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ALP and TLI are two parts of the same Chinese fantasy drama series that are adapted from two novels by Xing Ling, called “Shang Gu” and “Shen Yin” respectively. They are not consecutive parts, but rather separate stories that share the same world and the same character (Yuan Qi). ALP is the first part, while TLI is the second part.

TLI is not a direct continuation of ALP, but rather a sequel that has a new adventure and romance that does not depend on the previous events or characters of ALP. The love story of Yuan Qi, the son of Bai Jue and Shang Gu, who falls in love with A Yin, a female spirit, is independent of the love story of his parents in ALP. Both dramas are set in the same mythical world, but they have different plots and characters. You can watch TLI without watching ALP, as the drama does not refer to the previous story or explain the background of the world of ALP. Although they are both fantasy dramas, but they have different subgenres. ALP is a wuxia drama which involves the romance between immortals, while TLI is a xianxia drama which involves the cultivation and adventure of immortals. These subgenres have different styles, themes, and tropes that appeal to different audiences. In ALP, the main theme is the eternal love between Bai Jue and Shang Gu, who go through many trials and tribulations to be together. The drama showcases their emotions, sacrifices, and devotion to each other, as well as the conflicts and dangers that they face from their enemies and rivals. The drama also features many beautiful scenes of the immortal realms, where the characters use magic and fly with swords. In contrast, in TLI, the main theme is the transformation of Yuan Qi and A Yin, who grow and change as they experience different adventures and challenges. The drama depicts their courage, wisdom, and humor, as well as the friendship and loyalty that they share with their companions. The drama also features many exciting scenes of the mortal world, where the characters use martial arts and fight with enemies. Dramas are made with different goals in mind. TLI is about the characters’ journey as they “transform into their best selves”, while ALP is a “poignant love story” that survives many hardships. These goals reflect the different subgenres of the dramas, as well as the different themes and styles that they explore.

Some people might think TLI is a direct continuation of ALP, since they are both based on novels by the same author and have the same character (Yuan Qi). Therefore, they might expect some references or connections to ALP in TLI. However, I believe that this is not a valid reason to compare them or judge them based on their similarities or differences. They are different dramas with different subgenres, goals and themes. Making comparisons or judgments might ruin the enjoyment of either drama, as they are both unique and beautiful in their own ways. Fans of ALP and TLI can enjoy both dramas as independent of each other.

this movie shows that you don't need a lot of kissing and physical romance scenes to have a beautiful heartfelt love story because the actor portrayal of the characters' deep love and commitment to her is so believable you can feel his emotions.

I found the douban site and there are amazing reviews there. Some people, having lot of knowledge and information, write very detail comprehensive reviews including lots of pictures. Reading these reviews is a good way to better understand the characters and the story, as well as understanding the many differences in audiences' tastes and why low ratings. I found this lengthy review of Royal Feast that contained a detail and vivid account of the story and user uploaded many vivid pictures that magnificently captured Xu Kai 's many versatile natural subtle expressions of the Zhu Zanji. His expressions in Royal Feast are so deep especially in his eyes. Xu Kai has a gift for visuals that is rare, which is why I'm sad that he has a slimmer face these days, good thing he can't slim down his eyes! People say Xu Kai best acting is in Wonderland of Love, but I am not sure about that. I like his portray of Fuca Fucheng in Yanxi Palace and Zhu Zhanji in Royal Feast (crown prince to a young emperor), and the three characters in Ancient Love Poetry. He skillfully captures the subtle nuances and essence of the characters’ personality traits and mannerisms, and his roles are often transformative, requiring him to adapt to personality changes in the character development. His talent shines best in more serious passionate roles.

At the end of her very long review, she writes:
"I think Xu Kai's handling of the role of the emperor is very in line with the characteristics of the character, when he is majestic in the court, he is dignified, and in private, he is divided into different situations and objects to show different faces and emotional states. Finally, there is an old saying, actor Xu Kai, the future is infinitely possible!"

yep

It is true that in some movies, characters can guess exactly what is on another person’s mind, which can be unrealistic. However, in the case of “Wonderland of Love,” it seems that Cui Lin’s ability to know that the letter was blank is not exaggerated since it fits her character. She is described as a quick-witted character who is able to calculate and predict her opponent’s plan and movement to fight as the winner. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that she would be able to deduce the meaning behind Li Ni’s blank letter.

I was watching Xu Kai Macau vlog recently. He spoke Cantonese perfectly. I also speak Cantonese and enjoy listening to his Cantonese because his Cantonese voice is very different than his Mandarin voice. I like his handsome and charming voice. Then he says in English "follow me" with a melodious tone. He can be so animated. That is why I look forward to his efforts to hone his voice for his modern movies. He will have to overcome what accents he may have to be able to use his own voice in costume dramas.

