I came here to catch up… but maybe I shouldn’t have. The negativity in here is overwhelming and I honestly…
I try not to come to this section too often, when it becomes like a bashing ball. Some loud complainers like to ruin the pleasure of others, and some do it without even having watched the drama.... They will complain at anything anyway in the MDL drama pages: too smiling, too tearful, too adapted differently, too slow,, too quick, too this, too that.... . I refrain from answering too much to those: it's a waste of time.
omg.. im only in ep. 6 and Song Ran is crying in every episode... will this ever stop?
She has pretty dreamy smiles and other expressions too. Why be hung up on only the tears? It's natural that she would cry after losing touch with friends or sad at the effects of bombs. She also has a very beautiful smile at the mirage and in the dance in the alley scene, later.
(I will continue to along the way in the Character's Gallery with brief description, pictures and actor's micro bios,, as the characters first appear, and more)
She also wrote his name in the heart she drew with a stick, in the dust, in the fireside "drunken" scene, before he wiped it away to keep her secret.
If you are interested in the other characters "Chinese characters" names and more info, you can have a look at my Companion piece which is very illustrated with pictures and Gifs : https://kisskh.at/discussions/bai-se-gan-lan-shu/123595-shooting-location-cast-and-crew-and-more (direct link, but you can also find it as "Companion piece" in the Discussions section above this comments one) I will probably still be adding to it on the way..
She says A Zan. If they put A before the surname is a form of familiarity and endearment.
Well many journalists don't take pains to research properly and will be unable to pronounce the names. Even though it may take only a click on Internet to find a correct pronunciation audio recording. Plus the Americans love to use the obsolete Wade-Giles romanization, or Europeans use another system, when the United Nations agreed that the official language of China is putonghua and the romanization in "alphabet" system is pinyin.
Of course, people who read the news are not aware of the rules for pinyin, even if they hear over and over in the news Xi being pronounced as Si like in Spanish "yes". And their school system is so poor that they mostly never were made aware there of the fact that East Asian people in the billions use the family name as first one, and the given names following. So I would not be surprised if during his first visit to the US, way back when, Xi Jinping could have been addressed as "Mr Ping"...
She says A Zan. If they put A before the surname is a form of familiarity and endearment.
I prefer "Family name" + "Given Name(s)" , a variation on Surname + Given Name. Talking about "first names" can be very confusing imho depending on context, despite the phrase "to be on first-name terms". The "middle name" concept is very anglospheric. In other countries, it is something else that can have meaning such as patronym. Or be a string of multiple given names extended for various reasons, of which one will be underlined as the "usual given name", with the other ones relegated as alternate names... Also, in Chinese names, there is not necessarily a generation "middle" or "last" appearing character (I used the examples of Mao ZEdong and Xi JinPING for names with generation name parts, but there are lots of people who only have a family one character name + a given one character name). And the two characters in a given name may not have one generation name character at all.
She says A Zan. If they put A before the surname is a form of familiarity and endearment.
Well, correction: ZE is NOT his personal first name nor DONG his personal middle name. ZEDONG is his "first name" or "given name" according to Western standards.
I am somewhat annoyed by the convention in romanization to write Chinese names according to syllables, when as I pointed out, with the example of Zhousheng Cheng, the family name can be 2 syllables, and the personal (given) name one syllable...
Therefore, in my companion pieces, I systematically write names without a space in pinyin : example I write Xi Jinping and not Xi Jin Ping. Same for actor names, since they can be confusing, even for those who have grasped that the first part of the written name is a family name.
Xi or Mao are family names (these are not nicknames, pen names, given names, milk names or whatnot. Plain family names like Jones in English speaking countries).
My sons who were born abroad have both Western and Chinese given names : Tianyu and Tianhu, written as such on their birth certificate and foreign passports ; Tian is their generation name shared now with several cousins. In China, of course their names are written in a three character string with no space, first one being their family name.
Zedong should not be cut, just like Joséphine should not be cut to Jo Se Phi Ne or José Phine.... ;)
Oh another fun fact: Xi Jinping's brother is Xi Yuanping. Guess what? the ping part is a generation name, but compounded with a first syllable from a proverb which his father liked! "Xi Jinping's name was given by his father, from the phrase "The same nature，Varies on nurture (chinese pinyin: xing xiang jin, xi xiang yuan)" in the Three Character Classic. Therefore, he also has a brother named Xi Yuanping." So there, the generation name appears as last syllable...
