I finally reached an episode where Haoming takes off his mask and all I can say is I HATE THIS DUDE he deserves…
oh yes, THAT episode... He was delightfully hateful. and villainous!! But that was also exaggerated backlash. In fact he'll swiftly find out he can't live without his wife. So he will have to make amends and that's not going to be easy after such fragmentation bomb explosion he used. But of course it will be easier to overcome than geopolitical strife, because Xu Yan for all she is aloof after having handed over the divorce paper to sign, and received that bombshell phrase he used square in the jaw, can't help blaming herself for the false start, and remains secretly attached to Haoming. She will not beat his head away when at some point it will land on her shoulder. They'll be reluctant "friends", and "business partners", to start with, since after the clash they'll have no more dirty and embarrassing secrets to expose. growing again like agave plants in deserts and nutrient-poor soil.
Oh boy, I was captivated by the first episode, which started with a hopeful sound. I suppose the plot of the drama…
There and ups and downs in the plot, but it is not to my mind a depressing drama. Our heroine is like the actress, a privately spunky girl who will overcome hurdles after a ... false start đ
This was supposed to end on October 10, but now they're releasing only one episode per day.
Well I am also eager to know what's going to happen next (but not trying to figure out with teasers), but I also have a backlog of watching other dramas I started, so pausing for a couple of days before getting back to binge if necessary will not make me angry or too frustrated. Besides, I have only rated episodes till 14 so will perhaps go back to slowly re watch and add my two-cents đ
Gosh that sucks. When did they use the map in question?đ
Hmm I did not notice that detail in ep.16. Hawk-eyed netizens indeed. Stupid for production to have put that offending map in, since there was no link with contents. Ah well, difficult to remedy now except censoring away a micro-snippet of the episode? There are also issues about some copyrighted stuff that got used without getting proper authorization, but that has been settled now for some copyright holders with proper money compensation and they are happy enough to mention the dispute had nothing to do with cast, so wishing all to enjoy the show at ease now...
Oh here's a note on the comedy cosplayPlan A - Barbie and KenPan B- Edward and Bella were just imagination and…
Can't believe people actually thought these funny outfits were more than brainstorming fantasy! The Barbie outfit was directly linked to the then trendy movie from 2023, and as for Twilight, I smiled because this was already "old hat". I mean, I read these books together with the spinoff Forty Shades of Grey back in the early 2010s because the first (Twilight) series was being discussed by school librarians and sufficiently famous already to be sold in book form in some bookstores, in the English original, in Beijing! So, I read them for info (I am an old sf & fantasy lover, so know all about vampires since the Polidori story, Carmilla, Dracula, and the various movies from Nosferatu and Vampyr from the B&W mute era all the way to Buffy series on TV...). No way these outfits could make it into cosplay to charm a Russian-Chinese couple: these were just a fun appetizer wink to audience, before the Mrs & Mr Smith like cooperation (less gunfire fun) next. There are many funny subtext references in this drama, I may not have caught on to them all, already amused by some product placement like the Heineken beer. Well, that's c-drama: they need investment so some of it comes with embedded viral ads like that. Wondering if they got some revenue from the Hollywood studios, to keep up awareness about the already old 2015 Twilight movie, or if the Love's Ambition production had money to splurge for that actually unnecessary although fun filler.
Yu Menglong, through the honest, courageous, kind, and strong characters he brought to life in his dramas, introduced…
Yu Menglong did not claim to be Uighur nor was a known dissenter. He was only born in Urumqi, in a working class family, like many Han Chinese, and went to study in Beijing, not in the famous Minorities university but, from his teens on, in the affiliated high school of the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy later graduating in music studies in Beijing. He was not a Moslem either, despite some fake Tiktok videos now circulate to link him to non existent repression of Uighurs and Moslems.
It is sad that the death of the multi talented and handsome actor lauded by many stars and leaders in the industry from Yang Mi to Dilireba is exploited for political reasons, to create an anti China campaign, and agitate from foreign accounts (Taiwan among them), stirred by operatives who have a vested interest in the current trade war with the USA and countries that are shackled to it... It is sad also that video gawkers can't tell the difference between spliced and AI created footage or sound "recordings" and reality and let themselves be convinced from bias and lies sown in sensationalist attention seeking media, disregarding travelers and residents accounts and reports to the contrary. And disregarding the express wishes of the own mother of Yu Menglong to calm down, and only mourn with her the accidental death of her son. It is sad that, in their eagerness for witch hunting, some netizens target Yu Menglong's friends as well, from mere unreliable rumors and proven fake videos, or use these to gain money from clicks building more rumors and lies and agitation into the toxic rumor.
His work in many dramas survive him and that's where drama watchers should appreciate it and wish him to rest in peace instead of letting his memory be used for political reasons as the "martyr" of an imagined "cover up" of "reasons unknown".
