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Na Ran: The Gorgeous Turn of The Classic Beauty
At the recent red carpet of the movie event, Na Ran became the focus of everyone's attention with her astonishing beauty and unique style. She was dressed in a black cheongsam and held a folding fan, transforming into a classic beauty, showing a kind of transcendent and refined classical charm, which made the whole place amazed. Na Ran's black cheongsam is undoubtedly the highlight of her entire look. This cheongsam perfectly outlines her figure curve, showing her elegance and sexiness. The black fabric exudes a mysterious atmosphere and complements Na Ran's temperament. The delicate embroidery and detailed processing on the cheongsam add a touch of nobility and magnificence, making people can't help but admire it. And the folding fan in Na Ran's hand adds a touch of agility and playfulness to her look. The folding fan has always been a symbol of women's elegance and wisdom in traditional Chinese culture, and Na Ran skillfully used this element to create a beautiful woman full of classical charm. She gently shakes the folding fan, sometimes showing a charming smile, and sometimes showing a sharp look, as if telling an ancient and touching story. Na Ran's skin is as smooth as jade, which… -
Exploring the Buzz around Lost You Forever – Hottest Fantasy Romance Drama in 2023
The costume fantasy drama "Lost You Forever", written by Tonghua and directed by Qin Zhen and Yang Huan, starring Yang Zi, Zhang Wanyi, Deng Wei, Dai Luwa, and Wang Hongyi, has come to an end on Tencent Video. A tumultuous journey of watching the drama has thus concluded. For a wonderful drama like "Lost You Forever", the audience never stops urging for more updates. The speed at which it is aired is often very fast; twenty days of binge-watching quickly pass by. However, the longing and reminiscence in the hearts of the viewers are also enduring feelings that stretch like vast mountains and rivers. From today onwards, Xiaoyao's yearning bids farewell temporarily while the viewers' yearning has just begun. What viewers yearn for is Xiaoyao (played by Yang Zi), who embodies their ideal image of a female protagonist; it is the different emotional patterns between the female lead and Cang Xuan (played by Zhang Wanyi), Tushan Jing (played by Deng Wei), Xiangliu (played by Tan Jianci), Chishui Fenglong (played by Wang Hongyi), which stimulate their imagination about intimate relationships; it is also the authentic plotline with highly unified production aesthetics that evoke fascination with Chinese bad ending style. Undoubtedly, "Lost… -
Creation of the Gods 1 – Themes and Visual Splendor of The Latest Chinese Mythological Movie
The hottest film of the summer season is undoubtedly the fantasy epic "Creation of The Gods 1: Kingdom of Storms", which director Wuer Shan has meticulously crafted over a decade. Before watching this film, it may be necessary for you to acquaint with some background knowledge. The theme of "patricide" Based on existing materials, news reports, and premiere reviews, it can be observed that "Creation of The Gods 1: Kingdom of Storms" embodies the classic theme of patricide. In the movie, all four princes from different states who have no inheritance rights are sent to Zhao Ge (capital of the Shang dynasty) as Zhi Zi (质子, refers to the hostages sent to the enemy or other countries in ancient times, mostly princes or sons, and other people of noble birth. For example, Yan Bingyun in Joy of Life 1 played the role of a Zhi Zi), and raised by King Zhou of Shang as his own sons. Faced with two forms of paternal authority, King Zhou's and their biological fathers', the Zhi Zi must make a choice between them. This presents a timeless conflict between one's birth father and nurturing father figure. Whether in Eastern or Western cultures, traditional… -
Who Rules the World Review – Yang Yang’s New Wuxia Drama
Recently, Who Rules the World (且试天下), wuxia drama starring Yang Yang and Zhao Lusi, is being broadcast on Tencent Video. This drama adapted from the novel of the same name by Qing Ling Yue, combines traditional costume, romance, and martial arts. In just one week of broadcasting, the cumulative viewership of Who Rules the World has already exceeded nearly 500 million. The kingdom is divided into seven parts, the emperor's family is the most honored. The person who has the Xuan Ji Ling (玄极令) can command six states. However, the disappearance of the Xuan Ji Ling has led the chaos, and the power-hungry heroes are out in force, they all want to be the first to find the Xuan Ji Ling and achieve their own supremacy power. Hei Feng Xi and Bai Feng Xi are also involved in it, they not only implicated in the huge power and conspiracy between the court and the martial arts world, but also write their own martial arts romance saga. In terms of plot, Who Rules the World is not based on historical dynasties, but the exciting game of court, the thrilling martial arts fighting scenes, as well as the sweet emotional scenes, can… -
Empowering the Heroine: The Rise of Female-led Business Drama
