Hunter2022

Nah, Tencent is only the richest production company in China becoz of revenue from mobile games, Wechat, etc. So if they make more dramas (becoz they have more money) so of course they will have more hit dramas than other companies. But the AVERAGE Tencent drama is like I'm dropping them at EP5 whereas I usually don't do that with Youku nor iQiyi...

So these days, I usually don't even bother watching EP1 of a drama if I know Tencent made it, unless I heard good things about it.

That's not true Tencent produces 1 good drama for every 9 bads. What u just listed is cherry picking. These days I tend to avoid Tencent dramas like the plague unless it's something like adapting a majorly popular work like Three Body, or I read good stuff about how it performed well on NetFlix (ie. Pursuit of Jade)

WARNING SPOILERS:

I wasn't convinced with any explanations of the last episode amongst the comments.

So I got Deepseek to explain it to me, which I think is the best explanation so far:

https://kisskh.at/766289-frozen-awakening/discussions/150814-how-did-the-drama-end-spoilers

Some people are still stuck in the past where China used manual labor sweat and toil to produce goods. Wuxia thrived becoz it was a time when China was backwards in cinema technology, so they could only entertain people with Kung Fu which is the most primitive way you could entertain someone when you're still developing.

This movie made me lose respect for Wu Jing. I didn't know he hates the star of Pegasus 3 like how Jackie Chan hates Jet Li. That explains why he went out of his way to copy Pegasus where the ML adopted a non biological son.

I don't look forward to any more of his movies. Wandering Earth is/are average popcorn flicks. Wolf Warrior 2 wasn't even all that great. It only made big office becoz it was the first Chinese movie that looked like made by Hollywood big budget and special effects, not becoz it was a particularly good movie.

Troll. Welcome to my ignore list. Paid to pump stuff on MDL.

I think someone should write a forum post to explain the ending and let that be the official explanation without inciting debates...

I think the biggest mistake they made was to find someone who looked almost like Zhao Liying down to her short stature to play Chu Qiao. It would have been better to pretend they were making Star Wars which starts from EP IV, ie. Pretend PA1 did not exist, hire someone who can act like a general instead of looking like past portrayal of her!

BTW, this drama is a lot more watchable than most Tencent dramas. I wouldn't decide on watching it based on the low Douban score. There are Tencent dramas that scored much higher, but I felt like dropping them after 5 episodes, but not this drama!

In fact, these days I tend to avoid Tencent to focus on other producers like Youku, iQiyi, etc.

Having said all that, I think the biggest mistake they made was to find someone who looked almost like Zhao Liying down to her short stature to play Chu Qiao. It would have been better to pretend they were making Star Wars which started from EP IV not I, ie. Pretend PA1 did not exist, hire someone who can act like a general instead of looking like past portrayal of her!

Don't hire someone to conform to her past portrayal but rather let her have her own take on the FL character...

I'm on episode 33. I just sneaked previewed ep 40. It confused the hell out of me. Did Chu Qiao really die? The happy ending with two kids seemed like a dream sequence, so did she really die before she had kids?

Like I said I only previewed the last EP fast forwarding (will watch in full as I'm only on Ep 33). Did she survive to have kids after supposedly dieing in the MLs arms?

Just a quick question, seeing so many fans of "Mortal's Journey". Is anyone of you actually like Han Li IRL? You're the big bro. Your only other sibling is a mei mei. You watch her married off from a far distance and "never" see her again?

I don't understand how this is not PA2, they picked someone as close to a look-alike as ZLY to play Chu Qiao (nevermind her acting, she DOES look like ZLY now and then), and the story continues from end of PA1. So how is this not PA2?

PS watching tis drama with v low expectations (I only finished the first 2 eps so far). I already know the FL committed a scandal near same scale as Zheng Shuang/Fan BingBing so part of me is watching the drama just to "mock" personalities like her...

FOLKS, I HOPE YOU KNOW IGNORE WORKS BOTH WAYS ON MDL: You block someone, they also stop seeing your posts. You become a non-existent entity to them... So thanks for clearing up the forum clutter yourselves, saves me the trouble! 😂 😂 😂

After watching the kind of xianxia visual effects Youku (same company) applied to Veil of Shadows (live action drama not donghua), I'm slightly dis-enheartened by theS2 of IA.

