whoissilmoy

This is also produced by Yu Zheng. I've watched his Royal Feast and Court Lady and now The Double. The romance in his dramas is subtle but very sweet, and hardly a kiss, if any, it's just a peck on the lips.

Draco, for you. XK fans fly to Milan to greet him.
https://x.com/i/status/1801662637748719654

Thanks for sharing. I love Royal Feast. I've watched the main lead scenes over and over again and will do it again. There is something so tender and loving about that relationship, warms my heart.

Oh, there was also a bathtub scene in Royal Feast of the fl only, same here in The Double.

The difference is that in Royal Feast, a'li was her childhood nickname that only those closest to her (family and old madam) called her by that, so when the crown prince in Royal Feast first suddenly called her a'li as she (still a kitchen worker) was about to leave him, it was incredibly meaningful moment because he was desperate to get her to stay. In this drama, a'li is simply her name, but similarly, in this drama, the ml calling her by her name, a'li is very sweet and loving toward her, as in Royal Feast. Also, the meaning of a'li was cat in Royal Feast has significance, and there was also a cat in the story. The meaning of a'li in this drama is also cat. She also played qin and had wrist injury and competition in Royal Feast. Her character is bold too in Royal Feast. In a scene where she burns the Palace in front of the empress, the crown prince says to his mother that his noble concubine wants to become the next Empress Wu Zetian (first and only female empress of China).

I didn't say you said, "awful names". That was how I felt about English translations of Chinese drama names, not you.

The ml is kind and a gentleman.

What is "upfront physical manifestations"?

The drama strikes a delicate balance between portraying love through subtle gestures and maintaining an air of mystery. Sometimes, the unspoken moments can be the most captivating. There is tension and anticipation created by these subtle cues.
Also, this is a Chinese drama so don't expect "upfront physical manifestations" as in other cultures.

A lot of costume dramas are risky and tiring for the actors who work long hours, even all nighters.

it is sweet but I 'm too used to it. I see it done in the dramas I've watched. Perhaps, it's used much more frequently in this drama

to me, the ml is a nice gentleman, kind and gentle man, really; very likable fellow

"Xue Fangfei has a strong sense of worthiness and a beauty that touches the soul."

Wikipedia:
In 2010, Zhou was picked by Zhang Yimou to star in his film Under the Hawthorn Tree, despite having no acting experience prior to taking on the role. She rose to fame for her appearance in the film and won several awards, including the Best Actress at the 56th Valladolid International Film Spain Festival, Outstanding New Actress at the 14th Huabiao Award and Best New Performer at the 20th Shanghai Film Critics Awards.

I got about halfway and then skipped ahead sampling the chapters to see what happens. I wanted to pick it back up and finish it properly since the drama will be airing soon, but now the chapters are gone. I detect from the trailer that HT is more emotional than in the novel. The HT in the novel is epitome of perfection. I think XK will make HT more relatable, more human.
Also, I wanted to read the extra chapters but hadn't. I hope he will upload in the new link.

If you translate Shakespeare into Chinese, the Chinese person will find it "insane" too.

There are simply writings in the Chinese language cannot be translated by the limiting English words.
For example, Crystal Liu (Li Yifei) performance in The Return of the Condor Heroes when she was 18 yrs. old that propelled her to fame, her appearance caused everyone to call her "Fairy Sister" and she is still known by that, but just translating each character has lost the meaning and there are no English words to capture the meaning of what Chinese meant by "Fairy Sister". Unfortunately, if you don't understand Chinese, you cannot understand the true meaning. You're just getting the translation of a character. Even if Chinese person try to explain it, it's hard for someone who is not Chinese to understand. Chinese civilization is 5,000 yrs. old, writing 3,600 yrs. and literature is over 3,000 yrs. They recorded everything. The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, standardized the written Chinese language so that no matter what dialect you spoke, everyone across the vast empire can understand one unified written language, facilitating communication and administration. I don't know of any other race who accomplished this ever. Chinese people did it over 2000 years ago. Education has always been important and equal for both men and women in China for thousands of years.

I didn't get to read the "extra" chapters. XK said he is going to modify HT somewhat.

Did Han Ting ever shed tears in the novel because he does in the trailer.

Perhaps Ep 23 is the climax

I sampled his performance in Delicacies Destiny and found him to be an excellent actor. I know he can play this kind of role in The Double. It fits him really well due to his own appearance and demeanor and martial arts skills but then I find that he can also play the opposite, but I think he is more suited for meaner looking roles. But after watching some of his scenes in Delicacies Destiny, I think he can also play cute, charming, funny, lighthearted roles too.

I hope Wu Jin Yan will get a Breakthrough Award or something. Then she can get more opportunities. It's been two years since she made a drama.