Liu Yan isn't comfortable with beating around the bush and not understanding something, when he is being addressed.…
I had a brief discussion about PTSD with another viewer when episodes 23 and 24 aired, but I'm not sure where those comments are now. I'll see if I can find those before I reply to you, whee! Liu Yan was interesting to dissect, also relative to Gui Mudan. I had some thoughts about Liu Yan, which I didn't share publicly.
Oh yes, zaju recited by Gui Mudan in episode 14 (context plus mandarin and English translation):
Currently watching "Silent Tides" (Republican-era Macau and HK), which deals with wartime anti-Japanese circumstances and struggles such as finance and material transport. Another one I enjoyed is "The Guardians" (Republican-era spy espionage thriller) whereby I also included vital history in my review encompassing WWII, KMT, and CCP. The acting there is solid, the plot and pacing is good.
Glad to see another fellow viewer who enjoyed it! It's an outstanding costume drama. Have you seen the list of…
Other viewers who also love this drama contribute in different ways, to share the vision of the directors and the cast. Check out this recent excellent translation by Azure, of a Douban article about Tang Lici: https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24608278
Would have loved Wanyu Yuedan and Shen Langhun to get more screentime! Puzhu and Tang Lici's interactions had…
I don't know what country you're from, but I'm going to guess that this means any other links I can post would not be accessible to you. If I find the BGM on a medium that is accessible to international viewers without issues, I will get back to you.
Who said that? Have you watched many Chinese dramas? THERE ARE SO MANY KISSING SCENES IN CHINESE DRAMAS. Chinese…
I've watched C-Ent stuff for more than 30 years since I was a kid. That includes dramas which had no subtitles for an international audience, and still has no subtitles until today. If someone is an international viewer who only watched C-dramas for the past 10 years or less and doesn't understand mandarin, they usually have no clue what they are talking about. Then you see the all-caps of ignorance while listing only C-dramas within the past 5 years, all of which the above viewer has done.
In reality, a majority of romance C-dramas cannot reach the kind of viewership that the likes of "The Knockout" and "This Thriving Land" achieve. Quality, not quantity. The minority that can do so... TTEOM is one example, being romance-centric. The First Frost is another.
But this drama starring Lin Yi and Ai Mi is not romance-centric. So why are they here?
Updated 27/12 ✌️...Reuters ~ 25 - 27 Dec ~ Approx...#Lin Yi and Ai Mi# working hard in winter ❄️ ☃️...(#Ai…
Thank you for your efforts!
I'm glad to see this drama's makeup team does not make Ai Mi wear childish makeup and allows her natural beauty to shine, respectfully acknowledging the young lady that she is at the Wenrong Awards and on the Grazia magazine cover less than three months ago.
Gosh, Lin Yi looks gracefully lean and tall, and hopefully he doesn't conk his head on anything. That slice of strawberry shortcake looked pretty good...
Noooo! I hope it doesn’t get shorten! 24 episodes isn’t enough and if it’s cut due to censorship and haters…
An above-average to strong plot will usually result in preservation of scenes. People who keep yammering on about romance are missing the point of the focus of this drama. A time-travel drama circumventing usual tropes and/or using tropes but with a fresh approach is what is needed. Award-winning actors don't rely on kisses or skinship to convey any coupledom, but good acting. Hollywood's Golden Age of movies has plenty of examples, even if modern Hollywood is mostly vulgar.
If we look outside Hollywood, the 2023 Belgian movie "Here" by Bas Devos is a great example of how strangers forming friendship can eventually be something more without any kissing or skinship or implications you'd normally expect. A strong unusual script on what should be seemingly mundane, excellent directing and decent nuanced acting were the minimum requirements. That film won major awards at the Berlin Film Festival and top honors at the Valdivia International Film festival. I'd encourage people to watch that film if you haven't, and realise how quality from different countries in different languages is about very strong standards first and foremost meeting the basic requirements I've pointed out above.
The creative team wants this to be a success first and foremost, and not just the cast because the cast requires the creative team to be strong on storytelling, editing and post-production so they can shine in their interpretations and portrayals of their roles.
If we want actors and actresses to have better scripts to work with, then the creative teams (especially screenwriters and directors) must be acknowledged and encouraged to do their best for the cast. People with insecurity issues and other personal issues should be dealing with their offline issues and possibly seeing a psychologist or therapist first, instead of vomiting rubbish on this page.
