Xiang83

I'm not offended by your comments. I see them as perfectly sensible observations and discourse. I explained myself in the previous comment, so it would be easier for a stranger to understand where I am coming from. Not understanding Mandarin but picking up on the issues with Yang Mi's delivery of lines relative to body deportment for Harbin 1944 is admirable.

I believe Yang Mi would have done better in Harbin 1944 if the main Director for that drama had a very specific direction for emoting and deportment from his leading lady. Qin Hailu does not need that kind of direction. I have discussed with someone else (all in DMs) about why the ML and FL for Princess Royal was very tedious for me based on their acting in episode 1 alone.

To reach the improvisational stage and exhibit star power requires the ability to effortlessly slip into different roles. Gong Li, Lin Ching-hsia, the two Tony Leungs, Leslie Cheung, Teresa Mo, Sandra Ng and a whole bevy of actors and actresses (main and supporting) that I am familiar with due to watching the movies and dramas of 80s and 90s and early 2000s have this scene-stealing ability because they make it look effortless (I started watching in the second half of the 90s, when it was easy for reruns).

Yang Mi is obviously not at the improvisational stage and needs specific directions from a Director. There are many popular actors and actresses who are clearly not at the improvisational stage and far from it, but they can turn in a good or stellar performance in a drama under the right Director plus screenwriter(s). In mainland C-Dramas, there are five actresses able to reach the improvisational stage from my perspective, which I compiled into a list: He Landou, Li Landi, Ni Ni, Xing Fei and Ai Mi.

Ni Ni is the odd one out due to her age and she is already at that stage, with her very apt delivery and timing. The ability to make a ML look natural and bring out his natural best is an ability which the five actresses above have, based on their current acting skill levels. To convey depth within the first two minutes of the role is not easy. To enable all this is a lot harder than it looks. I am considering adding Zhang Zifeng to the list.

"Love and Destiny" featuring Ni Ni and Chang Chen was a dream pairing for me. Zhang Yunlong finally in a xianxia drama this year that I had been anticipating floored me. Very rarely will I say an actor embodied a role and nobody else can do it. Zhang Yunlong and Chang Chen also did well with their leading ladies.

If you're going to discuss something on MDL when a large number of fans are present for a certain actor or actress on a drama page or their profile page, it is best to use DMs if it is something potentially unflattering. I am comfortable in replies to very immature users being rude to me, if I choose not to use DMs and choose to say something publicly while adhering to MDL rules.

Yang Mi has reached a new high for herself with this drama IMHO. I hope she will build further on it. Enjoy your weekend!

This is my answer as to why the drama turned out this way with "plotholes", after watching 36 episodes, and why the ending is the best one possible for this drama as bittersweet and happy, from a certain perspective. Please bear in mind this drama is rated PG-13 and not NC-16, and it is impossible to accurately adapt more of the novel to a NC-16 rating (which would still be diluted for the novel) or a lot of people are likely not to finish watching the drama for multiple reasons. If you have not watched until episode 36 and do not want spoilers, don't click on the comment link.

https://kisskh.at/761585-wan-wu-sheng#comment-23187042

I gave a short explanation of why this ending is the best possible ending for all involved, just below your comment. The screenwriter would have had major headaches adapting the novel to a script for the drama, to pass the PG-13 rating.

This drama is rated PG-13. The novel is much darker in plot and for multiple characters. It would be impossible to accurately adapt the entire novel and also pass this drama rating. If the novel is accurately adopted, the number of hugely-upsetting small and large issues based on the realism in the novel alone is likely to overshadow power performances of the cast (and make many people even more upset at specific characters in drama) and possibly be too many issues at one go for an audience, when it would be better to focus on a certain number of specific small and large issues which are already distressing.

"Plotholes" for this drama will therefore exist because of this gigantic difficulty between drama rating and other considerations versus the original novel, which a screenwriter has to consider when adapting differences to become 36 episodes.

If this plot and execution of the script at PG-13 rating is already significantly distressing for some viewers, what would an NC-16 rating do, due to the plot and characters being even more accurate to the novel? Ning Xuexiang would be disgusting beyond tolerance for viewing, and he wouldn't be the only character challenging the audience to finish the drama.

