""The Legend of Tianyun Mountain" is a film directed by Chinese director Xie Jin in 1980. It is adapted from Lu Yanzhou's novel "The Mountain is Red with Cuckoos". It is a film that reflects on the "anti-rightist" movement. At that time, it aroused widespread and strong social repercussions. The film won the 1981 Chinese Film "Golden Rooster Award" for Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Art Award, and the "Popular Film" "Hundred Flowers Award" for Best Feature Film.
Synopsis : In the early 1950s, Song Wei and Feng Qinglan, who had just graduated from school, joined the Tianyun Mountain expedition team. At that time, Luo Qun took over Wu Yao's position and served as the political commissar of the expedition team. The inspection work was lively and lively, and Song Wei and Luo Qun truly fell in love with each other. In 1957, Song Wei was transferred to the Party School to study. In the subsequent anti-rightist movement, Wu Yao, the leader of the movement, first classified Luo Qun as a rightist and sent him back to the countryside to supervise labor. Song Wei was forced to draw a clear line with Luo Qun and marry Wu Yao. One day, Feng Qinglan suddenly came to Luo Qun, willing to be a teacher there, and fell deeply in love with Luo Qun while getting along. Luo Qun was seriously ill, and Feng Jinglan dragged him to his residence with difficulty in the wind and snow. Soon they got married. During the Cultural Revolution, Luo Qun was criticized and Feng Qinglan was tortured to death in order to protect his manuscripts. Wu Yao was later re-employed as deputy secretary of the prefectural committee and director of organization, but he ignored Luo Qun's unjust case, and Song Wei had a sharp conflict with him. Luo Qun's rightist mistakes were finally corrected, but Feng Qinglan passed away due to illness. Both Luo Qun and Song Wei came to Feng's cemetery to mourn silently" (tr from YouTube presentation)
The cc option gives the running commentary of the director to the movie in English version : "... This play is a serious drama,.."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yADSY-0chyk&t=2737s "The Red Detachment of Women (Simplified: 红色娘子军, Traditional: 紅色孃子軍, Pinyin: hóngsèniángzijūn) is a 1961 film. It is set in the 1930s and involves two peasant women who go into class warfare" Colors on this recording are not very good, but there are English subtitles.
Watch also The Red Detachment of Women : the 1970 Chinese filmed performance of Chinese ballet which premiered in 1964 which was made one of the Eight Model Operas which dominated the national stage during the Cultural Revolution. Breath taking choreography packed with spectacular feats. Directors: Fu Jie, Wenzhan Pan Cast: Liu Qingtang, Xue Jinghua, Wan Qiwu, Ching-hua Ching, Sing Siang Lo, Cheng-xiang Li, Li Xinying, Chu Sha, Song Chen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoKNw1BDgIw&t=2772s (1h41) The recording is somewhat blurry, but still watchable. The Ballet is still performed at times on major scenes, in China and abroad (Melbourne, Helsinki : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbMt0I7EuwA (3'06) etc) and the music has also been included in concerts.
I agree with Krish728 and with most of what you wrote.
But I felt different about the clothes: in the beginning, Ji Xing was just a techie not interested in fashion, therefore overly made up when she asked Tu Xiaomeng for help in her first "business meeting". Also, not rich since she put all her money into savings in view of her purchase of an apartment. Later, the need for purchasing an apartment became secondary (especially when she went to live with Han Ting) She had more money to spend on clothes and makeup, and lessons in fashion and bags from Lili paid off to change her techie/college girl/would-be decent "matron" sense of uniform. Therefore the appearance of branded bags for her start rather late in the drama, and that's realistic. Zeng Di and Lili were much richer and successful in business before Ji Xing started to change her appearance : that's also why Lili could afford dropping fashion purchases and instead lend Ji Xing a hefty sum in the 3d printer scam episode. The pricey Valextra bag was a gift from XYX to Lili : I wondered if Lili had returned it when she broke up with that wealthy boyfriend....
Otherwise, I also enjoyed the drama, although I counted a few more antagonists that you did :Zhu Lei of Guanghua+ Zhang Fengmei's husband....
