On the first day of summer, a major fantasy Xianxia drama began airing. On June 1st, “Beauty of Resilience (花戎, Hua Rong),” starring Ju Jingyi and Guo Junchen, premiered online. Since filming started in mid-2021, this drama has garnered attention from both inside and outside the industry. For Ju Jingyi's debut in a fantasy drama like, her character's intense conflicts and growth through multiple reincarnations serve as an advanced test for her acting skills which is highly anticipated by fans.
Departing from its original style with light ancient elements, “Beauty of Resilience” ventures into mature genres such as fantasy Xianxia dramas. From the first six episodes aired so far, it seems that “Beauty of Resilience” has indeed found a way to stand out amidst fierce competition within this genre.
Although it tells stories within grandiose settings where three realms coexist together, what stands out most prominently are themes of growth challenges, family bonds, romantic feelings, and academy life which cleverly aligns with realism for youth elements that resonate well with viewers while also creating an accessible pathway toward empathy between audiences and characters alike.
Youthful Endeavors in the Academy
At the beginning of “Beauty of Resilience,” Wei Zhi (played by Ju Jingyi), a girl with a tragic background, is sold to the prestigious Wei family as a servant due to difficult circumstances. However, she soon becomes recognized as one of the candidates for Phoenix and enters her long-awaited journey at Bai Lu Academy after undergoing her “Destined Immortal Bone” ceremony on her sixteenth birthday.
Although the drama briefly introduces its worldview involving three realms coexisting together, it does not dwell too long on it. Only after completing the academy's initial setting does it gradually unravel intricate political struggles among various factions.
With its rapid setup through an academy setting, “Beauty of Resilience” avoids awkwardly starting off with typical conflicts between immortals and demons found in most fantasy dramas, allowing viewers to quickly immerse themselves into this world.
It is evident that “Beauty of Resilience” incorporates experiences from creating youth school dramas into its ensemble building. Dozen of Phoenix candidates who come to Bai Lu Academy become classmates; each has different backgrounds, personalities, and distinct values represented within them all.
While emphasizing Wei Zhi's dynamic character traits such as kindness and rebelliousness, as well as individuality, in limited episodes, the show manages to paint clear portraits of each young person featured in their own unique way while keeping audiences engaged throughout their journeys at academy.
For example, Wei Lingyue (played by Ma Yue), who comes from a prestigious family and possesses graceful manners, is representative of the academic overachiever type in the human world. She has strong competitiveness and above-average natural abilities; however, her excessive goal-oriented mindset and lack of security ultimately lead to consequences for her actions.
Another example is Ming Lang (played by Nie Zihao), born into an influential family with outstanding skills and a pure heart. However, it's obvious that his fate is not entirely within his control either when the master takes notice of his family power, nominating him as Phoenix.
There's also Bao Liang (played by Zhang Dabao) from a wealthy merchant family background who acts like an adorable clown at academy but can't seem to get anything done despite having money on hand. Additionally, there's Ouya (played by Zhang Zhihao), prince of the demon realm who blends into Bai Lu Academy behind the scenes with wit and humor while devising schemes to get close to Phoenix candidates.
Amongst this group of classmates, Wei Zhi is obviously not outstanding; although audiences know she was chosen as one of Phoenix's candidates destined for greatness, it doesn't seem strange that she still doing laundry or sweeping floors alongside everyone else. Her previous connection with Ming Lang serves only as the history between them which will likely continue developing after they leave Bai Lu Academy along with other storylines weaved throughout their journeys together at school.
As for the relationship between Wei Zhi and her mentor Yan Yue (played by Guo Junchen) who embodies Penglai Xianshi, although it is the emotional mainline throughout the drama, it's only one of many relationships she must handle during her time at Bai Lu Academy. Wei Zhi has to sort out her issues with her mother, make progress in cultivation, navigate romantic feelings from classmates, and balance competition amongst peers.
Such a relatable protagonist who seems overwhelmed with various struggles is not commonly seen in fantasy Xianxia dramas but can easily resonate emotionally with young audiences. Which young person hasn't grown up amidst multiple challenges involving familial love, friendship, heavy schoolworkloads, and uncertain futures?
Coupled with cleverly designed academy scenes such as physical training sessions, mystical classes, Mid-Autumn assessments, and group living situations featured throughout “Beauty of Resilience,” it's opening quickly resonates on an experiential level while tapping into emotions shared among younger viewers.
Destined love and anti-destiny growth
As a fantasy drama, “Beauty of Resilience” is not lacking in deep and heart-wrenching relationships. From the trailers, we can see that Wei Zhi and Yan Yue have a love that transcends three realms with their fate predetermined from past lives. Regardless of how their identities or memories are rewritten, or how the external environment changes, they will ultimately become entangled with each other to form fiery sparks of passion. This sense of destiny is precisely what makes the charm of romantic fantasy dramas.