Recently, the grand female-led business drama "Flourished Peony" was announced and became a hot topic. As Yang Zi's first project after the explosive drama "Lost You Forever", "Flourished Peony" is particularly eye-catching. Subsequently, we discovered that next year may be a year when grand female-led business dramas are gathered. So far, there have been 7 announced projects, including "Flourished Peony," "Female Business," "The Story of Hua Zhi," "The Legend of Jewelry," "Shu Jin Ren Jia," "The Way You Back," and "Tearless Snow", which respectively cover the fields of flower cultivation, foreign trade, snacks, jewelry, silk weaving, restaurants, and salt merchants. Historical dramas, in particular, have shown a great favoritism towards traditional Chinese culture. The trend of inheriting traditional culture, known as Guochao, has swept across variety shows and films and dramas in recent years. Prior to this, there were mainly two types of dramas that incorporated Guochao elements. One type focused on the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, with stories revolving around certain artisan professions and intergenerational relationships. The other type was set in historical and cultural cities such as Dunhuang, Luoyang, and Xi'an, linking with local cultural tourism in period dramas. They often revolved around male-oriented suspenseful investigations, combining… -
10 Best Historical Chinese Dramas Worth Watching in 2021
01 Word of Honor · 山河令 Details of Word of Honor Also known as: Tian Ya Ke Aired: 2021-02-22 Episodes/Duration: 36/45min Period Background: Alternative reality Genres: Historical, Mystery, Wuxia Director: Cheng Zhi Chao, Ma Hua Gan, Li Hong Yu Main Role: Gong Jun as Wen Ke Xing, Zhou Ye as Gu Xiang, Ma Wenyuan as Cao Weining. Plot Summary of Word of Honor Adapted from the novel "Tian Ya Ke(天涯客)" by Priest. Zhou Zi Shu, the leader of the assassin organization "The Window of Heaven", resigns from his position in a fierce quest for freedom, which leaves him with only three years to live. He disguises his face and tries to spend his remaining days wandering the martial arts world as an alcoholic. In his travels, he meets Wen Ke Xing, the mysterious leader of Ghost Valley, bent on revenge for his parents. The two meet under the tangle of various intrigues in the martial arts world, and become closer when they are drawn into a conspiracy about Glazed Armor, eventually becoming soul mates for each other's salvation. One conspiracy, two confidants, five treasures, twenty years of grievances, and thousand years of dreams of Jianghu linked their destinies together. Stills of… -
A Masterpiece of Suspense: Judge Dee’s Mystery – Reinventing the New Di Renjie
The historical costume mystery drama "Judge Dee's Mystery" is currently airing on Youku. In recent years, there have been two main trends in historical costume mystery dramas. The first is to extract intriguing stories from the obscure corners of history, with a stronger focus on historical details rather than dramatic conflicts. A typical example is Youku's popular summer drama in 2018, "The Longest Day in Chang'an". The second trend is to blend traditional costume detective dramas with the style of road movies, adopting an episodic format where the investigation and personal growth intertwine. These works are highly dramatic and can be considered legendary tales with a down-to-earth touch. "Judge Dee's Mystery" is a standout in this regard. This highly anticipated drama has garnered over 7 million reservations on Youku prior to its release, and as of now, the number of viewers "following" the show has soared to 9 million. The brain-teasing suspenseful detective genre has also won the favor of male viewers, making it the most anticipated series for 2024. "Judge Dee's Mystery" lives up to these expectations. It is adapted from the eponymous novel by Dutch diplomat Robert van Gulik, and since its premiere, it has shown great potential.… -
A New Era of Chinese animation: Tracing the Remarkable Works and Creative Innovations
In the past 40 years, China has been the main market for exporting Japanese and American animations. However, in recent years, Chinese animation works have gradually gained attention in the international market. In 2018, the first Chinese original animation series "Scissor Seven" was launched on Netflix and made its way overseas. After being simultaneously broadcasted in over 190 countries and regions worldwide, the entire animation market has accelerated its pace in going global. In 2019, "White Snake" was nominated for the Feature Film competition unit at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France. In the same year, the phenomenal work "Ne Zha" was released in North America and achieved a box office of 3.69 million dollars, setting a new record for the distributing company. In 2021, "I Am What I Am" participated in the largest animation festival in North America, the AIF Animation Film Festival. This summer, the domestic animated film "Chang An" received both critical acclaim and box office success overseas. In addition to an increasing number of Chinese animation works being available on mainstream international media platforms and attracting attention from the global market, various Chinese video platforms have also made moves to enter the international market.… -
The Hope: Exploring the Intersection of Reality and Filmic Aesthetics in the Fresh Youth Campus Series