About the latter, there was a mirror to the "superman effect" that you noted, so I would say that was a "supergirl" one, when she recklessly went to the digs of Zhang Fengmei to persuade her, and next, started filming the husband beating the bed ridden wife, confronting him (without alerting the police) and finally rushed amidst obstacles and down concrete stairs in ... high heels!! Even though Ji Xing was petite, I can't believe she did not have more practical running shoes somewhere, and could not have thought to use those instead of coming like a fashion model in a rather run-down and possibly dangerous neighborhood... Same as the mattress oddity in the kidnapping episode, Han Ting and reinforcement appeared just too coincidentally, to save her from having her remaining brains bashed in by the brick (which ZFM husband kept carrying like a prize, while she was in the stairs right before him, an easy target to throw at. Why he did so is also beyond me)
It's true that despite Han Ting stayed infatuated with Ji Xing since college because of her ideas vibing same as his, her idealism, and because of her love of cats (in fact, that's the part where Seven was least convincing: she clearly is not a great friend of felines - she is a dog person), all that was not convincing enough for me to see him overlook her widely different views on life and love. Logically, he should have been disappointed long before the "name dropping and teaching her a lesson" episode (that scene was one of the best acted!). He should logically have broken the spell from the moment she ran away to avoid him, long before she started rummaging into his safe in search of "damning evidence", proof that her conception of love and trust were rather flimsy.
Han Ting was too good to be believable, to stay in love with her, when surely, such a good looking specimen must be coveted by other females, better looking and more successful. We only saw him pursued by a rather ugly actress "superstar", which was odd. Zeng Di surely looked better, but as you noted, her Gorilla glue tactics were not going to make her attractive for long, even if it was Xiao Yixiao who gifted the Gorilla lamp for Han Ting's office, and she only had a hand in the decoration of his apartment. Han Ting did not change it, so he did appreciate a little more than just her leadership for his investment in Guanghua company. I thought she must have been a first lover whom he fell out with for something like boredom or seven year itch. For all his claims that he had been too busy in Germany, he did not look like a virgin in the seducing night episode : he woke up too well rested (before Ji Xing), to tend to business discussions -in German!- over the phone while letting sweet thing rest longer. So okay, he did not lie saying he had not fallen for a German girl back then, yet guys can be so contradictory!
But... aaah, I still liked that drama enough, warts and all, with its imperfections, so same as you, I felt lenient about those flaws, and also awarded the drama a generous 9.5, hiked up from my initial 8.5 (I am now finishing the same drama that you followed up with yesterday ;-) but since I am rather tired, now, I will just leave a rating there tomorrow, and pause drama watching for some vacation).
PS. Ah, so you like Tina Turner too. I was thinking about that song as well, although I mentioned another in the comments : Can the can by Suzi Quatro. Suitably nonsensical to fit some of the actions in the drama ! although it was in answer to a typo.
Just noticed that this extra episode got filed separately. Of course, I watched it last month when it aired. A nice supplement, although not totally necessary.
I had already added the kids in the Companion piece to the main drama, which I made over the past weeks, housed in discussion section of the main drama page. The kids are the only "new characters" here, and just for a few glimpses. But the concept as a whole, starting in the middle, going to end, and recycling back to beginning, was rather nicely carried out. Falling leaves return to their roots, as the Chinese saying goes.
Nevertheless, since we saw the small kids, there was a sense of something missing : so odd, that there was no further mention even in kaleidoscopic pictures of that new generation, no diploma to be proud of, no visit with possible grandchildren... (Did they die in an accident ???) The extra episode was focusing too much on the couple as if the world did not exist, and as if their company was led by others once they got married. Therefore, just 9/10 for the pretty nutshell.
Good to know you like it that much. I'm not through with it yet 😂 I don't mind tragic ends so either way, HE or not, I don't think it'll faze me to dislike the drama. Up till now, I am pleased enough, despite some discrepancies I feel about the logic in some details.
WORST ACTOR IN WORST ACTING ROLE YET: IMO, this Ryan Ren is the WORST Chinese actor with a very bad character-maniacal…
" Jiangshi fiction, revolving around the hopping vampire or zombie, is a subgenre of Chinese horror. A staple genre of Hong Kong cinema, jiangshi films blend horror with elements of comedy." Among the very first Chinese movies were blood sucking ghost ones, and China does not lack horror stories of various realms of Hell, both in traditional folklore and folk religion, depicted in temples such as in Fengdu ghost city, or in old Chinese operas like Mudan Ting.
The vampire story from Transylvania is a myth created by an Irish novelist called Bram Stoker, although the vampire theme goes back a little to a lesser known friend of Lord Byron, Mary Shelley and her husband. But that Vampyre was Greek, so the roots actually go back there to Greek mythology, where the goddesses were less blood thirsty than intent on turning men into pigs, or plain statues.
Nowhere does it say that Shen traveled to Transylvania or was infected by a traveling Transylvanian vampire ?
But I don't doubt that various influences may have tinged original writer's story, including the modern western vampire stories since the Lestat and Keanu Reeve's take on Dracula, rather than the ancient 1922 silent Nosferatu .
