Of course the letters are there to keep the interest going. There are other methods to these types of mystery…
Yes the story was strong enough without the time line stuff. I guess the letterbox story is the "love" element making it look more like a sweet romance. I must admit, when I saw the original posters, I was not expecting it to be this gritty and violent. But, I'm happy to have watched it. It's exceeded my expectations as a drama.
It's China. A country where there are no homosexuals.That's why this case will never be solved and everyone involved…
Of course there are gay people in China. Have you even been on Weibo or Chinese social media? There are numerous openly gay people posting daily? There is a difference between intolerance and illegal.
I do agree that that Yu Meng Long's case shouldn't be closed that soon, but we live in an age of AI, doxxing and altering imaging. Anything seen now, we should keep an open mind.
Story sounds good but romantic cdrama again pairing minor with adult while i do like ai mi. There alot actresses…
I don't think it's about how many other actresses that could do the role and I agree on that. It's pretty obvious from the start they wanted someone young. Plus An Mi is hot property, if not this drama, it will be another one pretty much now.
The industry had been waiting for her for at least 2 years. Don't forget, Guo Jing Ming made it acceptable by casting her with an adult love interest when she was not even 16 years old. In the past, some of the top actresses started very young too. In China they don't see this as too much of an issue, whilst age gap, in particular male actors too old is more their bug-bear.
These so-called ancient puppet stories are often about very young people and some book fans do take it literal and more often than not, older actors and actresses tend to play these parts and you get more up in arms about actors/actresses past 30 years old than someone like An Mi taking on these roles. They will see her as a perfect age to play the roles. Neo Hou also has a very youthful look so it's not about age but more about visual pairing.
Finally, in China, their dramas appeal more for their domestic audience and the international side is very small for them to re-consider changes.
The series deserves attention, I didn't feel any excitement! To be honest, all these letters that travel through…
Of course the letters are there to keep the interest going. There are other methods to these types of mystery dramas. In this drama, it's through this mysterious letter box and the letters. It's a form of bread crumbing to keep you hooked. Each time releasing just the right amount to keep you guessing/hoping. The letters could be bland or hold very little or enough info inside them, but I guess this is also part of the mystery for us as well as a viewer.
7.8 is MIGHTY on douban.Anything beyond 6.6 is considered a very good rating on douban.Only highly appreciated…
It's nothing to do with the actors. It's just a section of fandom "using" the actors as an excuse to project their inner insecurities. Very often you will see these so-called fans bossing their stars around, and even cursing them like some tiger mum.
They ride off their chosen star's success and sometimes (not all) partake in dubious activities to sabotage those they deem to threaten their chosen star which is really denting their own personal ego and not the star's ego.
In some cases, they ironically ruin the star's image without even realising because they're so consumed with rage and fear. In other words, they see the star as their project.
MDL did not update this drama. It's still showing N/A when it's already airing. Many are not aware!
It is showing as airing on my watch list. I think it stays like this (N/A) until enough rating has happened. I reckon no ratings is due to the very low viewers to this drama. I believe they need a percentage of viewers to rate per episode to get a decent average to work on. I also think many are not rating until the drama has ended. Rating per episode tends to be more popular with idol-style dramas.
How come there’s no rating for this drama? It’s so good.
I think there is not enough people watching the drama to make the ratings come up. I'm assuming there needs to be a level to pass for averages. Plus many might not be rating until the end.
I don't understand why 'propaganda' keeps getting mentioned. Maybe through the eyes of an international viewer,…
Yes, Originally I disagreed with your comment on propaganda on this drama because I don't see it that way. The communists worked on the hearts and minds of the rural areas, making changes to land reform. This portrayal looks authentic and realistic. Sorry if you decide otherwise. We agree to disagree.
They couldn't have won without the support of the common people. That does not mean they cannot make mistakes later. My post is to state that people like you try to peg China's communism into one era when we don't do that with other countries. A portion may have left then but today those that leave China are for studying but they are not claiming asylum or classed as economic migration. In ratio to China's population, statistic wise, no one would claim Chinese people are fleeing China's communism. BTW, Russia has not been communists for a long time.