Directed by Ding Hei, starring Zhang Ruoyun and Huang Yao, the drama "The Hope (鸣龙少年, Ming Long Shao Nian)" has sparked a perceptual advancement in the minds of the audience since its premiere on Youku. In the first episode, in a unique form of social news, it was revealed that "Ming Long (鸣龙)" is the new name of the merged schools "Ming Ying (鸣英)" and "Long Hai (龙海)". After watching the process of the formation of Class 11 in the first five episodes, the audience immediately perceives that the significance of the word "Ming Long" goes beyond being just a school name. It symbolizes the voice of the suppressed, unheard, and unseen youth. This sense of advancement is also a shared experience among the audience while following the drama. Whether it is the plot or the characters, the reality-based core or the cinematic quality, "The Hope" is not presented all at once, but emerges layer by layer. As the audience continues to watch, each episode becomes more profound and immersive. This is related to the creative process of the drama. The creative team conducted extensive research and on-site investigations of real-life events before writing the script and shooting, and then… -
A Refreshing Take on Time-Traveling Adventures
On the evening of July 6th, the TV series "Second Encounter" made its debut on streaming platforms like Youku and iQiyi, marking the beginning of its highly anticipated premiere. Starring young actors Song Yiren and Guo Junchen, the series explores the intriguing premise of several youths who find themselves in an ancient setting after time-traveling, where they discover unexpected talents and embark on fantastical adventures. Song Yiren portrays the lead role in the series. In the modern world, her character is a dedicated athlete facing the brink of retirement due to injuries. Raised by a single mother who struggled after the early death of her husband, the protagonist's mother's greatest hope is for her daughter to excel in international sports competitions. However, tensions arise between them regarding the decision to retire. Adding to their challenges, a signboard from their family-owned barbecue restaurant falls on the daughter, triggering the pivotal moment that leads to her time-traveling experience. The narrative unfolds with humor and continuous laughter, establishing a light-hearted and enjoyable tone that characterizes the series as an entertaining and straightforward comedy-drama. Following her time-traveling experience, the protagonist finds herself transformed into the daughter of a wealthy merchant family in ancient times,… -
Unveiling the New Wave of Chinese Costume Dramas
On November 4th, "Weaving a Tale of Love Season 2," was released on Youku. The clever female protagonist, Liuli, repeatedly exposed the schemes of the princess, providing book fans and drama enthusiasts with a satisfying experience. Comments such as "captivating from the beginning" and "can't get enough with two episodes a day" clearly demonstrate the audience's love for this drama. As the popularity of "Weaving a Tale of Love" soared, Tencent quickly followed suit, releasing "Wonderland of Love" on November 6th, further igniting the market. A day later, "Story of Kunning Palace" premiered on iQiyi, intensifying the competition among the three Chinese major long-form video platforms. In recent years, the key factors determining the competitiveness of costume dramas in the market are no longer just big work, high viewership, and large investments, but rather the sense of differentiation brought by content innovation. Taking these three new dramas as examples, they have expanded their creative directions beyond the confines of palace intrigue, domestic conflicts, and dominant female protagonists, and instead focus more on elements such as new women, legends, and personal growth. The core of the stories also touches on the emotional perspectives, social views, and workplace situations of contemporary young… -
Exploring the Latest Trends in Newest Male-oriented Dramas
The long-dormant male leads in ancient costume dramas are set to make a comeback in the coming two years. Nowadays, male-oriented dramas generally refer to adaptations of online novels representing the genres of ordinary mortals, immortals, and sons-in-law, or TV series based on major in the genres of martial arts, fantasy, and adventure. These dramas typically feature a central male lead, with the plot revolving mainly around the male protagonist's growth, love life, strategies, and conflicts. Some of the notable big male leads include Mei Changsu in "Nirvana in Fire," Fan Xian in "Joy of Life," and Ning Que in "Ever Night." Such dramas typically boast high investments and grand productions, with production companies often selecting rising actors who can attract viewership and popularity to play the role of the male lead. After all, in the eyes of fans, the moments of the male lead and female lead are considered the highlights for actors, and a cast with a long character development arc and a star-studded lineup are essential. Building on the foundation of male-oriented novels, in recent years, dramas featuring dual male leads, trios of male leads, and ensemble casts have become increasingly popular. Productions like "Young Blood," "Douluo… -
A Look at Three Latest Chinese Historical Costume Dramas of March