Although this has become somewhat dubious in light of newthought, I still remain a long time aficionado of that show here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYZOFZrghqE (knowing most of those songs by heart! so I am among those who know what to expect and to chant in the interactive shows and movie version nights!) and that iconic movie : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLY0cgXcMVw (ball scene) They remain cult-following items, like other favorites such as 1994 Interview with the vampire (a clip here of the child one : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIm8HfwnmVE) which will be perhaps even better remembered than the youth stories of Twilight that comes to mind for most, when they think of Western vampires now. I still like the expressionist 1932 take of Danish Carl Theodor Dreyer on the theme : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAE3mBkes-g (interesting, that this psychological story is from another Irish author, Sheridan Le Fanu, also author of another classic vampire story : Carmilla)
Cheers for the vampire stories wherever they inspire new ones!
Now about RR. I think his character is meant to embody the atrocities committed by invaders and their henchmen in the 1930-1940s in China, so it is right to hate the character. The story is supposedly set in 1937 Shanghai. Not a place where justice reigned, it was rather famous also for bloodthirsty gangs like the Green Gang, much contributing to Shanghai's reputation as the vice capital of the world, also with the foreign concessions who wanted to keep their claws in the trades there.
I am behind in watching, catching up, now at episode 10, but I came with a positive bias and still like the drama, the snow and gloom, and theatrical vampire "who does not hunt for human blood and sticks to chicken!" Also thinking the doctor must be the lost bro, although why so shy to admit it (suppose that will come to light later). Quite amused by the monomaniacal antagonist Li , and by finding Maggie Huang in another Jin xiaojie character (the other one was the brothelhouse/informants center owner in A Journey to Love): from the moment I spotted her, I thought hmm she reminds me of.... of course!
(I had not studied the cast before, just jumping in with no more bias than "I usually like horror/vampire stories, and this will be a nice change from business or costume dramas". So I let myself be surprised and sometimes delighted by the characters - including Ouyang Nana whom I already remembered from Secret Fruit and... -other dramas? Tang Jingmei (Miss Mu) I remember as playing “herself” in Meteor Garden 2017, “poison lady” in new Sword&Fairy 1, Li Dai (SFL competing with Yang Mi who was the FL ambitious lawyer vying to become partner in the law firm with "glass ceiling" against females) in She and Her Perfect Husband . Actually this is also only second Vengo Gao drama I watched. Happy to add another actor -and more- into my "interesting ones" list, now. )
Since I started, I went back to start of comments to find data about when this one was shot (from October 2021 to January 2022 - it was very much anticipated by a crowd but postponed many times, causing speculations as to why ? theme? contents? something/someone potentially offensive? Or just usual tardiness from platform, which also famously delayed airing for The Oath of Love for years? I skimmed the long Tumblr post (https://ashesforfoxes.tumblr.com/post/666095634 ) about the story. But not too attentively, so as not to be too spoiled or expecting. I also tried the early links to novel (but they drew 401) and despite noticing the link to https://www.kanunu8.com/book5/ruyue/ for the Chinese e-novel (pointed to by Haveninmuse in Discussions) I decided to just forge ahead and have a look at comments later. The one by Berbox (https://kisskh.at/707003-ru-yue#comment-1) made me laugh. The Peachey Blossoms snippets look interesting, but I watched only two before thinking I'd better watch the whole drama and not be stopped by those previews at my stage of watching.
Wondering when the reference to the troubled 1937 time will be more explicit. The tumblr post announced the setting as Shanghai French concession, and the antagonists being henchmen of the Japanese invaders, but it is not that clear in the first episodes (despite some sets have been reused from other dramas set in that period).
I liked the dropped reference to and interpretation of plight of Zhu Yingtai in the Butterfly Lover story when Shen took Mi Lan to enjoy a snippet of Chinese opera. Not sure all audience caught that: it's one of those Chinese culture references that get dropped in some dramas to vibe with audiences of Chinese world but which other culture audiences may find cryptic without explanation (like the one about that "calf" mention in the interview mentioned by favblanket (https://kisskh.at/707003-ru-yue#comment-1). Perhaps all these things should be pinned into a suitable Discussion so as not to be buried under the avalanche of comments about likes and feelings of many for characters, disconnected from these cultural references.
The three (cursed?) families mentioned in the opening, the arrival (pedestrian wise by train) of the Mu witch and her Lightning fast henchmen ; the (psychopomp?) raven depicted as something else by the mysterious "seer" who gifted to/imposed it on Shen: these bring in fantasy elements to widen the scope.
