Frost_edelweiss

Thanks for the observations about music. I value it in dramas, and slow pace does not bother me, so after looking at episode 1, I may continue.Taking my own sweet time...😁

Ah, then I will change my mind, and perhaps watch it too. 😉

Then why do you do it? You are the one to call me "a misanthrope troll" and add fuel to an already unneeded dispute.
Is not that aggression of someone you don't even know and who never replied to you, and you imagining all sorts of malice?
Lucy, I did you the courtesy to read your personal page. You won't find anything on mine because I am not an adept of social media (which you write you don't use, but I can only note that you don't practice your own advice, from the length and tone of your presentation and comments in this thread.)
I think you are looking out to bully anyone who disagrees with you, so I am not going to explain my reaction to my feeling of a time inconsistency of the first reviews any more; wishing you peace anyway in your retirement. If you find my wish condescending, it's from your mindset, only.

True. I had a short night, so mistook you for one of the two reviewers and still felt rather unbelieving even after your explanation.

But since you computed time to term it as doable: 13hrs non stop? or let's say 17hrs if time is needed for taking care of hurting eyes, limbs, hunger, thirst, other basic needs. Let's be realistic Who are so driven to do that for what other commenters who I don't doubt (bc they just dropped a short comment here,but did not post it as "review") write is a "just ok drama"? Robots? ChatGPT?

I did not check back who had managed the reviewing on speed feat. My mistake & apologies if you felt stung by my disbelief.
....Sarcasm?? I was really trying to imagine how "it could be done"; ff is the usual way. Maybe technical equipment for the review writing part. Perhaps extensive prior knowledge of script, book, story, etc,and an all purpose grid to check and generate sentences (perhaps it already exists and is not only speculative fiction).
I did nowhere target you for writing a review of this drama elsewhere,nor "writing other review". I don't mind if you do,but for health reasons, think it is advisable to be reasonable about time spent thus+watching, except if this is a show you feel exceptionally passionate about.

Anyway We are here to enjoy dramas, not to make dramas, or hook on to attack commenters for such trifles and create a long comment thread for it.

sure. double speed+ ff button too, surely? I am just amused that you still had enough time to look away and type review simultaneously, although maybe you are also equipped with dictating + word processing tools?
Awesome...

Qingming Festival is the next occasion, public holiday in China Wednesday April 5. It is the occasion for you perhaps to brush up on your knowledge of Chinese religions, literature, traditions,customs and superstitions:

Qingming (清明) in Chinese mean 'clearness' and 'brightness'. It is the 5th of the 24 SOLAR TERMS of the traditional Chinese solar calendar, marking the start of the warm weather of spring and the beginning of farm work

ACTIVITIES:
* tomb upkeep and repair, pay homage to the departed (but not participate in other families such activity) Clothes with bright colors or skimpy clothes are no-go traditionally, but some people wear soft willow branches
*feeding and toasting the departed, for example, first, food, fruit and alcohol is placed on an altar on or in front of the monument, then the family will pray and burn incense, and spill the alcohol glasses in a line before the tomb. A double coin toss will determine when the spirits have been satisfied— one heads and one tails — Then,the food is removed from the altar and prepared it for the living to enjoy. For example, one lady "carved the chicken to serve to her family as chicken rice with a dipping sauce of shallots, lime and ground bean sauce."
* putting willow branches on gates and front doors. People believe, under the influence of Buddhism, that the magic of willows will ward off wandering evil spirits during the Qingming. Traditional pictures of the Goddess of Mercy Guanyin often show her seated on a rock with a willow branch in a vase of water at her side. The goddess used this mysterious water and branch to scare away demons.- According to historical records, there is an old saying: ‘Put willow branches up on gates; drive ghosts away from houses.’
*spring outings, kite flying, Qingming is also called TAQING FESTIVAL. Taqing (踏青 'tread green') means a spring outing, when people get out and enjoy the spring blossoms. The festival usually falls on a day not long before everything turns green in the north, and well into the spring flower season in the south. It marks the weather warming up, when people spend more time outside. Flying kites is for relaxation on this holiday, and to some it means getting rid of misfortune.