Ep 38, Xu Kai carries a couple of scenes all by himself, 7 min, and 10 min. and portrays Li Ni's' complex and intense emotions with great skill and nuance. When he carries her body back, that scene is a whirlwind of trauma, tension, intensity, and anticipation,
- Denial: He clings to a faint hope as he watches a feather near her nose. His face is overwhelmed with despair and anguish, but he still looks on. He is in denial and challenges the doctors who declare Cui Lin dead, saying “What do you want me to know?” when one of the doctors told him he should know since he has been in the army for many years.
- Anger: Desperate and furious like a madman, he loses control and lashes out, throwing things out of the medical kits and begging for a miracle, he shoves the doctors and says, “Do something, anything, to save her.” The doctors beg for mercy.
- Shock: A sudden realization came over his face, he dismisses the doctors and gasps for air, as if suffocating. He stands frozen and lifeless, staring at her with helpless eyes and limp arms. His face is bewildered, perplexed, and confused.
- Grief: He later visits Cui Lin with a picture book, trying to coax her to wake up. He shows her a drawing of him kneeling on an abacus, a joke they shared. His chin quivers as he struggles to find a way to bring her back. He finally decides to take her to Wonderland.

On You Tube YoYo English Channel, you can find LI Ni and Cui Lin Only in three parts, part 1, part 2, and part 3 coming 1/5/24. I believe it's a compilation of all the scenes of Li Ni and Cui Lin but may be edited and not the entire scene. If you want to watch selected entire scenes, best to watch it from the episode, to recall the emotions leading up to the scene.

I’m not sure if this is appropriate, but I came across a comprehensive review by user bali53 on Viki that resonates with me. I posted it below in quotes and thank bali53 for being so articulate. I especially appreciate your observations about their "strong mental and emotional bond" and "teasing", "understood each other", "steadfast love", and that their scenes were "realistic". And yes, they edited out too much from the romantic scenes, especially the bathtub scene. This movie is such a gem.

“Wonderland of Love is a great romance drama set in a historical period. The drama is an adaptation of the novel written by Fei Wo Si Cun, the pen name of the popular Chinese writer Ai Jingjing, original creator of “Good Bye, My Princess”. Wonderland of Love is really a masterpiece with a fantastic cast that masterfully brought their characters to life. This drama has a solid plot with great entertainment value, there are great action scenes, aesthetically pleasing cinematography, well placed sounds that adds depth and realism to the drama as well as a beautiful OST that helps convey the emotions of the actors and their actions. The leading couple, Xu Kai (as Li Ni / Shiqi Lang) and Jing Tian (as Cui Lin / A Ying) are a force to be reckoned with. Their characters are equally supplemented with artful intelligence and strategic schemes, great combat skills, strong mental and emotional bond, and a fantastic chemistry. Their playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks, the way that they understood each other, and their steadfast love was delivered beautifully throughout the drama. The drama would not have been as great if it was not also that the supporting cast (friends and antagonists) was phenomenal. If there is one thing to complain, for romance lovers, is that the leading’s couple romantic scenes takes always ended up with distant camera shots and angles. Still, Xu Kai and Jing Tian manage to deliver some heartbreaking and heart fluttering scenes that made the intensity of their love realistic. Overall, this drama is extraordinary, enjoy it!"

the fact that Douban rating for ALP is only 5.4 shows that it cannot be taken seriously. ALP is a very moving movie. The entire cast is awesome but most of all, Xue Kai and Zhou Dongyu performed so well together and gave life to their characters. They are both charismatic and expressive actors. Xu Kai had a more youthful fuller face back then which I believe is much more expressive than his slim down face today. Both of them have amazing expressions especially in their eyes. For this kind of movie, their expressions are a must to have for the movie to move the audience. Xu Kai performed well along such a top tier actress as Zhou Dongyu. She is an amazing actress. Xu Kai really pulled off three different characters in the same movie. The entire cast made this movie a timeless love story of not just the main leads, but also other couples in the story is also very moving. I love the scenery, the pale colors fit the gentle soft mood of the movie for me, the music is very lovely, and the special effects are well done.

I was watching an old video of Xu Kai eating street food on streets of Hong Kong, laughing and speaking Cantonese to food vendor. He must be around 23. I thought what a waste of natural beauty and charm that he wasn't discovered as a child actor.

The acting quality is top tier. I just happened to come across the movie and was instantly mesmerized by the acting. The actress is very beautiful. I looked her up and learned she was one of the four Dan actresses same time as Cecilia Lu, another beautiful and amazing top tier actress whom I never saw before until AJTL, and another one instantly was taken by her and looked her up and found she was one of the four Dan actresses. These women beauty and acting stands out. The male lead, Chen Kun is a great actor. There is just all-around great acting in this movie.

this actor gives off a different vibe

I came across this actor in wrong carriage, right groom and was impressed by his charm and acting. He had so much charisma in that movie, it made the movie fun to watch.