In mid-March, three costume dramas were successively released online. The appeal of "Zhao Liying + Xianxia dramas," the freshness of "Ju Jingyi + villain roles," and the uniqueness of the male protagonist work, have firmly secured the top three spots on the popularity chart for the dramas "The Legend of Shen Li," "In Blossom," and "Burning Flames." In terms of data, "Burning Flames," which was first released on iQIYI on March 13th, reached a total of 21.979 million views on the second day of its release, second only to the top-ranked modern puppet drama "Everyone Loves Me." By the third day of its release, it surged to the top, surpassing the starring drama "Simple Days" by Tong Yao and Chen Xiao. However, the first-place achievement of "Burning Flames" was only briefly maintained. "In Blossom," exclusively broadcasted on Youku, rose to the top with 40.071 million views on the second day of its release. "In Blossom" became the dark horse of March. The first two episodes showcased Ju Jingyi's fierce villain character breaking the stereotype of her delicate ancient beauty image, which was deemed as the most suitable role for her by netizens. The character of the villainous supporting actress seemed… -
New Cdrama Fighting for Love: Embark on a Journey of Youthful Determination and Heartwarming Family Connections
In the pursuit of innovation in the Chinese drama market, traditional costume dramas are undergoing a revolution. With the rise of popular elements such as fantasy and idol, true costume dramas are becoming increasingly difficult to find. However, "Fighting for Love" brings a breath of fresh air to the audience with its simple style and authenticity. The drama abandons the glamorous special effects, vibrant costumes, and excessive filters, presenting the essence of costume dramas. Directed by Tian Shaobo, "Fighting for Love" stars Zhang Tianai, Zhang Haowei, Wang Ruichang, and others, and premiered on January 31, 2024. A Mai, the daughter of the Duke Jing of Nanxia, is killed by Chen Qi, her childhood friend. After several years, A Mai, who has grown into a young woman, disguises herself as a man and roams the martial world in order to seek revenge on Chen Qi. By a twist of fate, A Mai saves the son of the Crown Princess, Shang Yizhi, and subsequently helps him escape from danger multiple times. Their destinies become intertwined. As war breaks out, A Mai sheds her feminine appearance and joins the army as an infantry soldier. With her exceptional military talents, she achieves remarkable feats and… -
What Does Samfu Mean?
Samfu means shirt and trousers, also called samku in mandarin, is based on traditional female costumes worn in ancient China. Some of the most popular samfu styles are from the Song, Ming, and Qing eras. Those who have studied China traditional clothing say it is a turning point in history and reflects the change of ancient Chinese women's life and social status, before the appearance of samfu, women rarely wore pants outside. Traditional Samfu Suit Now we know that it's a traditional light suit consisting of a shirt (or a jacket) with a high collar and loose trousers/pants, worn by ancient Chinese women. It's the first time that Chinese people has been able to create samfu suit in Song dynasty. The traditional samfu's top, inheriting the style of Tang dynasty clothing, dignified and retro style, beautiful and pure, which makes ladies feel extremely comfortable and natural. Put on this exquisite shirt, decorate the charming woman, show an unspeakable beauty of graceful. Traditional samfu's pants consist of colorfully embroidered patterns and peplum; not long afterwards, loose-fitting, solid color simple style pants became popular nationwide - is very similar to the current wide-leg pants Samfu vs Hanfu Hanfu, also known as Hanzhuang,… -
The Captivating Journeys of Two Leading Ladies in Recent Chinese Dramas
As we enter June, dramas with female-centric themes are making a strong impact. Both "The Double" and "The Tale of Rose" have delivered impressive performances since their premieres, with steadily rising viewership and discussion heat. Interestingly, both shows are narrated from a "great female lead" perspective, focusing on themes of growth, revenge, and even vengeance. If "being a woman is a condition," these two dramas, set in different backgrounds, illustrate this condition through the characters Xue Fangfei and Huang Yimei. By examining the protagonists' settings and fate, we can see the next iteration of the great female lead theme and trace the common issues present in female-centric dramas. So, will the future model for great female leads be Xue Fangfei or Huang Yimei? The plots of "The Double" and "The Tale of Rose" are not overly complex. The former depicts a tragic wife who pseudo-reborn and seeks revenge, while the latter revolves around a woman's love story with four men. Both protagonists' stories follow the narrative pattern of female-centric novels: clear character growth, with their pains mainly caused by men. As they grow, the presence of men in their lives diminishes. Additionally, Xue Fangfei and Huang Yimei share some overpowered… -
Choir of Chinese Poems: The Best Animation to Interpretation Chinese Romance