During the outing,you need food!
QINGMING FESTIVAL FOOD includes, varying with places, sweet green rice balls, crispy cakes, Qingming Zong. These foods are usually cooked one or two days before the arrival of the Qingming Festival so people can eat and recreate during the holidays.
* GREEN RICE BALLS (青团 qīngtuán 'green dumpling(s)') are jade-green in color, glutinous in taste, and sweet in aroma. They are made of a mixture of glutinous rice flour and green vegetable juice and stuffed with sweetened bean paste.
* QINGMING CAKES are called sāzi (撒子) or hánjù (寒具 'cold tools'). They are made of crispy fried wheat flour or glutinous rice flour, eggs, sesame, onion, salt, and other ingredients. Among some Chinese ethnic minorities, such as the Uygur in Xinjiang, the Dongxiang in Gansu, the Naxi in Yunnan, and the Hui in Ningxia, sazi is famed for its great variety and many flavors.
* QINGMING ZONGZI : Rice dumplings are not only for Dragon Boat Festival. In fact, they have become popular as a take-out food. Zongzi are sticky rice dumplings filled with pork, chestnut, and red beans (sometimes this varies), and wrapped in bamboo leaves. They are also commonly used and eaten at Qingming Festival, as they are very convenient for offering and taking on spring outings.
*Snails that have been seasoned with onion and salt (and.cooked!)are also a favorite dish during the Qingming Festival.

QINGMING LEGEND: Mianshan(mountain near Pingyao Ancient Town ) is also called JIESHAN('Jie Mountain') after Jie Zitui (?–636 BC)protected the prince of the State of Jin, Chong'er, who went into exile due to civil unrest and persecution in 655 BC. Jie Zitui cut a piece of flesh off his thigh to cook a meat soup when the prince was almost dying of hunger and cold.

Nineteen years later, in 636 BC, Prince Chong'er took power and became a king as Duke Wen of Jin State (697–628 BC). Duke Wen greatly rewarded and honored all of his followers, but he forgot Jie Zitui. Meanwhile, Jie had lived in seclusion with his mother on Mian Mountain. The duke felt ashamed and decided to find Jie.As it was difficult to find a person in the mountains, a malicious subject who was jealous of Jie suggested setting fire to the mountain to flush him out. After the fire, the duke and his people found the two burned bodies of Jie and his mother on the mountain.
The duke regretted this deeply, and designated the day as ‘Cold Food Festival’. It was the day before Qingming Festival. In order to commemorate Jie, people ate cold food and banned fire on that day. And so, the Qingming cold food tradition lived on with this legend.

As time passed, the two festivals were gradually combined into one. On the day of the Cold Food Festival, people used no fire and only ate cold food. Now people in some places still have the custom of eating cold food on Qingming Festival.

Qingming Festival is most strongly related to respect for departed spirits and sacrifice, which means it is not proper to greet with words like happy, joyful, merry, etc. So,proper greeting without offense on Qingming day,:

Wishing you all best for Qingming Festival. (清明安好)
Wishing you health and safety for Qingming Festival. (清明健康平安)

More info and pictures on this page: https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/qingming-festival.html (from which the main points above are copied or summed up or expanded )

I am just in awe of the reviewers who watched it to completion in less than one day, yesterday, when all 23x45mins were released on iQiyi.

To me, the supposed Beijing locales in the drama did not evoke so much Xi'an. But it is a long while since I was in Xi'an.
It is true that the locales were to me not very distinctive, as school neighborhoods and canals, willows, modern residences and high-end restaurants or tea houses, and Sinopec filling stations can be found in many places. Xiheyuans can also be found in other cities. So only the trips by car and occasional views of landmarks like the three waves of Xizhimen oval office buildings that crown the main Beijing transport node in Xicheng district, and the mention of "4th Ring" (ringroad) can indisputably be Beijing.

Those foreigners who have been in China for longer than a brief tourist tour usually come to love and miss the country whenever they leave and would often return. Some even settle there for good, although it is very rare to get Chinese citizenship, even for Huaren with Chinese family ties, or for spouses of Chinese citizens. It is possible to get "temporary" resident status (a special type of visa) for renewable 1 to 5 years stints, or 10-year "green cards" which have more requirements than the other resident status.