Also, your term "leftist" shows your simplistic view of categorising individuals into neat boxes when life is just not like that. I didn't know LGBT is leftish. Basing it on China's form of communism, wouldn't their stance be now classed as right wing? Anyway, I'll leave it here like this. We will have to disagree with each other.
I don't understand why 'propaganda' keeps getting mentioned. Maybe through the eyes of an international viewer,…
I don't know where we are going with this. It does look like you have not seen CPC portrayal in A Love Never Lost, the recent Footprint of Change or Three-Body to name a few. Even China's most popular drama The Knock Out or The Long Night. There are numerous dramas showing the uglier side of their party.
But, as I said earlier, the period between 1960 to 1980s is the least shown because it is a very difficult subject to make into a drama. If you've watched Romance In the Alley, I would say it's a light brush into how bleak it was for those that had to ration and where it was rife where dubious people dobbed on others just for personal grudges.
You are honing on that era and there seems to be only specific to China that their whole existence is pegged to those 3 decades. We don't do that with other countries. It's almost like some cannot accept that parties move with the times and change with the times. China is a perfect example of learning from past mistakes. Unlike many other countries from what I am witnessing right now.
The "propaganda" you talked about in the drama is not unrealistic though. They had a civil war and both sides at the time were vying for others' hearts and minds. In the cities, KMT had the strong hold. It is not secret that the communists won through the farmers and smaller villages in rural areas. In War of Faith, it's probably closest to how it would have been living during that time. Communists did not win from thin air, they needed volunteers and you need to sell it to them first. This drama showed that.
I don't understand why 'propaganda' keeps getting mentioned. Maybe through the eyes of an international viewer,…
More tired than triggered. I feel compelled to start a conversation every time I see the word used. Especially since I have watched this drama and cannot see any of it at all. But, some seem to see it even though it could just be national pride and something that cannot be ignored. It's almost as if some wished no drama mentions the communist party or allow it show how it rose.
That's a personal bias, not a drama with 'propaganda' as you say. It would be better to just say, it's so rose tinted and you don't buy how nice these so-called soldiers marched in and helped others. But remember, this is adapted from a novel. It's that person's vision. You can say only nice things get published. But then again, censorship also happens in other countries. Love to see how many dramas and films and books will make a living out of making Hitler seem like he's the right side of history.
Some posters should ask themselves why the word propaganda is always assigned to China. That in itself is interesting. For instance we seldom see this for any other country, but only exclusive to China. That is not an accident. That ironically is the product of prolonged subtle propaganda via mainstream media and film.
No one sits there stating Rambo, Black Hawk Down or Avatar is brainwashing propaganda. No one says 12 Years a Slave is the classic white knight trying to paint over past embarrassing history. Just saying...
I don't understand why 'propaganda' keeps getting mentioned. Maybe through the eyes of an international viewer,…
As I mentioned in my last post, history is told by the victors. Whether it was portrayed accurately or realistically that will always be contested and argued for ever. Even today, we see this happening the world over.
My point is, some of the very recent history is still very raw for some in China. Whether that is collective trauma or how some are not ready to tell that story, I don't know how this relates to this village drama. In fact I can't really see what is termed propaganda. But I do see a bit of national pride. If you want to see a more realistic portrayal of CPC, look at 3-Body or the recently aired Footprint of Change. This drama is more about the old system before the land reforms.
It's not as if communism didn't exist. It is also not secret they made inroads in its early days through the peasant class that made up over 90% of the population at the time. In fact, this drama upheld a lot of the old feudal systems and even rose tinted some. The original novel is not even close to what's been adapted. But you are finding more interest in fringe parts of this drama, tells me some are coming here with their own biases. Just my observation.