So, that was my comments pause part-ways before going back to this tangled story. I sure like the leads. But I have the feeling that the logic in script is sometimes lacking - or I did not understand it yet - but the drama' has got an addictive feeling nonetheless.
I kinda understand what GWG means by " The original script initially did not limit Shen Zhiheng as a character.…
That scene (the ice bath) puzzled me for two or three reasons.
Where did he get the neat ice cubes from?
How come Mi Lan could not sense him when she could "smell" his scent as he was standing still far away in the first episodes?
Why did not he warn her simply to stay out of the bathroom because he was busy there, instead of "playing dead" and just watching her explore the bathroom with her stick and hands?
I thought perhaps it was in order to insert a "sweet scene" but no, it was staying on the dad-adopted daughter line despite the show off kiss (not sure why she kissed then? Had she bitten her tongue to make it bleed so the vampire could get some needed blood?)...
Now, I think I have squeezed out all the blood for that cup, and can "nail the coffin" to be buried in the next Snowfall 😅 Thanks again and cheers for your n-th re-watch of ABAY!
Let's do a Profile for Songyun or Xu Kai next time. I need more digging and pointers to gold veins, into their different fandom, to extract the good lore (she's a dog person, he's a cat one, so that's really different) and to dispel the toxic mist about the vampire girl he once met who tried to squeeze blood out of him... "ego eum absolvo a peccatis" if any, from my Vatt'ghern seat in deep space. Looking at my golden-eye dusk-dream colored cat daemon, who winks cryptically 😅.)
NO thanks....... I have NO hate for any actor/actress (except, on reflection, mild disgust for the one who sits behind bars, not worth mentioning name and deed -iykyk)
Indeed. I think that the name was cooked up when she still thought she could have it all : her company + a spouse…
It's a lovely one. I have trouble to unglue myself and dive unrestrained into the vampire story in suitably gloomy republican era 😁 Despite my own self imposed August 4 deadline which I've gone beyond (well, I had stated August 5 at the latest : so, if I count Hawaii time, I am still not liable for penalty 😁) I will probably come back once in a while to double check for mistypes and of course add (I hope) many more spots in the Top Ten of weeks to come.
I do have a question for you. Going back to our brief convo a long while ago in this comments thread : did XK sing ? Do you have the link for it if he did, so I could add it as link to "he can sing" instead of the previous song you mentioned then ? I unfortunately did not copy the links then, so would have to wade through hundreds of posts to get back to it, but perhaps you have that handy ?
Champion of what??? Did lyfs2 air on Hunan TV as well???I also think that promo is helpful to sustain hype .They…
I was betting "The Tale of Rose" would endure, when I started watching it and began my other Companion piece for it (including an LGX profile because the actor will likely be more seldom seen while he engages in doctoral studies) ; I am pleased to record in relevant section its 8th week in the top ten (4 times as #1) .
I hope "As Beautiful As You" will also remain a favorite. I had started on it just for entertainment, since I watched many of Seven's dramas with pleasure before (without exploring her fandom yet), and had excellent memories of a handful of Amber Eye's works (I still have quite a few more now in my tbw list...). But I was hooked enough, and particularly so after Chang He showered the pixiu in tea (not sure that using gongfu cha thus is very good for luck!!) and realizing how much of Qingdao was used there. So, I began, a bit belatedly, to compile my newest Companion piece, for ABAY. The section recording weekly score will of course be maintained as I do and did for other dramas I "drank ink" for. (After all, the Stars story is also about the merits of brushing up with foreign education like in the phrase : 喝过洋墨水的人有丰富的知识 (Hē guò yáng mòshuǐ de rén yǒu fēngfù de zhīshì / People who have studied abroad have a wealth of knowledge.) 😁
Greetings from deep space and I wish all here continued pleasure in drama watching, while moving on to other times and places.
It's not too complicated to navigate through the cross links between sections and subsections, using the "Table of contents" device. Anyone interested is welcome to comment and add info if they like ! 😁
If 40 eps. is too much, you can watch Wonderland of Love with just the scenes with the ml and fl. The last five…
Thanks for recoms! If I wasn't wrapped up now in Snowfall (it's hot here so... thoughtfully licking my strawberry flavored ice cream..... ) I'd swiftly click to watch the one I missed there. 😁
No ml didn't claim to have feeling for the fl, they were friends and had a business relationship, they slept together…
Yes, I think the strong reactions to the story are indeed one reason it still is so successful and even coming back as #1 watched this past week in China. But... it's just a drama, not a blueprint for real life behavior, which is often whimsical and depending on many outside factors, even weather !! It is well played and I have enjoyed it enough to re-watch it twice, while building the Companion piece in Discussion section which is now, chabuduo, complete 😁
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""The Legend of Tianyun Mountain" is a film directed by Chinese director Xie Jin in 1980. It is adapted from Lu Yanzhou's novel "The Mountain is Red with Cuckoos". It is a film that reflects on the "anti-rightist" movement. At that time, it aroused widespread and strong social repercussions. The film won the 1981 Chinese Film "Golden Rooster Award" for Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Art Award, and the "Popular Film" "Hundred Flowers Award" for Best Feature Film.
