Nepeta 22

Well I'm on only episode 3 and cannot understand why there is so much music playing non-stop in the background. It's so loud, in some scenes I can barely hear any dialogue.

I also notice that everytime the camera is on ML, a wind machine is going on and it looks out of place in scenes when he's indoors where there is minimal wind to get those flyaway hairs to move. I get one or two scenes to indicate swashbuckling ML, but here, it's excessive and devalues his character. I'm thinking instead, does he need all the help he can get?

It doesn't work like that. She had a break-out role whether that is luck or not and the role suited her to the max. Guo Jing Ming has a knack of creating heat for new up-coming actors as seen with Tian Jia-Rui, Yan An & Cheng Lei. That role had opened doors for her. This is no different to other actors that may have been in the background and then thrust into the limelight like Gong Jun or others that suddenly got fame from a BL type role.

The rest is now to see how the public likes them (which seems to be going well so far) and whether they can gather more recognition for their acting.

This will be arguably her first main role if you discount Serendipity which showed her poor crying in the acting department. I have seen her in Romance In the Alley & Parallel World and she faded into the background in those roles. These new roles will hopefully see her grow more and branch out of her comfort zone of playing soft, quiet and meek characters. She has the package. it's whether her acting can be more varied. If so, she could have a good career.

I might be in the minority, but I loved the other 2 arcs too. It's true that each arc can almost be a stand alone drama in itself. I would try and see how you feel.

The first arc feels more moody and stylised which makes Cheng Lei smoulder in his role which is a bonus for Cheng Lei fans.

Second arc is more a mature relationship, but also very touching and emotional.

The third couple is more dramatic and like a soap opera. The FL is strong character and a bit insensitive. Brash if you want to be more direct and honest. ML is more meek and bookish. I liked the story but some didn't.

OK, maybe I have got too cynical over time.. I agree that some of these netizens and international fandom are going wild themselves. It's true that some of these elements are picked up on dramatic dramas!

But I find it interesting they don't make much noise when similar police statements are read out (almost every week) when they punish netizens that slander 'live' stars. The statement reads pretty much similar, only the subject is of live actors being talked about. A shame they can't see that it's just the same way of delivery and same way of naming and shaming.

Thanks for that. I missed that part of the conversation. It's good to know that part of the story is closed off. He was instrumental in the last arc in this drama. Plus, he saved her when she was much younger so it's nice to know he has been a silent protector in the background. It would be a shame if she was unable to see him again.

Someone asked why poor Alan Yu's passing was not even mentioned originally. Only to then post this attention grabbing headline using words like "authority". The statement is by the police and a police matter. Quite rightly, questionable images and lies need to be investigated, and in this case resulted in 3 arrests. Those that choose to believe these stories as fact can do so but don't have a go at those that choose to sit on the bench or even disagree with the dodgy looking source.

This is classic dog whistle politics and not an accident. The article and MDL are singing to the portion of viewers they know will pounce on this. It will bring out those that are already anti-China in general. Then ones that are not so clued up on how the Chinese entertainment industry works.

Rational people who follow these matters closely keep an open mind rather than believe questionable (world of AI and doctoring of images) images being put out. It's not as if many are unaware in today's world, the online community is subjected to plenty of deep-fakes from people who have the know-how on doing this. Even in China, many netizens partake in this activity inside the entertainment industry, already overusing filters.

It would have been nice if MDL originally put out a notice of Alan Yu's passing instead of now using his death to try and generate hate and whip up conflict in an already sad death.

Well, I only saw it here saying it's from a web novel. Yes, it feels very original and if someone said it was original script, I'd believe it. Many of the web novels are fast becoming quite predictable.

They did not put any emphasis on interiors of Qin Yu & Madam Tong's houses. It's nothing like the 1990s, more 2010! So distracting.

I would say the early parts, I really liked the hair and clothing more and it looked really rich and well researched. When they moved to Shanghai part, visuals weren't as appealing to me, but the storyline does start to pick up half way and I think for someone who has not read the novel, the drama stands up and looks pretty original and not at all predicable like some other similar dramas that suffer from dragginess.

This drama has plenty of drama to keep going but most of all, the FL stays true to her principles and refuses to sway for others. It's a hard role to play since the lead actress had to play a far younger version of herself in the early parts and I think she did very well.

I agree with much of what you wrote if we are talking about likeability and audiences being able to resonate with the FL in the last arc. This goes with continuity and the feel of the whole drama. So yes, the last couple seemed to not fit with the rest of the drama. I said elsewhere before it felt like another drama altogether.

I have a feeling that the last couple is work-in-progress, because it's very close to home for China today. Corruption and the return of greed and success through individual instead of team-work is very much still part of the culture there, and in the last 15-20 years, that type of thinking is still quite dominant.

In a recently aired drama "This Thriving Land", the audiences were more softer or sympathetic towards those that wanted to better themselves rather than look at a bigger and wider picture, and some were even critical of one of the characters joining the communist party as causing harm to their own family line. It's becoming a balancing act. Maybe, in this drama, they started to try and change the narrative in a half hearted way, and resulted in a couple that on paper would not be a match. Who knows. But I liked it because it was realistic and it also reminds us, we cannot always compartmentise everything into neat presentable boxes.

