Xiang83

This drama is scheduled to be released in August by IQiyi, as per this article posted on 18 July (haven't seen any other updates this far):

https://yule.360.com/detail/4281925

Miura, you could read the discussion thread I created uptop, whereby I shared 2 articles from Cnet about this drama whereby romance is not the focus. It should be helpful in terms of understanding what chinese viewers are considering, including the Director involved.

If you want to engage those who go on about Ai Mi's age and how it is inappropriate for her to act in this drama, link them to the discussion thread I created and tell them to read it. You'll notice that those who only have a specific agenda avoid the existence of that thread, because it opens a reality they are not comfortable with: Being wrong and just wanting to go on about Ai Mi being underaged and hence inappropriate.

IMHO, Huang Yang Tian Tian's acting is as palatable as many C-drama actresses that I and my friends happily skip and/or cannot finish the dramas (for example, I can never finish a Bai Lu drama but I'll watch Luo Yunxi because the guy has rather nuanced acting). In BoY, I found Ai Mi's acting more interesting than Li Hongyi. My comparisons are the HK movie stars that I am familiar with for the 90s and 2000s, and they could act very well, be it comedy or wuxia or some other genre.

"The Empress Of China" has multiple issues primarily pertaining to censorship resulting in Wu Zetian being almost whitewashed for the drama and hence several plot holes. Consort Xu becomes a scheming consort who only wants to be Empress when in reality, Consort Xu was a gentle lady refined in literary arts well-appreciated by Taizong, unlike Wu Zetian who was known as a scheming intelligent lady showing early signs of aggression and eventually becoming the First Empress of China after marrying Taizong's son Gaozong. Gaozong's portrayal relative to Wu Zetian ... Well... plot hole due to script due to censorship.

That said, the menace and danger of palace intrigues among the ladies is very masterfully done and felt, such as how envy and jealousy eventually destroys friendships. The acting from the women as Imperial ladies is stellar, and they are not one-dimensional given how they unfold as individuals with agendas. I had no trouble with the first 53 episodes, including Taizong's sons. I cried in at least three episodes because it was very touching about friendship and loyalty and several other details but then again, it's also because some of the scenarios touched on familiar values, and includes at least one old lady. The Mandarin is enough to take me back through Mandarin classes as a teenager, given multiple idioms casually used in every episode by more than one character.

Having spoken Mandarin for more than thirty years helps. also in my daily interactions utilising three languages.

A lot of the newer dramas for palace intrigues aren't as.... salty and well-woven. Since this Director is in charge, I am at ease. He can't make up for plotholes not within his ability to change, but he can do a very good job at portraying the necessary and hence I am wondering if 30 episodes is better than 28 episodes. That's where I am relying on the screenwriter to ensure the Director's vision can come true and be fulfilled by the creative team.

I was very bored and unimpressed with Neo Hou's acting in Dashing Youth, but it wasn't his fault given the script. I found myself very impressed with him in Fangs of Fortune, hence I recced the drama and his acting in that drama to another friend (all of us don't need subtitles to understand Mandarin movies or dramas, unless it is very dry such as forensics). I just hope he and Ai Mi don't feel too stressed for this drama. It's very promising, and I hope the final result delivers.

I am not fond of PDA in historical dramas, especially when it would be completely out-of-character. Carrying your lady, handholding, etc have their moments, and not over-milking or over-doing that will lead to very memorable scenes. For Coroner's Diary, the romance and build-up is realistic between Shen Wan and Yan Chi, such as the modesty from Shen Wan about hand-holding in public or kisses even on the lips.

Love On The Turquoise Land is one of the modern dramas I am interested in, where once again the story is riveting. The romance is secondary but promises to deliver on all fronts.

Thanks for your dedication to always bringing the clips!