The theme song and/or character theme songs usually give a huge hint of what is to happen, especially if you understand Mandarin. This is the song that plays for Xiuxiu in the last 7 minutes of episode 36 (turn on English subtitles): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A37edxfaCuM

I would therefore consider the ending to be bittersweet and happy in the best way possible, for as many key characters involved as possible. Xiuxiu gets to see everyone dearest to her that has gone before. And together with Dajiao, focuses once again on the land.

It is therefore fitting that Yang Mi and Ou Hao cement episode 36 at the end.

I always consider the Director (main director, art director and action director where applicable) and Screenwriter(s) to be primarily essential to the success of a drama or movie if it is to be good or iconic, slightly more so than the casting of actors and actresses. Excellent casting will then primarily cement the success and memorability of a drama or film. If the storyline and script is not expertly handled and executed and edited, it will always spoil a drama or movie. 《春花焰》is an example of how multiple screenwriters clearly did not understand the novel material and butchered the ML and FL while wrongly enhancing at least one side character while screwing up the plot, hence Wu Jinyan and Liu Xueyi could not save the drama despite their acting and interpretations. The first three episodes were a good buildup, and then everything fell apart after that.

I submitted to MDL an entirely different synopsis version for the 1993 movie "Green Snake" by Tsui Hark (which was accepted) because the previous synopsis showed no understanding in the classic legend of Madame White Snake especially where the categories of 神人鬼妖 was concerned, and I also added a review mentioning influences for the art direction of the movie such as Tang and Song Dynasty paintings for the main set.

To me, anything explicit (gore and PDA) must serve a purpose that enhances a script and also cements lessons for an audience to connect with. I was commenting the other day about a lack of quality and quantity of female-centric dramas in C-Ent compared to male-centric dramas: https://kisskh.at/790870-que-gu#comment-23158614

I usually cannot stand romance dramas. Romance if present has to contribute to the script and advance the plot while being conveyed with enough subtlety and finesse, otherwise I cannot finish it.

With that, Harbin 1944 had an excellent premise, but had several issues in execution and characterisation. If we're talking about Yang Mi there, one of the issues includes the delivery of her lines needing differences in enunciation, especially in a lower tone and slower at times to vary the speed within several lines. I'll give an example from the fourth episode. When she says "跟你说件正事：医院那边不用审了" followed by "线索肯定断了" and then "你跟丁鹏去审审那个姓石的吧" - The main Director should have insisted on varied speed and nuancing in these lines. Too fast, too high-pitched, too monotonous with no nuancing. Do this over many episodes, and it makes her character less effective and convincing than she should be.

She needs to sound authoritative and intimidating at times. I would have picked another actress to do the character interpretation, because there's at least two actresses I can think of who could give a spot-on performance. But I wouldn't want them in Harbin 1944 because of other issues with the drama.

People who only rely on subtitles will not be able to pick up on this issue of line delivery as something which can be disagreed about.

IQiyi's English subtitles are atrocious at times. I have seen crucial sentences in normal conversations not being translated with sufficient context over multiple episodes. It makes for all sorts of misunderstandings and shipping which is great for an international reach, but I find it amazing to be lectured about what is canon by people who rely solely on subtitles.

I won't comment any further about this on this page, and return to commenting about "This Thriving Land".

I found the teeth of multiple cast members to be more distracting than Yang Mi's hair, which you are right to point out should be messier. All things said and done, Yang Mi's delivery in this drama is much better overall. In episode 33 from 15:37 to 15:50, her acting paired with line delivery is a fundamentally big difference when compared to episode 4 of Harbin 1944. This is an example of how the main Director makes the difference in helping the cast understand the necessary.

Yang Mi is holding her own among a very strong cast which includes Qin Hailu, Ni Dahong, Ou Hao, Lin Yongjian and (pleasantly surprised) Xing Fei. I find her acting to be among the weaker ones for this cast but I am not criticising her here. She is performing way above what I have seen from her previously in any drama, ever since Episode 1 of "This Thriving Land". I am glad for any cast member here getting as much success as possible from this drama, because they worked very hard and they deserve all the accolades.