This a nice drama. Story is very good, until the last couple episodes, when it took a nosedive into CCP propaganda.…
I don't understand why 'propaganda' keeps getting mentioned. Maybe through the eyes of an international viewer, but this is made for domestic consumption. National pride is still high because new China is still young. Also, history is always written through the victor. This is not specific to just China.
Sometimes, we should try to view another country's drama through their lens rather than our own form of internalized propagandised mind.
For me anyway, some of the best dramas I have seen have some of the lowest ratings on MDL. I guess it's subjective.…
Yes, visuals are important. Also I would have PTSD as I don't want to see Liu Yi Jun & Jelly Lin in the same room. For those that have watched Imperfect Victim will know what I mean!
(spoiler alert)The 3rd relationship might be challenging for some because both don't outwardly show affection but rather we see it more like they're like an old couple with one dominant whilst the other just accepts things. But I think this is well researched as that is a reflection of the time when women suddenly became more financially independent.
Today, the audience tends to be less interested in that aspect, and more interested in fantasy & passion. They seem to like a challenging male interest instead of an attentive doormat style ML. From that observation, I reckon they'll not enjoy it as much as the first 2 arcs.
So sad that the ratings has dropped so much. This deserves higher rating but also expected as Republican drama…
For me anyway, some of the best dramas I have seen have some of the lowest ratings on MDL. I guess it's subjective. The type of romance here may not, on the face of it sell to an average passerby. It's not dramatic, flashy or full of young hopeful lovers.
I find these types of dramas are unlikely to draw in crowds that may well come to watch dramas as a form of escapism. I have seen many comments here stating they cannot bring themselves to watch episodes that seems too painful or even close to realism. I get that. But sadly some do miss gems.
Romance in the Alley suffered from that as well. It was one of the most romantic dramas celebrating love in a nuanced and deeply emotional way. But like this drama, it's mixed with a lot of difficult characters that interfere or have dated views or have characters that may not put love first for the sake of others. This doesn't resonate with some viewers and they mark dramas down based on that, but we rate dramas emotionally.
Me too, I don't remember seeing her at all. I wonder if anyone knows too.
Oh wow, thanks for that! I knew I missed something. Yes, I remembered that bit now. That's good closure on that bit as everything seemed to fall in place. 😉
Yes I saw more of her training. elsewhere, very tiring for my eyes! The poor girl is brave to share this. I believe she had a dance background, hence the role I suppose. She looks so graceful with the arm work.
1 
I do agree that that Yu Meng Long's case shouldn't be closed that soon, but we live in an age of AI, doxxing and altering imaging. Anything seen now, we should keep an open mind.
The industry had been waiting for her for at least 2 years. Don't forget, Guo Jing Ming made it acceptable by casting her with an adult love interest when she was not even 16 years old. In the past, some of the top actresses started very young too. In China they don't see this as too much of an issue, whilst age gap, in particular male actors too old is more their bug-bear.
These so-called ancient puppet stories are often about very young people and some book fans do take it literal and more often than not, older actors and actresses tend to play these parts and you get more up in arms about actors/actresses past 30 years old than someone like An Mi taking on these roles. They will see her as a perfect age to play the roles. Neo Hou also has a very youthful look so it's not about age but more about visual pairing.
Finally, in China, their dramas appeal more for their domestic audience and the international side is very small for them to re-consider changes.
They ride off their chosen star's success and sometimes (not all) partake in dubious activities to sabotage those they deem to threaten their chosen star which is really denting their own personal ego and not the star's ego.
In some cases, they ironically ruin the star's image without even realising because they're so consumed with rage and fear. In other words, they see the star as their project.
They couldn't have won without the support of the common people. That does not mean they cannot make mistakes later. My post is to state that people like you try to peg China's communism into one era when we don't do that with other countries. A portion may have left then but today those that leave China are for studying but they are not claiming asylum or classed as economic migration. In ratio to China's population, statistic wise, no one would claim Chinese people are fleeing China's communism. BTW, Russia has not been communists for a long time.