She says A Zan. If they put A before the surname is a form of familiarity and endearment.
No nothing to do with middle name. In China, on documents the first name (one or two characters) is a family name and the second and third names are, depending, either a one character given name (by parents) or a two characters given name which may incorporate a generation name.
For instance : Zhousheng Chen in One and Only+Forever and Ever, where there is a fun exchange between ML and a new acquaintance who mistakes him for being Mr Zhou, "first name" Shengchen, and is corrected to appropriate understanding. I mean, even Chinese people can be confused, when there is no precision!
The generation name is now optional although it used to be common. Here is a famous example :
Mao Zedong (毛泽东): Mao (毛) is the family name and Ze (泽) the generation name. His real personal name is Dong (东). The name of Mao Zedong’s grandfather is Mao Enpu (毛恩普 ) and the father’s name is Mao Yichang (毛贻昌). The generation names of the three generations are respectively 恩(En), 贻(Yi) and 泽(Ze), belonging to the 12th, 13th and 14th generations of the Mao clan in Shaoshan, Hunan Province (Mao Zedong’s hometown). According to the genealogy of the clan of the Maos at Shaoshan, Hunan Province, the chain of generation names of Mao Zedong’s family is a poem with five characters to a line. The generation name Ze (泽) in the name of Mao Zedong (毛泽东) stands as the fourteenth character of the poem, namely the fourteenth generation since the chain of generation names was begun in 1737. Even though Mao Zedong had several names that he used for different reasons or for different periods of time, the name with the generation name Zedong (泽东) never changed and he used it all his life.
Not all Chinese generation names are as scholarly as building a poem over generations. Some modern families with more humble origins decide to use a generation name for the children to mark the family relation between cousins too. Anyway, when there are two or more children in a family, they would often share a generation name. For example, in Taiwan, "Barbie Hsu" name was 徐熙媛 ; her younger sister is "Dee Hsu" 徐熙娣 and her elder sister is Hsu Si-hsien :the generation name is romanized as "Si" or pinyin "Xi" for 熙 with a meaning of "excellence". The generation name usually is in 2nd position in a 3 character full name, but it can also be in 3rd position, less frequently. (Barbie Hsu is well known for her role as Shancai in 2001 drama Meteor Garden, she died, 48 years old, on Feb.2, 2025 from complications of influenza, on a family trip to Japan)
Chinese names are very interesting, and what I just wrote is only the tip of the iceberg. There are also the usual nicknames, pen names, art names, and when it touches gentry, "courtesy names", and for royals, "reign names" and more. The Li 李 name is very common in China, and many claim that they descend from the famous Li Shimin 李世民 who was known as the Tang dynasty founder better known as emperor Taizong.
I've read it was all in China. With a made up set for each city. I only remember Chengdu but not the other places.
It's a "high quality S+ drama" : it had lots of money thrown into it. They could afford building a "city". And it is now another touristic spot, not only for Chen Zheyuan and The White Olive Tree fans. It still stands there, so if you go to SIchuan, you could take the train from Chengdu to Leshan, and next a taxi to drive you to the site !
I've read it was all in China. With a made up set for each city. I only remember Chengdu but not the other places.
The Dongguo city parts were specifically built for the drama in Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture ; modern Chinese city parts such as road, parking, office, apartment were filmed in studio in Chengdu. Other outdoor sites were used in Leshan and Zigong from what I read elsewhere: Leshan and Zigong are also in Sichuan province, the first is a town world famous for its giant Buddha on the edge of the river and is close to the site in Liangshan where the Dongguo city was built, the second is a smaller city famous for dinosaur finds and for a big a waterfall but also for its chemical factories (episode where Song Ran takes the shortcut to Happo/Hepu). Some pictures and GIF of the building of the hilltop Dongguo city are in my Companion piece : https://kisskh.at/discussions/bai-se-gan-lan-shu/123595-shooting-location-cast-and-crew-and-more
I agree LOL. In light of how sad this drama is getting thank you for your comment lol. I also wish they would…
The latter footage is an extended cut from the beginning of ep12, when Luo Zhan comes to take Li Zn from the local hospital to bring him to Liangcheng hospital. It is also typical of the body building routine Chen Zheyuan had to prepare for his role. Indeed, contrary to previous roles where "slim" and "slight" were favored by productions, he was allowed to develop muscles according to his own wishes, so he did not need shoulder pads, lol.
