'Blossom's producer shares behind-the-scenes insights from the Chinese drama

Blossom tells the story of Dou Zhao (Meng Zi Yi), who loses her mother at a young age and, due to family upheavals and a tough fate, becomes disillusioned with love and familial bonds. She fights against her stepmother, protects her family property, and goes to live in the countryside where she commits herself to her studies to become self-reliant. 

On a rainy night, Dou Zhao encounters Song Mo (Li Yunrui), who is disguised as a merchant, in the village. Using her intelligence, she helps Song Mo protect the orphaned descendant of Duke Ding Guo, who was honored for his achievements in suppressing bandits. This incident entwines their fates.

Song Mo, hailing from a noble family, finds himself entangled in the mysteries of his family's downfall, while Dou Zhao faces malicious rumors of an arranged marriage orchestrated by her stepmother. To navigate their difficulties, the two decide to marry. Once suspicious and distrustful of each other, they gradually come to understand one another and become each other's confidants.

However, as new storms loom on the horizon, Dou Zhao and Song Mo work together to confront the crises, save their families, and protect the peace of the country. Together, the husband and wife united for a lifetime, carve out a life of true happiness, one that they can truly call their own.

Blossom, produced and created by Yaoke Culture, is directed by emerging director Zeng Qing Jie, with young writer Jia Bin Bin handling the script. The series stars Meng Zi Yi and Li Yun Rui in lead roles, with Snow Kong and Xia Zhi Guang as supporting actors.  

Currently airing on Tencent Video, the show has emerged as a dark horse in the historical drama market. Guduo interviewed the producer of Blossom, Zhang Ying Ying, to learn what went on behind the scenes of the C-drama. 

Talking about what inspired her to make Blossom, she said, "Creating visually beautiful costume dramas has always been my dream," Zhang shared. "When other kids used to watch cartoons, I used to immerse myself in classics like The Legend of the White Snake and My Fair Princess. While they played with dolls, I practiced wielding a peachwood sword." 

It is also revealed that the decision to cast rising stars such as Meng Zi Yi and Li Yun Rui was driven by their suitability for the roles, and also due to some past connections. As a producer at Yaoke Culture, Zhang Ying Ying had previously worked on The Legend of Heroes.  

"Zi Yi played Mei Chao Feng in that series. Her portrayal of a character with beauty, and strength, who faced tragedy, and a strong aura convinced me that she could play the smart and independent Dou Zhao. Li Yun Rui's temperament, combined with the horse riding and archery skills he honed in Raising from Zero, made him a perfect fit for the young general Song Mo. 

Snow Kong gave a strong audition, and her sweetness and vivacity gave Miao An Su a distinct and memorable charm."

Director Zeng Qing Jie makes his debut in long-form dramas with Blossom

Zeng Qing Jie, well-known for his hit short dramas (that air 10-20 episodes with each episode spanning 10-20 minutes), made his debut in long-form dramas (that air up to 50 episodes with each episode spanning 45 minutes) with Blossom. Zhang Ying Ying was the first producer to approach him with the idea of collaboration on a long-format drama. 

"Director Zeng is a very smart director. Even with the limited budgets of short dramas, he cleverly uses camera techniques to compensate, skillfully avoiding areas where insufficient funding might otherwise show. He excels at capturing the subtleties and tension in relationships, particularly between men and women. His distinctive innovations and his mastery in creating a strong sense of atmosphere are truly rare in today's market.

"My role is to help him maximize his strengths and protect his creative vision. Then, using our own approach and the professional capabilities of a long-form drama production company, we coordinate other aspects, such as overseeing the overall plot pacing and logic from a macro perspective, and assembling a top-tier production team. Our boss also showed great courage and trust in supporting us as we ventured into this innovative attempt," Zhang shared.

Producer Zhang credits Blossom's success to its highly skilled production team 

Blossom owes its success to the dedication of an experienced production team. "Winning audience approval wouldn't be possible without the craftsmanship of the entire team. This A-grade [high quality] project is supported by the team we frequently use for S-grade [elite] long-form costume dramas. We've spent all our budget on production and visual presentation," Zhang said.

The series' costume supervisor, Liang Ting Ting, a Golden Horse Award winner for Best Costume Design for Brotherhood of Blades, has high expertise in Ming Dynasty clothing and styling. 

Meanwhile, the art director, Shao Chang Yong, a recipient of the Magnolia Award for Best Art Direction for works like Nirvana in Fire, and Like a Flowing River, applied his mastery of "restrained aesthetics" to Blossom. His approach imbues the set design with a refined, contemporary Chinese style that emphasizes elegant minimalism and nuanced visual storytelling. 

The music for the entire production of Blossom was composed by Hu Xiao'ou, a music producer known for creating soundtracks for hit dramas such as The Knockout and Lost in the Stars. Hu also served as the music director, with the China International Philharmonic Orchestra performing the compositions. The music is rooted in traditional Chinese styles, enhanced with modern elements. 