For those who want to know more about this drama series, I have created a discussion thread titled "More details about Key to The Phoenix Heart, pertaining to the leads and Mohist Mechanism". Contents from two mandarin articles published on 15 July and 17 July have been summarised, I have added details pertaining to Mo Tzu and Mohist Mechanism. and I have also shared watchable links for the dramas described as masterpieces in the articles.

"The Prince of Han Dynasty" and "The Empress of China" were the examples raised to showcase this Director's suitable abilities when considering the demands for "Key To The Phoenix Heart".

The first season of "The Prince of Han Dynasty" is a 2001 drama of 41 episodes, can be watched here as per the official channel
: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_ANktcyCR0

"The Empress of China" is a 2014 drama of 82 episodes, can be watched here as per the official channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUDdmehiCmU&list=PLpWatZNpdyOKUZXyo8xWWsWzX71tIi93a&index=1

Ai Mi being excited for this role is very understandable, when one considers the creative team such as the director and screenwriter involved. Neo Hou should also be excited about his character, and both leads should be watching two specific works of the director given his experience in specific historical dramas and ability to command solid acting performances from a cast.

I summarised two Mandarin articles from c-net about this drama and stuck it up as the first discussion topic, since nobody here seems to have any ideas about what is actually going on in Cnet about this drama series such as Mohism Mechanism, much less the focus and plot. The two drama series being feted of the director for this drama are from 2001 and 2014, if you want an idea of his style and focus. I've also stuck up links for those dramas in that same discussion thread, so people can watch for themselves.

Director was going for a specific actress until she got herself into a gigantic scandal and considering the exacting demands of this role, it is for the best that she was replaced by another actress with experiences as a child actor and likely has several legal clauses in place to ensure there is no inappropriate romance (which matches what this director is capable of, whereby viewers not used to C-dramas of the 90s and early 2000s might call his ideas of delivering emotional relationships as "censored" when generally exposed to too much PDA in later dramas). Expectations differ between viewers, but I belong to the category that doesn't like lip-locking or skinship in historical C-Dramas unless it is necessary in the script... such as chaste kisses of affection. Coroner's Diary for now is one example where I find the romance realistic and doable.

I will be disappointed if this director and screenwriter cannot pull off what they are capable of. The pressure on the leads is going to be tremendous in terms of delivery as per Cnet, in which we are not referring to romance. YMMV.

I am curious as to how elaborate the sets will get, when it comes to mechanisms and warfare. Don't suppose there's any footage for that yet, because it is early days?

Ps. I shared two links to the two drama series which this Director is being heralded for, when it comes to his suitability for directing "Key To The Phoenix Heart".

I have written a short summary for you, and put it up as the first discussion of this drama. Understanding the philosophy of Mo Tzu and Mohist Mechanism is likely crucial to really enjoying this drama, so I added some extra information.

#千燕莞语 is the go-to hashtag for this couple on weibo.

FMVs for their chemistry results in the cutest/mushiest results with apt music.

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5190937552094495 - Using Ep 22

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5190972385528884 - Using Harpers Bazaar shoot mixed with promos plus some scenes from some episodes.

I uploaded 12 pictures today from various weibo users, because weibo is handy on snaps. There is also at least one FMV on weibo claiming a certain ending for one of the characters but for now, I'll reserve judgment because it seems off.

xiaohongshu is not my thing. Between douyin and xiaohongshu, it really depends on the user. I like bilibili for FMVs and guzheng-related pieces, because the quality of guzheng clips there are better than other platforms.

Drama-wise for C-dramas of any country, I reckon I've watched my fill from the late 80s to early 2000s, so I can easily go one year without completing any drama XD This year, 朝雪录 is possibly the first drama I will finish.

If you want to interact with people on any platform, an account is always helpful. Key thing is to enjoy whatever you do.

6 clips here, courtesy of weibo user o凯希不酷:

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5189864232324953

The main couple is old school cuteness, and someone on weibo decided to compile all the short clips of them sharing a kiss over 20 episodes.

『燕离Ⅹ岳凝 』= From buddies to... Er, not yet...