(I am adding a GIF of this footage to the Companion piece, below the one showing his overall preparation for the role).
You just dropped another bomb with that last part. 🙊
well, you know, in the end, there's only one certainty in life : that is that it is going to end in death. Even if some would like to believe in after life or transmigration... So any story will, in the utmost end, be one of "going away to die", just that, novels and dramas seldom go that far, except if there is a more acceptable reason: old age, heroic deed sacrifice, accident, etc. We prefer to stay with happier memories of course, such as Big S (Barbie Hsu, r.i.p. Feb.2, 2025) remaining forever the undying Shancai in Meteor Garden.
But there was a promise somewhere that The White Olive Tree would be adapted so as not to go till bitter end. Adaptation was discussed carefully, also to be able to pass review with authorities which would not condone totally depressing subject matter when the role of dramas is not just to get a written story "come to life on screen", but also adhere to some official moral guidelines (not that dramas should always be taken as a blueprint for behavior, of course ! ).
PTSD and depression are mentioned (as survivor guilt) are mentioned in the drama tags. (And iQiyi does warn that this is not a kids or family cheer programme, so tag it as unsuitable for children under 13 years old). The subject matter is very much in the drama news, both for real life events of a well known actress, and for triggers in another drama (Drifting Away, that one from a true story). The causes of the mental wounds are not one only.
Although she is not in many episodes, Song Ran's mother is also a bitter one who wounded her daughter mentally, but realized in time, perhaps, how flawed her parental skills were. The causes of Song Ran's mental trauma were not only from the deadly events in Dongguo.
2 
4 
1 
For some cheer, you may want to check my Companion piece, which I will update along the way with more characters appearing.
https://kisskh.at/discussions/bai-se-gan-lan-shu/123595-shooting-location-cast-and-crew-and-more
She also has a very beautiful smile at the mirage and in the dance in the alley scene, later.
https://kisskh.at/discussions/bai-se-gan-lan-shu/123595-shooting-location-cast-and-crew-and-more
(I will continue to along the way in the Character's Gallery with brief description, pictures and actor's micro bios,, as the characters first appear, and more)
If you are interested in the other characters "Chinese characters" names and more info, you can have a look at my Companion piece which is very illustrated with pictures and Gifs :
https://kisskh.at/discussions/bai-se-gan-lan-shu/123595-shooting-location-cast-and-crew-and-more (direct link, but you can also find it as "Companion piece" in the Discussions section above this comments one)
I will probably still be adding to it on the way..
Plus the Americans love to use the obsolete Wade-Giles romanization, or Europeans use another system, when the United Nations agreed that the official language of China is putonghua and the romanization in "alphabet" system is pinyin.
Of course, people who read the news are not aware of the rules for pinyin, even if they hear over and over in the news Xi being pronounced as Si like in Spanish "yes". And their school system is so poor that they mostly never were made aware there of the fact that East Asian people in the billions use the family name as first one, and the given names following.
So I would not be surprised if during his first visit to the US, way back when, Xi Jinping could have been addressed as "Mr Ping"...
The "middle name" concept is very anglospheric. In other countries, it is something else that can have meaning such as patronym. Or be a string of multiple given names extended for various reasons, of which one will be underlined as the "usual given name", with the other ones relegated as alternate names...
Also, in Chinese names, there is not necessarily a generation "middle" or "last" appearing character (I used the examples of Mao ZEdong and Xi JinPING for names with generation name parts, but there are lots of people who only have a family one character name + a given one character name). And the two characters in a given name may not have one generation name character at all.
I am somewhat annoyed by the convention in romanization to write Chinese names according to syllables, when as I pointed out, with the example of Zhousheng Cheng, the family name can be 2 syllables, and the personal (given) name one syllable...
Therefore, in my companion pieces, I systematically write names without a space in pinyin : example I write Xi Jinping and not Xi Jin Ping. Same for actor names, since they can be confusing, even for those who have grasped that the first part of the written name is a family name.
Xi or Mao are family names (these are not nicknames, pen names, given names, milk names or whatnot. Plain family names like Jones in English speaking countries).
