Frost_edelweiss

YES, DONT MENTION k now that cool already vanished..... or as Madeline wrote, put spoiler tags, but better delete those comments altogether now you got your answer, since the hunt is ongoing to take those useful sites down.

enjoy!

true: don't think the one you'd carry on your back on a long trek would just go flower at will in a small pot. They need a place they like in a garden and indeed you don't plant them in flowering season, but better in autumn or at the very beginning of springtime.

Thank you Peachey !

Thanks for liking, and appreciating Chinese History, and jianghu
Here's one song for you then: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK3SSoaaMLo

Looking at your list, perhaps you now could swap the older drama into completed or on hold or dropped - yes, I don't like to drop either. That's why my on hold list is getting long : dramas that unfortunately I had no time for any longer for a variety of reasons not necessarily having been bored or disliking them. I try not to enter titles before I saw a handful episodes and decided I'd go on or not, so if they get languishing "in purgatory" it's because I got sidetracked with other things, other dramas, or writing sometimes Companion pieces with info like above. But I write those pieces whimsically, when I have time, and they do not necessarily reflect my all time preferred dramas. Just those I felt it was useful to share some info about.

The latest I did had me mobilized for the better part of November-December: The Story of Pearl Girl, and Brocade Odyssey with lots of historical details for these dramas set in Tang Dynasty. (If you'd like to have a look at them, click on the list included on my member page). I was toying with doing another for Riverside Code at Qingming Festival which was a nice one set in Song dynasty. But was too tired and busy then.

I like those dramas that are not just "palace ones", but about more or less ordinary people in ancient times, like "A Dream of Splendor" (Song Dynasty) and "The Sword and the Brocade" (Ming Dynasty), although I also liked very much "Love Like The Galaxy "(Eastern Han dynasty, imperial family modeled on that of Guangwu) and the very tragic "One and Only" which is set in a fictional Beizhen kingdom modeled on Three kingdoms period following the Han dynasty one as indicated by the use of the Shanglin Fu poem and the Jiangnan poems.

Hi Megumi-H. You know I like nice dramas 😂

Adding the Chinese names for those interested :
马齿苋 mǎ chǐ xiàn (purslane)
牡丹 Mǔdān (peony/peonies) yes, the name that the FL character used for herself instead of Hé Wéifāng (何惟芳) her original name, changed cheekily by "Floral Envoy"(花鸟使huāniǎo shǐ means in fact "flower and birds envoy") 蒋长扬 Jiǎng Chǎngyáng to : 蒋小花 Jiǎng Xiǎohuā (the Jiǎng little flower!) on the needed fake household registry (ep.7)

Actually, the position of Jiǎng Chǎngyáng was that of a 少卿 (shàoqīnɡ) : an official in auxiliary departments, here that of the 光禄寺 Guānglù sì which was the official office in charge of catering in ancient China (it was in charge of royal meals. and more, so the translation there is often "Court of Imperial Entertainments" : no wonder Jiǎng Chǎngyáng looked for strange things like monkeys to amuse the king, and went to test entertainment in apparently disreputable places where new and foreign shows might be held...)
That particular position held power as a close minister of the monarch, who acted in accordance with the monarch's orders, hence his taking part in the royal hunt.
Above the少卿 were ministers, but the 少卿 had under their jurisdiction people like chief registrars and other official positions, hence Jiǎng Chǎngyáng's role in the country court of Luòyáng, when Mǔdān sought divorce from 刘畅 Liú Chàng.

I love that drama. It is beautiful, well paced and brings food for thought.

I love peonies too ; as it happens I have a dozen varieties in my mountain garden, herbaceous and "tree" type, big and small flowered, fragrant or just eye catching. The season to enjoy their flowering is too short : in Luoyang (from which some of my peonies come from), "each year from mid-April to mid-May, the peonies are in full bloom, generally reaching their peak during the period April 15th-25th, which is the date set for the annual festival." There are many types of peonies, some natural, some cultivars or even hybrid such as big flowers "intersectional" Itoh peonies (more about those here : https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/peony/intersectional). "Stretching the peony season has made these flowers available the world over. They can be found in Morocco and Alaska!"

I have also got purslane (end of ep.9), that landed as Heavens gift, surprising me with sunny yellow small flowers one day on a distant apartment terrace, taking possession of a neglected flower pot, so I brought them over, although they have to be kept in check, because they can be quite invasive. Nice addition to the salads and soups, though!

