Wrenne

That's very true and I'm from one of those countries - attacked by Japan and with unspeakable horrors done to our citizens. And it's not a competition between who was worse or who deserves ongoing sanction.

ZZH is obviously not the only Chinese actor with foreign fans, but in a situation where it's his patriotism that is being called into question, overseas support isn't going to work in his favour.

Actors in favour become shining examples of Chinese youth and attract fans for that reason.

The other thing, of course, is that many fans may not be truly aware of how judgemental authorities can be on almost a whim. I was reading only the other day about a foreign journalist who is in trouble because of the way they reported on the floods in Henan.

Other countries have moved on but China still seems ruled by fearful old men who don't know any other way to keep their population in line other than with jingoistic patriotism that is constantly reinforced with underlying menace.

And considering ZZH has been careless enough to post a number of suspect photos over recent years, I'm sure they already had an eye on him. The absolute rejection by state media of his apology was the full stop on his career.

Thanks. I don't think I'm ready to put my brain back into that universe just yet. But I am very interested to see the Priest that people are such fans of because from the drama adaptions I've seen (three of them now), I've mainly been struck by the repetitive tropes rather than the writing. I'm beginning to think that she's not an author that suits dramatic adaptation because her works may be more about the words than the actions. I recently saw someone make a similar statement about movies adapted from the works of Hemingway.

I am somewhat heartened by the fact the book is better than the drama because I couldn't finish the drama. We kept being told that the screenwriter was a big fan of Priest and the novel so I assumed the novel was as repetitive and convoluted as the drama. But I need a translation to read any of the novels so I'm just left confused.

It's kind of sad when people can describe war crimes, the massacre, rape and oppression of millions of people in a country as something petty while ignoring the deeply felt and ongoing misery of those affected. Feelings on these issues are never petty whatever the theatre of war. We really aren't learning from history are we? It may not be our pain but it's real for those who are outraged and upset. It's not our place to keep saying that they are over reacting.

If nothing else this whole incident is a reminder to international fans that we often slip into thinking that the Chinese entertainment world operates under rules that we expect or understand. There are very definite boundaries to what public figures, in particular, must be seen to operate within. And it is the people, and authorities within that system that determine when someone has over stepped the line.

I know people are trying to make sense of things but it really only makes sense within the society that has reacted very badly to the news and the photos. The fact that the photos are not recent may only add to the reaction because it becomes evidence that he may have been 'disloyal' for longer than people imagined.

It's also unlikely than anyone other than those close to him, and maybe some of those in the photos, have any idea if he has any political leanings or sympathies within Japan. Fans should love and support him, but minimising what he's done or saying he hasn't done anything wrong seems to undermine his apology and his stated commitment to his homeland.

I guess so. While we certainly have national pride in my country, it isn't taken to the extent that you see in countries like China or the USA. Stepping out of line when it comes to national fervour is dangerous and China seems to be a place where going after people is commonplace.

I will be surprised if his career can really recover.

I don't understand what Gong Jun has to do with any of this. They were costars but this situation has nothing to do with the drama or Gong Jun. What does he need protection from - just knowing ZZH?

I understand fans are very upset but this whole situation is bigger than just fandom, and it's sad that in their rush to protect and support ZZH many fans are downplaying and almost ignoring the real cultural minefield that he's stepped in.

That's interesting because I don't agree that it's all down to homophobia. For me it was the acting. I just wasn't convinced that there was anything more to what was going on between them than what was written in the script. They just didn't convince me as actors which was really disappointing. But I know that I'm one of a small minority of people who still wonder what it would have been like with actors of a higher calibre.

I'm really fascinated by your comment because I would use much of what you said to describe my reaction to Word of Honor which I had to give up because I found myself falling asleep in the episodes because I just wasn't engaged by the story or the characters or the endless repetition in the talky dialogue. I wish I could understand what excited people about it, but I can't. So I do understand how we all react differently.