There is such a Chinese original animation, which has only been updated for 6 episodes since its broadcast in 2017, but has collected 30 million views. It is Choir of Chinese Poems (中国唱诗班), the first Chinese short animation production, with classic ancient poetry as the main theme of the story and the historical allusions of the scholars as the outline. The animation is entirely original and hand-drawn by a team of Chinese youths, and each episode is less than 25 minutes. The images are beautiful and moody, with strong Chinese colours and a moving storyline that brings to life traditional Chinese ancient poetry. 1 Love Seeds Released on 23 December, 2016. The most popular of all Choir of Chinese Poems episodes is "Love Seeds", about a red bean and a tragic love affair. The young scholar Wang Chutong has been secretly in love with Liuniang since childhood. Hearing that red beans could express love, he sneaked up to the door of the Liuniang and presented a red bean. "This is the red bean from Wang Wei's poems 'Xiang Si'." Liuniang knew exactly what the Wang Chutong was thinking but did not say anything. But after joking, she cooked a bowl… -
Reviving Tradition: The Resurgence of Mythology in Chinese Animation
The mythological narrative in current Chinese animation is not simply a repetition of classic mythological stories, but a new form of creation. Whether it is a contemporary revision of a specific mythological story, or a new narrative after mixing, collaging, grafting, and transforming various non-homologous mythological stories, contemporary concepts are injected while retaining the typical visual symbols of mythology, and drawing heavily from traditional Chinese art styles, providing a new way of thinking for the development of Chinese animation. Mythology has an open interpretation space and interdisciplinary nature. Over the years, based on disciplines such as anthropology, history, religion, folklore, literature, psychology, etc., different research methods and schools of thought have gradually formed around issues such as origin, function, characteristics, and structure. For example, the natural mythology school believes that mythology originated from the worship of natural phenomena such as wind, rain, thunder, and lightning by early humans. From a structuralist perspective, understanding mythology is key to grasping its deep structure: although mythological narratives from different ethnic groups and regions are not exactly the same, they have universal structures and rules within them. From a psychological perspective, myths are often seen as the product of common psychological projections of various ethnic… -
Evolution of Chinese Ancient Costumes Short-Length Drama
In the three years since the Chinese short-length dramas went from rough to sophisticated, the romance genre has been riding high in terms of volume, with the ancient costume category leading the market in terms of subdivision. Like long-length dramas, costume romance short-length dramas are created by imitating the ancient style of China, with intricate and exquisite hanfu costumes, spectacular scenes, and special worldview settings to construct poignant or sweet love stories. To a certain extent, the ancient costume short-length dramas can recreate the scenes of ancient life and satisfy the curiosity of the audience. At the same time, this ancient landscape has always had a notable appeal with its unique beauty. Earlier, the word aesthetics was not much associated with short-length cdrama. However, after the accelerated development of the industry, more and more high-quality short-length dramas have joined the competition, and the aesthetics of the episodes has become the most basic pursuit. In terms of the ancient romance theme, especially after the great popularity of last year's batch of works such as "The Killer is also Romantic", "My Princess" and "A Familiar Stranger", the ancient aesthetics of the short-length drama field has gained more voices of recognition. Recently, another ancient… -
The Princess Royal: A New Sweet Romance Unfolds in Historical Drama
The intense summer drama showdown has begun. Youku has set the stage good start with "The Double," and now they’re back with a surprise hit - "The Princess Royal." Upon its release, this drama swiftly climbed to the top of Youku's hottest premieres of 2024. Within the first three episodes, "The Princess Royal" manages to tell a story with the pace and charm that would take other dramas a dozen episodes to cover. The plot advances at lightning speed, from the protagonists' deaths to their reunion in a new life, leaving no room for unnecessary filler. For those recovering from the addictive "The Double," "The Princess Royal" is the perfect follow-up. This drama blends intense romance and sweet moments seamlessly. With Youku consistently delivering high-quality dramas, audience expectations have risen. While innovating in the historical romance genre is challenging, "The Princess Royal" manages to surprise. It combines a strong male and female lead dynamic with multi-layered relationships, where the leads are adversaries, allies, and lovers all at once. This creates a sweet yet complex narrative that keeps viewers hooked. In recent years, sweet dramas have faced criticism for being formulaic and artificial. However, "The Princess Royal" offers fresh and grounded…