There are tourist visas for 7 to 180 days, although 90 is more usual. They may not allow for multiple entry, so if you need to go and return, you must ask for the appropriate visa and meet the requirements. To drive in China, you need to get a Chinese drivers' license (take an exam on a computer) and still, it will not be easy to rent or buy a car. But there are a lot of convenient ways to travel with public transportation,

Awww... Thanks for liking my too long-winded prose 🤣
I like your enthusiasm too.

My reasons for reading this comments section stem from the encouragement I received after expressing my bewilderment about the beginning of LLTG. Some more seasoned drama watchers and e-novel readers wrote that I should hold out until ep.5-6. I did, and LLTG quickly turned and climbed in my opinion from "wtf s this sorry mess inflicted on audience" to all-time favorite with the superb acting by athletic Wu Lei, and excellent portrayal of the "devious" Cheng Shaoshan by ZLS! The explanatory videos by C-Drama Q&A added on YouTube about History and artefacts (she is also on MDL under another moniker) were greatly appreciated by me.

I like it, when a drama, a movie, or a novel, also enriches one's knowledge of history and places, sometimes also about other things like sports, e-sports, cuisine, superstitions, traditions, literature and poems, music, languages and dialects (I liked the episodes where you can hear snippets of Zhenjiang and Wuzhen Wu dialect in Forever and Ever.), , etc.

Hahaha, yes. But I have now also become a fan of sorts of other actors, including but not limited to LYX, YY, CFY, Z.Tao and god-like Wu Lei, who I am speedily switching over to watch in Nothing But You: I got so enthused by his Ling Buyi character in LLTG that I have been eagerly waiting for his next appearance. Reaching ep12 there, I must watch the next eps13-14 now (it is billed for 38, so there's time for more excitement).
I am also eagerly awaiting Till The End Of The Moon, with LYX, Bai Lu and Chen Duling. It is scheduled for airing on April 5 or 6 on Youku.
I am rather eclectic in my reading and watching tastes, so am not looking down on any genre. Modern, historical, costume fantasy or xianxia, xuanhuan, wuxia, sports and e-sports, military, romance, youth or mature slice of life...all have their own distinctive charm, and I was pleased to discover the new generation of actors and actresses, writers and drama directors from China.

Ep30 was a sweet coda to this very wholesome composition, which deserves full marks for acting, choice of shooting locations, no nonsense or over-sugary dialogues and plot. I also liked the realism and the messages of hope, endurance, faithfulness and mature understanding and support to partners. I actually liked the slow pace which showed how intuition and almost telepathic getting vibes and staying "in tune"without need for long conversation is one form of beautiful love.

The two separated "because they were too young", because Gui Xiao thought she needed comforting words to overcome the pain of her family turmoil, but these could not be conveyed over the phone, and because her great love was prevented from rushing back to hug and comfort her. Both felt hurt and regret but years went by and, not wanting to be intrusive, neither of them managed to make the needed step forward to get back in tune. Until they did, and this is the sweet and realistic story that unfolds in the drama. The radiance of their love not only make them stand out, but also touches those around them: their friends and "complicated families", and the little boy that Gui Xiao spontaneously agrees to foster to allow him get a more stable environment with trusted people and better schooling. Unconsciously or not, this first act of kindness and love brings her friend (and other foster "aunt" for the boy) together with Lu Chen's friend and Qin Xiaonan's dad.
LuChen and Xiao Nan are quickly aware of Captain Qin and Duan Rou's compatibility, which culminates in Ep22 where both couples radiantly and almost literally "walk on air". For once, we would not have minded seeing more about this secondary couple!
It also helps that Jing Boran has a special type of northern handsomeness, impervious to the cold weather, maybe due to his part-Russian ancestry. Sichuanese Seven Tan Songyun is delightfully petite and with an infectious warm smile that brought perfect balance to this "fire and ice" story where the apparently cold and detached ML was just yearning for spring to be back and enough fulfillment in a life half or more devoted to dangerous missions.
As for OST, it is nice, although as I mentioned in an earlier comment, what stood out for me was the old Zheng Jun Cinderella song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xVtrob8Rto). Lyrics here : https://www.chinese-tools.com/songs/song/12/cinderella.html

I watched quite a few of Seven Tan's dramas before; always very satisfied. I had not watched much of Jing Boran's filmography, he seems to have been mostly involved with light movies, when I was following more heavyweight directors' filmography. Perhaps, if I have time, I will go back to check more of Jing Boran's filmography now, and perhaps even re-watch Road Home which despite its slow pace, was as enjoyable as a famous director's movie. Ah, spotting 2018 "Us And Them" in JB's filmography, which I think I must watch since I love Rene Liu's music and her acting in "A World Without Thieves".