Synopsis : In the early 1950s, Song Wei and Feng Qinglan, who had just graduated from school, joined the Tianyun Mountain expedition team. At that time, Luo Qun took over Wu Yao's position and served as the political commissar of the expedition team. The inspection work was lively and lively, and Song Wei and Luo Qun truly fell in love with each other. In 1957, Song Wei was transferred to the Party School to study. In the subsequent anti-rightist movement, Wu Yao, the leader of the movement, first classified Luo Qun as a rightist and sent him back to the countryside to supervise labor. Song Wei was forced to draw a clear line with Luo Qun and marry Wu Yao. One day, Feng Qinglan suddenly came to Luo Qun, willing to be a teacher there, and fell deeply in love with Luo Qun while getting along. Luo Qun was seriously ill, and Feng Jinglan dragged him to his residence with difficulty in the wind and snow. Soon they got married. During the Cultural Revolution, Luo Qun was criticized and Feng Qinglan was tortured to death in order to protect his manuscripts. Wu Yao was later re-employed as deputy secretary of the prefectural committee and director of organization, but he ignored Luo Qun's unjust case, and Song Wei had a sharp conflict with him. Luo Qun's rightist mistakes were finally corrected, but Feng Qinglan passed away due to illness. Both Luo Qun and Song Wei came to Feng's cemetery to mourn silently" (tr from YouTube presentation)
The cc option gives the running commentary of the director to the movie in English version : "... This play is a serious drama,.."
"The Red Detachment of Women (Simplified: 红色娘子军, Traditional: 紅色孃子軍, Pinyin: hóngsèniángzijūn) is a 1961 film. It is set in the 1930s and involves two peasant women who go into class warfare" Colors on this recording are not very good, but there are English subtitles.
Watch also The Red Detachment of Women : the 1970 Chinese filmed performance of Chinese ballet which premiered in 1964 which was made one of the Eight Model Operas which dominated the national stage during the Cultural Revolution. Breath taking choreography packed with spectacular feats. Directors: Fu Jie, Wenzhan Pan
Cast: Liu Qingtang, Xue Jinghua, Wan Qiwu, Ching-hua Ching, Sing Siang Lo, Cheng-xiang Li, Li Xinying, Chu Sha, Song Chen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoKNw1BDgIw&t=2772s (1h41)
The recording is somewhat blurry, but still watchable.
The Ballet is still performed at times on major scenes, in China and abroad (Melbourne, Helsinki : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbMt0I7EuwA (3'06) etc) and the music has also been included in concerts.
But I felt different about the clothes: in the beginning, Ji Xing was just a techie not interested in fashion, therefore overly made up when she asked Tu Xiaomeng for help in her first "business meeting". Also, not rich since she put all her money into savings in view of her purchase of an apartment.
Later, the need for purchasing an apartment became secondary (especially when she went to live with Han Ting) She had more money to spend on clothes and makeup, and lessons in fashion and bags from Lili paid off to change her techie/college girl/would-be decent "matron" sense of uniform. Therefore the appearance of branded bags for her start rather late in the drama, and that's realistic.
Zeng Di and Lili were much richer and successful in business before Ji Xing started to change her appearance : that's also why Lili could afford dropping fashion purchases and instead lend Ji Xing a hefty sum in the 3d printer scam episode. The pricey Valextra bag was a gift from XYX to Lili : I wondered if Lili had returned it when she broke up with that wealthy boyfriend....
Otherwise, I also enjoyed the drama, although I counted a few more antagonists that you did :Zhu Lei of Guanghua+ Zhang Fengmei's husband....
About the latter, there was a mirror to the "superman effect" that you noted, so I would say that was a "supergirl" one, when she recklessly went to the digs of Zhang Fengmei to persuade her, and next, started filming the husband beating the bed ridden wife, confronting him (without alerting the police) and finally rushed amidst obstacles and down concrete stairs in ... high heels!! Even though Ji Xing was petite, I can't believe she did not have more practical running shoes somewhere, and could not have thought to use those instead of coming like a fashion model in a rather run-down and possibly dangerous neighborhood...
