by Lakshmi, November 15, 2021
116


"When others are playing, I work hard.
  When others are working hard, I work hard.
  When others are regretting, I still work hard.
  This way I won't say sorry to myself." 

– Ren Jia Lun

Yes, with his hard work, perseverance, and positive attitude, Ren Jia Lun has become one of the best Chinese Drama actors.


♥ AN ULTRA FAN GUIDE TO REN JIA LUN ♥ 


Basic Details

Birth name: Ren Guo Chao 

Popular as: Ren Jia Lun, Allen Ren

Date of Birth: 11th April 1989 

 Place of Birth: Qingdao, Shandong, China

Spouse: Nie Huan


My first encounter and journey with Allen:

I accidentally watched the trailer of Miss Crow with Mr. Lizard (MCWML), found the plot to be interesting, and started watching it. I fell in love with Allen at first sight - or is it first drama? ;-). Since I started watching MCWML while it is airing, I thought of watching his other works while waiting for the next episodes. 

Even after one year of journey with dramas, I never liked watching historical dramas, but this man-made me fall in love with them. I started watching one of his best works, Under the Power, and completed watching it before the complete airing of MCWML, and fell head over heels for him.

I am still exploring his works.


Why is Allen my favorite?

Allen is a brilliant actor. He can express any emotion just with his eyes and gives 100% performance in any role. Also,  Allen is a multi-talented person. He can act, sing, dance, and also compose. He has a very soothing voice while singing. He was a professional table tennis player, but he had to quit the sport due to injuries. Prior to beginning his acting career, Allen participated in Hunan TV's Super Boy and Korean Star.

Apart from his work on the screen, he is a hero in real life also. During the massive floods in Henan Province (July 2021), in addition to money1, he donated women’s personal health care products. That shows his thoughtfulness and kind heart. 



In this article, I will write about some of the gems from his works.  

 Clicking on the dramas and actors' names will take you to respective pages on MDL.

⚠   Spoilers ahead  ⚠



Miss Crow with Mr. Lizard

  • Allen as Gu Chuan – an Architect
  • Xing Fei as Jiang Xiao Ning – Allen’s employee 

In this drama, Allen appears as an Architect. He has a mechanical heart because of the accident he met in the past while trying to save the Female Lead and her family. He is strictly prohibited from having strong emotions lest the efficiency and durability of the mechanical heart will be affected. He is waiting for the date of expiry of his mechanical heart and even plans to buy a cemetery plot for himself. Jiang Xiao Ning is an optimistic, sunny girl who is full of positive energy despite her hardships. 

**THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL COLD CEO DRAMA**

Why should you watch this drama? 

  • To witness Allen's versatility as an actor: Believe it or not, he showed 6 shades, with subtle but clear changes in expressions. You can observe them:

  1. A young and optimistic boy full of energy and passion before the accident.
  2. A pessimistic person who is waiting for his death.
  3. A person is confused about his attitude towards life and death after meeting Jiang Xiao Ning.
  4. A man feeling very safe and happy being in a relationship.
  5. Completely heartbroken when he comes to know about the death of his attending Doctor-cum-Scientist who is working on his mechanical heart to make his life better. 
  6. A vegetative state where he is completely emotionless. 
  • Xing Fei gives you vibes full of positive energy. 
  • Second couple: Wayne Liu and Chloe Zhao who entertain you for the whole length of the drama with their bickering. 
  • Very beautiful sismance and bromance.  

  • Visuals and beautiful locations: you can see that the Producer is very generous and did not have any limits set to budget. Especially when they are on the trip, the cottages look very beautiful. 

You may feel the story to be a bit illogical during the last few episodes, but continue watching to have a good feel at the end. It is rumoured that there is going to be Season 2 for this drama.



Under the Power

  • Allen as Lu Yi – Head of Embroidered Dress Guards 
  • Tan Song Yun as Yuan Jin Xia – Constable from Six Doors Department 
  • Adapted from a novel of the same name by Lan Se Shi

Lu Yi is a merciless officer who doesn’t hesitate to use any methods while interrogating criminals. Yuan Jin Xia is an easy-going girl whom you feel like a girl next door. Their journey starts on the wrong note. But Lu Yi starts falling for her from the beginning episodes, and you can see their relationship progress as they join to solve the cases together. Lu Yi cares for her silently and wishes her to progress in her career. 