A garden is often full of fun hide and seek places like the vegetable patch in the Beatrix Potter tales about Peter Rabbit (one adorable song is that one : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUyxCP5Rvco) Although the English garden is known to be "wilder" than the too strict French designed garden, it is less planned than the Chinese "landscape" gardens that create vistas such as the famous Suzhou ones in big or tiny spaces (Master of the Nets garden (Wǎngshī yuán 网师园) : "The inner garden is a charming courtyard grown with beautiful herbaceous peonies. There also stands the notable Peony Study (殿春簃), which enjoys a high prestige among the architects." https://www.flickr.com/photos/56846531@N04/5543988574/in/photostream/)

A Garden is a Paradise, with surprises and fun, as long as the toil to keep it going is physically possible. Well-maintained it is both nourishing and a feast for the eyes, comfort for the soul!

Those who give some attention to plants could never go hungry. Check those videos, found happenstance as I was looking for one about purslane to illustrate : https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lI-pVpwDCyU and found it again among "wild plants" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRylBLWhB6s Some of the plants on this video, are not common outside the USA, but many can be found around the world. Just be careful not to believe you could go totally hermit living on wild plants if you don't know them, as the cautionary tale (from real story) of the 2007 movie Into The Wild proved. Some "demonic" poisonous plants could disguise as the "heavenly gift manna" edible and beneficial ones. Therefore, adding this video to make the difference between "summertime" purslane and a toxic close looking weed called spurge : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T9wnQMFm-M which also adds some other possible use: purslane sauce and purslane wine!!

So can peonies be edible or are they toxic? The flowers can be consumed to bring color and and a "lovely fresh taste of clove, they're good in flavoured sugars, oils and vinegars." Still, be careful, peonies can be toxic (although not deadly) to curious cats and dogs. The roots are used in TCM. A tincture or tea can be made from them and its benefits are thus described "Peony might block chemicals that can cause pain and swelling. It might also prevent blood clotting, kill cancer cells, and act as an antioxidant."

Looking forward to next episodes 😍

"does not exist" :(

unavailable now :(

Happy New Year, Liz Mathew !

ok , I'll delete my first comment now, - still laughing

2nd week on top of charts in the Top Ten Dramas of the week:
congratulations to LSIW and cast there!

don't heed the naysayers : make your own unbiased opinion as to whether or not you enjoy it.
it is top ten listed as #1 in China for the past two weeks, in case you absolutely need other's feelings to boost your own.

dramacool has stopped operating since late 2024.
But the drama is on youtube as mentioned by ProfMrsDi. although the description mentions only 44 x45' videos, there.

Don't answer, that's fine. I confused part of your "statement" with someone who went stating Zhao Lusi HAD a stroke etc. For some unknown reason your message had disappeared but now is back. I have at last been able to look at your pages -I initially got a message your page did not exist ! ...I can see now that you did not mean any harm and is not one among the covert or open haters I've seen on MDL and elsewhere over the past few months... So, herewith my apologies for my over reaction. (Cute pet, btw, and happy watching to you on the dramas you choose to watch).

But. Two-three things to be careful about :

1/Calling people to arms 1-2-3-4-5 steps. advocating to take legal action .... against whom? Names have been now thrown round, and caused these people to start sending lawyers letters! Extra worries caused for Zhao Lusi.

2/ Suggesting she ""could take 5 years and be at the top". Both not feasible reasonably and cruel to even suggest it. No employer keeps someone even on long sick leave, for 5 years, and new employers would be wary too if they were faced with someone coming back to ask for work with such a gap. Besides, there is a time limit for shooting authorization. In the case of present drama it is a rather comfortable 24 months starting October 2024, so there's room for weeks or months sick leave and adjusted workload next, if she does not stay away more than say 6 or 9 months - time to make a baby and hopefully heal to new self!

3/ Some genuine well wishers got dragged into the mess and wrote things that can harm the one they really want to support. Those (not you) who suggest she should leave China... She has her family there, her pets, she was proud to represent her country as Olympic torch bearer in May.
Those who attack "the system", c-ent, people who were not even named in her "first and final statement" to explain her condition,....those who use the story to attack China.

If it goes on like reported on Baidu that the fandom "demanded" etc, she may end up blacklisted because branded as troublemaker, for her vociferous "support"troops who witch hunt to expose people "suspected". She may have forgotten the names and anyway she admits there was no proof, and the wounds go all the way back to her school days.

