Nepeta 22

And I didn't like to write that out to be honest. But it really feels like that and the reason I cannot continue. The male characters seem to just get their girls with minimal work and just do, no questions or reason.

On another post here, I said I personally don't believe the script writer is all at fault but also the director. It really feels out of touch and worse still a drama trying to trivialise some of the things inside the industry. It's tropey and sadly, both FL roles I feel were put in there because they are considered a national beauty in China and they just want to insert their little fantasy on these characters written as idealistic, and slightly desperate in a nice way but never in a grabby way. This to me feels like their little wet dream...😎

I'm here for the second female lead Xia Meng & up and coming equally talented Zhang Kang Le, as I have been following her career since City of the city. She's very talented but still quite young. FL is young too but in China in the past some of these actresses had roles in their teens too.

My main concern is whether the young actresses are supported well if they get casted so young. Many historic dramas centres around late teens so from time to time young actresses do get casted. Luckily, this is fewer and fewer nowadays.

You care? If you care you should be rallying the industry and those that seek this. Not the actress. You have no proof she or her parents 'bought' their daughter the role.. It's not as if she's the first actress that starts so young, and she won't be the last.

This simple connection excuse? How comes I never see this levelled for Zhang Ruo Yan or Arthur Chen. Fact is you are swayed by a clear hate campaign to influence certain touch points that are meant to make female audiences feel anger or repulsed.

Look deeper and you'll see the old patriarchy thinking influencing and creeping in. Could you be used? Your comment should be about the industry. Not the actress or her parents. It's a bit like blaming rape victims for looking too pretty or wearing clothes that may entice? Conveniently ignoring the fact that the industry still prefer to see young female characters that fall for much older men. She would be the one aggressively chasing whilst the older male is written to look like he's confused and just there. Forbidden Love anyone?

That's how to put the blame on women and young girls.

I don't know who to blame but I'm a little shocked as the screen writer did a great job on Born to be Alive, so I feel the problem lies with the actual story itself, not so much the scripts.

The women characters are passive and too innocent in my view. Their families stay and don't move with their daughters. I find that too unrealistic. Even in the 90s, most parents know the dangers of young women going completely blind to another city is high risk.

The men are stock characters where they are written deliberately in a way to expect some form of growth. This is obvious due to their backgrounds and family problems, but whether they make it or not they get the girl but with minimal effort.

I'm no longer watching a drama made from old men from another era living out their wet dreams, writing female characters this way... but I cannot agree with your comments on Footprints of Change.

She played an educated doctor coming back to a traditional setting but she did not fold. She stood up for herself. And if you have watched her in Les Belle, she played a feisty young woman trapped in the confines of ancient China. I distinctly remember some viewers felt she was too feisty and labelled her nasty!

We all don't know and the title carries the word dream so it all could be a dream. We all know dreams can be anything. I was told the drama has been changed from the novel. In the novel she dies in her original time line. So let's see how it goes.

I couldn't continue but keep going back to this page as I'm still curious. After reading your comments I'm getting more frustrated seeing what you wrote. Perhaps the title of live up to your youth is not live up to your dreams? The whole drama is a roundabout way of seeing young hope disintegrate, but once it's passed, they all smile at how they all once were, and none really made it. Including ML? Anyway, it didn't live up to my expectations of it...

I came in with no expectations but was blown away by the details, the care and love of each and every character. It's seldom seen in dramas that tackle mature relationships and their children. Couple that with a 1970s background, it's so well researched. It's a drama that readily uses real named politicians, name drops the news agencies and actively comments on past political changes of the time. Unafraid to put clearly what was going on in China during the 1970s that sometimes have devastating consequences and long-term life changes for some families. It's subtle and told in a matter of fact way, so never over dramatic or trying to push home a point.

I applaud the makers for managing to create an upbeat community that feels very real and you really do feel you have transported back and you root and cry for every character. I recommend it if you enjoyed dramas like The Bond or Romance in the Alley and even This Thriving Land as I believe the same people are behind this production.

It's very unfortunate that international viewers cannot see this readily. I believe, if it had more eyes on this. There would be a lot of discussions on topics covered and more will learn about the era in China that is typically not covered enough.

Sorry, I can never agree with you on your Xia Zi Yu analysis. She will always forever be the FL's best friend from Lighter and Princess!