Royal Feast is way way underrated. In WOL, people were commenting that the supporting casts were not multi-dimensional enough, or some of the characters were crazy or stupid but don't listen to that because WOL has a different aim for the audience to enjoy - it's light-hearted and part comedy and focus is on ml and fl conflicts; so, I started to think about what the person said, and Royal Feast came to mind, so here I am. Royal Feast does have a tinge of light humor but no comedy. It's a rather serious, matured ml and fl. The movie is not heavy at all, but serious enough, and follows a real prince in Ming dynasty (19 or 20 yrs old?). All the characters are highly intelligent, complex, intriguing, and all go through a transformation, and are as multi-dimensional as you can get, which is partly why it took me a while to grasp the schemes (maybe they cut some episodes out?). As you watch, you really have no idea what will happen next. IT keeps you interested. You feel for each character and there are so many of them. If the food scenes are too much, just fast forward it. Xu Kai acting in Royal Feast is masterful. Every emotion in every scene is perfectly captured by his subtle expressions. He even captures the characters mannerisms so well, it's really amazing to me to watch. Every time, I think of Zhu Zhanji, I can feel his deep love for Yao Zajin, so many sweet, tender, charming, and emotional scenes and serious conversations between them. Zhu Zhanji's conversations with his consort the second female lead is quite moving too, especially the scene where he tells her his true feelings and asked are you the one to be by my side and then the other scene where he and her are having a spat. In every one of his movies, Xu Kai portray the characters really well. I haven't' watched this movie for months; otherwise, I would write about the temperamental Zhu Zhanji I saw through Xu Kai interpretation. I feel like I really know Zhu Zhanji well. Xu Kai does not overact; his acting is natural, subtle and expressive, which is why I like this actor.

Xu Kai loves costume dramas because he likes physical activities. He says he loves horse riding and fighting. The actress in Yanxi Palace and Royal Feast, said in an interview that she was surprised how fast Xu Kai improved on his fighting skills in a year. Jing Tian said that she was surprised that on the set, they showed them how to do some moves, and Xu Kai learned it instantly. Also, his work on Snow Eagle Lord, the director expectation for Xu Kai was to do the fighting scenes by himself while others he would use special effects and stunts. But due to all the editing, unfortunately, it didn't' really showcase all his efforts. Xu Kai is not a professional at horse riding, martial arts, archery, etc. (probably never had any lessons as a kid) he only does it while on movie set, but he puts in extra efforts because he enjoys it, and because he can leverage his strengths to bring more to his audience.

well Jing Tian did say in interview, it hurt her hands trying to control those horses. For me, the fake horse is not important. Now I think about it, the western movies I grew up watching must have some fake horse riding too because of how Xu Kai looked in the fake horse riding, it reminded me of an old western movie. That's why I didn't realized it was fake. The way he rode it looked exactly like the way I remembered in the western movie, and it was also done for the intro. I thought Oh wow, Xu Kai rides it exactly like that western movie I used to watch. Wow he's so good, just like the cowboy shows. I had no idea perhaps the western movie also used fake horse riding too.

every Chinese costume drama people survive impossible injuries and have medicine or antidote ready to heal them, or they just come back to life somehow. the details are not to be dwelled on because it's a way to move the story along. I used to think Chinese dramas are ridiculous movies, watching people fly everywhere, and get stab all the time and survive, but now that I watch them, I realized, these are done for impact and not to be taken seriously. I just go along with it, and if done well, I enjoy it. I'm just watching to enjoy the story and the acting.

the climax and turning point of the story is ep 30/31

Their conflicts cause a lot of emotional distress in their relationship. The important thing is that they always reconcile to rebuild the trust because there is an unbreakable bond between them that can withstand any conflict. You will see that if you watch all the way to the end.
In a movie, no conflict, no fun. In real life, most couples don't experience real conflicts until after they get marry, then they end up divorce.

Cui Lin has a very strong personality and is very competitive person. She grew up like a boy among men, competing with army of tough male warriors. Her father said she is more capable than a thousand men. She is supposed to be just like her father, the great fierce general Cui Yi - like father like daughter. It must have been very lonely for her to suffer like that - her constant injuries she can't let a guy see them. She had no mother or sister around growing up, to help her or soften her up. Since she is not as physically as strong as men, she has to be resourceful, smarter, cunning, develop instincts and intuition, and other means to overcome men, but still maintain her honor (she would never betray Li Ni army). She is a person who puts up a wall around herself, does not let her guard down, and let people see her vulnerabilities, and she doesn't trust people. She's had plenty of practice her whole life pretending to be a man.
Cui Lin is not perfect. When it comes to the people who matter the most to her in life, she doesn't seem to know how to deal with her emotions. Perhaps it is the way she grew up without a mother. When we see her emotionally distraught, we see no matter how tough her exterior is, she can command an army but when it comes to matters of the heart, inside she can be a mess. No one is immune to a breakdown.