Same as the mattress oddity in the kidnapping episode, Han Ting and reinforcement appeared just too coincidentally, to save her from having her remaining brains bashed in by the brick (which ZFM husband kept carrying like a prize, while she was in the stairs right before him, an easy target to throw at. Why he did so is also beyond me)
It's true that despite Han Ting stayed infatuated with Ji Xing since college because of her ideas vibing same as his, her idealism, and because of her love of cats (in fact, that's the part where Seven was least convincing: she clearly is not a great friend of felines - she is a dog person), all that was not convincing enough for me to see him overlook her widely different views on life and love. Logically, he should have been disappointed long before the "name dropping and teaching her a lesson" episode (that scene was one of the best acted!). He should logically have broken the spell from the moment she ran away to avoid him, long before she started rummaging into his safe in search of "damning evidence", proof that her conception of love and trust were rather flimsy.
Han Ting was too good to be believable, to stay in love with her, when surely, such a good looking specimen must be coveted by other females, better looking and more successful. We only saw him pursued by a rather ugly actress "superstar", which was odd. Zeng Di surely looked better, but as you noted, her Gorilla glue tactics were not going to make her attractive for long, even if it was Xiao Yixiao who gifted the Gorilla lamp for Han Ting's office, and she only had a hand in the decoration of his apartment. Han Ting did not change it, so he did appreciate a little more than just her leadership for his investment in Guanghua company. I thought she must have been a first lover whom he fell out with for something like boredom or seven year itch. For all his claims that he had been too busy in Germany, he did not look like a virgin in the seducing night episode : he woke up too well rested (before Ji Xing), to tend to business discussions -in German!- over the phone while letting sweet thing rest longer. So okay, he did not lie saying he had not fallen for a German girl back then, yet guys can be so contradictory!
But... aaah, I still liked that drama enough, warts and all, with its imperfections, so same as you, I felt lenient about those flaws, and also awarded the drama a generous 9.5, hiked up from my initial 8.5
(I am now finishing the same drama that you followed up with yesterday ;-) but since I am rather tired, now, I will just leave a rating there tomorrow, and pause drama watching for some vacation).
PS. Ah, so you like Tina Turner too. I was thinking about that song as well, although I mentioned another in the comments : Can the can by Suzi Quatro. Suitably nonsensical to fit some of the actions in the drama ! although it was in answer to a typo.
I had already added the kids in the Companion piece to the main drama, which I made over the past weeks, housed in discussion section of the main drama page. The kids are the only "new characters" here, and just for a few glimpses.
But the concept as a whole, starting in the middle, going to end, and recycling back to beginning, was rather nicely carried out. Falling leaves return to their roots, as the Chinese saying goes.
Nevertheless, since we saw the small kids, there was a sense of something missing : so odd, that there was no further mention even in kaleidoscopic pictures of that new generation, no diploma to be proud of, no visit with possible grandchildren... (Did they die in an accident ???) The extra episode was focusing too much on the couple as if the world did not exist, and as if their company was led by others once they got married. Therefore, just 9/10 for the pretty nutshell.
I don't mind tragic ends so either way, HE or not, I don't think it'll faze me to dislike the drama. Up till now, I am pleased enough, despite some discrepancies I feel about the logic in some details.
The vampire story from Transylvania is a myth created by an Irish novelist called Bram Stoker, although the vampire theme goes back a little to a lesser known friend of Lord Byron, Mary Shelley and her husband. But that Vampyre was Greek, so the roots actually go back there to Greek mythology, where the goddesses were less blood thirsty than intent on turning men into pigs, or plain statues.
Nowhere does it say that Shen traveled to Transylvania or was infected by a traveling Transylvanian vampire ?
But I don't doubt that various influences may have tinged original writer's story, including the modern western vampire stories since the Lestat and Keanu Reeve's take on Dracula, rather than the ancient 1922 silent Nosferatu .
Although this has become somewhat dubious in light of newthought, I still remain a long time aficionado of that show here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYZOFZrghqE (knowing most of those songs by heart! so I am among those who know what to expect and to chant in the interactive shows and movie version nights!) and that iconic movie : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLY0cgXcMVw (ball scene) They remain cult-following items, like other favorites such as 1994 Interview with the vampire (a clip here of the child one : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIm8HfwnmVE) which will be perhaps even better remembered than the youth stories of Twilight that comes to mind for most, when they think of Western vampires now. I still like the expressionist 1932 take of Danish Carl Theodor Dreyer on the theme : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAE3mBkes-g (interesting, that this psychological story is from another Irish author, Sheridan Le Fanu, also author of another classic vampire story : Carmilla)
Cheers for the vampire stories wherever they inspire new ones!