Why should you watch this drama? 

  • “I am 40 years old and married, I still feel shy by the way they look at each other”. This is one of the timed comments by a viewer in Rakuten Viki. Yes, this is one of the dramas with the best chemistry between the leads, which makes you want to fall in love. 

  • To experience a roller coaster ride of emotions. There is a good amount of comedy especially halfway through the drama, you will laugh out loud and will be surprised by Allen's acting skills.

  • Allen looks super handsome in traditional costumes. Actually, he is tailor-made for roles in traditional costume dramas. He makes your heart flutter just with his gaze. Though he is cruel towards the criminals, he has a very soft heart, and in the last few episodes when you see him cry your heart will melt for sure. 

  •  Yuan Jin Xia - very cheerful, bubbly, and energetic. I am sure you will like her character. 

  • Han Cheng Yu as Lan (Taoist) - he is a gem and is the main sailor of our Leads ship. He did a very good job as a friend, and as a patriot who is concerned about the country, even ready to sacrifice his life for it. 

  • Han Dong as Yan Shi Fan the antagonist - is also a handsome actor whom you feel like slapping on the screen. You will hate him to the core for his villainy. 



Love Your Bones Forever

Adapted from the novel “One Life, One Incarnation- Beautiful Bones” by Mo Bai Fei Bai, into 2 dramas. 

One and Only (HISTORICAL)  

Allen as Zhou Sheng Chen - Nanchen Prince
Bai Lu as Cui Shi Yi - his disciple    

Forever and Ever (CONTEMPORARY)

Allen as Zhou Sheng Chen - a Professor
Bai Lu as Shi Yi - a Voice Artist  

                 

One and Only

Zhou Sheng Chen is the Uncle of the current Emperor. He has no desire regarding the throne. He takes an oath to guard the border all his life without having marriage or kids. Cui Shi Yi is the crown Princess who is sent to Zhou Sheng Chen’s manner as his disciple. They both develop a special bond but can’t take their relationship to further step because of the circumstances. 

Why should you watch this drama? 

  • To witness pure love (and also silent love) between the leads who expect nothing but to accompany each other till the end of their lives. 

  • Zhou Cheng Shen: To see a warrior who dedicates his life to maintaining peace in the country without expecting recognition for his great deeds and sacrifices. He looks very calm, composed, and reserved, detached from worldly things, but he notices every detail of his dear ones and takes care of them. 

  • Cui Shi Yi: You will have every feeling similar to what Shi Yi has while watching this drama. You cry with her, you laugh with her, you blush when you see her fall shy. She gave an outstanding performance.

  • Very good supporting characters, especially Zhou Lu La as Xiao Yan, a monk. And again, our Taoist Lan (Han Cheng Yu) - as Huan Yu (an acquaintance of Zhou Shen Cheng with a very short screen time), the sailors of our leads ship.

  • To fill your heart with a beautiful feeling. 

You are expecting me to write about Forever and Ever!?

Nah!! I am sure, after watching One and Only / after reading this, you will definitely watch Forever and Ever

So, I am waiting for your opinion on Forever and Ever.


Apart from the reasons I mentioned why you should watch the dramas, there is one more thing. All these dramas have beautiful and melodious OSTs.

Here are the links for some songs:


NOTE: 

My dear readers, 

Thank you for reading this article

If you have already watched these dramas I hope you continue to give your love and support to Allen.  

If you have not watched any of Allen's dramas till now, pick any of the three dramas above, I am sure you will feel like watching more of his works and he will earn a place in the list of your favorite actors.

Not satisfied? Want more of him?
Here are some of Allen’s best stage performances:

See Ya         Zhe Xian        Dreamers Never Sleep


 Sources and Credits:
-Allen's donation news: 1. Luju Bar   2. Global Times
-Images and MCWML GIF are from the web, I thank the rightful owners.
-MyDramaList
-This  YouTube video for Allen's quote.


Edited by: Tine (1st editor), BrightestStar (2nd editor)

ren jia lun allen ren miss crow mr.lizard under the power one and only