The most toxic I came across was the one depicting him as beaten, dragged on the floor, raped, hung from window : this is so disrespectful and hurtful to his family and friends to be luridly depicted with fake videos. Those who do that or spread such toxicity and such calls for witch hunting should indeed be prosecuted and at least be banned from social media if justice for Yu Menglong is to be achieved.
Myself, I had not noticed his guest appearance in Feud, and was not his follower although the trouble made me dig into his biography, his social media Weibo account (still online) which drew attention to the drama that aired in May (Hidden Master) in which he played, and to his pride in his country and celebrations (Dragon Boat festival, end of Japanese war of aggression, anniversary of Wenchuan earthquake and heroic relief efforts). I also sampled some genuine clips of his dramas and singing and more. I don't doubt the dramas he worked in have merits and although I did not have time to finish Wenderella, White Snake and some other dramas like the one on this page, in which he played, I may look at them more closely in future, when I find them (they have of course not been censored away from platforms) together with sending my RIP prayers over time and condolences to his remaining parents, friends and colleagues.
Come to think of it, the ongoing campaign by misled people may also further discourage the release of one drama that got shelved long ago for scandals attached to it, but which would be an interesting watch for History, filming sets (not in Hengdian), and more: "The Fated General", embroiled also in the family strife between ML actor Zhang Ruoyun (of Joy of Life fame) and his father. There was some glimmer of hope in months past that the drama could be de-shelved, but I think the current waves stirred up will make that one be pushed to bin, now, forever burying the efforts of the cast and Yu Menglong who was among MLs....
Yes, mistaking fantasy for reality and believing game or drama universes can somehow be preferable to the real one is indeed a danger if some kids don't be taught early on the difference between truth and imagination. With imagination, any cruel and strange stuff, beating villains or heroines to pulp, flying free out windows like in Peter Pan, meeting demons and fairies, using magic or "cultivation" to get to places "beyond this world" are all fine, provided people don't go imitating too much, and only have fun on some occasions with things like anime cosplay gatherings or wearing and appreciating Hanfu where it does not become a problem (like getting the long dresses and sleeves caught in the escalator and end up in hospital!). I liked the drama "Filter" which had a fun take on magic vs reality, and had both Looney Tunes over-the-top like situations and deeper ideas about social norms in-bedded.
again time travel?! Why this years so many time travels? Love game in eastern fantasy, a dream within a dream,…
The ones you quoted are fantasy, not really time travel. >Falling into game, >Falling into film or drama script, >Falling into dream fantasy. These were all good sure, although for some reason (perhaps ROTAR memory, perhaps I still haven't warmed up enough to Esther Yu), I did not really enjoy LGIEF, contrary to the other two Then you got science fiction inspired alternate universes dramas, sometimes "switching between these", like "Mobius"... or "time loops" to escape from, like "Reset". Time travel dramas are more in mini dramas these past few years, and mostly in the form of >individuals reliving their life from a certain point to change it after having been killed. Except "Joy of Life" and its season 2 which are set in "far future with Chinese ancient history trappings" and has quite magical elements blended with technology. I think the ban on dramas featuring time travel to ancient China (like in 2011 "Scarlet Heart" or 2001 "A Step Into The Past") is still on in China because of the risk to misrepresent the past or some other concerns. See below in comments : Enigma05 explanation about "transmigration" vs "time travel" and replies to that post.
I watched for Chen Zheyuan but immediately liked Li Qin and wondered why I have not watched her before. Then realised…
I don't remember when I stumbled onto a drama featuring her, but all those I saw, she was shining in -- she is indeed special! Yes, Lin Wan'er in and 2024 JoL alongside ; Shen Jinzhen in 2024 War of Faith; Tong Xiaomei in 2023 The Youth Memories; funny and brazen Yu DengDeng in 2022 Thousand Years For You ; airy Xia Chu in 2021 My Dear Guardian ; Ma Zhaixing in 2020 The Wolf ; the princess of Wei in 2018 Princess Agents ; ... and Xue Baochai in 2010 The Dream of Red Mansions (which featured a slew of now established stars, Yang Yang, Yang Mi, Zhao Liying, etc) -- I didn't watch the latter at the time (busy with work not watching dramas although I was a movie fiend then) but later, online, and it is still one of if not the best adaptation of the classic novel. I haven't graduated to "full fan" of Sweet Li /QinQin, haven't watched everything in her filmography, only a few interviews and BTS for a couple of dramas, curious about her having played Yang KaiHui, the red heroine, several times but haven't found my way to find them yet, and I still have to explore her Qin Ying fandom, but I admit her name alongside that of Chen Zheyuan made me look especially forward to Fated Hearts!
the opening OST is it Sa Dingding, sounds like her
It is; look below for my other comment on that : đ¤ "The opening theme song "Laughing with the song" or "A laughter follows the song" (direct translation of drama Chinese title) has lyrics and co-composition by Zhang Xiaokui working with co-composer Sa Dingging, Inner Mongolian singer-composer who indeed had some songs in the dramas you remember : If You Come Back (ĺŚčĽĺ˝ćĽ) - The Long Ballad (2021); Flowers Fall Without Trace (čąč˝ć ç) - Moonlight Mystique (2025) but also worked on several other dramas.