I'm close to pausing it too. I'll give it two more episodes tomorrow to see. I don't normally whinge that much but this drama has irritated me. I paused Dream of Golden Years for this so it's a bit ironic.😅

I hear you...I feel it's not going to tone down which is my main worry. The drama has all the potential but I feel this focusing on the hostel flat mates is the least appealing part of the drama. The ladies in the hostel are the only normal people there. I almost cringe when I see them trying to link Ran ran with that musician. I'm not convinced with their relationship which makes it worse. She deserves better 😅

I think these hostel characters are written in so they can tell their individual stories one by one as the drama unfolds, but I think they're written badly and the so-called camaraderie seems too superficial and amateurish. I can't take any of them seriously.

I'm currently watching Wonderful Times and it's so beautifully written and acted by all the actors. Well researched and the bond between factory workers feel more believable and raw. Here, it feels like a send up and I don't think it's supposed to be like that. 😉

Yes he is paired with Zhang Ruonan.

Compare them, that's natural. I haven't watched Dazzling Days but have been watching Dream of Golden Years. That drama works because the music, the feel good factor and the FL with her mother bonding makes the drama extra sweet.

This drama is disjointed. The hostel people don't work and the humour is forced. I feel the director has got it all wrong. All the hostel characters are stock characters with no depth.
Bai Yu doesn't look or feel natural. His acting seems forced and most of the time he is overacting like he's performing for a theatre with his loud and often shouty demeanor.

His relationship with FL also feels like he's a big baby and she's the adult in the room. The female characters are the normal ones. Very often you feel sorry for them being lumbered with juvenile male characters.

I was expecting a bit more from the industry stuff but far too much has been focused on the hostel goings on. Lin Yun's character is very interesting but I feel they don't want to delve deep into her situation. If they do it's going to be so late on in the drama. Not sure I can hold on anymore if they fill it up with more on the painter and that musician!

I agree. They are to be honest all bizarrely written. I think they're meant to change but the attempt to make them appear silly and funny at the same time doesn't work. The humour just doesn't work. I feel that's the weakest part of this drama.

On episode 7 and they're still around and annoying as ever I'm afraid. The attempt to make them appear funny is also not working for me. I too hope he moves out as well...

Most of Chinese dramas put priority on domestic audiences because the money made through other areas still is in China, so international audiences need to bear that in mind, but I'm not surprised this drama would not be their top on the list.

Sometimes it's to do with the CP, since that tends to be the main attraction. The other one would be if the adaptation came from a well received novel.

A bit ironic since the ML is an inspiring script writer at a time when web novels were at its very beginnings, and you can see, the industry was very closed and insular and not at all interested in outsiders trying their luck in the industry.

Part of this drama is a sort of tribute to the Beijing charm of yesteryear. The joint directors are old hands in this industry.

Here, it's more nostalgia trying not to go too deep into the darker side of the industry hence a family warm feel. I like it myself. It's giving hope but not too much negatives. It all depends what people are looking for. It's not a realistic gritty sort of drama so expect a bit of rose tinting...

It's good to see comments like yours, and I'm seeing more similar comments. Young actors/actresses that get better resources do end up in these types of projects, as it's good for their growth and career. But for these types of dramas, they have the ability to attract more fandom type viewers in and some get pleasantly surprised by some of the past prejudices of these types of dramas.

I'm only on episode 9 so can only go on from where I am at. I hear it's a very dense novel packed with a lot of episodes. It's good on the visuals department in wardrobe and sets etc but I think areas where they chose to cut on I felt should have been the areas viewers wanted to see more of, like how it was done. How she defeated her cousin, their family, the police procedural stuff, especially during the 1980s, but that was all skimmed which felt like all the tension build up felt a bit flat afterwards.

The romance aspect was ok at the beginning but as they mature, there doesn't seem to be more details of how they live and interact. Suddenly she's cosy with his family. There doesn't seem to be flow on how they arrived at that, even if they skip years, usually the first few minutes may focus on these bits to help viewers to feel where we are in her life.

I hope the story calms down a little and start to focus more on her mother or her uncle and his family and of course ML's life and family. As for her toxic extended family, no doubt they'll rear their ugly heads again.

Her winning all the time is fine for me, and I don't think it's a Mary Sue character as she is working on a cheat sheet. Quite insightful and of course through the eyes of the author we get to see what they really think of that time and its boom period.