I think I only am missing to complete a couple older dramas aside from the present one now, and also watched a half dozen of his movies. The one drama I liked least was "Eat Run Love" (did not like the script and the FL of that business drama), which is totally disappointing after "Lighter and Princess" (tech and revenge drama with a fabulous OST) and before "When Destiny Brings the Demon" (xianxia). He was great in those two, although his lines delivery was perhaps a tad too slow in the latter, if I need to quibble. But great presence and chemistry with co-star.
* My You sung by Mao Buyi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdM_VNzyd-0
* Fireflies in the Night Sky sung by Liu Yu : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgPzW8jGtVI&list=RDkgPzW8jGtVI&start_radio=1
* In Time, sung by Hong Yinuo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvZeJfLiOGs&list=RDxvZeJfLiOGs&start_radio=1
* Reality sung by Duan Aojuan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAT0Zim3xQk&list=RDDAT0Zim3xQk&start_radio=1
Lyricist: Ning Huan Yu, Jin Da Zhou
Composer: Ning Huan Yu, Jin Da Zhou
As a companion to this drama, I re-watched the Dai Sijie movie "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" and put it into recommendations.
Chen Feiyu, although he did not experience first hand the period, surely read or heard the memoirs of his dad Chen Kaige from his time in Cultural Revolution Beijing. That 1989 book, unlike Dai Sijie's semi autobiographical novel from 2000, is not easy to come by now, but is also very interesting. It was first published in part form in Chinese, next translated to French, and I am not sure there has been a translation into English...
The ending of the novel and movie "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" , adapted by the author, may baffle naive young watchers, but rings perfectly authentic to those who read, watched, and heard enough from the "scars generation" accounts, and how they evolved and put behind them experiences that were both enthusiastic and traumatic, to adapt to the New China of Deng Xiaoping and later, like the "Fifth generation" directors Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Liu Miao Miao. . It is definitely not to be dismissed as "arts house movie". although it is not a recent movie any longer. The story of the tooth there remained long with me....
The actress Zhou Xun gained fame and is still now among the "4 Dan actresses" of China because of her act in that 2000 movie and another more contemporary (then) themed movie (Lou Ye's "Suzhou River") : both gaining fame at the time..
Another movie, more recent 2022 "A Woman", by Wang Chao, can also be watched as a companion depiction of the struggles of an artist storyteller forced to spend part of her life in silence as a factory worker, with an unloved spouse, in these difficult bygone times. Unfortunately, only the trailer is available on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdlIkF_Pn9I so I am only adding it to recommendation for those who may watch it in a Chinese movies festival now. There are many movies that fall through the grid because they did not get enough promotion, and are mostly watched by true blue Chinese movie fans who never miss some writer-directors works, lol. I admit to have been following all the 5th and 6th generation directors, meeting a few on the way...
Chen Feiyu, although he did not experience first hand the period, surely read the memoirs of his dad Chen Kaige from his time in Cultural Revolution Beijing. That book, unlike Dai Sijie's semi autobiographical novel from 2000, is not easy to come by now, but is also very interesting.
The ending of the novel and movie Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress , adapted by the author, may baffle naive young watchers, but rings perfectly authentic to those who read, watched, and heard enough from the "scars generation" accounts, and how they evolved and put behind them experiences that were both enthusiastic and traumatic, to adapt to the New China of Deng Xiaoping and later. It is definitely not to be dismissed as "arts house movie".
The actress Zhou Xun gained fame and is still now among the "4 Dan actresses" of China because of her act in the movie.
Wishing you all the best while the CNY galloping festivities continue. They sidetracked me away from MDL and good wishes messaging on other social media...
What I took away from this season was revising my beliefs as concerns some facts that I had been taught about a certain VD disease. Like many here (I suppose) I had been taught and told it originated on the ships of Vasco Da Gama or even Columbus, but ... yea, it was much earlier, although we did not get info on exactly where it came from... We do learn stuff from dramas, and also leave with new uncertainties. After all, diseases are mysterious even with gene tracking : we still have conflicting theories about the origin of the deadly flu of the 1918-20s and a century later of that of the dreaded covid. So, despite warnings about the threats, pandemic early preparations do not really work as perfectly as touted : in "my times", the big doomsday illness expected was supposed to be avian flu, but SARS came out of nowhere, although it finally looked to be containable enough through isolation, given its sheer deadliness, like Lassa fever or Ebola.
But to get back to drama on hand, unless the last episodes really deliver (I don't really expect them to be different than the usual rush wrapping up), I am sorry to side more or less with the Douban rating, and will probably only allow an 8 here because I am as always lenient and don't want to gun down the project. The production and cast tried to revive the magic, but sometimes it cannot totally work. Oh yes, and the villain looked fine at first, but I can't even remember the actor's name without checking cast now, and won't look for him in new projects.
I looked through Cho Na's notes (up in Discussions part, with illustrations) to get an idea of the end chapters... Those notes are well designed, for the ones in a hurry to get spoilers. Usually it is not my way of watching, but perhaps I got tired of waiting too long for the new episodes after the drag since our heroes traveled away from court to border wilderness. So, it confirms what I feel now, just wishing it soon be over. Aside from trouble with plot heaping up and actors not really catching attention, puppet-like, suddenly appearing, or dropped too casually to make an impression, this way of slow down releasing episodes was counter productive to keep up attention and expectation.
Already moving on to other leisure drama watching, despite I don't have much time for them these days any longer.