Also, your term "leftist" shows your simplistic view of categorising individuals into neat boxes when life is just not like that. I didn't know LGBT is leftish. Basing it on China's form of communism, wouldn't their stance be now classed as right wing? Anyway, I'll leave it here like this. We will have to disagree with each other.
But, as I said earlier, the period between 1960 to 1980s is the least shown because it is a very difficult subject to make into a drama. If you've watched Romance In the Alley, I would say it's a light brush into how bleak it was for those that had to ration and where it was rife where dubious people dobbed on others just for personal grudges.
You are honing on that era and there seems to be only specific to China that their whole existence is pegged to those 3 decades. We don't do that with other countries. It's almost like some cannot accept that parties move with the times and change with the times. China is a perfect example of learning from past mistakes. Unlike many other countries from what I am witnessing right now.
The "propaganda" you talked about in the drama is not unrealistic though. They had a civil war and both sides at the time were vying for others' hearts and minds. In the cities, KMT had the strong hold. It is not secret that the communists won through the farmers and smaller villages in rural areas. In War of Faith, it's probably closest to how it would have been living during that time. Communists did not win from thin air, they needed volunteers and you need to sell it to them first. This drama showed that.
That's a personal bias, not a drama with 'propaganda' as you say. It would be better to just say, it's so rose tinted and you don't buy how nice these so-called soldiers marched in and helped others. But remember, this is adapted from a novel. It's that person's vision. You can say only nice things get published. But then again, censorship also happens in other countries. Love to see how many dramas and films and books will make a living out of making Hitler seem like he's the right side of history.
Some posters should ask themselves why the word propaganda is always assigned to China. That in itself is interesting. For instance we seldom see this for any other country, but only exclusive to China. That is not an accident. That ironically is the product of prolonged subtle propaganda via mainstream media and film.
No one sits there stating Rambo, Black Hawk Down or Avatar is brainwashing propaganda. No one says 12 Years a Slave is the classic white knight trying to paint over past embarrassing history. Just saying...
My point is, some of the very recent history is still very raw for some in China. Whether that is collective trauma or how some are not ready to tell that story, I don't know how this relates to this village drama. In fact I can't really see what is termed propaganda. But I do see a bit of national pride. If you want to see a more realistic portrayal of CPC, look at 3-Body or the recently aired Footprint of Change. This drama is more about the old system before the land reforms.
It's not as if communism didn't exist. It is also not secret they made inroads in its early days through the peasant class that made up over 90% of the population at the time. In fact, this drama upheld a lot of the old feudal systems and even rose tinted some. The original novel is not even close to what's been adapted. But you are finding more interest in fringe parts of this drama, tells me some are coming here with their own biases. Just my observation.
Sometimes, we should try to view another country's drama through their lens rather than our own form of internalized propagandised mind.
(spoiler alert)The 3rd relationship might be challenging for some because both don't outwardly show affection but rather we see it more like they're like an old couple with one dominant whilst the other just accepts things. But I think this is well researched as that is a reflection of the time when women suddenly became more financially independent.
Today, the audience tends to be less interested in that aspect, and more interested in fantasy & passion. They seem to like a challenging male interest instead of an attentive doormat style ML. From that observation, I reckon they'll not enjoy it as much as the first 2 arcs.
https://x.com/cdrama_update/status/1968318851319542035
I find these types of dramas are unlikely to draw in crowds that may well come to watch dramas as a form of escapism. I have seen many comments here stating they cannot bring themselves to watch episodes that seems too painful or even close to realism. I get that. But sadly some do miss gems.
Romance in the Alley suffered from that as well. It was one of the most romantic dramas celebrating love in a nuanced and deeply emotional way. But like this drama, it's mixed with a lot of difficult characters that interfere or have dated views or have characters that may not put love first for the sake of others. This doesn't resonate with some viewers and they mark dramas down based on that, but we rate dramas emotionally.