If any of you are not able to watch on Youtube Youku app, try the link below on this one. I can watch on this channel. The episodes can sometimes be a bit messed up, but generally it works for me.

https://www.youtube.com/@TV_SeriesSHOW

Agree with you on that. Was a page turner and as you say neat ending. Gotta say, as a drama on female empowerment and business, I prefer this drama much more than Flourished Peony. I hope more get to watch this. Loved and hated in equal measures all the characters (a compliment to all the actors in their roles). It will linger with me for a while, especially the music!

I was thinking that as well. I reckon he would have found a way of surviving as it seemed he sort of knew what was going on himself. I hope someone who has read the novel could shed some light on that as well.

From what I can see, the special pill was only guarded by FL and no one else, so with her out of the way, they no longer could pursue it. Although the KMT was in charge of the city at the time, they saw no threat from them especially without Xia Yuan meddling. I am imagining, she would write a letter to him from HK and they would eventually unite. Hope!

OK, last comment to you here. An opinion - labelled a hater. We don't all live in some echo chamber that refuses to be open to other opinions. And the word hater is often abused and mis-used on this forum. If only some would respect that word more, rather than use it as their only weapon.

I never said anything about not OK to post about reservation figures. I am merely stating (an opinion) these figures are really for some bragging rights for the platforms.

In my opinion, they don't always transpire to anything. Milestones keep getting smashed. Cheng Yi's latest wuxia drama smashed those milestones with reservations, which means other dramas that don't meet 2 million in reservations will just look a bit mundane nowadays. I think that's not healthy or a great barometer of success.

These reservations are just local bragging rights and in reality may never transpire to anything. In China, Drama, This Thriving Land had hardly any behind the scenes (little crumbs and cakes for in the circle fandom) or promotion and even less about reservations. In the end, it's the viewing figures that counts. Heat indexes are easily abused as any chatter positive and negative generates heat so it's for dramas to insert quick fix outlandish scenes, kissing scenes and some out-of-character silliness which will cause discussion, shares and even anger, so that is also not a natural barometer of success.

OK, I get your point. Yes some people never change but even how small, some do. But, I am not trying to claim FL in the 3rd couple would, but for that moment she had moved on and as in life, nothing is static. People evolve, people change.

No problem. I couldn't tell the difference between Teochew or Hokkien to be honest. I only know a variant of Hakka as in that dialect there are many versions depending on which areas in China. Very confusing!

No problem, I respect your opinions on that. But, if people don't change, all around the world, the prison service would be a bit of a waste of time. The idea is some (not all) will learn from past mistakes.

This type of drama is really for their domestic audience who will more or less know the backdrop of each timeline roughly. I am almost certain had Cheng Lei or Jelly Lin not been involved in this drama, there will have been no English Subs or very delayed by roughly a few months after it had aired.

I disagree with your analysis on the 3rd couple. I felt the whole point in the drama was to show couples with very different backgrounds could against all odds be together.

1st couple, an upright FL, well educated, has travelled abroad and from a prominent family background against someone who was brought up without blood parents, but brought up under the wings of someone involved in shady dealings all his life. Someone that witnesses violence, involved in violence and even possibly involved in murders. They couldn't be more different.

2nd couple, an intellectual brought up in the times where the KMT was prominent and very much part of the old establishment of intellectuals that enjoy some of the trappings of being part of a respected family in Shanghai. She is not even self aware of that. It is only when she's suddenly finding herself living amongst new political establishment she is often looking out of place and head still in another world whilst the "do-ers" are trying to look busy rolling up their sleeves acting like their life's work is to act like the best purist and being a jobsworth at every corner.

She is lucky at that time to be meeting ML whose tempo matches hers, but he also has a job to do that seems bigger than any ordinary job. It is his position and job that nearly cost him the love. So, in a sense, they were not meant to be together on paper, but the drama did a good job showing us the reality is in fact, most prominent communists were prized students that rebelled against the establishment a few decades before, and many will have studied in places like Japan or Europe and ironically influenced by a western ideal as communism which is very radical for China in a short period of their history. Their backgrounds do align, but because of their age and previous marriages, there is still some stigma of women being able to move on after even being widowed.

The 3rd couple is an interesting one. It is the ML, who rested on his old friend who helped in during hard times. But he didn't protest too much even though he was aware of his friend's shady dealings. You could say, he looked the other way. So it is not at all shocking to see him trying to save his girlfriend from being caught (bag swap incident). This tells us, even though it was pretty corrupt and anything goes in that era of massive expansion, many including the ML chose to look the other way.

It was only when he couldn't take it they broke up. FL, she had too much pride, she knew she did wrong but couldn't deal with where she got to. This 3rd couple is possibly the most ambitious couple because they look like completely opposites in background and ideals, but truth is, there are many couples that are like them. I know a few and they are still together, so it's good to try and show relationships that don't look like they will attract each other but somehow they do. All the close living and through their growth in the early days were what bond them and they didn't realise it at the time, they both enjoyed it a lot but never realised it until they were apart.