Action direction was handled by Li Bao Liang, the martial arts choreographer behind The Legend of Heroes. The action scenes strike a balance between strength and grace, with fluid and dynamic body movements. 

"Our team has paid meticulous attention to every aspect of the production. For every piece of music and every word in the lyrics in the drama, I worked closely with Hu Xiao'ou to refine them. For the iconic scene in the first episode, we devoted significant effort to the visual effects design and production in the post-production stage, striving to polish the presentation to its absolute best," she explained.

Blossom — a fresh take on period dramas

When Zhang Ying Ying first took on the project, what intrigued her most was the female lead's strong will to "live life well" after her rebirth. 

Zhang commented, "After Dou Zhao's rebirth, her goal in life isn't revenge or tormenting scumbags. Instead, it's about getting over the misfortune of her previous life and living well in the current one. That's why we didn't dwell excessively on the suffering of the male and female leads in their past lives. The first episode quickly moves into her rebirth, because this life is the most important. If we had focused on making her a protagonist driven solely by revenge, I think the story would have felt more formulaic." 

Blossom downplays the element of revenge

By downplaying the element of revenge, Dou Zhao's life is no longer confined to the small, claustrophobic world of the house. Instead, it expands to a much broader perspective. 

Zhang said, "The sense of satisfaction we aim to deliver is that she becomes better step by step on her own, rather than seeking revenge on others. In her current life, she has wealth, a career, and love. She is independent, strong, and confident — a complete transformation from her previous life.

"The core focus of Blossom is on the female lead's independence and self-reliance, along with a mutually supportive and healing relationship between her and the male lead. All other elements, such as court politics, and the male protagonist's quest to seek revenge serve the main storyline without deviating from it." 

After the female lead's life vision unfolds, the vision of the entire drama also unfolds accordingly. "Blossom aims to create the feel of the era's ukiyo-e (floating world). We have consciously incorporated many elements of traditional Ming Dynasty culture. For instance, the female lead's business ventures involve papermaking, and the operatic elements that run throughout the story from the very first episode carry cultural imprints of the Ming Dynasty. The screenwriter, Jia Bin Bin, was meticulous in crafting both the plot and dialogue, ensuring they are rich in cultural depth and resonance." 

Blossom is rooted in reality 

"From the very beginning, we worked with the director to position this drama as a grounded costume drama — certainly not overly fantastical. From the royal nobles, princes, and generals to the common people, everything needed to feel grounded. The dialogue, cinematography, costumes, and props all had to reflect the tone and essence of the Ming Dynasty. We've worked hard to make this drama go one step further in all aspects," said Zhang.

Blossom earns the audience's love

In response to the overwhelming enthusiasm of its fans, Blossom released additional episodes yesterday [December 11], delighting viewers. Unsurprisingly, the Chinese drama's popularity on Tencent Video soared, breaking through a site heat index of 29,000. 

Beyond Tencent, Blossom has consistently ranked first on major popularity charts, including Guduo's Online Drama Popularity Index, Weibo Drama Influence Rankings, and Douyin Drama Leaderboard, while its Baidu index has surpassed 300,000, reflecting impressive momentum. 

Currently, Dou Zhao's (Meng Zi Yi) character heat index on Tencent Video has surpassed 10 million, and Song Mo (Li Yun Rui) ranks first on Douyin's character leaderboard, with Dou Zhao following closely behind. The actors' Baidu indices have also skyrocketed. Both lead actors have gradually climbed from playing supporting roles to leads, making Blossom a significant stepping stone for their careers during this crucial phase of their rise. 

For Tencent Video, Blossom has not only added to the year-end buzz around costume dramas but has also bolstered the platform's reputation for giving viewers quality period dramas.  

It recently topped the Weekly List of New Subscribers, attracted additional sponsorship from advertisers, and demonstrated strong revenue potential. For the production company, Yaoke Culture, the breakout success of Blossom serves as a powerful testament to its market insight and respect for the audience. 

Zhang said, "Times are always changing. I've been working in distribution since the era of 'one show, four stars' [broadcasting policy in China implemented to limit the simultaneous airing of the same TV drama on multiple satellite channels. Under this policy, a single drama could be broadcast on up to four satellite TV channels at the same time], and have witnessed the rise of streaming platforms and now the popularity of short videos and short dramas. Whoever adapts to the new market fastest will rise. We need to embrace change actively. The pacing of short dramas and the stylistic innovations of short-drama directors, and if there are aspects of long-form dramas worth learning from, we should learn from them."

Despite the new trends, Yaoke Culture also keeps some of its own unchanging aspects. "Today's audiences have incredibly refined and sophisticated tastes. They're also very intelligent. In Blossom, we've embedded many subtle details and foreshadowing that aren't immediately obvious and might require closer attention to notice but the audience understands it all. We should have full confidence in audiences of today's times. Regardless of how times evolve, as long as we approach our work with sincerity and dedication, audiences will always recognize and appreciate it. That is our greatest fortune as creators." 

Source: Guduo Editorial Department