Well, at this point, I might as well post this as a"review"?

She does look very young, maybe 30 month old as the drama character.
But she was sufficiently well behaved not to start screaming and wiggling away from Jing Boran when he picked her up at the wedding dinner, or when "big brother" Qin Xiaonan steered her away to "play" , so the parents could have some time for themselves.
I was thinking that with her rather affluent income, Gui Xiao could have afforded a help and nanny "ayi" who would take care of the child when she could not keep an eye on her full-time. It is inconsistent with her investor career not to have such help, although sometimes grandparents substitute voluntarily. But both grandmothers would probably not, here, given their circumstances. The "nainai" (Lu Chen's mom) would still be mostly taking care of her recovering alcoholic husband, the "laolao" (Gui Xiao's mom) is too busy abroad.

I checked if the little girl's name appeared in the cast, but no; and young Zhang En Shuo who was praised by many for his role as "Qin Xiaonan" has only his name mentioned, and another drama appearance, but we know nothing more,like what is his age.

Ok,I admit this is not as sizzling as The Forbidden Flower, but Jing Boran is not THAT cold in my perception.
I am still watching on, comparing from personal experiences of low key romances, travels, encounters with uniformed law keeping personnel etc. Yes, SWAT too, but it's too long a story for here, lol. What the drama showed covered most of the personal challenges that such men face (there are few women in this profession), so it was relatable.
Looking forward to last episode tomorrow, and to the next video edit with well chosen music by MK916 on YouTube !

For those who enjoy virtual traveling, I have posted the answer to where the glass and slat gap footbridges of Ep22 are located, with pics and map in the Shooting Location discussion
https://kisskh.at/discussions/gui-lu/91923-where-was-this-filmed-infos-about-places-where-the-action-is-supposed-to-take-place?page=last&p=2528711#p2528711

Yes, it is pretty much equivalent!
Chū Yáng 初阳 could mean "early"(初)+ "sunshine" (太阳 tàiyáng) like in sun appearing in the morning) so in or after the Morning Dawn/ (Chén Xiǎo 晨 晓 ), we'd get the first sun rays ! (Sunrise is Rì chū 日出 where 日 is the other word for Sun or Day and 出 means going out/exit)

Still, although there are many gender neutral given names, usually there is an indication of gender in one or two Chinese characters of the given name, such as a "flower" upper part for a girl, and "yang" is usually very masculine, more used in a boy's given name (Although there is a Chinese female movie and drama director known as 杨阳 / Yáng Yáng, her real name is 杨梓鹤 / Yáng Zǐ Hè, where 鹤 the crane bird is more typically feminine in a name). On the other hand, Chū huā 初花 is a not unusual Chinese girl name meaning “first/early flower".
On a side note, Chǔ Yáng (楚阳) is the (male) protagonist of a 2014 xuanhuan webnovel and manhua titled Transcending the Nine Heavens(傲世九重天) written by Fenglin Tianxia (风凌天下) !! 😂

But I have not read the novel in Chinese, so perhaps the characters were different?

