Am so looking forward to this! That trailer was action-packed! Thanks for the article. It is very detailed and…
Glad you enjoyed the write-up! If you want to see gorgeously vivid character posters of this movie that comprises 30 hard-core martial arts heroes, they can be found at this link:
This movie is opportune to boost the industry and encourage more talent in this area. Jet Li and Wu Jing trained under the legendary wushu master Wu Bin, and I believe Wu Bin would want to watch this movie (to enjoy more than evaluating his former students squaring off against each other in a duel)!
Allegations, and apparently the same reporter who tried to attack KSH last time with those rumors. I think it’s…
Thank you for your input, which adds some clarity. My initial thoughts were, "Who is this chap taking up space on the news in Mandarin and English? Is it because of Fantagio again?"
Former NTS investigator Moon Bo Ra (formerly working at the Seoul Regional Tax Office) gave her views on CEW's massive tax scandal here more than 10 days ago, which includes her alluding to Fantagio as the main target and CEW also entangled as, "A net cast to catch a big fish ended up catching another large one. Tax audits aren’t something you can avoid just by being careful—if the tail is long, it’s bound to be stepped on": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CVBBNAagIU
I haven't formed any opinion about KSH, just bewildered as to what is happening in this situation. Also an education in how fast news can travel and become officially shared in different languages, in our intensive-tech-connected world today. And also wondering about the allegations of corporate card use and payment of family benefits. Will just wait and see.
Allegations, and apparently the same reporter who tried to attack KSH last time with those rumors. I think it’s…
Then perhaps someone should share a detailed example of a previous article by that same reporter, so readers can determine this reporter is not legit. This latest article about KSH from the reporter has already been referenced as news and published in media outlets of other countries. Articles in English have surfaced on Gulf News, Channel News Asia, Times of India and Mint. Articles in other languages such as Mandarin about KSH on this matter are also numerous.
Fantagio's stock plunged more than 7% in early trading today, after successive tax evasion allegations involving Cha Eun Woo and yesterday's news.
Quoting: [ Kim founded a theatrical production company and registered the business under his home address in Yongsan District, central Seoul, in January 2024, media outlet Sports Kyunghyang first reported on Sunday.
Kim's parents reportedly received wages as the company's internal director and auditor and used corporate credit cards for personal expenses. Under Korean law, the private use of corporate funds may constitute criminal offenses such as embezzlement or breach of trust.
Kim's father also allegedly registered his vehicle under the company, allowing related costs to be treated as corporate expenses and potentially reducing the firm's tax liabilities, Sports Kyunghyang reported. ] - Given how Kim Ju-yeon is writing the article for KJAD, are these confirmed facts? Or allegations?
I need to watch it for Ding Yuxi but is it really worth watching?Heard it's really good but the rating says something…
Love in Pavilion has one unique trait for a C-drama: All the characters including the supporting cast will touch you, because the actors and actresses do a good job with their individual roles. It's a character-driven drama based on the donghua and of the three dramas, is the most faithful to the donghua hence the main plot appears relatively straightforward. The depth and quirks and longing of the characters are fleshed out well. Even the villains will make you feel for them. I could feel and remember every character, and that's unique for a drama. Watch until 24:18 of episode 31, and that's a good place to stop, as they all gather to prepare for something.
Of course Shui Duopo wasn't close to Tang Lici at the beginning.
He reminded her of Yique Yin Yang, who destroyed her home and murdered all her people and family, leaving her as the only survivor. She wanted Tang Lici to be trapped in the Precious Mirror Mountain and never return. But he returned. And in their exchange of bluntness that had her reconsidering certain matters, she finally agreed to make him three pills.
He confided his deepest wishes to her, of what he wanted her to tell Fang Zhou and that he would be sacrificing himself. He did not reveal this to anybody else. He also never carved any wooden figure of her, to give to her. He gave her a wooden figure for Fang Zhou, so she could say goodbye to Fang Zhou for him. Whenever he carves a wooden figure of someone, he is ready to say goodbye to them (which is what he revealed to Shui Duopo in episode 29). He gave one to Zhong Chunji very early on in the drama, and he also gave one to A-Shui in episode 29.
Only when Shen Langhun guessed Tang Lici wanted to sacrifice himself for Fang Zhou and said so, Chi Yun got upset at realising what Tang Lici had concealed from them. Even then, what Tang Lici said about Fang Zhou to Shui Duopo was not shared to anyone else.