Now about RR. I think his character is meant to embody the atrocities committed by invaders and their henchmen in the 1930-1940s in China, so it is right to hate the character. The story is supposedly set in 1937 Shanghai. Not a place where justice reigned, it was rather famous also for bloodthirsty gangs like the Green Gang, much contributing to Shanghai's reputation as the vice capital of the world, also with the foreign concessions who wanted to keep their claws in the trades there.
https://i.mydramalist.com/dmbDb_3f.jpg (Haidong city);
https://i.mydramalist.com/4lXlw_3f.jpg https://kisskh.at/photos/wB1BA_3 https://i.mydramalist.com/2wkjQO_3f.jpg (vengo as Shen) ;
https://i.mydramalist.com/60N0Vp_3f.jpg https://kisskh.at/photos/BdNdoR_3 https://kisskh.at/photos/2wk0Ad_3 (ouyang nana as Mi Lan) ;
https://i.mydramalist.com/QJPvYW_3f.jpg (Shen and Mi Lan) ;
https://kisskh.at/photos/rNgDD2_3 (Li, Miss Jin, Situ) ;
https://i.mydramalist.com/jPx4z_3f.jpg (Miss Mu) ;
https://i.mydramalist.com/E5QXym_3f.jpg (Superintendent Chi) ;
https://kisskh.at/photos/60Km8j_3 (timetable)
https://i.mydramalist.com/XdOo0J_3f.jpg (3 male leads, 23000 heat on Tencent),
https://i.mydramalist.com/1w8223_3f.jpg (15 million views)
https://i.mydramalist.com/60KkwP_3f.jpg (Special mission of star)
https://i.mydramalist.com/jQg3mJ_3f.jpg (Black and white brothers)
https://i.mydramalist.com/jQxoVJ_3f.jpg (City)
https://i.mydramalist.com/wJz7Qg_3f.jpg (promise)
(I had not studied the cast before, just jumping in with no more bias than "I usually like horror/vampire stories, and this will be a nice change from business or costume dramas". So I let myself be surprised and sometimes delighted by the characters - including Ouyang Nana whom I already remembered from Secret Fruit and... -other dramas? Tang Jingmei (Miss Mu) I remember as playing “herself” in Meteor Garden 2017, “poison lady” in new Sword&Fairy 1, Li Dai (SFL competing with Yang Mi who was the FL ambitious lawyer vying to become partner in the law firm with "glass ceiling" against females) in She and Her Perfect Husband . Actually this is also only second Vengo Gao drama I watched. Happy to add another actor -and more- into my "interesting ones" list, now. )
Since I started, I went back to start of comments to find data about when this one was shot (from October 2021 to January 2022 - it was very much anticipated by a crowd but postponed many times, causing speculations as to why ? theme? contents? something/someone potentially offensive? Or just usual tardiness from platform, which also famously delayed airing for The Oath of Love for years? I skimmed the long Tumblr post (https://ashesforfoxes.tumblr.com/post/666095634 ) about the story. But not too attentively, so as not to be too spoiled or expecting. I also tried the early links to novel (but they drew 401) and despite noticing the link to https://www.kanunu8.com/book5/ruyue/ for the Chinese e-novel (pointed to by Haveninmuse in Discussions) I decided to just forge ahead and have a look at comments later. The one by Berbox (https://kisskh.at/707003-ru-yue#comment-1) made me laugh. The Peachey Blossoms snippets look interesting, but I watched only two before thinking I'd better watch the whole drama and not be stopped by those previews at my stage of watching.
Wondering when the reference to the troubled 1937 time will be more explicit. The tumblr post announced the setting as Shanghai French concession, and the antagonists being henchmen of the Japanese invaders, but it is not that clear in the first episodes (despite some sets have been reused from other dramas set in that period).
I liked the dropped reference to and interpretation of plight of Zhu Yingtai in the Butterfly Lover story when Shen took Mi Lan to enjoy a snippet of Chinese opera. Not sure all audience caught that: it's one of those Chinese culture references that get dropped in some dramas to vibe with audiences of Chinese world but which other culture audiences may find cryptic without explanation (like the one about that "calf" mention in the interview mentioned by favblanket (https://kisskh.at/707003-ru-yue#comment-1). Perhaps all these things should be pinned into a suitable Discussion so as not to be buried under the avalanche of comments about likes and feelings of many for characters, disconnected from these cultural references.
The three (cursed?) families mentioned in the opening, the arrival (pedestrian wise by train) of the Mu witch and her Lightning fast henchmen ; the (psychopomp?) raven depicted as something else by the mysterious "seer" who gifted to/imposed it on Shen: these bring in fantasy elements to widen the scope.
