I'd argue that it's precisely because Priest writes a lot of works where it's a lot easier to "censor" the romance,…
Really informative comment! I agree that popularity plays a major part bc I’d say Priest’s Mo Du is a very difficult work to censor, not in the romance aspect but the plot. I feel like it hits every of Chinese censorship’s hotspots ashkkhjgdd. I was surprised initially that producers want to tackle it, but then again not really bc I’m pretty sure it’s currently Priest’s most popular work. I’m sure they’ll be determine to make it, no matter how difficult it is...
There's someone currently translating the novel here https://foxaholic.com/tag/winter-begonia/As far as I know,…
wow this is what qualifies as “translation” these days? then no need to wait for updates, if you run the chapters through google translate yourself you get the exact same text lol
The ending was so sad but for me it was unambigous that SXR didn't go with CFT. He already made his decision when…
interesting you pointed that private performance for CFT out bc that scene was actually what made me think SXR was indecisive and leaning towards CFT. I thought that scene was positive foreshadowing, bc when SXR was singing he stopped right before line “we will soon separate, please take care” like he couldn’t get the words out, then ran off with CFT (the other actor even complained that “Xiao Fengxian ran off with the General”). then he sings a totally different song to CFT in the streets also I think the fact that they showed that SXR wasn’t on stage during curtain call in the last scene means he did physically go to the station
whether which decision is more “in character” for SXR is debatable. I personally saw a major change in him in last 5ish eps that make me think he would choose CFT, but I can see it go the other way too
I feel like every mention of the novel on here is about the sex and romance and making it sound like PWP, so I just want give it some justice say that the plot twists and the xianxia portions of this novel is very smart and creative. there are many novels where it's barebones without the romance but 2ha is not one of them. even if they completely cut it out, all of the characters are solid with motivations outside of romance and there are a lot of themes and plot arcs to adapt and make a good drama. (also no offense but I have never seen a character where a gender change would make so little impact as it would with Shimei. the way the author constantly portrays him like a girl almost felt like he was originally written as a girl)
whew, the last 3 eps relied heavily on the rather heart-wrenching events in the novel so I hope everyone is prepared…
I'm thinking a lot about SXR's growth as a person and how CFT pushes him to finally grow up. SXR at the beginning is petulant, selfish, short-sighted. someone said he's a pouting diva and they're absolutely right. he held a grudge towards his senior sister for getting married and leaving opera. he has no idea what love is or what it means to sacrifice for the person he loves so they can be happy and be safe. his idea of love resolves around opera, what he wants to sing, and doing what HE thinks is right even if it cause trouble for himself and other people. when Cao Sr points a gun to his head and asks him to pick his life or opera, he can answer with conviction "opera".
but at the end I realize that he has probably come to love CFT even more than opera. it's been snowballing for awhile but SXR who without a thought will give the entire ownership contract of his opera troupe and his own service contracts to CFT. SXR who now refused to sing opera until CFT returns. SXR who is willing to humiliate himself to the Japanese so CFT can receive penicillin, willing damage his voice day and night as long as CFT wakes up. that's why I also cried when SXR forgave his senior sister, bc of what he went through with CFT he realizes the most fearful thing is a goodbye. at the very end when CFT asks SXR to choose between opera and his life again, SXR doesn't answer.
so even if it is officially an open ending, I think both of the novel and the drama leans positive. SXR has changed and he is no longer a rabid dog with nothing but opera in his head. he successfully pushed Zhou Touzi and the opera troupe to be independent even without him. CFT's wife also has an open attitude towards SXR by the end in the novel and the drama. and finally, the last line of the novel is: "Cheng Fengtai looked up at the snow. He will definitely wait for him." it's the same in the drama, it doesn't matter if SXR was just a "vision”, CFT doesn't turn around and get on the train. He will stand there and wait for as long as it takes.
whew, the last 3 eps relied heavily on the rather heart-wrenching events in the novel so I hope everyone is prepared lol. Yin Zheng is fantastic. he is SO good. I cried a lot during the telephone scene. YZ's expressions and HXM's voice acting there, like omg...