When Tang Lici asked Shui Duopo to conceal the truth of his condition from everyone else, she did so in the next instance when his disciple Xiao Shi interrupted their space. She has kept his confidence. He's never mentored her or had to save her, as he did with Zhong Chunji and A-Shui.
What is closeness? Tang Lici has spoken of his life in the Celestial Realm to Zhong Chunji in episode 29, to make her understand where he is coming from before he rejects her. He has also had a significant exchange with her in episode 37, all of which is to help her understand certain matters and context for her sake.
I'm not including Xifang Tao because that's pure antagonism between her and Tang Lici. Quite a shame that Xifang Tao in the drama isn't Xifang Tao in the novel, but certain character traits were preserved.
Of the three females mentioned, given Tang Lici's character, he's been the least vulnerable to A-Shui, followed by Zhong Chunji, and then Shui Duopo. Frankly, I believe he is most vulnerable to Wanyu Yuedan and could have been close to Wnayu Yuedan because Wanyu Yuedan picked up on his constant pain which nobody else realised. But Wanyu Yuedan didn't want to make Tang Lici uncomfortable and have Tang Lici realise that Wanyu Yuedan can sense the deepest discomforts about him. Novel-Wanyu Yuedan was the only one to realise novel-Tang Lici's greatest obsession and how it affects his decision-making and character. In this sense, drama-Wanyu Yuedan mirrored novel-Wanyu Yuedan.
Some people will believe there's a super-subtle they-get-each-other-romance between A-Shui and Tang Lici. Other viewers picked up on a very different vibe that appeared to be one-sided on A-Shui's part or not romantic (which I answered much earlier on by quoting a certain section of the novel, when the drama was airing), also because novel-Tang Lici's greatest obsession in the novel was fulfilled in the drama and contributes to why there is no romance tag and no CP for Tang Lici for this drama.
Depending on how you look at it, Tang Lici's exchange with A-Shui in episode 33 was not satisfying enough for fans hoping for romance, because he was pretty clear-eyed and focused on Gui Mudan within seconds of A-Shui stating that when they met at the Gold Leaf Temple, everything was a lie (34:03 is still a bit red-eyed with tinge of tears, 34:13 is clear-eyed and dry). That's literally a span of 10 seconds.
If closeness is about confiding in someone, then evaluating the position of why he is doing so (if he is coming from a weaker position and hence needing to do so) would be an indicator. If closeness is about whether he can break down and/or request for help and not be the Tang Lici that he shows everyone else, then that closeness is something very rare that he's extended to Fang Zhou, Liu Yan, Shao Yanping, and Shui Duopo.
For closeness, I'd say Tang Lici only wanted to be vulnerable and close to Fang Zhou and near the end of the drama, also Liu Yan. For the females, he became comfortable with showing weakness to Shui Duopo. He never saw Zhong Chunji as an equal, and I'd say that also applied to A-Shui. The types of closeness he shared with each of the females was suitable for him and helped him reflect further from a platonic viewpoint, all of which contributed to him comfortably making his choice in episode 40.
A-Shui would get to be with Fang Zhou and share his love as siblings, Shui Duopo would never have to lose everything, and Zhong Chunji gets to stay with Master Shao without having to pretend to be a princess.
I'm not looking from a romantic POV, because I thought it's interesting that Tang Lici (who would be wonderful to psycho-analyse on a couch as per novel-Tang Lici) retains certain traits that also makes drama-Tang Lici interesting as a male protagonist. Tang Lici isn't a friends-person in the way that normal people are with friends, which drama-Tang Lici mirrors about novel -Tang Lici but in a healthier manner.
Thank you to Brightest Star and Old_Anime_Lady for this tribute article. Thoughtful and detailed. And very kindly considerate, to advise people to seek help if they are having suicidal thoughts.
Wahaaaaaa, Yuen Siu Tien and Ti Lung ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Miss the good ole Wuxia fighting shows!It will…
None of the Four Dragons are in this movie. This is definitely old-school wuxia. And Nicholas Tse has come a long way from his Gen-X Cops days. In Raging Fire, here is one of his compelling fight scenes utilising nifty nasty knifework (of course in cantonese, and it's not yet the exchange mentioned in the article as a showdown with Donnie Yen):
Given how hard everyone has worked for this, a lot of wuxia fans are excited! I'm looking forward to the action…
There's an animation version of more than 12 episodes from the manhwa produced by Tencent. Have you seen that?