I can relate, as I have in my close family a young man, exactly one month older than ZLS who went through a similar school experience when he was 7 years old. Asked to stand on a chair in front of classmates, to be shamed, organized by a teacher !! Bullied through shared pictures on phones, mocking him. Not even in China. He was high potential as documented by IQ test. He got suppressed (jealousy, inadequacy from the teacher who did not accept that he saw her many mistakes - her spelling was awful and she also got facts taught wrong..) After that horror, he got anxiety, allergy bouts, asthma, nightmares, poor sleep despite melatonin supplements, loss of hair!... School authorities were notified but did not react. No proof.
Expatriation was double edged : he feels uprooted and had trouble socializing although he works tolerably well in a hi tech company. He hates reading and writing, but likes sciences, IT, and walks or bikes alone, photographing wildlife or meteorological scenes. He has his own likes of course, and it is him who needs to "live and fight" on, not others do it for him now or forever... He can't have a pet, because of his asthma reactions to cats and dogs hair, and now, no time. But revenge is not our spiel.

Here, the drama she was working on, is unfinished. The crew is ready to wait a reasonable time but certainly not longer than shooting authorization.
ZLS starting to improve shows she can and hopes to get back on her feet as soon as possible. The healing process will go alongside and be boosted by getting back to do what she likes and what was planned , without Netizens interfering and criticizing her every step and work. Right now, she really needs peace and no back firing witch hunts, of course.

I rest my case. Fine by me to be elevated to her spokesperson by you lol. Thanks. My minute of glory !! I like LuSi very much but I don't want to get sleep deprived either thinking about her plight. I got angry about the delusional suggestions I read these days.... but she is not a martyr. Just someone who made me happy when I watched her dramas, movies, stage appearances for music or other shows : I love her guzheng playing and like her songbird-like singing so many songs. Her care about stray animals was admirable and you can see her pets (and her temporary charges on behalf of the shelter) love her too. It is good to see she has caring friends and ex co-stars who also send their well wishes. She will overcome!

OK now, "over and out".

Dilireba also performed in other galas featuring Uighur songs and dance. Such as here beginning 2024 (several appearances from timestamp 0:44, 3:55, and towards end.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK3SSoaaMLo I am not sure it was this one or another in which she was unfortunately injured (dance looks easy, but it's possible to twist an ankle).

See how rumors start with a post like yours...... No, she did NOT suffer a stroke AT HOME, and her manager now did NOT beat her for 2 hours prior. She suffered a very serious collapse on set, with serious side effects : aphasia and such weakness that she needed medical attention for a few days in hospital before being sent home for extended time to recover, since she still needs help getting up and has trouble eating on her own without encouragement.

You ought to read up on strokes, they are caused by hemorrhage in the brain ; some can be operated on to reduce swelling, some can't and need a LONG time to subside, effects are aphasia (which can linger or be cured through more or less lengthy speech therapy), memory loss, confusion, full or partial paralysis, all the way to the dreaded "lock-in syndrome" where the patient can't communicate ever after, when they are confined to chair and bed but NOT in "vegetative state" where there is no consciousness.

She has not been diagnosed with a stroke, but what is a serious breakdown, which can evoke for those who speak without knowledge, a stroke : aphasia for a while, weakness that evokes paralysis but is akin to what some people experience after a serious injury and/or oxygen deprivation (she needed oxygen on her way to hospital). People who suffered covid also needed oxygen, btw... But this was not due to a virus, but a state of general and escalating weakness like burnout patients, with mental and physical triggers.

In her case, it seems she suffered escalating anxiety for years.

I totally understand what it means, because a neighbor's son once rang to summon me for help for his mom who had such an attack, not the first time.. My neighbor had reasons for her anxiety, which was treated with meds just like ZLS did for years. Personally I have also had all the symptoms ZLS experienced too, although triggers were different. I know I was lucky not to let that mental state "get me", But I was not being hounded and shamed like poor ZLS was.

