This info came directly from Mango OP during JXFH promo, not yxh: “Guo Se Fang Hua” & “Jin Xiu Fang Hua” are both rated S++. The only other drama of this level this year is “SLY.”
I’m not here to argue—CYJM was an S+ of the highest grade. Youku aft CY couldn’t afford to buy SLY, even after their CEO was laughed at by industry insiders for visiting LYX filming site with iQIYI crew & bought food & drinks for iQIYI crew under LYX name, while bidding against iQIYI in summer ‘23 But then again, who could outbid China Mobile when it decides to venture into its 1st costume drama project? I’ve been following SLY closely for 2 years—months bfr any yxh mentioned abt QJM/SLY. It took me months to get MDL to create this page.
Since there's interest in the level of investment in Shui Long Yin (SLY), let me share more:
1. An OP in Hengdian said the largest rental building in Hengdian had stood empty for years. Many were surprised when it was finally rented—only to discover it was SLY crew.
2. Unlike fantasy productions that rely heavily on green screens, SLY spent $$$ to construct 12 real-scene studios. The main hall of Bi Luo Palace alone spans 8,000 square meters, and its dome features a star map hand-inlaid with 23,000 crystals. Director said "The breath of martial arts must come from the real bluestone slabs under the actors' feet." Lyx mentioned a fight scene in the rain where the crew even brought in a sprinkler truck to repeatedly wash the ground—just so the puddles could reflect “the cold light of an ancient sword when it is unsheathed.”
3. SLY shocked the industry when its crew announced: “8,600 props, 2,600 sets of costumes, and 50,000 square meters of real-scene construction.”
4. 160 days of hand-forging brought Dunhuang murals to life on TLC clothing. o Every inch of fabric tells a story: Tang Lici’s “Tang Fox” costume features a Western Region totem on the cuffs and gold thread embroidery on the collar that took 72 hours to complete. o The secret of the hair crown: Xifang Tao’s gilded hairpin was 3D-printed, then hand-carved based on a real antique artifact, with weight measured to the gram to prevent deformation during movement. o Digitizing Dunhuang aesthetics: The crew scanned color data from the Mogao Grottoes murals and used AI to restore 12 lost mineral pigment dyeing techniques for TLC costume. Chief Art Director Luan Hexin stated: “We’re not sewing clothes—we’re writing a martial arts epic with needle and thread.”
5. CGI is handled by the award-winning Wandering Earth team. Reportedly, it’s an upgrade from TTOETM, featuring VR experiences and Marvel-level visuals.
6. The construction of the $300M Wufengxi-Shui Long Yin town—funded by the local government and LYX’s agency—reveals a grander vision beyond just creating a popular drama.
SLY may be the most ambitious project to showcase Chinese culture, while simultaneously boosting tourism in Luo Yunxi’s hometown through a massive linkage initiative.
Sometimes I think—maybe it’s this Chengdu tourism project that convinced LYX to stay with his agency (LOL).
Another note: TTOETM Heng yang sect building was built for LYX-TTOETM and was closed/dismantled after LYX-SLY used it.
Glad to see you back. So what you're saying is that when it happened with TTEOTM, it veered from the original…
Let's wait till it airs rather than discuss it now. For what I know is ex: HYX, what is not in the novel but on the script was seen on filming leaks. If you read 3/4 of the novel and following the leaks you should know that it is v different than the novel. Let's remember the novel had been abandoned for over 5-7 years, but following the announcement of the SLY drama and the hype it generated, the author decided to resume work on it. What you will see is part of the novel will be in the drama, but SLY screenwriter has infused immortal world into the story, so expect a BIG difference. I don't read the script this time, I don't want to fully spoil myself with what might be Otter LYX last collabs (I hope there will be more in the future).
FYI, SLY is one of the most expensive C-drama productions, with full funding secured in 2023. There was a bidding…
Most expensive projects to date are Rebel Princess at $700M and The Longest Day in Chang'an. TTOETM had a budget of around $300M, with an additional $100M if you include the Heng Dian building—an investor was so impressed by the show's art that they commissioned the building specifically for TTOETM. The estimated budget for SLY is $380M, plus another $300M to build Wufengxi–SLY Town, a collaboration between the Wufeng Government Tourism Bureau and LYX Agency (In Chengdu, LYX is fr Cheng Du). This project opened in June 2023. LYX will be there when SLY's airs. Migu is responsible for the VR experience. It's currently open to tourists and extremely pack during holidays, but expect a full launch during SLY with VR, costume exhibition etc Zhang Hai and Immortal are also high-budget productions, though Otter Studio is known for efficient use of funds. For example, CGI for TTOETM was by The Wandering Earth team and the team said cost over $100M. SLY is projected to exceed this due to the integration of virtual reality. Mango has officially labeled this project as SUPER S+.
My boi is getting younger every year. This year he will be 10 years old (3+7). It is possibly because he was filming immortality and it takes forever for immortality to air.....
"Shadow Punisher tells the story of Li Si (played by Luo Yunxi), known as the “Prince of Qingyang,” who infiltrates…
For Luo Yunxi, it's one of his most demanding roles yet. I doubt any roles can be more demanding than TTJ. Imo it's LYX is the best acting actor ever come to their door.
I'm new to cdrama and this drama is the first I followed during filming. I remember they started filming around…
FYI, SLY is one of the most expensive C-drama productions, with full funding secured in 2023. There was a bidding war between Youku and iQiyi, but Mango and Hunan TV ultimately outbid them by partnering with China Mobile—a huge state-backed company—and Migu. LYX agency who owns the IP, also serves as producer and investor. Reportedly, SLY had many investors & some offers had to be rejected, but added a last-minute was CCTV subsidiary Lu Ming Pictures.