I've replied to a few comments here with more details of the movie and what some stars said, including links to BTS. If you could read what's available in Mandarin, a lot of wuxia fans of all ages plus older Chinese viewers are very stoked for this production because it might be the only one of its kind, given the ages of the older martial arts legends involved. hk01.com has multiple articles for this movie, as one example. And since the younger stars are also reputed to be faithfully carrying on their traditions in training and devotion, bruises and all- It's a CNY must-see!
Excellent writeup, Shi fu and Cryssy Anne! Looking forward to your next article 🥰 Yay🥳🥳🥳
You're welcome! Ever since I translated part of one article for this upcoming wuxia epic 9 days ago, I thought why not put together an article on MDL, which would be easy for me to do? Websites such as hk01.com are full of enthusiasm, with the likes of "国际武打巨星 “功夫皇帝” 李连杰多年未有主演新戏，目前最后一部主演作品《镖人：风起大漠》由袁和平执导，与吴京、谢霆锋合作主演，早前电影推出预告片段并宣布将于内地贺岁新春档期上映，让影迷观众极为期待!"
This is Yuen Woo-ping's dream. It was originally supposed to be billed as "the reunion of the three great masters" of Jet Li, Wu Jing and Nicholas Tse.
Jet Li signed on because our beloved 八爷 is already 80-years-old and told Jet Li he wanted to make one more movie, plus Wu Jing also told Jet Li he wanted to produce this movie. The rest is history.
How can I not do something for all of them? The trailer was also super-inspiring.
And everyone is in this BTS compilation (Wu Jing, Jet Li, Nicholas Tse, Sean as Zhi Shi Lang, Yushi, Ci Sha, Chen Li Jun, Li Yun Xiao, Kara Wai, Jun, Win Win, etc) : https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1sqkeB5EBd/
[ Maybe I'll do a historical costume J-drama as a second article. There's an epic one airing on 15 February which was produced by WOWOW partnering Lemino (https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/627593) based on Kitakata Kenzō's multi-volume reinterpretation of "Water Margin", for which the writer won the prestigious 2006 Shiba Ryōtarō literary prize.
Fantastic write up!!! So excited about this, really hope I get to see it on big screen. I am watching the animation…
The animation style has the early vibes of Samurai 7 with a touch of Peacemaker Kurogane, very enjoyable!
I wanted to expand on the veterans we are familiar with, since I'm sure there are viewers who feel left out without any articles touching on what they know. I couldn't fit in more about the amazing Kara Wai Ying Hung in this movie (she debuted on-screen earlier than Michelle Yeoh), whose dedication to her work as an artist is totally mind-blowing. She didn't know wushu, but she promptly threw herself into everything necessary to be convincing. She has starred in roughly 100 action-related movies, and she has also won awards.
All that dedication earned her a broken nose, fractures and other injuries to her cheekbones, eye socket bones, etc. She had to undergo cosmetic surgery to sort out those injuries. I only have deep respect and utmost admiration for her, just like many fans of Shaw Brother movies where everyone always suffered wince-worthy injuries in those days. One of her chest bones was fractured from a kick-in. Her left leg didn't heal well due to suffering a meniscal tear and hence re-aggravating an old injury after doing a specific kick in the movie "Wuxia" at the age of 49, so she couldn't do a movie that Simon Yam wanted her to be in.
Here's a summarised video of her earlier efforts including where she's had stitches on multiple areas of her face (89 stitches at least in total, if I remember correctly), and shows off her action chops in her earlier works: https://m.weibo.cn/status/5260462992395062#&video
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https://news.sina.cn/2026-01-30/detail-inhkacxp3724304.d.html
If you want more details and trivia, here's an article I put together for this movie which was published on MDL, after translating something from mandarin more than 10 days ago: https://news.mydramalist.com/article/cinematic-wuxia-epic-blades-of-the-guardians-premieres-on-february-17
This movie is opportune to boost the industry and encourage more talent in this area. Jet Li and Wu Jing trained under the legendary wushu master Wu Bin, and I believe Wu Bin would want to watch this movie (to enjoy more than evaluating his former students squaring off against each other in a duel)!
Former NTS investigator Moon Bo Ra (formerly working at the Seoul Regional Tax Office) gave her views on CEW's massive tax scandal here more than 10 days ago, which includes her alluding to Fantagio as the main target and CEW also entangled as, "A net cast to catch a big fish ended up catching another large one. Tax audits aren’t something you can avoid just by being careful—if the tail is long, it’s bound to be stepped on": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CVBBNAagIU
I haven't formed any opinion about KSH, just bewildered as to what is happening in this situation. Also an education in how fast news can travel and become officially shared in different languages, in our intensive-tech-connected world today. And also wondering about the allegations of corporate card use and payment of family benefits. Will just wait and see.