Yes, useful link! 拍摄地点 (Filming locations): 深圳 (Shenzhen)
For more data, map and views of that city, try this 3-minute video introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcrfk6OoZIw

39035 🌸at this moment. Yep, quite an idol!
Only outshone by Zhang Zhehan (108,253 🌸; he's got new songs out now that his acting career has been brutally halted, and they are very nice to listen to, although perhaps ZZH has to rely on international fans more than domestic ones...) and by Xiao Zhan (88,030 🌸, but XZ was already an idol from X NINE group before starting to act, and still sings, with many of his songs getting top of the charts)
Interestingly, though, Wu Lei does not rely on music and songs. He's been an actor and model since early childhood.
On MDL all-time Leaderboard, Wu Lei is 3rd, but 7th on monthly leaderboard, where Li Hongyi earned more than he did. https://kisskh.at/stats/leaderboards

Wasn't there another developing scandal (money and tax related, I seemed to understand) about dubbers (in addition to the CFY sad case, about which I formed and stated my opinion further below), that are also hurting some projects like Black Lotus and Eternal Faith? Pushing them perhaps deep down in the purgatory dungeon where Immortality is still confined.
C-ent is a minefield for those who work in it, these days, don't you think?
Soon only AIs and robots will be able to be shown. And in music, we'll only be applauding Vocaloid phenomenons like Luo Tianyi.- samples here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PSo-c2oByo and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9uT6y4GPLY

The young woman was not married back then and apparently took the pictures as selfies with her phone while CFY was sleeping beside her in a bed, with a smirk on her face that showed he was unaware of being taken advantage of. What motivated the woman to take these pictures is unclear: was it as a trophy, a souvenir, or with an ulterior motive? She looked very happy and gleeful on the pictures,so she cannot go and claim that she was raped and unwilling to sleep with CFY!! Was the poor lad, who had just recently been cast in movies, being seduced by a ho?
What's more damning is that she married after she and CFY parted ways, (albeit with no evidence of grudge or enmity), but she still kept the pictures for years and suddenly decided to sell them -it is unclear whether she or her husband or both decided the sale to a well-known, but also very dishonest social media influencer, going under the pseudonym yangyang (same guy who raised rabble about Dilraba "being pregnant" -bogus claim).
Of course the published pictures earned good money for the rumormonger, since many started frantically clicking and rising against the actor or each other. Finally,the Beijing Chaoyang police detained the yangyang for 5 days, and will continue investigating, and the yangyang has at least been targeted for rumor mongering and invasion of privacy.
It is a pity that young men in C-ent are expected to stay celibate and have to hide their relationships, and that sleeping with a woman is construed as a scandal even when no drugs, rape, or violence is involved,and the pair are consenting adults: both she and CFY were young but definitely not underage then.
To me, I set the blame for the rabble-rousing squarely on the woman who ought to firstly not have taken pictures unknown to her partner (CFY at the time), and especially not have kept them after marrying someone else, or spread them, worse again sold them. But apparently, she stands at the moment to go scot-free? You can read more news about the trouble, if you look for these developments. I am a bit disgusted that it shows c-ent fans as a bunch of holier-than-thou thugs!
I am not a fan of CFY or Dilraba (I am a fan of Allen Ren, Z.Tao and Wu Lei, and of Bai Lu, Zhao Lusi and Seven Tan) but neither am I their anti-fan, loving dramas such as Ever Night, L&P, TLB and YAMG. So, I feel sorry that these two (CFY and D) have to endure trouble with such and with over-eager fandom groups who find it acceptable to "wage wars" at the drop of a hat. And I don't buy it that the woman was head of CFY Little Universe fandom group, so he ought to not have touched her: it looks to me that she was the hunter and pursuer, not him picking forbidden flowers! Maybe he ought to have had her searched and not allowing her to keep a phone that could be used for illicit intimate photographing? Young men who read me here: even if you are head over heels about someone, make sure you stay protected, not only sexually but also mediatically!! You never know if the love is genuine or faked for ulterior profit... So sad, isn't it?
(Some thought that the character played by Jerry Yan in Loving, Never Forgetting was a jerk, but in retrospect I thought he also had reasons to beware of "gold-diggers". But at least, in that drama, the woman was
sincere, so we did not have to be despairing that true-love exists. Unfortunately, that's fiction, reality is too often more dismal: to wit the CFY "scandal".)

But then, that's life... And we have other fine actors who can rejoice our eyes with screen romances, like Allen Ren and Bai Lu in past One and Only, Joseph Zeng and Liang Jie in Hi Venus, Jerry Yan Chengxu in sizzling The Forbidden Flower with Xu Ruohan, and now Jing Boran and Seven Tan Songyun in very mature Road Home.
I just finished The Starry Love, and am getting thrilled by Romance of A Twin Flower (Ding Yuxi and,Peng Xiaoran), The Last Princess (Rain Wang Herun and Zhang He) and interested in the more serious but too slow to air New Vanity Fair (Z.Tao).