I have a lot of thoughts that I want to organize into a proper review later, but just want to get out some ideas about the character of SXR and the ending
Ah this was such a good drama I’m sad I finished it so soooooon. Also kinda confused by the ending, does Shang…
we all know from previous experiences that censorship's the favorite method to mess with BL adaptations is picking the most ambiguous ending edit they possibly can.
today, 久任 posted one of the other versions of the ending that was made during production. 久任 is a scriptwriter for Winter Begonia. she’s been a fan of the original novel since 2017 and the 2 most popular and well known fanvideo for the novel was made by her (both of which feature YZ). YZ recently credited her in an interview as a key person in getting him cast for SXR. this edit is titled "Xiao Fengxian left with the General". I would high recommend a watch for anyone who have finished the drama, bc this is likely the way those flashbacks and the ending was meant to be edited. https://m.weibo.cn/status/4497703772103609
wow there are LOTS of killer dialogue and scenes in the eps today. like the shot of CFT's hand shaking after SXR so innocently asks to exchange all of his belonging in order for CFT to stay. ah my heart is also shaking, the script is so good... the scene one where SXR was singing to CFT in the street is probably one of my faves in the entire drama. look at how good they are at utilizing the romanticism in opera ;~; https://twitter.com/gnanugu/status/1253677868120301570
I feel for the average viewers.....who dont have a background of the novel? Enjoy it as it is. Many others are…
there's no novel...this drama's script is original. I keep seeing ppl talking about novel and censorship and I'm really confused as to where the fake news source is lo, bc this drama IS the original so it's exactly the way it's meant to be
I know we all laughed at SXR for mistaking CFT's pocket watch photo of CFT's mom as himself, but do y'all realize that CFT actually does keep a picture of SXR in his wallet ( ◡‿◡ )
btw if anyone is interested, a fan translated Yin Zheng and Huang Xiaoming's livestream. it's pretty informative and but also sad at the same time bc just as I expected a lot of filmed CFT/SXR scenes were cut out or edited to reduce the meaning/impact. and the fact that the actors have to be worried their stream will get cut just for talking about it, sigh can you imagine trying to make art under this oppression... https://twitter.com/bonbonruru/status/1251188404689293313
i have some questionsss, how is the bl or bromance moments, are there lots like in untamed? and does any of the…
so the rest of the drama got leaked and I have been sufficiently spoiled just by hanging around weibo, and I can confirm that neither of the male leads or the wife die at the end of the drama.
imo it's a bit hard to compare to the untamed since the vibe and the intended audience are really different (for both the source novels and the drama adaptations). but I'd say they pretty much checked all the typical boxes for a bromance drama: prolonged staring, hand holding, head patting, carrying, tucking into bed, wearing the other person's clothing, falling on top of each other, hugging, protecting, feeding etc. not all of it was done with the emphasis of slowmo and romantic bgm, but it did happen.
also some really intense dialogue can just hit you out of nowhere. like this one hit me in a recently aired ep "everyone says a remarkable person like Shang laoban should only be looked at from afar, no one would dare to walk beside you. but only I, Cheng Fengtai, am willing to step in boiling water and tread over fire to be by your side."