So, that was my comments pause part-ways before going back to this tangled story. I sure like the leads. But I have the feeling that the logic in script is sometimes lacking - or I did not understand it yet - but the drama' has got an addictive feeling nonetheless.
Where did he get the neat ice cubes from?
How come Mi Lan could not sense him when she could "smell" his scent as he was standing still far away in the first episodes?
Why did not he warn her simply to stay out of the bathroom because he was busy there, instead of "playing dead" and just watching her explore the bathroom with her stick and hands?
I thought perhaps it was in order to insert a "sweet scene" but no, it was staying on the dad-adopted daughter line despite the show off kiss (not sure why she kissed then? Had she bitten her tongue to make it bleed so the vampire could get some needed blood?)...
https://kisskh.at/discussions/as-beautiful-as-you/128207-companion-piece-places-characters-songs-and-more?pid=3099947&page=1#p3099947
and since I also had been scrolling down as far as could to find the interesting tidbit I remembered, I found it.
Also some singing, and of course the nice song with A'Lan, whose stage performances and recordings I've been following for a few years, liking her Chinese version of the song from Red Cliff https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc7Mr2oseP8, her take on the Sally Yeh song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ibv36hANfTc , her Tibetan mantra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LStBIUEUOrM , her song Love of Nature [did we hear Alaso???!! almost, it's Ai la so...🤣] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYgJWeg__08 etc etc)
So, I added those XK songs in the relevant subsection :
https://kisskh.at/discussions/as-beautiful-as-you/128207-companion-piece-places-characters-songs-and-more?pid=3103893&page=1#p3103893
Now, I think I have squeezed out all the blood for that cup, and can "nail the coffin" to be buried in the next Snowfall 😅
Thanks again and cheers for your n-th re-watch of ABAY!
Let's do a Profile for Songyun or Xu Kai next time. I need more digging and pointers to gold veins, into their different fandom, to extract the good lore (she's a dog person, he's a cat one, so that's really different) and to dispel the toxic mist about the vampire girl he once met who tried to squeeze blood out of him... "ego eum absolvo a peccatis" if any, from my Vatt'ghern seat in deep space. Looking at my golden-eye dusk-dream colored cat daemon, who winks cryptically 😅.)
(except, on reflection, mild disgust for the one who sits behind bars, not worth mentioning name and deed -iykyk)
Despite my own self imposed August 4 deadline which I've gone beyond (well, I had stated August 5 at the latest : so, if I count Hawaii time, I am still not liable for penalty 😁)
I will probably come back once in a while to double check for mistypes and of course add (I hope) many more spots in the Top Ten of weeks to come.
I do have a question for you. Going back to our brief convo a long while ago in this comments thread : did XK sing ? Do you have the link for it if he did, so I could add it as link to "he can sing" instead of the previous song you mentioned then ? I unfortunately did not copy the links then, so would have to wade through hundreds of posts to get back to it, but perhaps you have that handy ?
So, as Xu Kai said, the coffin is sealed
Now... hard to decide: AMA or ABAY ? different time, different focus.
I hope "As Beautiful As You" will also remain a favorite. I had started on it just for entertainment, since I watched many of Seven's dramas with pleasure before (without exploring her fandom yet), and had excellent memories of a handful of Amber Eye's works (I still have quite a few more now in my tbw list...). But I was hooked enough, and particularly so after Chang He showered the pixiu in tea (not sure that using gongfu cha thus is very good for luck!!) and realizing how much of Qingdao was used there. So, I began, a bit belatedly, to compile my newest Companion piece, for ABAY. The section recording weekly score will of course be maintained as I do and did for other dramas I "drank ink" for. (After all, the Stars story is also about the merits of brushing up with foreign education like in the phrase : 喝过洋墨水的人有丰富的知识 (Hē guò yáng mòshuǐ de rén yǒu fēngfù de zhīshì / People who have studied abroad have a wealth of knowledge.) 😁
Greetings from deep space and I wish all here continued pleasure in drama watching, while moving on to other times and places.
https://kisskh.at/discussions/as-beautiful-as-you/128207-companion-piece-places-characters-songs-and-more
It's not too complicated to navigate through the cross links between sections and subsections, using the "Table of contents" device.
Anyone interested is welcome to comment and add info if they like ! 😁
But... it's just a drama, not a blueprint for real life behavior, which is often whimsical and depending on many outside factors, even weather !! It is well played and I have enjoyed it enough to re-watch it twice, while building the Companion piece in Discussion section which is now, chabuduo, complete 😁