Oh yes, btw, don't get me wrong,I also like the work and style of Dylan Wang Hedi, who I appreciated as the second historical Daoming Si in MG2018 and as DFQC last year in LBFAD, where I also first saw Esther Yu. Doesn't preclude me from having personally been more infatuated with LLTG than LBFAD which was good too, and a wonderful CGI festival. So, I would not be displeased if Li Yunrui (ex Yuan Shen of LLTG) got cast with Yu Shuxin if Black Lotus project is brought to screen.

This has recently been posted to YT under another (bogus) title, with I believe also bogus (click bait) cast. If I have time, I may watch it. DramaWiki informs of following production team and cast, so I have added some infos on the MDL too:
Director: Liang Guo Guan
Screenwriter: Hu Xiao Jun (I could not find a match for this person on MDL)
Cast:
Shu Chang as Jiang Wei (she has a long career since 1992, in mostly TV dramas acting, and played Murong Linzhi in 2017 The Glory Of Tang dynasty)
Li Jie as Hou Yi
Nicky Wu
Xu Huan Huan (I could not find a match for this person on MDL)
Yan Dan Chen as Su Nv
Xu Shao Qiang
Jia Ya (I could not find a match for this person on MDL)
Hao Yi Ping (I could not find a match for this person on MDL)
Li Jia Ming as Bo Xiang,

Jing Wei Tian Hai is 33 episodes in this YouTube post, about 40 minutes each (Dramawiki mentioned 38 episodes, so was 33 a re-cut, or 38 a mistake: I don't know) . It is a mythological costume drama, with some FX and perhaps CGI in the production. Language is mandarin Chinese.
Main FL character is Jing Wei, a fairy born of a human mortal mother and protected by gods.
DramaWiki short synopsis informs that "Based on the mythology of Jingwei, the story revolves around Jing Wei and Hou Yi who work together to save the King of Yan and the people.

[According to Chinese mythology. Jing Wei was the youngest daughter of Emperor Yan, a legendary ruler. The little princess loved watching the sunrise, admiring the spectacle of nature. She once asked her father where the sun rises. Her father said it was in the Eastern Sea and promised to take her there to see the sunrise on a boat, but he was too busy to do that, so she went sailing alone, and drowned. Next, her spirit turned into a bird, who could be heard calling her own name mournfully from the trees where she sat when not flying. So that bird with white beak and red claws became known as “Jing Wei” by people. " In order to get revenge and keep other kids from drowning, the small bird decided to fill up the roaring sea.
From then on, Jing Wei flew to and fro between the mountain and the Eastern sea, carrying a twig or a pebble and dropping it into the sea. Day after day, it never stopped." ]
The famous “The bird Jingwei trying to fill the sea” myth has become an illustration of the spirit of persistence: “精卫填海的精神”. The "chengyu" idiom in modern Chinese is: Jing Wei Tian Hai (精卫填海). It means we try our best, never fear difficultiesn and never give up when we face hardship until we achieve our goal, a positive meaning in the Chinese language. It is similar to the also famous chengyu of Yu Gong Yi Shan (愚公移山).

I don't know where this drama was shot, perhaps already in Hengdian studios of Zhejiang province? [Wikipedia informs that "In 1996, Guangzhou Street Scenic Area, the first film and television shooting base, was built to shoot the gifted blockbuster movie Opium War by director Xie Jin. In 1997, the King of Qin Palace scenic spot was constructed for the production of the historical blockbuster Jing Ke stabbing the King of Qin." To make the studios more attractive, sets were rent-free in 2000 and in "2004, Hengdian Film and Television Industry Experimental Zone was established as China's number one national film and television industry experimental zone"]

Anyway, if someone knows more, they could have a look and write it in?
Here's the link to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhulRA4SGsc&list=PLjhz_PmYf4ALFWmRpO0XROnOU9GvKBZ0l