My sons who were born abroad have both Western and Chinese given names : Tianyu and Tianhu, written as such on their birth certificate and foreign passports ; Tian is their generation name shared now with several cousins. In China, of course their names are written in a three character string with no space, first one being their family name.
Zedong should not be cut, just like Joséphine should not be cut to Jo Se Phi Ne or José Phine.... ;)
Oh another fun fact: Xi Jinping's brother is Xi Yuanping. Guess what? the ping part is a generation name, but compounded with a first syllable from a proverb which his father liked! "Xi Jinping's name was given by his father, from the phrase "The same nature，Varies on nurture (chinese pinyin: xing xiang jin, xi xiang yuan)" in the Three Character Classic. Therefore, he also has a brother named Xi Yuanping." So there, the generation name appears as last syllable...
For instance : Zhousheng Chen in One and Only+Forever and Ever, where there is a fun exchange between ML and a new acquaintance who mistakes him for being Mr Zhou, "first name" Shengchen, and is corrected to appropriate understanding. I mean, even Chinese people can be confused, when there is no precision!
The generation name is now optional although it used to be common. Here is a famous example :
Mao Zedong (毛泽东): Mao (毛) is the family name and Ze (泽) the generation name. His real personal name is Dong (东). The name of Mao Zedong’s grandfather is Mao Enpu (毛恩普 ) and the father’s name is Mao Yichang (毛贻昌). The generation names of the three generations are respectively 恩(En), 贻(Yi) and 泽(Ze), belonging to the 12th, 13th and 14th generations of the Mao clan in Shaoshan, Hunan Province (Mao Zedong’s hometown). According to the genealogy of the clan of the Maos at Shaoshan, Hunan Province, the chain of generation names of Mao Zedong’s family is a poem with five characters to a line.
The generation name Ze (泽) in the name of Mao Zedong (毛泽东) stands as the fourteenth character of the poem, namely the fourteenth generation since the chain of generation names was begun in 1737. Even though Mao Zedong had several names that he used for different reasons or for different periods of time, the name with the generation name Zedong (泽东) never changed and he used it all his life.
Not all Chinese generation names are as scholarly as building a poem over generations. Some modern families with more humble origins decide to use a generation name for the children to mark the family relation between cousins too. Anyway, when there are two or more children in a family, they would often share a generation name.
For example, in Taiwan, "Barbie Hsu" name was 徐熙媛 ; her younger sister is "Dee Hsu" 徐熙娣 and her elder sister is Hsu Si-hsien :the generation name is romanized as "Si" or pinyin "Xi" for 熙 with a meaning of "excellence". The generation name usually is in 2nd position in a 3 character full name, but it can also be in 3rd position, less frequently. (Barbie Hsu is well known for her role as Shancai in 2001 drama Meteor Garden, she died, 48 years old, on Feb.2, 2025 from complications of influenza, on a family trip to Japan)
Chinese names are very interesting, and what I just wrote is only the tip of the iceberg. There are also the usual nicknames, pen names, art names, and when it touches gentry, "courtesy names", and for royals, "reign names" and more. The Li 李 name is very common in China, and many claim that they descend from the famous Li Shimin 李世民 who was known as the Tang dynasty founder better known as emperor Taizong.
Some pictures and GIF of the building of the hilltop Dongguo city are in my Companion piece : https://kisskh.at/discussions/bai-se-gan-lan-shu/123595-shooting-location-cast-and-crew-and-more
(I am adding a GIF of this footage to the Companion piece, below the one showing his overall preparation for the role).
But there was a promise somewhere that The White Olive Tree would be adapted so as not to go till bitter end. Adaptation was discussed carefully, also to be able to pass review with authorities which would not condone totally depressing subject matter when the role of dramas is not just to get a written story "come to life on screen", but also adhere to some official moral guidelines (not that dramas should always be taken as a blueprint for behavior, of course ! ).
Although she is not in many episodes, Song Ran's mother is also a bitter one who wounded her daughter mentally, but realized in time, perhaps, how flawed her parental skills were. The causes of Song Ran's mental trauma were not only from the deadly events in Dongguo.
https://kisskh.at/discussions/bai-se-gan-lan-shu/134834-the-white-olive-tree-full-ost-with-eng-subs
The Spotify link is also in my Companion piece, music section, there. 😊
https://kisskh.at/discussions/bai-se-gan-lan-shu/123595-shooting-location-cast-and-crew-and-more