However, destined love doesn't necessarily have to follow the familiar tropes. Unfounded favoritism, forced happy rivals-to-lovers plotlines, and inexplicable marriages followed by falling in love. While these clichés may be effective at creating romance quickly, they cannot fully capture the feeling of destiny for audiences who are well-versed in watching fantasy dramas.
“Beauty of Resilience” takes on an unconventional approach towards its romantic storyline which brings forth unique viewing experiences. Due to their across reincarnations, there are certainly some connections between the main characters. However, “Hua Rong” does not explicitly establish this as pure romance yet showcases it subtly instead.
For instance, in Yan Yue's first appearance after descending from heaven into mortal world only Wei Zhi sees him in city walls; in another scene where he seals his room door with magic formation but she still manages to enter without obstruction. But these connections don't necessarily point directly towards romantic feelings for one another. Take her ability to see through Yan Yue's immortal form as an example, this was due solely because Wei Zhi has innate spiritual gifts enabling her sight beyond human realm.
Objectively speaking, the female protagonist in the first six episodes hasn't even had a thought about love yet. However, just because the stage of romance has not yet been set doesn't mean that there are no feelings developing. In “Beauty of Resilience,” the moderate coincidences and boundaries between the main characters provide a subtle field for emotions to develop.
For example, Wei Zhi's first emotional closeness with Yan Yue did not occur in class but rather outside of school where they happened to meet each other by chance. Wei Zhi went down the mountain to buy writing materials while Yan Yue was at a brothel rescuing his friend Yi Er (played by Lu Tingyu). When she encountered him on her way back from buying supplies, she merely smiled without asking any further questions as he walked past fresh off leaving from said brothel. Later on, they got into an argument over whether or not to save a sickly child from poverty they ran into on their way home.
This scene is built through coincidences layered upon misunderstandings followed by ideological conflicts, manages to bring forth two people closer together emotionally despite one being restrained and another indifferent towards it all.
Although destiny and fate may seem like distant concepts this particular scene showcases how emotions can still sprout between two people who initially have nothing in common except for coincidence. Ultimately, they will fall deeply in love with each other regardless of these initial conditions which highlights just how wonderful destined love can be.
Xianxia dramas often emphasize the sense of destiny, but people cannot always live within predetermined paths. It is the unknown that makes life brilliant and charming, spurring one to move forward. The protagonists in xianxia dramas are no exception. “Beauty of Resilience” manages to balance the sense of destiny well, love is destined across three realms and three lives; however, growth must be against fate so as to unleash an against-the-odds power.
Ju Jingyi's portrayal of Wei Zhi is a character with great arc development. She was ostracized from a young age due to her gift for seeing immortals, demons, and monsters which caused trouble for her family resulting in her becoming a servant. However, just like many young people today, she does not believe in fate but rather believes in choices instead. She is kind-hearted, just, grateful while also being rebellious, proactive, independent, and self-reliant. Although she has yet to awaken as Phoenix True Body, her desire to change her family's fortunes has never wavered nor did it fade away.
In subsequent episodes, she completes this transformation by facing up to her own gifts and learning how control Phoenix's power thus completing her journey towards maturity; this transformation was just as important as recalling emotional experiences from past reincarnations. We look forward to seeing Ju Jingyi portray this unique path towards growth in “Beauty of Resilience”.
The rare sense of suspense in the fantasy drama
One thing that sets “Beauty of Resilience” apart from other Xianxia dramas is its rare sense of suspense. The filming process took place during a difficult period for the film and television industry, which was facing setbacks due to the pandemic. Under such circumstances, making a drama required careful consideration and adjustment of ideas. For types like xianxia, which emphasize visuals and special effects，is there a way to approach production with ease?
“Beauty of Resilience” found this answer by telling similar stories in different ways, creating different effects. Instead of focusing solely on production quality，the creators put more thought into understanding the audience's psychology. In addition to portraying realistic youth elements, the story is told compactly and smoothly while constantly throwing out suspenseful hooks that are appropriately resolved through flashbacks.
Throughout the drama, viewers are continuously drawn into several unresolved questions, for example: what happened in Wei Zhi's family when she was young? Is her wedding with the male lead from their past or future lives? What exactly is the relationship between “Hua Rong” in the title and Phoenix? These hooks effectively capture viewers' attention beyond just sweet romance.
As this summer's first Xianxia drama to meet audiences, “Beauty of Resilience” displays an agile form. For its ability to provide audiences with such an enjoyable source of entertainment.