I remember best her haunting Upwards to the Moon (塌ććć) - Ashes of Love (2018) although she also sang a version of Unsullied/Bu Ran for that drama. Here is my favorite video of her performing Upwards to The Moon for Midautumn festival 2020 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1KwPqbPP5o together with Zhou Shen for the occasion.
It is appropriate to remember that song and event since on the 6th this month it will again be mooncakes and moongazing festival (Zhongqiujie) in the tail end of this year's Golden Week in China which started on National day yesterday and ends on Wednesday 8 next."
Yes --- I am also watching ongoing Love's Ambition, featuring CZY's well known partner in Hidden Love đ Costume and modern on my plate, also some more, but a little less continuously because some trouble home (poor younger son had an accident yesterday and broke ... one arm and the other one's thumb !!) So am on alert mostly for him
2 
4 
1 
But that was also exaggerated backlash. In fact he'll swiftly find out he can't live without his wife.
So he will have to make amends and that's not going to be easy after such fragmentation bomb explosion he used.
But of course it will be easier to overcome than geopolitical strife, because Xu Yan for all she is aloof after having handed over the divorce paper to sign, and received that bombshell phrase he used square in the jaw, can't help blaming herself for the false start, and remains secretly attached to Haoming. She will not beat his head away when at some point it will land on her shoulder. They'll be reluctant "friends", and "business partners", to start with, since after the clash they'll have no more dirty and embarrassing secrets to expose. growing again like agave plants in deserts and nutrient-poor soil.
Besides, I have only rated episodes till 14 so will perhaps go back to slowly re watch and add my two-cents đ
There are also issues about some copyrighted stuff that got used without getting proper authorization, but that has been settled now for some copyright holders with proper money compensation and they are happy enough to mention the dispute had nothing to do with cast, so wishing all to enjoy the show at ease now...
I mean, I read these books together with the spinoff Forty Shades of Grey back in the early 2010s because the first (Twilight) series was being discussed by school librarians and sufficiently famous already to be sold in book form in some bookstores, in the English original, in Beijing! So, I read them for info (I am an old sf & fantasy lover, so know all about vampires since the Polidori story, Carmilla, Dracula, and the various movies from Nosferatu and Vampyr from the B&W mute era all the way to Buffy series on TV...).
No way these outfits could make it into cosplay to charm a Russian-Chinese couple: these were just a fun appetizer wink to audience, before the Mrs & Mr Smith like cooperation (less gunfire fun) next.
There are many funny subtext references in this drama, I may not have caught on to them all, already amused by some product placement like the Heineken beer. Well, that's c-drama: they need investment so some of it comes with embedded viral ads like that. Wondering if they got some revenue from the Hollywood studios, to keep up awareness about the already old 2015 Twilight movie, or if the Love's Ambition production had money to splurge for that actually unnecessary although fun filler.
He was not a Moslem either, despite some fake Tiktok videos now circulate to link him to non existent repression of Uighurs and Moslems.
It is sad that the death of the multi talented and handsome actor lauded by many stars and leaders in the industry from Yang Mi to Dilireba is exploited for political reasons, to create an anti China campaign, and agitate from foreign accounts (Taiwan among them), stirred by operatives who have a vested interest in the current trade war with the USA and countries that are shackled to it...
It is sad also that video gawkers can't tell the difference between spliced and AI created footage or sound "recordings" and reality and let themselves be convinced from bias and lies sown in sensationalist attention seeking media, disregarding travelers and residents accounts and reports to the contrary. And disregarding the express wishes of the own mother of Yu Menglong to calm down, and only mourn with her the accidental death of her son.
It is sad that, in their eagerness for witch hunting, some netizens target Yu Menglong's friends as well, from mere unreliable rumors and proven fake videos, or use these to gain money from clicks building more rumors and lies and agitation into the toxic rumor.
His work in many dramas survive him and that's where drama watchers should appreciate it and wish him to rest in peace instead of letting his memory be used for political reasons as the "martyr" of an imagined "cover up" of "reasons unknown".
The most toxic I came across was the one depicting him as beaten, dragged on the floor, raped, hung from window : this is so disrespectful and hurtful to his family and friends to be luridly depicted with fake videos. Those who do that or spread such toxicity and such calls for witch hunting should indeed be prosecuted and at least be banned from social media if justice for Yu Menglong is to be achieved.