Bai Jingting has cornered the market on time-travel suspense investigation thrillers. Reset and Mobius are very enjoyable in different ways, but there's always room for more quality time-travel dramas.
This is a great opportunity to do something very different for time travel dramas. I hope the creative team manages to succeed in their goals.
READ: As the two navigate tangled timelines, hidden truths, and growing emotional burdens, they realize that changing…
Question: What are the best parts of the novel for you?
This is not an exam question, but I'd like to know a bit of what resonated with you, since I'm considering reading something different in January 2026. Use spoiler tags if you answer, so it won't affect others :)
I've heard a lot of good things about the show, but haven't come around to watching the other seasons because…
Season 4 only encapsulates two cases that should have been in Season 3 (doing this as a mini-drama is also a way of getting around the 40-episode limit, while testing the lucrative mini-drama market for this series) and can be viewed as standalone. Season 4 feels fun, fresh and retains a better air of mystery because of how the story has been told and certain elements being woven in. They clearly took into account the modern ideas of group therapy and er, female stardom. I wasn't expecting to be entertained XD
There's no spoilers for a season finale in Season 4 because there is zero political intrigue tied to the main plot of palace politics in Season 3. Season 5 is where it seems the political intrigue is inevitable. Season 4 nicely leads into Season 5, but also allows the viewer to loop back and watch Season 1.
I've heard a lot of good things about the show, but haven't come around to watching the other seasons because…
My opinion for Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty is that I recommend new viewers watch Season 4 before Season 1 for multiple reasons: The storytelling approach is stronger and more engaging in Season 4 versus 1. The emotional engagement is much higher, also because the matured dynamics of the group raises interesting questions about how did they become what they are? Their individual traits are also strongly evident in Season 4. The director for Season 4 isn't the directors of the first three seasons.
This makes the origins, unlikability and growth of each team member in Season 1 become more acceptable and appreciated. I couldn't emotionally resonate with any characters except Su Wuming several episodes in, which is why I paused SToTD for this long. SToTD season 1 is (mostly) institutionally and historically accurate, but I did not like Xijun or Lu Lingfeng until late in Season 1 even though I understood their portrayals were correct. I also found the acting for Yingtao to be wooden and one-dimensional. If I stuck all this in a review and according to what I assess, SToTD season 1 overall ratings for me is 7 to 7.5 maximum.
Where I would differ with you is only on Plot and Acting. I'd give plot 6.5 or7, and acting as 6.5 or 7.
And if you are interested in taking a look at the episode summary for episodes 8 to 12 (whereby I include certain details from the novel, Buddhism, and other little bits about Tang Lici and Puzhu): https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24006850
Happy 15th anniversary, Luo Yunxi. May 2026 bring you safe journeys and an even brighter career path. This year,…
Your tribute is beautiful.
I wish to add this video about 罗云熙出演的20部影视剧全解析，暴瘦之下的爆火！(comes with English subs) compiling his earliest efforts in the entertainment industry before the advent of his latest dramas SLY and The Truth Within, touching on 20 of his dramas and film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0-e2iYUEDw
I won't lie A'Shei was not as "useless" people seem to perceive her. She was every smart, seemed to understood…
Wow. The conclusion I now have, due to someone not finishing this drama yet lying blatantly about the role and statistics of A-Shui to new viewers such as @cherryisha, while misrepresenting this drama about romance even before it aired and then creating all sorts of melodrama during the airing of the drama while attacking multiple viewers...
Lin Yun does not appear to have any good dramas or movies in her filmography, ever since she debuted in that Stephen Chow movie which made her famous. Why else would someone claiming to be a fan of Lin Yun continuously go on about the A-Shui role in such a dishonest manner on this drama page, even after this drama has finished airing for more than a month?
I must point out that A-Shui being primarily promoted as a romance target for this drama by that troll for so many weeks comes across as the ultimate disrespectful objectification of a female being reduced solely and primarily as worthy only because of a man. Is this person actually a Lin Yun fan, reducing her significance and filmography to a 7th-ranked character in a drama as a romance object, whereby this drama has no CP and no romance tag understandably because the producers said way before the airing that this is a heroism-focused drama?
I blocked one of her sockpuppet accounts after she attacked me for praising Chen Yao as Xifang Tao. I haven't forgotten the rotten eggs account attacking Jeremy Tsu's character as Gui Mudan when episode 14 aired, or the jerkopus08 account calling me names and laughably going on about Renegade Immortal while failing badly on stats. There are also other sockpuppet accounts, given how they seem to all follow a script attacking other users. I now wonder: Does MDL allow someone to use multiple sockpuppet accounts to harass other users such as myself?