Maybe you can share more about Ma Qiuyuan for other watchers to learn about. I believe she will be great in her role as Li Lejun, especially under this director and screenwriter.

For anyone who has no clue and wants to check out her acting in a drama, I would recommend the 2024 microdrama 《桃花马上请长缨》 (with English subs here): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO7viy1xCsw&t=18s

6 days ago, I made this comment to iamkalai: "If this drama can redeem that disgusting twatwaffle, I'll be impressed and nauseated."

I was referring to the drama character Ning Xuexiang, because this drama is (to me) clearly sanitising his character in the novel, including how he interacts with Yinzi. His kind of thinking is very similar to my maternal grandmother's father. That ancestor told my grandmother when she reached the age of 12: females did not need any more learning beyond that age because he believed girls were only good for cooking, cleaning and continuing the family line. Husbands were to be obeyed.

And a few other wonderfully horrible gems that in this day and age, I would be very inclined to do something very nasty to that chap if he were still alive.

This drama does a good job of adapting the essential components of the novel, and I believe it should not take on everything from the novel, so the changes to various characters is understandable. Otherwise there will be so many issues raised leading into too much negative controversy that I believe it would detract from the focus of this drama being a good platform for the contentious issues already raised and creating a space for mature and complex discourse simply by having this drama exist while also highlighting a standout ensemble cast, paving the way to more contentious issues being raised in future for mainstream acceptance.

It may seem illogically unrealistic that the FL wasn't actually raped in this drama as opposed to the novel given the settings of rural Shandong province in the 1920s, this drama instead having the FL pretend to claim she was raped. But this change in the script from the novel then makes people think about a certain issue and I find it heartening that some viewers believe it should have been loyal to the novel. Being willing to consider this "plothole" for the script could lead to further necessary discourse, be it local or international: How do we see women who have been raped? Are we going to accept realistic portrayals focusing on such women in a drama as a key plot or key characters or visible supporting characters, including their traumas and how they deal?

And hopefully in future, there will be a drama that perhaps focuses on a FL who has undergone such a trauma and her character is tackled in ways focusing on how she can deal with such a horrible experience and how larger society should treat her fairly and with compassion.

What you have pointed out about poverty is true. This is a very important subject as well, and I wouldn't want that to be diluted, because several other issues will also become visible once people finish up to episode 29.

As to the complex historical backdrop of this drama that many viewers miss out on, I'll quote OstentiousOrchid's comment from 7 days ago ( https://kisskh.at/761585-wan-wu-sheng#comment-23092312 ):

[ With everything going on, she seems like a low level antagonist that maybe will see the error of her ways.

IDK how the story will play out since it's going to be 2 decades of story 1924 to 1944?

We have the Land Reform Movement backdrop, the bandits & the warlords (Warlord era 1916 to 1928) although there was residual warlord/bandits until the 1930s, looming Japanese invasion of Manchuria (1931), Chinese Civil War Phase 1 (1927 to 1937), Sino-Japanese 1937 to 1945. ]

The kiss in the 1942 movie "Casablanca" between Ilsa and Rick has nothing to do with Wu Jinyan and Wang Xingyue's wedding night in "The Double", but the premise is fundamentally similar despite different outcomes. Emotional buildup from what came before, to finally culminate in a heartfelt unforgettable scene. Careful usage of lighting and camera angles panning in, with appropriate lenses, leads to something touchingly memorable. I consider these two scenes in two different entities (one Mandarin drama, one English movie) relative to a kiss to be iconic.

The Director for "The Double" also created an iconic trailer for "Rebirth". Juxtaposition of wide-sweeping shots for landscape versus intimate close-ups, moods, colours, angles- It's a very well-shot trailer.

When everything is full-on without some subtlety and enough finesse, the magic and mystery is lost. It's something not everyone can describe, but it's something people come to recognise when they have watched enough dramas and movies of variety.

I am certain a large number of MDL members have no experience with the references of Casablanca and Oshin, so what I'm saying will not resonate. But I know there are lurkers who don't feel comfortable commenting as I do, so I'm fine in voicing a different generational perspective.

And yes, I agree with you. Should do so for Ai Mi and Neo Hou at the end.