Fantagio's stock plunged more than 7% in early trading today, after successive tax evasion allegations involving Cha Eun Woo and yesterday's news.
https://cm.asiae.co.kr/en/article/2026020209382185810
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2026-02-01/national/socialAffairs/Actor-Kim-Seonhos-agency-denies-he-established-company-for-taxavoidance-purposes/2513536
Quoting: [ Kim founded a theatrical production company and registered the business under his home address in Yongsan District, central Seoul, in January 2024, media outlet Sports Kyunghyang first reported on Sunday.
Kim's parents reportedly received wages as the company's internal director and auditor and used corporate credit cards for personal expenses. Under Korean law, the private use of corporate funds may constitute criminal offenses such as embezzlement or breach of trust.
Kim's father also allegedly registered his vehicle under the company, allowing related costs to be treated as corporate expenses and potentially reducing the firm's tax liabilities, Sports Kyunghyang reported. ] - Given how Kim Ju-yeon is writing the article for KJAD, are these confirmed facts? Or allegations?
He reminded her of Yique Yin Yang, who destroyed her home and murdered all her people and family, leaving her as the only survivor. She wanted Tang Lici to be trapped in the Precious Mirror Mountain and never return. But he returned. And in their exchange of bluntness that had her reconsidering certain matters, she finally agreed to make him three pills.
He confided his deepest wishes to her, of what he wanted her to tell Fang Zhou and that he would be sacrificing himself. He did not reveal this to anybody else. He also never carved any wooden figure of her, to give to her. He gave her a wooden figure for Fang Zhou, so she could say goodbye to Fang Zhou for him. Whenever he carves a wooden figure of someone, he is ready to say goodbye to them (which is what he revealed to Shui Duopo in episode 29). He gave one to Zhong Chunji very early on in the drama, and he also gave one to A-Shui in episode 29.
Only when Shen Langhun guessed Tang Lici wanted to sacrifice himself for Fang Zhou and said so, Chi Yun got upset at realising what Tang Lici had concealed from them. Even then, what Tang Lici said about Fang Zhou to Shui Duopo was not shared to anyone else.
When Tang Lici asked Shui Duopo to conceal the truth of his condition from everyone else, she did so in the next instance when his disciple Xiao Shi interrupted their space. She has kept his confidence. He's never mentored her or had to save her, as he did with Zhong Chunji and A-Shui.
What is closeness? Tang Lici has spoken of his life in the Celestial Realm to Zhong Chunji in episode 29, to make her understand where he is coming from before he rejects her. He has also had a significant exchange with her in episode 37, all of which is to help her understand certain matters and context for her sake.
I'm not including Xifang Tao because that's pure antagonism between her and Tang Lici. Quite a shame that Xifang Tao in the drama isn't Xifang Tao in the novel, but certain character traits were preserved.
Of the three females mentioned, given Tang Lici's character, he's been the least vulnerable to A-Shui, followed by Zhong Chunji, and then Shui Duopo. Frankly, I believe he is most vulnerable to Wanyu Yuedan and could have been close to Wnayu Yuedan because Wanyu Yuedan picked up on his constant pain which nobody else realised. But Wanyu Yuedan didn't want to make Tang Lici uncomfortable and have Tang Lici realise that Wanyu Yuedan can sense the deepest discomforts about him. Novel-Wanyu Yuedan was the only one to realise novel-Tang Lici's greatest obsession and how it affects his decision-making and character. In this sense, drama-Wanyu Yuedan mirrored novel-Wanyu Yuedan.
Some people will believe there's a super-subtle they-get-each-other-romance between A-Shui and Tang Lici. Other viewers picked up on a very different vibe that appeared to be one-sided on A-Shui's part or not romantic (which I answered much earlier on by quoting a certain section of the novel, when the drama was airing), also because novel-Tang Lici's greatest obsession in the novel was fulfilled in the drama and contributes to why there is no romance tag and no CP for Tang Lici for this drama.
Depending on how you look at it, Tang Lici's exchange with A-Shui in episode 33 was not satisfying enough for fans hoping for romance, because he was pretty clear-eyed and focused on Gui Mudan within seconds of A-Shui stating that when they met at the Gold Leaf Temple, everything was a lie (34:03 is still a bit red-eyed with tinge of tears, 34:13 is clear-eyed and dry). That's literally a span of 10 seconds.