I believe the troll needs to see a psychiatrist to diagnose any psychological factors, personality disorders, neurological issues and/or compulsive behaviour. Pathological lying is fundamentally unhealthy in multiple ways, such as claiming A-Shui was the most talked-about character while the drama aired when the statistics show she was mostly ignored.
If it wasn't for the melodrama created by the troll misleading others on this page while relentlessly attacking and deliberately insulting many viewers for expressing different views, there would be hardly any discussions about A-Shui on this page.
As it stands, fortunately a lot of people were clearly interested in many aspects of the drama and wonderful conversations occurred, despite the ridiculous bullying that took place over so many weeks.
That's the inspiration from the second instalment of the Star Wars franchise ie the Tatooine desert.As to A-Shui…
Zhong Chunji is one of those characters where I think the writers came to a fork in the road and decided to go for an odd shortcut. Also because A-Shui the character took up precious time while Riley Wang's plotline at the Central Plains Sword Alliance as Fang Zhou was a waste, otherwise we actually needed one exchange with Zhong Chunji and Tang Lici to make her actions seem logical (and yes, her actions would still be exasperating).
Technically we need more than 40 episodes, if we are keeping all the current characters. It would still be possible to keep this story well-told within 40 episodes with strong characterisation connecting well, but some restructuring would have to happen.
IMHO, the biggest fundamental issue of this drama is having too many characters so when I finished watching this drama for the second time, this is the discussion thread which ensued after I summarised what I would alter (including two characters I would remove):
Teng Ping abandoned this novel for more than 10 years and left it unfinished because she didn't like it, and then picked it up again to finish after the novel was adapted for the drama. Here's a summary of what happened, according to Azure:
There's certain vibes that more than one viewer picked up on as per Tang Lici's behaviour, so I helpfully provided a section of a chapter from the unfinished novel (unlike the novel, the drama wonderfully fulfils Tang Lici's yearning to know a certain someone):
Finally finished it. Started on the day it was released ... Really savoured WOF lol. Love the story, costume,…
Would have loved Wanyu Yuedan and Shen Langhun to get more screentime! Puzhu and Tang Lici's interactions had me writing an episode summary for episodes 8 to 12, which also had me unsurprised and sporfling at Puzhu's thoughts in episode 35 (from 35:06 onwards). The actress for Xiaohong was quite good, which I and kwanto were impressed by because she had clearly considered her character right down to the smallest gestures and expressions while incorporating Peking opera.
The official OST with some instrumentals are here clocking in at approximately 1 hour 15 minutes (if you can access bilibili):
Hahaha it's really funny how the same girl is always being cast as the young miracle doctor
Did you enjoy seeing her help Li Hongyi in "The Blood of Youth"? XD
Having grown up in this industry, she's been trained and learning from some of the best directors across more than 10 years since she was a kid. She was 16 when she acted opposite Luo Yunxi as Shui Duopo for this drama. After that, she moved on to FL roles, including her first FL in a serious movie alongside Ao Ziyi that aired in November 2024. Her first FL in a serious drama is with Youku, which should air in first-half of 2026. She's filming for two other dramas that should air in Q4 of 2026. Viewers took note of her striking performance in "The Double" of June 2024, next to Wu Jinyan. Comedy is not something every artist can do, but she nailed it with Bai Shu in this drama.
All in all, she's earned her stripes to go from supporting cast to FL :)
2 
8 
3 
5 
1 
2 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
Oh yes, zaju recited by Gui Mudan in episode 14 (context plus mandarin and English translation):
https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24049694
https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24049698
Interpretation of Gui Mudan in episode 14 referencing two works including that zaju:
https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24049658
I recommend this new post from Azure! Excellent translation of a Douban article shared by another viewer: https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24608278
Currently watching "Silent Tides" (Republican-era Macau and HK), which deals with wartime anti-Japanese circumstances and struggles such as finance and material transport. Another one I enjoyed is "The Guardians" (Republican-era spy espionage thriller) whereby I also included vital history in my review encompassing WWII, KMT, and CCP. The acting there is solid, the plot and pacing is good.