So much. A tunnel full of smoke but no masks or breathing devices. No oxygen for any of the victims. There was a fire, were there any toxic fumes?

There were so many things in that first episode that were so frustrating and disappointing I knew I couldn't keep going.

And then towards the end we had a scene with the FL and she had a cup of bubble tea, that she was complaining about - but the whole time it was impossible to drown out the sound of her crinkling the wrapper in a really awkward scene.

And all the time I kept thinking that viewers said the first couple of episodes were good and then it god bad. But it just wasn't good to begin with and I was looking forward to firefighter Gong Jun.

I couldn't believe the fire and rescue were on the way to the disaster and then they got an update and someone said 'drive faster'. So they were leisurely making their way to rescue people?

Just watched the first episode and it was much worse than I was expecting, especially from the trailer. And I see people commenting that it goes downhill from there?

The script is pretty awful, FL is very unsympathetic and charmless. The attention to detail in the fire and rescue was frustratingly inept and the hospital was just a white room where doctors and nurses spent their time gossiping.

The lack of budget was clear in how white ALL the internal sets were - in the hospital, the fire station (what was that corridor outside the office?), even the rooms of the fireman. Surely it wouldn't have cost too much to make it look like they were filming in different places.

I really enjoyed You Are My Hero, especially the way it started with all that action, tension, and how realistic it felt. TFH seems to be written with so little attention to detail for firefighters or doctors.

I just feel sorry for Gong Jun and Zhang Hui Wen they both deserve much better than this drama.

Your explanation about 'the dark arts' is fascinating because if I'm so bored with a drama that I have to fast forward or skip ahead, I stop watching it. How do I know if I've missed an important plot point, if I'm not watching all the scenes? No wonder people wax lyrical about some dramas when they only watch the scenes with the characters they want to see. But the reviews of the drama are then NOT about the drama just about the bits they liked.

How can you say you watched all the eps of a drama as per MDL review stats, when you really only watched bits of most of all the episodes?

Thank you. I hope the novels are a better experience because one of the things that put me off in the first few episodes of Word of Honor was how WKX was a smug stalky harasser who keep pushing inside ZZS's personal space even though he was being clearly rebuffed.

And I did ask fans about it and the answer was that ZZS really wanted it but wouldn't say. That seemed like a predatory justification for continuing to push his attentions. And then within a few eps he was saying they were soulmates which just gave me creepy vibes about men who won't take no for an answer.

I guess this might have been different if there was some indication in asides that ZZS was interested but holding himself back but he was such a blank slate that I couldn't buy in to this being mutual flirting just because I was expecting that to be the end game.

This always fascinates me. I see people lauding Priest from all angles and yet having watched all three of those adaptions I just become increasingly convinced that I can't understand why people enjoy her works, especially if Word of Honor is the best adaption. Is it just the drama adaptions that make her works so repeatedly tropey (hidden identity, treasure hunt, MC morally wounded etc etc) and so talky, talky? I couldn't finish Word of Honor because I was so bored and unengaged by the acting and the story.

I'm guessing the verbosity of the dialogue works best in the novel format but in a visual medium, why do the characters spend so much time telling us how it is rather than showing? Maybe there's an intricacy to the text that has yet to find an appropriately talented script writer to bring it to life.

I have gone into all three of the dramas with no pre-knowledge of the book or the story, so my reactions are based totally on what I've seen on screen. Guardian was a mess saved almost totally by the lead performances. I watched Legend of Fei for Wang Yibo but actually developed affection for the characters as it went along. Though in the end I was really only invested in the fate of Xie Yun.

I know a lot of the those excited about the dramas haven't read any Priest novels, so I really appreciate the insight of someone who has and is a fan to put things in better perspective.

I might have misunderstood your comment. On this site, only this account. I don't have multiple accounts on any sites, but they may not all have the same email address when I registered.

only 1 I think you've mistaken me for someone else