If closeness is about confiding in someone, then evaluating the position of why he is doing so (if he is coming from a weaker position and hence needing to do so) would be an indicator. If closeness is about whether he can break down and/or request for help and not be the Tang Lici that he shows everyone else, then that closeness is something very rare that he's extended to Fang Zhou, Liu Yan, Shao Yanping, and Shui Duopo.
For closeness, I'd say Tang Lici only wanted to be vulnerable and close to Fang Zhou and near the end of the drama, also Liu Yan. For the females, he became comfortable with showing weakness to Shui Duopo. He never saw Zhong Chunji as an equal, and I'd say that also applied to A-Shui. The types of closeness he shared with each of the females was suitable for him and helped him reflect further from a platonic viewpoint, all of which contributed to him comfortably making his choice in episode 40.
A-Shui would get to be with Fang Zhou and share his love as siblings, Shui Duopo would never have to lose everything, and Zhong Chunji gets to stay with Master Shao without having to pretend to be a princess.
I'm not looking from a romantic POV, because I thought it's interesting that Tang Lici (who would be wonderful to psycho-analyse on a couch as per novel-Tang Lici) retains certain traits that also makes drama-Tang Lici interesting as a male protagonist. Tang Lici isn't a friends-person in the way that normal people are with friends, which drama-Tang Lici mirrors about novel -Tang Lici but in a healthier manner.
If you want more information and/or BTS, I've shared more details in a few replies to other excited readers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy09ux5pJDQ
I've replied to a few comments here with more details of the movie and what some stars said, including links to BTS. If you could read what's available in Mandarin, a lot of wuxia fans of all ages plus older Chinese viewers are very stoked for this production because it might be the only one of its kind, given the ages of the older martial arts legends involved. hk01.com has multiple articles for this movie, as one example. And since the younger stars are also reputed to be faithfully carrying on their traditions in training and devotion, bruises and all- It's a CNY must-see!
This is Yuen Woo-ping's dream. It was originally supposed to be billed as "the reunion of the three great masters" of Jet Li, Wu Jing and Nicholas Tse.
Jet Li signed on because our beloved 八爷 is already 80-years-old and told Jet Li he wanted to make one more movie, plus Wu Jing also told Jet Li he wanted to produce this movie. The rest is history.
How can I not do something for all of them? The trailer was also super-inspiring.
Here is 13 seconds of group dynamics comprising allies in one carriage together, late at night 😆😆😆😆😆: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1yu6jBQEgh/
And everyone is in this BTS compilation (Wu Jing, Jet Li, Nicholas Tse, Sean as Zhi Shi Lang, Yushi, Ci Sha, Chen Li Jun, Li Yun Xiao, Kara Wai, Jun, Win Win, etc) : https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1sqkeB5EBd/
[ Maybe I'll do a historical costume J-drama as a second article. There's an epic one airing on 15 February which was produced by WOWOW partnering Lemino (https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/627593) based on Kitakata Kenzō's multi-volume reinterpretation of "Water Margin", for which the writer won the prestigious 2006 Shiba Ryōtarō literary prize.
No English subs for the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhDdI0px43A ]
I wanted to expand on the veterans we are familiar with, since I'm sure there are viewers who feel left out without any articles touching on what they know. I couldn't fit in more about the amazing Kara Wai Ying Hung in this movie (she debuted on-screen earlier than Michelle Yeoh), whose dedication to her work as an artist is totally mind-blowing. She didn't know wushu, but she promptly threw herself into everything necessary to be convincing. She has starred in roughly 100 action-related movies, and she has also won awards.
All that dedication earned her a broken nose, fractures and other injuries to her cheekbones, eye socket bones, etc. She had to undergo cosmetic surgery to sort out those injuries. I only have deep respect and utmost admiration for her, just like many fans of Shaw Brother movies where everyone always suffered wince-worthy injuries in those days. One of her chest bones was fractured from a kick-in. Her left leg didn't heal well due to suffering a meniscal tear and hence re-aggravating an old injury after doing a specific kick in the movie "Wuxia" at the age of 49, so she couldn't do a movie that Simon Yam wanted her to be in.
Here's a summarised video of her earlier efforts including where she's had stitches on multiple areas of her face (89 stitches at least in total, if I remember correctly), and shows off her action chops in her earlier works: https://m.weibo.cn/status/5260462992395062#&video
65-year-old Kara Wai praised all younger actors and actresses in this movie for working as hard as the veteran stars did in the early days, with best efforts: https://www.yzwb.net/news/wy/202601/t20260127_315765.html
Nicholas Tse said he put in 200%, and it definitely looks to be paying off! I'm keen to see him squaring off against Wu Jing in the cinema!