In the meantime, you have to see this new post from Azure! Excellent translation of a Douban article shared by another viewer focusing on Tang Lici: https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24608278
You have to see this post from Azure! Excellent translation of a Douban article shared by another viewer: https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24608278
Mizuhira-san did the parts of Zhong Chunji and Liu Yan earlier, more than a week ago :)
I had tears in my eyes, and had to wipe them away to post this. Has kwanto seen this?!
In reality, a majority of romance C-dramas cannot reach the kind of viewership that the likes of "The Knockout" and "This Thriving Land" achieve. Quality, not quantity. The minority that can do so... TTEOM is one example, being romance-centric. The First Frost is another.
But this drama starring Lin Yi and Ai Mi is not romance-centric. So why are they here?
I'm glad to see this drama's makeup team does not make Ai Mi wear childish makeup and allows her natural beauty to shine, respectfully acknowledging the young lady that she is at the Wenrong Awards and on the Grazia magazine cover less than three months ago.
Gosh, Lin Yi looks gracefully lean and tall, and hopefully he doesn't conk his head on anything. That slice of strawberry shortcake looked pretty good...
If we look outside Hollywood, the 2023 Belgian movie "Here" by Bas Devos is a great example of how strangers forming friendship can eventually be something more without any kissing or skinship or implications you'd normally expect. A strong unusual script on what should be seemingly mundane, excellent directing and decent nuanced acting were the minimum requirements. That film won major awards at the Berlin Film Festival and top honors at the Valdivia International Film festival. I'd encourage people to watch that film if you haven't, and realise how quality from different countries in different languages is about very strong standards first and foremost meeting the basic requirements I've pointed out above.
The creative team wants this to be a success first and foremost, and not just the cast because the cast requires the creative team to be strong on storytelling, editing and post-production so they can shine in their interpretations and portrayals of their roles.
If we want actors and actresses to have better scripts to work with, then the creative teams (especially screenwriters and directors) must be acknowledged and encouraged to do their best for the cast. People with insecurity issues and other personal issues should be dealing with their offline issues and possibly seeing a psychologist or therapist first, instead of vomiting rubbish on this page.
Bai Jingting has cornered the market on time-travel suspense investigation thrillers. Reset and Mobius are very enjoyable in different ways, but there's always room for more quality time-travel dramas.
This is a great opportunity to do something very different for time travel dramas. I hope the creative team manages to succeed in their goals.
This is not an exam question, but I'd like to know a bit of what resonated with you, since I'm considering reading something different in January 2026. Use spoiler tags if you answer, so it won't affect others :)
There's no spoilers for a season finale in Season 4 because there is zero political intrigue tied to the main plot of palace politics in Season 3. Season 5 is where it seems the political intrigue is inevitable. Season 4 nicely leads into Season 5, but also allows the viewer to loop back and watch Season 1.
This makes the origins, unlikability and growth of each team member in Season 1 become more acceptable and appreciated. I couldn't emotionally resonate with any characters except Su Wuming several episodes in, which is why I paused SToTD for this long. SToTD season 1 is (mostly) institutionally and historically accurate, but I did not like Xijun or Lu Lingfeng until late in Season 1 even though I understood their portrayals were correct. I also found the acting for Yingtao to be wooden and one-dimensional. If I stuck all this in a review and according to what I assess, SToTD season 1 overall ratings for me is 7 to 7.5 maximum.
Where I would differ with you is only on Plot and Acting. I'd give plot 6.5 or7, and acting as 6.5 or 7.
I don't know how we're going to put everything in there, but I'm sure you'll figure it out, when you do :)
Thank you for your dedication in always updating us about these details.
And if you are interested in taking a look at the episode summary for episodes 8 to 12 (whereby I include certain details from the novel, Buddhism, and other little bits about Tang Lici and Puzhu): https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24006850
I wish to add this video about 罗云熙出演的20部影视剧全解析，暴瘦之下的爆火！(comes with English subs) compiling his earliest efforts in the entertainment industry before the advent of his latest dramas SLY and The Truth Within, touching on 20 of his dramas and film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0-e2iYUEDw
Lin Yun does not appear to have any good dramas or movies in her filmography, ever since she debuted in that Stephen Chow movie which made her famous. Why else would someone claiming to be a fan of Lin Yun continuously go on about the A-Shui role in such a dishonest manner on this drama page, even after this drama has finished airing for more than a month?
