Good Grief

I agree about the weight-for-height ratio; they're very thin and unhealthy. But...what hypocrisy! If the actors have slightly darker skin, do they use makeup to make them look lighter, or do they rub their faces to remove the color? How much money do the Chinese spend on skin whitening? Unfortunately, that's the beauty stereotype in China: tall, fair-skinned, and thin, but until now, they've never said anything about it.

If we had more Chairman Jin Ping looking actors acting in lead roles, China entertainment as we know it would be doomed 😂😂😂 Imagine Xi-looking actors walking the China Met Gala😂😂😂 No paparazzi would take photos only state media would be there😂😂😂

If you want to live in a system where one corrupt f*ck decides for the whole country how they should look, act, live, talk, and exist - then China is a good place for you.

CCP started their crack down on effeminate men in 2022. They worried about foreign influences (like S.Korea) shaping desirable image for younger generation. They also wanted to address military readiness; physical fitness of young men, and, last but not least low birth rates and weakening of traditional family structures. After decades of draconian one child policy they suddenly wanted women to have more children.
In September 2021 smack during peak of COVID, China’s media regulator—the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA)—released guidelines aimed at reshaping entertainment content. These included:
Banning portrayals of so-called “niangpao” (effeminate men)
Promoting “correct aesthetics” and “masculine” role models
Encouraging content that reflects traditional, patriotic, and disciplined male images
And demonstrate “Healthy” gender norms, national strength and traditional values.
The last thing they worry about is weight and health of the actors. It is not about makeup, they want dramas to serve CCP ideology.
They also wanted more control over celebrity “culture” and fans . Now think back to when cdramas started to deteriorate in quality.

There has not been a genuinely (ancient) historical C-drama for quite a while, since any attempt to depict real events or historical figures tends to run into censorship. What we now call a historical C-drama is essentially a modern fairy tale, with no real claim to realism. To single out one supposedly unrealistic element among the many is simply ridiculous.

This thread shows how differently people are reading the situation.

Yes, the industry created this environment, platforms, traffic metrics, casting based on “face value,” all of it. So the irony of them now calling for more substance is real.

But that doesn’t make the call itself wrong. If anything, it highlights a shift that’s been building for years. Compare older dramas to many recent ones: production quality went up, but storytelling often got diluted. More polish, less weight.

And this isn’t about one actor or one drama. It just becomes more visible when a high-profile project draws attention and scrutiny. It’s also not about banning visuals or idol dramas, people clearly enjoy them. The issue is when visuals start carrying the entire narrative, and even define what gets called a “masterpiece.”

Story and aesthetics were never meant to compete. They’re supposed to work together.
So yes, the system created the problem. But acknowledging it isn’t the problem, it’s the starting point.

At the end of the day, it’s about balance. When both storytelling and visuals are strong, that’s when a drama actually lasts. Of course, some might say it’s just entertainment, but that doesn’t change the larger patterns at play.

Not really. Dramas come in all sorts. Fluffy, Romance, Slice of Life, Tearjerkers, etc. She's doing press for her Drama, so I guess she has to talk about it?

I'm pretty sure you are GYJ's faithful fan as you never missed commenting on her stuffs.

lol..what an adult reply

Stop the hate/bullying...ffs

Regarding her portrayal of Byeon Eun Ah, she said, "I thought a lot about how to effectively convey the nuances of her inner world, focusing on details like subtle glances, the rhythm of her speech, and the intonation at the end of her sentences. Since she is a character with a lot of blank space, I tried to firmly fill that space."

I love reading intelligent interviews from actors, especially when they understand the characteristics their character should portray, I am looking forward to your nuanced acting go Youn Jung, I know you will deliver, lets gooooo.......

Doesn't he represent the estate of that murdered songstress? His cut of her royalties should be enough to cover all expenses for many years.

Right!!! They made a big deal of needing his mom's assets for him to open his firm. How is he paying that off doing pro bono work for ghosts🤣

First off, why shouldn't the English man be portrayed in a very positive light? Maybe you need to understand 3 things.

1) FACT: In the mid 1500s PORTUGUESE came with their "Black Ships" to trade & brought CATHOLICS to convert Japanese to Christianity. This is AFTER England removed itself from Rome and established the Church of ENGLAND, a Protestant religion. There is NO historical account of English trying to "COLONIZE" Japan during this Era.

2) This is based on a NOVEL by the same title: SHOGUN.
This version differs from the novel, in that it is Japanese-centric instead of centered around the main character in the Novel, John Blackthrone, an English pilot on a Dutch vessel that, 'fictionally' discovered the route that the Portuguese took to get to Japan.

3) This is based on historical FACT of the establishment of the 1600s Tokugawa Shogunate in Edo. You can research it.

In 1600, an English sailor, Wm. Adams & a Dutchman, Jan Joosten came to Japan & disclosed to the Japanese about the conflicts between Protestant and Portuguese & Spanish Catholics. The man who would be Shogun took a liking to them and TRUSTED what they told him... It's this information that lead to the Shogun eventually PERSECUTING Christians, then banning Catholicism completely and begin it's ISOLATIONIST FOREIGN POLICY until the Japanese Meiji Era.

So, YEAH, they WOULD portray an ENGLISHMAN in a good light for this drama.

I honestly do not understand this new false historical outlook to justify racism.

congrats on winning your first ever Emmy, and the first Emmy ever for a Japanese actress, for your role in Shogun!