Myself, I had not noticed his guest appearance in Feud, and was not his follower although the trouble made me dig into his biography, his social media Weibo account (still online) which drew attention to the drama that aired in May (Hidden Master) in which he played, and to his pride in his country and celebrations (Dragon Boat festival, end of Japanese war of aggression, anniversary of Wenchuan earthquake and heroic relief efforts). I also sampled some genuine clips of his dramas and singing and more. I don't doubt the dramas he worked in have merits and although I did not have time to finish Wenderella, White Snake and some other dramas like the one on this page, in which he played, I may look at them more closely in future, when I find them (they have of course not been censored away from platforms) together with sending my RIP prayers over time and condolences to his remaining parents, friends and colleagues.
Come to think of it, the ongoing campaign by misled people may also further discourage the release of one drama that got shelved long ago for scandals attached to it, but which would be an interesting watch for History, filming sets (not in Hengdian), and more: "The Fated General", embroiled also in the family strife between ML actor Zhang Ruoyun (of Joy of Life fame) and his father. There was some glimmer of hope in months past that the drama could be de-shelved, but I think the current waves stirred up will make that one be pushed to bin, now, forever burying the efforts of the cast and Yu Menglong who was among MLs....
(if I have time for it on the day - if not I'll surely catch up later)
I liked the drama "Filter" which had a fun take on magic vs reality, and had both Looney Tunes over-the-top like situations and deeper ideas about social norms in-bedded.
>Falling into game, >Falling into film or drama script, >Falling into dream fantasy.
These were all good sure, although for some reason (perhaps ROTAR memory, perhaps I still haven't warmed up enough to Esther Yu), I did not really enjoy LGIEF, contrary to the other two
Then you got science fiction inspired alternate universes dramas, sometimes "switching between these", like "Mobius"... or "time loops" to escape from, like "Reset".
Time travel dramas are more in mini dramas these past few years, and mostly in the form of >individuals reliving their life from a certain point to change it after having been killed.
Except "Joy of Life" and its season 2 which are set in "far future with Chinese ancient history trappings" and has quite magical elements blended with technology.
I think the ban on dramas featuring time travel to ancient China (like in 2011 "Scarlet Heart" or 2001 "A Step Into The Past") is still on in China because of the risk to misrepresent the past or some other concerns. See below in comments : Enigma05 explanation about "transmigration" vs "time travel" and replies to that post.
Yes, Lin Wan'er in and 2024 JoL alongside ;
Shen Jinzhen in 2024 War of Faith;
Tong Xiaomei in 2023 The Youth Memories;
funny and brazen Yu DengDeng in 2022 Thousand Years For You ;
airy Xia Chu in 2021 My Dear Guardian ;
Ma Zhaixing in 2020 The Wolf ;
the princess of Wei in 2018 Princess Agents ;
... and Xue Baochai in 2010 The Dream of Red Mansions (which featured a slew of now established stars, Yang Yang, Yang Mi, Zhao Liying, etc) -- I didn't watch the latter at the time (busy with work not watching dramas although I was a movie fiend then) but later, online, and it is still one of if not the best adaptation of the classic novel.
I haven't graduated to "full fan" of Sweet Li /QinQin, haven't watched everything in her filmography, only a few interviews and BTS for a couple of dramas, curious about her having played Yang KaiHui, the red heroine, several times but haven't found my way to find them yet, and I still have to explore her Qin Ying fandom, but I admit her name alongside that of Chen Zheyuan made me look especially forward to Fated Hearts!
đ¤
"The opening theme song "Laughing with the song" or "A laughter follows the song" (direct translation of drama Chinese title) has lyrics and co-composition by Zhang Xiaokui working with co-composer Sa Dingging, Inner Mongolian singer-composer who indeed had some songs in the dramas you remember : If You Come Back (ĺŚčĽĺ˝ćĽ) - The Long Ballad (2021); Flowers Fall Without Trace (čąč˝ć ç) - Moonlight Mystique (2025) but also worked on several other dramas.
I remember best her haunting Upwards to the Moon (塌ććć) - Ashes of Love (2018) although she also sang a version of Unsullied/Bu Ran for that drama. Here is my favorite video of her performing Upwards to The Moon for Midautumn festival 2020 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1KwPqbPP5o together with Zhou Shen for the occasion.
It is appropriate to remember that song and event since on the 6th this month it will again be mooncakes and moongazing festival (Zhongqiujie) in the tail end of this year's Golden Week in China which started on National day yesterday and ends on Wednesday 8 next."
Meanwhile, enjoy the song by Sa Dingding ! and the other ones, to rhythm your busy real life schedule !