This is the last leg and most powerful : the shaming and denigration the actress suffered relentlessly from the "water army" of Netizens with an agenda to harm her career and her person. The first spark started with shaming and "beatings" at school before she even started her acting career. Probably bamboo ruler raps by rigid teachers, but perhaps worse like my son experienced : he got ordered to stand on a chair in the classroom while the teacher organized the shaming, Cultural revolution torture style. And that was not even in China! I withdrew him from that school, signaled the events to school authorities who did not react, had him change schools, country, language and system. He overcame more or less, but still has nightmares, allergies and asthma attacks which look unrelated although in fact probably originated with the trauma he suffered which may seem far back in the past and minor, but is a real mental wound.

Another shaming and "beating" (apparently a hard slap by a drunken person in authority who "apologized" to her parents while at the same time accusing the girl of "disobedience") happened in 2019 according to the present statement of another of her friends with whom she was sharing rooms at the time when she was not yet known. (Her "breakthrough" as an actress was with The Romance of Tiger and Rose, which apparently was not admired by the person who initiated ZLS career -- but he was not party to that shaming and slapping incident, and if he was not warm and friendly with her, the two made up their differences later and dragging him into "the mess" is probably unjust to him now. Let him be. Don't cause him to sue her...)

So, what the spokesperson who conveys "LuSi's first and final statement" said (which remains vague as to who exactly caused the first triggers were), is totally believable. Unfortunately, since many well wishers wanted to rise up in arms on the witch hunt to drag those who triggered her way back : they also do more harm than good now, adding worries and perhaps not so well meaning wishes of recovering through retirement.

What she needs is indeed peace, no more rumors, no wars over her, no using her as a tool to attack c-ent and China.

The real culprits are the formless and difficult to weed out jealous and deluded haters who relentlessly attacked her on the Net for years now. ZLS several times asked her fans to "not spread rumors"... There are laws in China against slander and those IP which get spotted face shutdown and further action; several lawsuits were made and she won. But it's a drop in the ocean of the "water army" which can't be shut away as easily as with a "virtual Great Wall" against negative influences from abroad.

So if you really hope she will recover : stop commenting negatively on her condition, appearance, face, weight, etc. Give her space and time and perhaps she can bounce back sooner rather than later and decide what she wants for her life, do what she loves, regale us again with her infectious smiles.

I thought I wrote this in answer to a commenter on another drama page who started spreading false rumors that she had understood from "hearsay" (wondering why it popped up here)... but in fact I realized this person was here and now closed that jem account. [edit: the account vanished for unknown reason, and the message above too. So I am sorry I got too blunt below as if it had been yet another account that pops up from people who mean to harm. Iruffled a fellow member of MDL by over reacting like follows ] Well, this sums up what I think right now.

"Dear Jem4202, the best way to act for her real fans is not to rise in arms and target anyone. Let her have the space, time, and peace to recover without adding new worries. She is in a diminished state now but has a family, friends, and the company that is employing her is not opposed to extended leave, not scrambling to look for AI face replacement or erasing her work from credits. They are not prime culprits, those who are, are the "water army" of "Netizens" who looked for a target to bring down a successful actress.

You can't help her speak, walk, heal, advocate, get legal help. This is not the way to help her or any sick person in her state that you are not very close to. She will do what's needed if given space and time.

She is not targeting her present company, unlike what some misguided fans of her do.

The traumas she suffered had triggers that go far back and she couldn't get those sued then (no proof) so had to "swallow the bitterness" like many do. It might have been sufficiently scarred over if the online attacks had not inflated to unbearable.

The real culprits are like the many headed Hydra of legends, and more hidden behind their keyboards; there are laws in China to weed out those whose IP get spotted, and there have been lawsuits that were won for her. Not enough surely, but the government and system are not at fault : it is those black hearted Netizens, sometimes posing as fans who "want to say she can stop her career take a 5 year hiatus", who are. They want her dead, physically or virtually. What her friends and team do : weed out messages, signal identified accounts to local authorities to silence them or take further action, shield her from watching the tsunami of hostility, is the only way.

Just send warm well wishes, that is good and enough. Don't add comments on her state and what she "ought to do" and what you of course can't do for her.

You personally have no cause to "worry about her getting to work" : well ordered charity begins at home, take care of yourself and those close to you, if you want to go further, take a degree in something (medical, teaching, engineering...) and work in disaster and war zones to help the anonymous people who need help. Look at the homeless in your streets and find ways to get them back on their feet through being elected and do community work, not throwing money or words around randomly."

thanks, I downloaded it from the (actually same link) that I mentioned in answer to Cherryamber yesterday after having sleuthed a bit on YT :)
Will watch it at ease very soon!