What do casual viewers have to say about #KeytothePhoenixHeart?
“Kttph doesn't feel like a typical idol costume drama at all. It reminds me of the historical dramas I watched as a kid over a decade ago.”
“Exactly...it's genuinely telling a story, about people, about the world, about the fate of the realm. I really, really love it.” - “The fight choreography is genuinely impressive, and the actors are clearly doing the action themselves. You can see the dirt and blood smeared across their faces, even the texture of their skin is visible instead of everything being blurred away with heavy beauty filters.”
“Especially that moment when he takes a hard blow to the head and blood starts running down his forehead, it looks incredibly realistic. The director really knows how to shoot action scenes and make them feel visceral.” - “It gave me the feeling that this is going to be a drama that's genuinely respectful of and empowering toward women.”
“His residence is basically a refuge. He takes these women in, gives them opportunities, and each of them has her own talents and strengths to put to good use. They're not actually romantic partners at all…”
#HouMinghao talks about the flaming zhanmadao scene in #KeytothePhoenixHeart
He says he could feel the flame between his brows when filming the flame zhanmadao scene. The flame also has a point where it’s explosive and he says he can feel it every time on his skin.
“I feel that the stunt performers we worked with have it really tough. They sometimes have to work in close contact with the fire. Even though they apply protective gel, it’s still incredibly demanding. I think everyone worked hard and persevered together, it wasn’t easy for anyone.
I also think this scene really strengthened my conviction in #XiaoWuyi as a character. In fact, we’d been discussing it from the very beginning of filming—how the opening battle should unfold, where it should take place, and how it should be choreographed.
We came up with many different plans. At one point, we even considered shooting in a desert to better convey the harshness of nature amid the brutality of war. But we also had to weigh the logistical challenges of moving the production, as well as whether that setting would truly give the audience the feeling of being on a real battlefield, locked in a desperate fight for survival.
After a lot of discussion and compromise, we ultimately decided to make fire the defining element of the scene. By the time Xiao Wuyi faces the enemy army, he’s already at a clear disadvantage. So the question became: how do you show that he can still keep fighting? No matter how formidable a general is, no one can realistically take on a hundred enemies alone.
That’s why we paired a zhanmadao (horse-chopping saber) with the element of fire. It creates the impression that, even when surrounded by dozens or even hundreds of enemies, he still has the power to fight back. But in reality, this is already the final stage of the battle—it was meant to show that he’s giving absolutely everything he has left.
Filming this scene also gave me a much deeper conviction in Xiao Wuyi as a character. It made me feel like I had truly connected with him. At one point, I could actually feel the fire scorching my hand. But instead of feeling that it was dangerous, I found it incredibly exhilarating. It sent my adrenaline soaring. In that moment, I genuinely felt like I was a general, going to war for my country. I felt that any sacrifice would be worthwhile.
#HouMinghao studio has no OST bts vlog but Zhang Bichen studio is competent 🫰🏻 - Zbc: “He sings really well!” Staff: “Who?” Zbc: “Xiao Hou! His live stages are very impressive, very intense. A balanced mixed-voice isn’t a problem for him at all.”
Zbc: “Your part is already really high for a male voice. If you raise it another half step…” Hmh: “I want to hear the harmony.” Zbc: “There isn’t much harmony, I just sing it in the last part. In the first part, we’re each singing our own parts. Together, we’re on the same note. It has to be you sing a line and I sing a line and then we sing in unison. That’s the best. It’s just at the very end I harmonize for you, that’s okay. If we keep harmonizing for each other, that’s singing for a music variety show. It would interfere.”
Hmh: “Then let me go from the line ‘just let me’ or something and just get rid of that.” Zbc: “Then we can each have two lines, right? And we harmonize on the last line. Raising a half step would definitely be more comfortable for me to sing. But it would make the male vocal sound really sharp and thin.” Hmh: “Let me listen to it. I want to hear the harmony at the end.” Zbc: “Brother, go try it out, listen to it.” Hmh: “Okay, okay.” Staff: “He’s like, isn’t today your recording? How come I’m in the one going in the studio first?”
Zbc: “Jiayou, laoshi! Can he hear? The mic isn’t on is it. The tone you’re getting in this part of your range is something I don’t think I’ve heard in any of the songs you’ve sung before. It’s one of the most pleasing parts of your voice. You’re not pulling the sound up or forcing it, it has a really rich, magnetic quality, with plenty of texture and grit.” Hmh: “That’s right.” Zbc: “And your range of vocal expression is quite wide. But in that part of your range, your voice tends to sound a bit constricted.” Hmh: “Okay, then let’s try again. Try this part again.”
#HouMinghao studio has no OST bts vlog but Zhang Bichen studio is competent 🫰🏻 - Zbc: “He sings really well!” Staff: “Who?” Zbc: “Xiao Hou! His live stages are very impressive, very intense. A balanced mixed-voice isn’t a problem for him at all.”
