At this rate, Chinese dramas may move beyond crediting voice actors to listing performers as ‘face actors’ or even ‘body actors’ (as seen in Pursuit of Jade). As AI becomes more integrated into film and television productions, it is worth asking where the line is. Innovation should come with clear ethical standards, not slide into exploitation of performers’ likeness and labour.
I’ll admit the cast is full of good-looking actors, but I’m not familiar with most of them. Unfortunately, the chemistry between the two leads just isn’t there for me. It almost feels like the actors are on a stage, reciting their lines rather than really inhabiting the characters. The storyline feels too slow, which makes it frustrating to stay engaged. After watching other wuxia dramas like Fated Hearts, Novoland: The Castle in the Sky, Pursuit of Jade, and Legend of the Female General, this drama just doesn’t quite live up to the hype for me. Maybe I'll stick around a bit longer and see what happens.
If we haven’t watched Princess Agent yet and are starting with this series, will we be able to follow the backstory…
You don’t need to watch Princess Agents to follow Rebirth. Rebirth is paced much more quickly and relies on flashbacks, often shown as newly filmed reenactments, to fill in backstory, add context, and push the plot forward without slowing things down. It also introduces a lot of characters early on, which can feel overwhelming at first, so reading recaps can really help you keep track of who’s who and how everything fits together.
Explains that Pursuit of Jade is not based on real history but is a fictional story set in an invented dynasty, loosely inspired by elements of Chinese imperial culture and politics to create a realistic backdrop for its romance and intrigue. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Why Is It Called 'Pursuit of Jade'? The Deep Symbolism of 玉 in Chinese Culture https://www.chineseidioms.com/blog/pursuit-of-jade-why-jade-symbolism-matters-chinese-culture
Jade symbolism matters in Chinese culture because it represents important qualities like purity, virtue, status, protection, and good fortune, making it much more than just a stone but a symbol of moral character and cultural values. ----------------------------------------------------------------
May I ask the title and name of the FL in this drama? Thank you.https://youtube.com/watch?v=EdprNUHgRd8&si=Mroe8bzmQJuecASu
《周董您的秘书不好惹》 Zhōu dǒng, nǐ de mìshū bù hǎo rě | President Zhou, Your Secretary Is Not to Be Messed With 2024-07-26 1 hour 24 minutes
After a one-night stand with a handsome stranger, Xia Yunxin fled in a panic. Zhou Muyan, in a sudden turn of events, acquired the company where Xia Yunxin was interning and became her boss. Zhou Muyan appointed Xia Yunxin as his secretary and assistant, while also mistakenly identifying Xia Yunxin's best friend, Xu An'an, as the woman he had the one-night stand with. Thus, a complex story unfolds between the three of them.
ML: Wang Jia Mao 王嘉懋 as Zhou Mu Yan 周慕言 FL: Wu Meng Yuan 吴梦媛 as Xia Yun Xin 夏云馨 Support F: Zhou Tian Yu 周恬羽 as Xu An'an 许安安
Does anyone know why in Pursuit of Jade he has [Face only] marked after his role? Was he AI swapped and if so,…
Came here for the same reason!
Zhu Zan Jin = Song Yan's face - he does look very 'digitally altered' when he first appeared in the first episode as his facial expressions didn't quite match up with the dialogue.
He Chang Xi = Song Yan's body
Most likely a voice actor also spoke for Song Yan.
This is becoming a practice in the Chinese industry to use AI for actors who may have gotten censored, pulled or and/reshooting was expensive. At least both actors are credited. I'm sure this has been discussed in forums.
Yu Xin Yi 余昕忆 Mainly in supporting roles in costume dramas. 夫人她又作妖了 is probably her first major role.
In this drama, the transmigration element doesn’t really add much to the story. It feels more like a gimmick than a meaningful plot device. The female lead is introduced as a modern day wedding planner, but after transmigration into the Republican era, the story barely showcases her skills or lets that background influence the narrative in any significant way.
I’ve seen a similar storyline done much better elsewhere, with stronger storytelling and far better chemistry between the leads, but I can’t remember the title. It was set in ancient times, with the male lead as an imperial ruler. The female lead was in a marriage-like arrangement with the second male lead and was required to give her blood, which had special properties, to sustain and cure the imperial ruler’s life force.
I think I saw this one, super funny with the ML being in a wheelchair? And FL is his nanny (care giver)?
Here's another version not on MDL.
《青山乍见欢之一见钟情》 Qīngshān zhà jiàn huān zhī yījiànzhōngqíng | A Sudden Glimpse of Green Hills, Love at First Sight 2026-02-02 ML: Duan Mei Yang 段美洋 as Shen Yu Qing FL: Peng Yao 彭瑶 as Song Ting Huan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XKc1-199h8
I think I saw this one, super funny with the ML being in a wheelchair? And FL is his nanny (care giver)?
There are quite a few versions of the same story line. Have you seen this one? Not on MDL.
《一見你就笑》 Yījiàn nǐ jiù xiào | I Smile When I See You 2025-02-20 ML: Liu Xiao Xu 劉蕭旭 as Song Yu Qing FL: Sun Qian Xun 孫芊潯 as Shen Le Huan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVHXekWpmV4
Title:"He's Hotter Than My Ex-Boyfriend" or "The Better Man" | 他比前男友更炙热ML: Wang…
Xu An and Lu Mingzhou dated for four years, but Lu Mingzhou was going to marry his first love. Heartbroken, Xu An decided to agree to Li Tingxiu's terms for a contractual marriage. She thought her marriage to Li Tingxiu was just a transaction, but she never expected that this marriage was Li Tingxiu's long-planned pursuit of love.