Noticed a friend asking for the song in the trailer. Starting at 0:48, this trailer utilises parts of the song "It's Not Personal" by composers Skip Armstrong & Lily Marly & Henry Roseberry.

This song can be heard here (scroll down to number 7 and pick which version you want, full version or instrumental or underscore): https://www.extrememusic.com/albums/15442

This trailer utilises parts of the song "It's Not Personal" by composers Skip Armstrong & Lily Marly & Henry Roseberry.

This song can be heard here (scroll down to number 7 and pick which version you want, full version or instrumental or underscore): https://www.extrememusic.com/albums/15442

I thought Yang Mi might have done some tanning because I was also looking at her hands. I could never finish a Yang Mi-led drama because I considered her emoting to be mediocre. I'm happy to finish this drama for many reasons, including the fact that Yang Mi has immersed herself so completely with a powerful ensemble cast and this is the drama she should have done at least five years ago (or something similar to this drama). It's great that Yang Mi's star power also helps to expand awareness in any market for this drama, and I hope this drama can get a wider international audience.

I'll help your vocab and reading comprehension. I hope you don't talk to strangers like that offline, or perhaps you should get some professional help.

Pedophile refers to a psychiatric disorder showing a preference for prepubescent children. Hebephile refers to a preference for children between ages 11 to 14. You keep flinging the word "pedophile" around as if you know what it means, but you are obviously misusing the word. Huangyang Tian Tian unfortunately got herself into trouble on social media with selfies of specific earrings mistaken for expensive Graf earrings, which led to an emergency of her needing to be replaced urgently.

Asia is very big. There's East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, etc.

I mentioned two dramas being classified as masterpieces under this director as per one of the articles (which I translated for a discussion post above more than a month ago), but those who are not Mandarin speakers or Chinese history buffs would not have watched those dramas. From a C-Drama perspective of those who are familiar with this Director Go Yik-Chun's work, "The Prince of Han Dynasty" and "The Empress of China" will be the examples raised to showcase this Director's suitable abilities when considering the demands for "Key To The Phoenix Heart". That is why those two drama series are mentioned in more than one article.

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

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

Neither of these dramas have English subs. The acting is what one wants, from a capable cast and a capable director. Some viewers will have quibbles with "The Empress of China" due to historical accuracy in terms of Wu Zetian, but it is overall a masterful series.

What I already mentioned about Mohist Mechanism for that discussion post pertaining to Xie Jiayu is already created on-set, and made the rounds on Weibo this month.

I've only watched mandarin movies and dramas for almost 30 years and spoken the language for longer than that, since being chinese is part of my mixed heritage growing up as a baby. My actresses of choice range from Gong Li to Lin Ching-hsia to Sandra Ng to Carol Cheng. Why don't you educate me about how I don't know what I am talking about?

The teeth issue is something I could not avoid noticing for the cast with more screentime because up until episode 29, the likes of Dajiao and Xiuxiu's brother have very white even teeth. Xiuxiu's mother-in-law also has very white teeth. But they did very well with their acting, so the teeth isn't a big distraction. Yang Mi's tanning is very nicely done.

You might start with blaming the author Jin Yong. When Liu Yifei was cast as FL Xiao Long Nu in Jin Yong's classic "The Return Of The Condor Heroes" released in 2006 as a drama series and she was filming it at the age of 17 (same age as Ai mi currently undergoing filming), her efforts were enough for Jin Yong to praise her performance as being closest to his original vision.

And then you can continue with Ai Mi. After acting for more than 10 years in this industry to garner more than 24 interesting supporting roles in dramas and more than 10 roles in movies (MDL does not have the complete list of her works), how could Ai Mi possibly know what she wants, when this is her 3rd FL role in a drama or movie whereby she has clearly chosen to steer clear of high school dramas after working her way up?

After being FL in a history-based movie with war released in November 2024, or a suspense-crime-thriller-mystery not yet released by Youku... I would advise you go lambast whatever you deem fit, and perhaps consider the fact that cultures in East Asia and Southeast Asia are more conservative than Western societies, where explicit PDA isn't integral to portraying a relationship onscreen. Thanks.