I have never heard of a company put more budget into S2 than S1. Pretty sure like always, most of S2 budget will be used to pay the actors/actress's salaries...

It's one thing to watch and admire someone's work. Another to belittle the socio-economic status of the creators!

(Can you imagine giving monetary gift to Bill Gates/Elon Musk/"God of Money" thinking your tipping will make them feel appreciated? 😂 😂 😂 )

Imagine when Jin Yong was alive: "I love your work, here's $50!" Can you imagine how insulted/humiliated Jin Yong must have felt if you did that straight up to his face?

Don't know if there is an MDL page for that other "Whispers of Fate" (aka Shui Long Yin), but this is the Douban page for it:

https://movie.douban.com/subject/36802090/

DO YOU GUYS KNOW THERE IS ALSO ANOTHER SHOW CALLED WHISPERS OF FATE?

The title of the show is the same 3 Chinese characters as this drama and also the same name in English. The protagonist of the show is a female WATER dragon who can assume human form. The male lead is her romantic interest. Drama aired recently too!

I thinks THIS drama is a scam/false advertiser, there isn't a water dragon here let alone the "water dragon's chant!" (literal translation of the Chinese title)

(BTW, the difference between the two Whispers of Fate dramas is the other one is only 20-25 mins per episode)

I got no problem with a little friendly competition between peers in the same industry, but when you try to discredit him by imitating his kind of work (hero adopts non-biological son), it WILL not only backfire on you but shows your ugly nature to the world!

(P.S: I know that Wu Jing didn't create Blades of the Guardians IP, but it's the act of PICKING the same kind of work as your peer in order to discredit him that reveals your ugly nature to the world..)

How come in every Chinese drama, there is always a scene where the male lead grabs the female lead's neck and attempts to choke her? (Looking at you Tang Lici!)

DEEPSEEK ANSWERS:

This is an insightful observation. While not literally "every" Chinese drama includes strangulation, the trope of a male lead grabbing the female lead's neck or throat does appear with notable frequency, especially in historical, xianxia (fantasy), and revenge-focused modern dramas. This stems from several cultural and narrative factors:

1. High-Conflict Emotional Expression – In many C-dramas, particularly those with "cold" or morally gray male leads, physical confrontation (like a choke) is used to visually externalize intense internal conflict—rage, betrayal, obsessive love, or desperate protection. It's seen as dramatic shorthand for a character losing control.
2. Power Dynamics & Redemption Arcs – The act often occurs early in the story, establishing the male lead as dangerous or ruthless. Later, as he softens toward the female lead, the contrast highlights his character growth. The choke may even be repeated in a gentler, more intimate way (e.g., hand on neck during a kiss), transforming violence into possessiveness or vulnerability.
3. Censorship & Genre Constraints – Chinese media regulations heavily restrict explicit sex and extreme gore. Producers thus lean into intense physical confrontation (choking, wrist-grabbing, wall-slamming) as a permissible way to convey high-stakes intimacy, tension, or dominance without crossing into sexual content.
4. Wuxia & Martial Arts Influence – In historical or martial arts settings, throat-grabbing is a realistic combat move. If the male lead is a warrior or assassin, this action fits the genre's logic, even when the target is the romantic interest.
5. Melodramatic Tropes & Viewer Expectations – C-dramas (like Korean or Turkish dramas) often amplify conflict for emotional catharsis. For some viewers, a near-death confrontation followed by tearful reconciliation heightens the romantic payoff. It's a visceral way to show that love and hate are intertwined.

That said, this trope has received increasing criticism from modern audiences for normalizing intimate partner violence. Many recent dramas have moved away from it, replacing choking with wrist-grabbing or verbal confrontations. So you're seeing a lingering pattern, but one that is gradually fading as production standards evolve.

I SMELLED SOMETHING FISHY AFTER WATCHING PEGASUS 1 (2019):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shen_Teng

"With the success of Pegasus 2, Shen Teng edged out Wu Jing as the top-grossing actor in China, the combined revenue of his films adding up to about 33.5 billion yuan of 25 March 2024."

NO WONDER WHY "ME2" WU JING WENT AND DID A MOVIE WHERE HE ADOPTED A NON-BIOLOGICAL SON LIKE IN PEGASUS 1 -- He was trying to outdo a certain star...