Zbc: “Your part is already really high for a male voice. If you raise it another half step…” Hmh: “I want to hear the harmony.” Zbc: “There isn’t much harmony, I just sing it in the last part. In the first part, we’re each singing our own parts. Together, we’re on the same note. It has to be you sing a line and I sing a line and then we sing in unison. That’s the best. It’s just at the very end I harmonize for you, that’s okay. If we keep harmonizing for each other, that’s singing for a music variety show. It would interfere.”
Hmh: “Then let me go from the line ‘just let me’ or something and just get rid of that.” Zbc: “Then we can each have two lines, right? And we harmonize on the last line. Raising a half step would definitely be more comfortable for me to sing. But it would make the male vocal sound really sharp and thin.” Hmh: “Let me listen to it. I want to hear the harmony at the end.” Zbc: “Brother, go try it out, listen to it.” Hmh: “Okay, okay.” Staff: “He’s like, isn’t today your recording? How come I’m in the one going in the studio first?”
Zbc: “Jiayou, laoshi! Can he hear? The mic isn’t on is it. The tone you’re getting in this part of your range is something I don’t think I’ve heard in any of the songs you’ve sung before. It’s one of the most pleasing parts of your voice. You’re not pulling the sound up or forcing it, it has a really rich, magnetic quality, with plenty of texture and grit.” Hmh: “That’s right.” Zbc: “And your range of vocal expression is quite wide. But in that part of your range, your voice tends to sound a bit constricted.” Hmh: “Okay, then let’s try again. Try this part again.”
for the flame zhanmadao opening scene >>> he said they first shot a close up scene of him opening the sword sheath
he passed the scene in one try, but he sat down and thought something wasn't right. he saw the playback and saw how clean his face was. he brought up taking all the makeup off and putting on dirt/blood etc. and that's what they did. when filming, real debris and dirt flew on his face as well
day 3, the last day of filming this scene, around 4:30-5:00, he was kneeling in front of the gates. it's like as if Xiao Wuyi's life was on pause, but his heart was not dead. even if he died, he will not fall. the blood pouring had to be done in one take, if it failed then the scene would be deleted. luckily, it was a success. the moment after they yelled "cut," the sun came up
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🥇 #1 on iQIYI Hot Search List
🥇 #1 on iQIYI TV Drama Rankings
🥇 #1 on the Historical Romance Drama chart
https://x.com/neohou_feed/status/2076192916498685999?t=vgvUjHUOmX1_x-jQ1vH1DQ&s=19
“Kttph doesn't feel like a typical idol costume drama at all. It reminds me of the historical dramas I watched as a kid over a decade ago.”
“Exactly...it's genuinely telling a story, about people, about the world, about the fate of the realm. I really, really love it.”
-
“The fight choreography is genuinely impressive, and the actors are clearly doing the action themselves. You can see the dirt and blood smeared across their faces, even the texture of their skin is visible instead of everything being blurred away with heavy beauty filters.”
“Especially that moment when he takes a hard blow to the head and blood starts running down his forehead, it looks incredibly realistic. The director really knows how to shoot action scenes and make them feel visceral.”
-
“It gave me the feeling that this is going to be a drama that's genuinely respectful of and empowering toward women.”
“His residence is basically a refuge. He takes these women in, gives them opportunities, and each of them has her own talents and strengths to put to good use. They're not actually romantic partners at all…”
https://x.com/ncybear/status/2076072317504168447?t=Gs2379RTfj8aREzwN7LsGw&s=19
He says he could feel the flame between his brows when filming the flame zhanmadao scene. The flame also has a point where it’s explosive and he says he can feel it every time on his skin.
“I feel that the stunt performers we worked with have it really tough. They sometimes have to work in close contact with the fire. Even though they apply protective gel, it’s still incredibly demanding. I think everyone worked hard and persevered together, it wasn’t easy for anyone.
I also think this scene really strengthened my conviction in #XiaoWuyi as a character. In fact, we’d been discussing it from the very beginning of filming—how the opening battle should unfold, where it should take place, and how it should be choreographed.
We came up with many different plans. At one point, we even considered shooting in a desert to better convey the harshness of nature amid the brutality of war. But we also had to weigh the logistical challenges of moving the production, as well as whether that setting would truly give the audience the feeling of being on a real battlefield, locked in a desperate fight for survival.
After a lot of discussion and compromise, we ultimately decided to make fire the defining element of the scene. By the time Xiao Wuyi faces the enemy army, he’s already at a clear disadvantage. So the question became: how do you show that he can still keep fighting? No matter how formidable a general is, no one can realistically take on a hundred enemies alone.
That’s why we paired a zhanmadao (horse-chopping saber) with the element of fire. It creates the impression that, even when surrounded by dozens or even hundreds of enemies, he still has the power to fight back. But in reality, this is already the final stage of the battle—it was meant to show that he’s giving absolutely everything he has left.