I found a list of male actors that have portrayed a Peking opera singer for my research on bilibili. leaving it here for anyone who is interested in seeing how this type of character looks in other dramas/movies:
- leslie cheung - farewell my concubine https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1VE411d7P7 (listen...if you still for some reason have not seen this movie, please watch it asap. fun fact, the actor that played leslie's disciple in farewell plays ning jiulang in winter begonia)
omg ep 35 and Xiao Lai's part was so difficult to watch...cried for the first time. it always get me when this time period is depicted in dramas/movies because I know it was very real and such things happened countless times
it's interesting how they chose to lace those devastating scenes with the privileged world of CFT's wife and her cousin and how they can just wave it off as "don't want to hear about it". i never know if this drama wants to depict CFT's wife as likeable or not bc it's not like what she told SXR is wrong, but she also has no idea what he's going through and say stuff like "just bc a girl died". like as soon as i find her pretty ok in a scene but she becomes off-putting in 3 other scenes lol
(btw Xiao Lai doesn't die in the novel. and Chen Renxiang is a character that doesn't exist in the novel. no thanks to the drama for making 2 characters loveable then killing them off!)
there's a new trailer and I'm kinda shook bc it's revealing some major plot points in the later eps (and I think they'll keep the ending very close to the novel too...) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Ja4y1x7Ro
just saw ep 27 and I was kinda surprised with how closely to novel they kept the background of CFT's marriage. I was half suspecting they concocted some other complicated storyline. I guess it does help to have the original writer as the screenwriter
basically, he marries her bc his family is desperate for money. she marries him because of his appearance. neither of them know even what the hell real love is, but they still care about each other bc they're family (other than the fact that CFT is a serial cheater in the novel lol...that's one detail I do not mind the drama cutting out)
after looking at a lot material about Peking opera, I have to say Yin Zheng has the perfect face for that style of female makeup, and I bet it played a huge part in his casting. I keep seeing netizens be rude about his casting/appearance bc he's not a young skinny pretty boy like in the other dramas, but I literally haven't seen anyone look better than him in that makeup, out of all the actors that have played a Peking opera singer and even the real life professionals. it's something about the shape of his face and mouth (and maybe the makeup artist is also extra good). that scene of him looking at the mirror then at CFT is still amazing
http://www.qxtxt.com/binbianbushihaitanghong/
also I think the fact that they showed that SXR wasn’t on stage during curtain call in the last scene means he did physically go to the station
whether which decision is more “in character” for SXR is debatable. I personally saw a major change in him in last 5ish eps that make me think he would choose CFT, but I can see it go the other way too
but at the end I realize that he has probably come to love CFT even more than opera. it's been snowballing for awhile but SXR who without a thought will give the entire ownership contract of his opera troupe and his own service contracts to CFT. SXR who now refused to sing opera until CFT returns. SXR who is willing to humiliate himself to the Japanese so CFT can receive penicillin, willing damage his voice day and night as long as CFT wakes up. that's why I also cried when SXR forgave his senior sister, bc of what he went through with CFT he realizes the most fearful thing is a goodbye. at the very end when CFT asks SXR to choose between opera and his life again, SXR doesn't answer.
so even if it is officially an open ending, I think both of the novel and the drama leans positive. SXR has changed and he is no longer a rabid dog with nothing but opera in his head. he successfully pushed Zhou Touzi and the opera troupe to be independent even without him. CFT's wife also has an open attitude towards SXR by the end in the novel and the drama. and finally, the last line of the novel is: "Cheng Fengtai looked up at the snow. He will definitely wait for him." it's the same in the drama, it doesn't matter if SXR was just a "vision”, CFT doesn't turn around and get on the train. He will stand there and wait for as long as it takes.
I have a lot of thoughts that I want to organize into a proper review later, but just want to get out some ideas about the character of SXR and the ending
today, 久任 posted one of the other versions of the ending that was made during production. 久任 is a scriptwriter for Winter Begonia. she’s been a fan of the original novel since 2017 and the 2 most popular and well known fanvideo for the novel was made by her (both of which feature YZ). YZ recently credited her in an interview as a key person in getting him cast for SXR.
this edit is titled "Xiao Fengxian left with the General". I would high recommend a watch for anyone who have finished the drama, bc this is likely the way those flashbacks and the ending was meant to be edited.