The full version runs about 2:30 long (from the opening clock scene to the final gate scene). The versions on Dailymotion are cut shorter. Most of the YouTube versions have been taken down.
The chemistry between the main leads is great. The second male lead gets increasingly annoying—like a fly you just can’t swat away. 😂
Esse drama é um desperdício da beleza do Shen Haonan.Xie Huai é péssimo a obsessão dele pela Song Nuan é…
It can feel like actors like Shen Haonan are taking on almost any script their agent offers, prioritising quantity and screen time over carefully chosen, well-developed stories. On top of that, many micro-dramas are adapted from web novels and tend to follow a set formula, which can make the plots feel repetitive or underdeveloped. It may also be that some screenwriters struggle to effectively adapt these novels for the screen, resulting in weaker storytelling overall.
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Real History Behind Pursuit of Jade (逐玉): Matrilocal Marriage, Military Purges, and Women Warriors
https://www.chineseidioms.com/blog/pursuit-of-jade-history-behind-the-drama
Explains that Pursuit of Jade is not based on real history but is a fictional story set in an invented dynasty, loosely inspired by elements of Chinese imperial culture and politics to create a realistic backdrop for its romance and intrigue.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Why Is It Called 'Pursuit of Jade'? The Deep Symbolism of 玉 in Chinese Culture
https://www.chineseidioms.com/blog/pursuit-of-jade-why-jade-symbolism-matters-chinese-culture
Jade symbolism matters in Chinese culture because it represents important qualities like purity, virtue, status, protection, and good fortune, making it much more than just a stone but a symbol of moral character and cultural values.
----------------------------------------------------------------
https://www.haixingduanju.com/yanyuan/info-3358342266754348.html
https://novelquickapp.com/query/wangjiamaomiqi27998146379
https://www.iqiyi.com/search/%E7%8E%8B%E5%98%89%E6%87%8B.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQXfNj27Src
2024-07-26
1 hour 24 minutes
After a one-night stand with a handsome stranger, Xia Yunxin fled in a panic. Zhou Muyan, in a sudden turn of events, acquired the company where Xia Yunxin was interning and became her boss. Zhou Muyan appointed Xia Yunxin as his secretary and assistant, while also mistakenly identifying Xia Yunxin's best friend, Xu An'an, as the woman he had the one-night stand with. Thus, a complex story unfolds between the three of them.
ML: Wang Jia Mao 王嘉懋 as Zhou Mu Yan 周慕言
FL: Wu Meng Yuan 吴梦媛 as Xia Yun Xin 夏云馨
Support F: Zhou Tian Yu 周恬羽 as Xu An'an 许安安
Zhu Zan Jin = Song Yan's face - he does look very 'digitally altered' when he first appeared in the first episode as his facial expressions didn't quite match up with the dialogue.
He Chang Xi = Song Yan's body
Most likely a voice actor also spoke for Song Yan.
This is becoming a practice in the Chinese industry to use AI for actors who may have gotten censored, pulled or and/reshooting was expensive. At least both actors are credited. I'm sure this has been discussed in forums.
https://novelquickapp.com/actor/liuxuan688209
It seems he mostly takes on lead roles in costume dramas.
Yu Xin Yi 余昕忆
Mainly in supporting roles in costume dramas. 夫人她又作妖了 is probably her first major role.
In this drama, the transmigration element doesn’t really add much to the story. It feels more like a gimmick than a meaningful plot device. The female lead is introduced as a modern day wedding planner, but after transmigration into the Republican era, the story barely showcases her skills or lets that background influence the narrative in any significant way.
I’ve seen a similar storyline done much better elsewhere, with stronger storytelling and far better chemistry between the leads, but I can’t remember the title. It was set in ancient times, with the male lead as an imperial ruler. The female lead was in a marriage-like arrangement with the second male lead and was required to give her blood, which had special properties, to sustain and cure the imperial ruler’s life force.
《青山乍见欢之一见钟情》 Qīngshān zhà jiàn huān zhī yījiànzhōngqíng | A Sudden Glimpse of Green Hills, Love at First Sight
2026-02-02
ML: Duan Mei Yang 段美洋 as Shen Yu Qing
FL: Peng Yao 彭瑶 as Song Ting Huan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XKc1-199h8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4cyw7oQDNQ
《一見你就笑》 Yījiàn nǐ jiù xiào | I Smile When I See You
2025-02-20
ML: Liu Xiao Xu 劉蕭旭 as Song Yu Qing
FL: Sun Qian Xun 孫芊潯 as Shen Le Huan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVHXekWpmV4
https://www.facebook.com/reel/905526322096067
The full version runs about 2:30 long (from the opening clock scene to the final gate scene). The versions on Dailymotion are cut shorter. Most of the YouTube versions have been taken down.
The chemistry between the main leads is great. The second male lead gets increasingly annoying—like a fly you just can’t swat away. 😂
It looks like everyone is raving about this version:
https://kisskh.at/777826-his-lover-is-difficult-to-coax