Filming this scene also gave me a much deeper conviction in Xiao Wuyi as a character. It made me feel like I had truly connected with him. At one point, I could actually feel the fire scorching my hand. But instead of feeling that it was dangerous, I found it incredibly exhilarating. It sent my adrenaline soaring. In that moment, I genuinely felt like I was a general, going to war for my country. I felt that any sacrifice would be worthwhile.
So I’m truly grateful for this scene.”
https://x.com/ncybear/status/2075920161799106866?t=PzlHtQdvMzbuklFVfIldeA&s=19
-
Zbc: “He sings really well!”
Staff: “Who?”
Zbc: “Xiao Hou! His live stages are very impressive, very intense. A balanced mixed-voice isn’t a problem for him at all.”
Zbc: “Your part is already really high for a male voice. If you raise it another half step…”
Hmh: “I want to hear the harmony.”
Zbc: “There isn’t much harmony, I just sing it in the last part. In the first part, we’re each singing our own parts. Together, we’re on the same note. It has to be you sing a line and I sing a line and then we sing in unison. That’s the best. It’s just at the very end I harmonize for you, that’s okay. If we keep harmonizing for each other, that’s singing for a music variety show. It would interfere.”
Hmh: “Then let me go from the line ‘just let me’ or something and just get rid of that.”
Zbc: “Then we can each have two lines, right? And we harmonize on the last line. Raising a half step would definitely be more comfortable for me to sing. But it would make the male vocal sound really sharp and thin.”
Hmh: “Let me listen to it. I want to hear the harmony at the end.”
Zbc: “Brother, go try it out, listen to it.”
Hmh: “Okay, okay.”
Staff: “He’s like, isn’t today your recording? How come I’m in the one going in the studio first?”
Zbc: “Jiayou, laoshi! Can he hear? The mic isn’t on is it. The tone you’re getting in this part of your range is something I don’t think I’ve heard in any of the songs you’ve sung before. It’s one of the most pleasing parts of your voice. You’re not pulling the sound up or forcing it, it has a really rich, magnetic quality, with plenty of texture and grit.”
Hmh: “That’s right.”
Zbc: “And your range of vocal expression is quite wide. But in that part of your range, your voice tends to sound a bit constricted.”
Hmh: “Okay, then let’s try again. Try this part again.”
https://x.com/ncybear/status/2075993968375119942?t=Ta8RfDDDeQ09_nWYJ42CfQ&s=19
-
Zbc: “He sings really well!”
Staff: “Who?”
Zbc: “Xiao Hou! His live stages are very impressive, very intense. A balanced mixed-voice isn’t a problem for him at all.”
Zbc: “Your part is already really high for a male voice. If you raise it another half step…”
Hmh: “I want to hear the harmony.”
Zbc: “There isn’t much harmony, I just sing it in the last part. In the first part, we’re each singing our own parts. Together, we’re on the same note. It has to be you sing a line and I sing a line and then we sing in unison. That’s the best. It’s just at the very end I harmonize for you, that’s okay. If we keep harmonizing for each other, that’s singing for a music variety show. It would interfere.”
Hmh: “Then let me go from the line ‘just let me’ or something and just get rid of that.”
Zbc: “Then we can each have two lines, right? And we harmonize on the last line. Raising a half step would definitely be more comfortable for me to sing. But it would make the male vocal sound really sharp and thin.”
Hmh: “Let me listen to it. I want to hear the harmony at the end.”
Zbc: “Brother, go try it out, listen to it.”
Hmh: “Okay, okay.”
Staff: “He’s like, isn’t today your recording? How come I’m in the one going in the studio first?”
Zbc: “Jiayou, laoshi! Can he hear? The mic isn’t on is it. The tone you’re getting in this part of your range is something I don’t think I’ve heard in any of the songs you’ve sung before. It’s one of the most pleasing parts of your voice. You’re not pulling the sound up or forcing it, it has a really rich, magnetic quality, with plenty of texture and grit.”
Hmh: “That’s right.”
Zbc: “And your range of vocal expression is quite wide. But in that part of your range, your voice tends to sound a bit constricted.”
Hmh: “Okay, then let’s try again. Try this part again.”
https://x.com/ncybear/status/2075993968375119942?t=Ta8RfDDDeQ09_nWYJ42CfQ&s=19
he said they first shot a close up scene of him opening the sword sheath
he passed the scene in one try, but he sat down and thought something wasn't right. he saw the playback and saw how clean his face was. he brought up taking all the makeup off and putting on dirt/blood etc. and that's what they did. when filming, real debris and dirt flew on his face as well
day 3, the last day of filming this scene, around 4:30-5:00, he was kneeling in front of the gates. it's like as if Xiao Wuyi's life was on pause, but his heart was not dead. even if he died, he will not fall. the blood pouring had to be done in one take, if it failed then the scene would be deleted. luckily, it was a success. the moment after they yelled "cut," the sun came up
#keytothephoenixheart #houminghao
https://x.com/ncybear/status/2075909161020436705?t=qt1r3HP1q3Ir_-M9HFSLLg&s=19