https://m.weibo.cn/status/4497703772103609
the scene one where SXR was singing to CFT in the street is probably one of my faves in the entire drama. look at how good they are at utilizing the romanticism in opera ;~;
https://twitter.com/gnanugu/status/1253677868120301570
https://wx2.sinaimg.cn/mw1024/0074pplwly1ge0i4s2mygg30rk0fhe88.gif
https://wx3.sinaimg.cn/large/cb124b0egy1ge1csyxjamg20vi0hqb2h.gif
btw if anyone is interested, a fan translated Yin Zheng and Huang Xiaoming's livestream. it's pretty informative and but also sad at the same time bc just as I expected a lot of filmed CFT/SXR scenes were cut out or edited to reduce the meaning/impact. and the fact that the actors have to be worried their stream will get cut just for talking about it, sigh can you imagine trying to make art under this oppression...
https://twitter.com/bonbonruru/status/1251188404689293313
idk what the subs says but the line is “所有人都说像商老板这种钟灵毓秀的人物 只能远远地看着 不敢与他并肩而行 只有我程凤台甘愿赴汤蹈火 伴随左右”
it's open ending. the same train station ending as in the novel.
imo it's a bit hard to compare to the untamed since the vibe and the intended audience are really different (for both the source novels and the drama adaptations). but I'd say they pretty much checked all the typical boxes for a bromance drama: prolonged staring, hand holding, head patting, carrying, tucking into bed, wearing the other person's clothing, falling on top of each other, hugging, protecting, feeding etc. not all of it was done with the emphasis of slowmo and romantic bgm, but it did happen.
also some really intense dialogue can just hit you out of nowhere. like this one hit me in a recently aired ep "everyone says a remarkable person like Shang laoban should only be looked at from afar, no one would dare to walk beside you. but only I, Cheng Fengtai, am willing to step in boiling water and tread over fire to be by your side."
- leslie cheung - farewell my concubine https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1VE411d7P7
(listen...if you still for some reason have not seen this movie, please watch it asap. fun fact, the actor that played leslie's disciple in farewell plays ning jiulang in winter begonia)
- john lone - m. butterfly https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1ds411v71R
(barely any opera scenes in this movie but he's the real deal bc he was in an peking opera troupe before. here's his real performance, slay https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1NW411u7B8)
- yu shaoqun - forever enthralled https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Hs411i7kg
(biography of the real life opera singer mei lanfang. also an peking opera trained actor)
- lou yujian - xun huisheng https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1ox411J7Ex
(biography of the real life opera singer xun huisheng)
- zhang yixing - the mystic nine https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1qb411C74a
(although it's mainly an adventure drama and he's a side character)
honorary mentions (aka the characters aren't actual opera singers but are in the costume for whatever reason and still visually impressive):
- ma tianyu - the vigilantes in masks https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV14s411y7nH
(also his mv with a peking opera love triangle all played by him lol https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Ux411W7TH)
- chen xiao - above the clouds 2 & nothing gold can stay https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1ux411b7fx
it's interesting how they chose to lace those devastating scenes with the privileged world of CFT's wife and her cousin and how they can just wave it off as "don't want to hear about it". i never know if this drama wants to depict CFT's wife as likeable or not bc it's not like what she told SXR is wrong, but she also has no idea what he's going through and say stuff like "just bc a girl died". like as soon as i find her pretty ok in a scene but she becomes off-putting in 3 other scenes lol
(btw Xiao Lai doesn't die in the novel. and Chen Renxiang is a character that doesn't exist in the novel. no thanks to the drama for making 2 characters loveable then killing them off!)
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Ja4y1x7Ro
basically, he marries her bc his family is desperate for money. she marries him because of his appearance. neither of them know even what the hell real love is, but they still care about each other bc they're family (other than the fact that CFT is a serial cheater in the novel lol...that's one detail I do not mind the drama cutting out)
ps. before anyone asks, I don't know any translation. cnovel is fully available here http://www.qxtxt.com/binbianbushihaitanghong/