I must point out that A-Shui being primarily promoted as a romance target for this drama by that troll for so many weeks comes across as the ultimate disrespectful objectification of a female being reduced solely and primarily as worthy only because of a man. Is this person actually a Lin Yun fan, reducing her significance and filmography to a 7th-ranked character in a drama as a romance object, whereby this drama has no CP and no romance tag understandably because the producers said way before the airing that this is a heroism-focused drama?
I blocked one of her sockpuppet accounts after she attacked me for praising Chen Yao as Xifang Tao. I haven't forgotten the rotten eggs account attacking Jeremy Tsu's character as Gui Mudan when episode 14 aired, or the jerkopus08 account calling me names and laughably going on about Renegade Immortal while failing badly on stats. There are also other sockpuppet accounts, given how they seem to all follow a script attacking other users. I now wonder: Does MDL allow someone to use multiple sockpuppet accounts to harass other users such as myself?
I believe the troll needs to see a psychiatrist to diagnose any psychological factors, personality disorders, neurological issues and/or compulsive behaviour. Pathological lying is fundamentally unhealthy in multiple ways, such as claiming A-Shui was the most talked-about character while the drama aired when the statistics show she was mostly ignored.
If it wasn't for the melodrama created by the troll misleading others on this page while relentlessly attacking and deliberately insulting many viewers for expressing different views, there would be hardly any discussions about A-Shui on this page.
As it stands, fortunately a lot of people were clearly interested in many aspects of the drama and wonderful conversations occurred, despite the ridiculous bullying that took place over so many weeks.
Technically we need more than 40 episodes, if we are keeping all the current characters. It would still be possible to keep this story well-told within 40 episodes with strong characterisation connecting well, but some restructuring would have to happen.
IMHO, the biggest fundamental issue of this drama is having too many characters so when I finished watching this drama for the second time, this is the discussion thread which ensued after I summarised what I would alter (including two characters I would remove):
https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24390346
Teng Ping abandoned this novel for more than 10 years and left it unfinished because she didn't like it, and then picked it up again to finish after the novel was adapted for the drama. Here's a summary of what happened, according to Azure:
https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24292802
There's certain vibes that more than one viewer picked up on as per Tang Lici's behaviour, so I helpfully provided a section of a chapter from the unfinished novel (unlike the novel, the drama wonderfully fulfils Tang Lici's yearning to know a certain someone):
https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24289410
The official OST with some instrumentals are here clocking in at approximately 1 hour 15 minutes (if you can access bilibili):
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1B61ZB3EJC/
Tracklist:
[ 《水龙吟》影视原声大碟
00:00 张靓颖/刘宇宁 - 不沐春风不遇你 (主题曲)
04:24 黄子弘凡 - 骊龙吟 (片头曲)
07:14 苏见信(信) - 临风吟 (插曲)
12:00 Faye 詹雯婷 - 从此以后 (插曲)
16:11 严艺丹 - 与你发烫的时光 (插曲)
19:53 黛青塔娜 - 春声碎 (插曲)
24:31 者来女 - 于何处 (插曲)
28:19 吴翊之 - 念水谣 (插曲)
33:01 都智文 - 与你 (插曲)
37:05 萨吉 - 与你 (插曲)
41:09 罗云熙 - 一往 (唐俪辞人物曲)
45:28 肖顺尧 - 留半 (沈郎魂人物曲)
49:17 敖子逸 - 江湖此时 (池云人物曲)
52:58 方逸伦 - 难言 (柳眼人物曲)
56:24 包上恩 - 烈风吟 (钟春髻人物曲)
01:00:15 陈瑶 - 夭夭之花 (西方桃人物曲)
01:04:19 林允 - 不说 (阿谁人物曲)
01:08:30 徐正溪 - 何谓人 (鬼牡丹人物曲)
01:11:55 谢彬彬 - 如果我说我没错 (余负人人物曲) ]
Enjoy!
Having grown up in this industry, she's been trained and learning from some of the best directors across more than 10 years since she was a kid. She was 16 when she acted opposite Luo Yunxi as Shui Duopo for this drama. After that, she moved on to FL roles, including her first FL in a serious movie alongside Ao Ziyi that aired in November 2024. Her first FL in a serious drama is with Youku, which should air in first-half of 2026. She's filming for two other dramas that should air in Q4 of 2026. Viewers took note of her striking performance in "The Double" of June 2024, next to Wu Jinyan. Comedy is not something every artist can do, but she nailed it with Bai Shu in this drama.
All in all, she's earned her stripes to go from supporting cast to FL :)