While many recent projects struggle to launch due to lack of funding, LYX productions never face that issue. The delay is rumored to be unfinished CGI—said to be Marvel movie-level in quality—which takes time. But the wait will be worth it. Those who've read the script said it's very good, very fast paced too. LYX himself said this will not be anything less than TTOETM.
I can't wait either... late Oct–Nov feels too long.
Came back after 1 yr for upcoming Xixi’s birthday and saw the romance vs non-romance debate😂. I spoke with people who've read the script—there’s no romance. Sure, final cut might not match 100%, but TTOETM stuck 85–90% to its script. The leaked HYX also seems legit—with more emphasizes on CWN’s role, consistence with all 3 Otter-LYX dramas.
I still don't understand how this censorship stuff works. I just watched Returned Master and thinking how did…
Sept 22, China completely banned BL adaptation. Those short BL drama you see recently the producer company is overseas entity and that way they don't have to go to NTRA review. Those made by Chinese company can't air at the moment also not allowed to be sold overseas. The only chance we have is if C Gov relaxing the ban.
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I’m not here to argue—CYJM was an S+ of the highest grade. Youku aft CY couldn’t afford to buy SLY, even after their CEO was laughed at by industry insiders for visiting LYX filming site with iQIYI crew & bought food & drinks for iQIYI crew under LYX name, while bidding against iQIYI in summer ‘23
But then again, who could outbid China Mobile when it decides to venture into its 1st costume drama project?
I’ve been following SLY closely for 2 years—months bfr any yxh mentioned abt QJM/SLY. It took me months to get MDL to create this page.
1. An OP in Hengdian said the largest rental building in Hengdian had stood empty for years. Many were surprised when it was finally rented—only to discover it was SLY crew.
2. Unlike fantasy productions that rely heavily on green screens, SLY spent $$$ to construct 12 real-scene studios. The main hall of Bi Luo Palace alone spans 8,000 square meters, and its dome features a star map hand-inlaid with 23,000 crystals. Director said "The breath of martial arts must come from the real bluestone slabs under the actors' feet." Lyx mentioned a fight scene in the rain where the crew even brought in a sprinkler truck to repeatedly wash the ground—just so the puddles could reflect “the cold light of an ancient sword when it is unsheathed.”
3. SLY shocked the industry when its crew announced: “8,600 props, 2,600 sets of costumes, and 50,000 square meters of real-scene construction.”
4. 160 days of hand-forging brought Dunhuang murals to life on TLC clothing.
o Every inch of fabric tells a story: Tang Lici’s “Tang Fox” costume features a Western Region totem on the cuffs and gold thread embroidery on the collar that took 72 hours to complete.
o The secret of the hair crown: Xifang Tao’s gilded hairpin was 3D-printed, then hand-carved based on a real antique artifact, with weight measured to the gram to prevent deformation during movement.
o Digitizing Dunhuang aesthetics: The crew scanned color data from the Mogao Grottoes murals and used AI to restore 12 lost mineral pigment dyeing techniques for TLC costume.
Chief Art Director Luan Hexin stated: “We’re not sewing clothes—we’re writing a martial arts epic with needle and thread.”
5. CGI is handled by the award-winning Wandering Earth team. Reportedly, it’s an upgrade from TTOETM, featuring VR experiences and Marvel-level visuals.
6. The construction of the $300M Wufengxi-Shui Long Yin town—funded by the local government and LYX’s agency—reveals a grander vision beyond just creating a popular drama.
SLY may be the most ambitious project to showcase Chinese culture, while simultaneously boosting tourism in Luo Yunxi’s hometown through a massive linkage initiative.
Sometimes I think—maybe it’s this Chengdu tourism project that convinced LYX to stay with his agency (LOL).
Another note: TTOETM Heng yang sect building was built for LYX-TTOETM and was closed/dismantled after LYX-SLY used it.
The estimated budget for SLY is $380M, plus another $300M to build Wufengxi–SLY Town, a collaboration between the Wufeng Government Tourism Bureau and LYX Agency (In Chengdu, LYX is fr Cheng Du). This project opened in June 2023. LYX will be there when SLY's airs. Migu is responsible for the VR experience. It's currently open to tourists and extremely pack during holidays, but expect a full launch during SLY with VR, costume exhibition etc
Zhang Hai and Immortal are also high-budget productions, though Otter Studio is known for efficient use of funds. For example, CGI for TTOETM was by The Wandering Earth team and the team said cost over $100M. SLY is projected to exceed this due to the integration of virtual reality. Mango has officially labeled this project as SUPER S+.
It is possibly because he was filming immortality and it takes forever for immortality to air.....
I doubt any roles can be more demanding than TTJ. Imo it's LYX is the best acting actor ever come to their door.
While many recent projects struggle to launch due to lack of funding, LYX productions never face that issue. The delay is rumored to be unfinished CGI—said to be Marvel movie-level in quality—which takes time. But the wait will be worth it. Those who've read the script said it's very good, very fast paced too. LYX himself said this will not be anything less than TTOETM.
I can't wait either... late Oct–Nov feels too long.
I spoke with people who've read the script—there’s no romance. Sure, final cut might not match 100%, but TTOETM stuck 85–90% to its script. The leaked HYX also seems legit—with more emphasizes on CWN’s role, consistence with all 3 Otter-LYX dramas.