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5186183866351973

Yan Li's expressions are priceless, when he realises-

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5189005497075539#&video

For those who are into Yan Li and Yue Ning, Weibo has several FMV clips of the two utilising various scenarios including what has not yet been shown in 20 episodes.

I value being an Iqiyi VIP member more than my usage of douyin and weibo XD

For example, I shared the entire OST from another bilibili.com user here and added a few timestamps:

https://kisskh.at/752181-chao-xue-lu#comment-22698968

I read some Mandarin articles about this new drama series. Would you want to know more about the details of the plot and characters, besides the synopsis? I can summarise using at least two articles.

If you want to use Douyin, you don't have to have a Chinese ID or Chinese mobile number unless you want to create a Douyin account. You just have to use their simple verification methods that you are not a bot.

The spoiler comment above contains translations plus some Mandarin of what they are saying. If you want the entire OST of 29 songs, I shared it here from another user on bilibili.com plus I added a few timestamps, such as the song for when Bai Feng makes a certain blunder in Ep 15.

https://kisskh.at/752181-chao-xue-lu#comment-22698968

I'm sure I'm not the only one who understands Mandarin watching this series and using kisskh.

Yan Li is dramatic also because he tends to wear a mask to mislead others while Yan Chi is very down-to-earth in his behaviour. Yan Li's answer addressing multiple angles is because Yan Li realises he has made a very significant blunder and insult, due to Yan Chi displaying personal anger and reminding Yan Li of Yan Li's dearness and position as a comparison before illustrating Shen Wan's importance to him.

Yan Li quickly assuages Yan Chi's anger by acknowledging his fault of carelessly speaking without consideration, while acknowledging Shen Wan's status and importance to Yan Chi as if she is married already to Yan Chi (七嫂 is the term he uses for Shen Wan) in how he addresses Shen Wan and how Shen Wan is to be treated by him. Also offering to be taken as a steed from Shen Wan's POV is his way of making amends by lowering his status below Shen Wan in terms of importance while also offering himself in any act of service even if he becomes something for Shen Wan to ride. I did not use riding a horse because that is literal. A steed is a horse that is being ridden or available for riding, and would be more accurate for the context of Yan Li assuaging Yan Chi's anger while addressing a major blunder and insult.

Once you throw in any Chinese idioms or other types of sayings, things can get very tricky for translation. It can be very bombastic, exaggerated or poetic, but then it cannot be literal unless it is very straightforward. I did a partial translation of a spoiler clip from douyin for Yan Li and Yue Ning coming to an agreement to protect their personal freedoms, including the idioms they each used at the end.

When using idioms, as an example:

"一举两得" can be translated as killing two birds with one stone, but that's not how it would be understood in Mandarin. One action for two benefits is the literal meaning.

"一石二鸟" is one stone hitting two birds, equivalent to killing two birds with one stone ie two outcomes with one move. This idiom is focused on the method, so understanding the apt scenario for usage of a metaphor is crucial. They are similar idioms, which were amongst many idioms I had to grow up memorising. "Killing two birds with one stone" is not something I remember learning in Mandarin, only in English.

If I want to adopt the English saying in Mandarin, I would use 一石二鸟之計 - The plan of using one stone to kill two birds is methodical and calculated.

It's not just a matter of translation, but understanding the culture is just as necessary and the language being translated into, before translating. Otherwise the translation is completely off. It's not an issue with me until I get someone arguing with me about what they think is canon based on not understanding anything but subtitles. I also believe translators are not paid enough, so the results are what it is.

That said, just enjoy the silly translations. A Mandarin drama series is more accurate for sounding normal in Mandarin and not catering to an international audience.

They will be a good foil to the main couple. They are capable (except in autopsies) and when they get serious, will be a force to be reckoned with.

I translated a spoiler video clip from douyin for Yan Li and Yue Ning in a new comment because that couple is hilarious. Can't wait for them to actually fall in love.