There's this clip of the two of them hand-in-hand, which I think is from day 31 ie 18/8: https://weibo.com/1987495117/Q0rwH22zJ

I hope they will do battle scenes soon. I really want to see the props in action.

More than 10 years of acting to choose interesting support roles she can do well in (across more than 24 dramas and 10 movies) and this being her 3rd FL role in a drama or movie production is a timely necessary challenge for her. In all the dramas I have seen her play a supporting role, she doesn't look stretched, rather natural and sometimes older than her actual age. And yes, it would be nice to have a happy ending for her finally!

Have you seen this fan edit of Neo Hou emoting: https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5201975040017402

Nice finds. I am hopefully waiting for BTS of Ma Qiuyuan and Peter Ho. Wu Jinyan and Wang Xingyue in The Double reminded me of implied scenarios adding to the tension and enhancing their relationship. The candle was rightly and soundly lambasted by many viewers, when it came to the duo's wedding night. I was glad for the candle.

I find it vulgar when everything is explicitly over-indulged (be it gore or PDA), unless it is for a good effective cause. Over-indulgence simply becomes lurid titillation and a distraction from what should be the focus: A complex well-digested plot, well-developed characters and the themes to take home. Modern Hollywood has this problem with the intelligent art of subtlety and implications, whereby too much is made explicit and dumbed down for the viewer.

Tarantino is an exception who knew when to use restraint and purpose in his films, even when studded with violence. His violence was usually for making a point.

I would like to see a C-Drama version of Oshin (1983 drama of 297 episodes, at 15 minutes each), where the lead female overcomes obstacles of all sorts and builds an empire, from girlhood to old age. C-Ent for female-centric options isn't as varied as male-centric dramas and movies. Ao Ruipeng just wrapped up filming for "Now or Never" as the ML where he isn't having any romance. Luo Yunxi's "Whispers of Fate" is coming out in end-October, where he's an anti-hero learning to find his place and be himself... Also without romance for him (unless they altered the script to deviate from the novel and if they did, any romance will be fleeting). Ci Sha in "The Shadow's Edge" is only one of three movies where his focus is male-centric acting to showcase intelligent roles. Where are the female-centric movies or dramas doing the same?

Maybe a female version of Justice Bao, which I grew up watching. I would like something strongly female-centric, even more so than Coroner's Diary which had a good blueprint: The FL was capable and could still make mistakes but at the end of the day, she was determined to make something of herself. And her love interest understood this well enough to want to enable her to have power and influence without leaning on him.

Having difficulty finding clips of Ai Mi emoting because the cameras are not at the right angles and I keep seeing her back XD

不客气。抱歉!一开始我不肯定你中文的流利程度。

If you haven't seen the 1993 movie rendition of "Green Snake" by Tsui Hark, give it a go. It's his take on the legendary classic of Madame White Snake by adapting a certain novel. Tsui Hark incorporated influences from paintings of the Song Dynasty and Tang Dynasty into his set pieces. The costumes for the two female leads were inspired by a specific role in Peking Opera, and one of the two male leads was also trained in Peking Opera.

[ During the Southern Song Dynasty, when it was difficult to distinguish between humans and spirits, the powerful monk of Golden Hill Temple, Fat Hoi, believed in strictly maintaining the boundaries between the classes of humans and spirits. During this time, two snake spirits living in a remote purple bamboo forest finally take on human form as beautiful young women, after each undergoing one thousand years and five hundred years of cultivation, respectively. They decide to live among humans, find out what it means to be human, and behave like humans.

Their sisterhood encounters challenges when the more-powerful snake spirit, White Snake Bai Su Shen, meets the scholar Hsui Xi En of West Lake and decides to bring him into their lives and abode. Green Snake Xiao Qing is too careless one day, and Hsui Xi En eventually discovers the full truth about the two beautiful women he cherishes. ]

You can find a watchable link here: https://kisskh.at/6491-green-snake#comment-22845502

Here's an update about IQiyi, as of 18 August: https://www.morningstar.com/news/dow-jones/202508184757/iqiyi-up-nearly-20-on-pace-for-largest-percent-increase-since-december-2022-data-talk