Welcome to the Characters, Cast (complete, including dubbers and child actors) and Crew presentation for The Princess and the Werewolf portal fantasy drama: full of tidbits and infos, links to stuff (not the OST, that's here and you can listen to it while perusing this, why not!) This is a souvenir for first audience and a guide to new ones.
1: Characters and Cast - starting wih lead characters and actor/actress, with a biographical note for each, and explanation of names meanings. The character presentation includes the Chinese mythology behind Kuí Mùláng (the Beauty and the Beast, different but more well-known model is referred to with a link in the Crew section, where the book basis is presented with author); and btw thank you to Qipa No1 Fan who added interesting tidbits about Wú Xuānyí here (but to lighten the presentation, I made a separate full Profile for each lead, linked below.
2-3: Characters and cast in Dàxià kingdom first (with a note about a funny product placement - the drama is remarkably devoid of other conspicuous ones), and next in Beast kingdom (Huà shòu guó 化兽国), both countries being linked by a magic portal that only Kuí Mùláng can activate. In between, a note about the birthday cake, which was packed with symbols.
4: Crew: director, screenwriter, author, shooting details, broadcast (with convenient direct links to the show on official platforms), interviews of main actor Chén Zhéyuǎn and reception.
Among the special notes in this CCC, the birthday cake and the final bird in the tree note are details with meanings that also have a practical and cultural bearing outside the drama. There is also a record of a viral ad through song (withn link to the original song) before a good wish).
The animated gifs are almost all created by me (except 4 old ones linked to other source) ; original pictures from the drama, from MDL, from Wikipedia and from Baidu when not stated otherwise.
CHARACTERS ----------------------------------------------------------- CAST
Qí Pā gōngzhǔ 齐葩 公主Princess of Dà Xià 大夏国公主
Qí Pā was the daughter of the King and Queen of Dàxià the original weirdos, whose story had been told in the drama Go Princess Go! (2015). Her parents had abdicated in order to go discover the world, starting with Europe, wherefrom they sent her a bulky gift : a good sized if smaller replica of Michelangelo's famous "David" sculpture. Qí Pā was 20 years old and her uncle and aunt who were now in charge, wanted her to marry, but none of the choices she was given appealed to her. They decided to choose a suitable match for her, but she was not interested. She preferred to run away ! She was saved from possible rape by a mysterious cloaked and masked stranger, who promptly sent her unconscious in order to abduct her. She awoke in Beast Kingdom, which she had never heard about, and was told that from then on she would be the fiancée of the King, who turned out to be the mysterious cloaked and masked man. But Qí Pā, despite her cheerfulness (which made her adapt swiftly to the vegetarian regime in Beast Kingdom, and become friends with her designated attendant Hóng Xiù) only wanted to go back home.
 She played games with the king. Qí Pā was puzzled by the unique heirloom amulet that Kuí Mùláng gave to her. She gave him a keyring in the form of durian (her preferred fruit, that the King had to get specially for her from Dà Xià kingdom !) Another token was the red string with small bells that he attached at her wrist so she could call him when she was temporarily blinded.  Still, she left Beast realm through the magic portal, leaving Kuí Mùláng heart broken.He followed to check on her, and caught her when she fell, on purpose, because by then, she was missing Beast Realm, Lǐ Xióng and KML!  KML/Lǐ Xióng kissed her forehead, when she was asleep.  When her position as queen of Beast Realm was challenged, she at last decided to fight to redeem it, using the force of writing and gossip!  After many difficulties, they came to a happy end, reaffirmed their vows, gave their benediction to the couples at their sides, and a year later, Qí Pā took KML along to Europe on honeymoon... airily leaving in the care of aunt Lü Li a pair of babies cutely named for favorite foods : 小月饼 and 小粽子!
| Wú Xuānyí 吴宣仪 👑💙(voiced by Hè Wénxiāo 贺文潇 who is a professional voice (dubbing) actress from Biān Jiāng Studio ( 边江工作室 ). She has voiced different actresses in 43 dramas, including the most recent "Lost You Forever" where she is the voice of ML Cāng Xuán's attendant.) BIODATA --Wú Xuānyí was born January 26, 1995 in Hǎikǒu, Hǎinán, China. [she is Aquarius star sign, Chinese zodiac Dog and Wood element -born at the tail end of that year which ended January 30, 1995, so some biodata mistakenly cast her as Pig... ] 166cm (5’5″) tall, 42.5kg (93.5 lbs). Also known as: 吴玉婷 / Wú Yùtíng 오선의, or Betty Wu. She was raised in a well-to-do middle class family, with one brother. She studied at Hǎinán Normal University. When she was 20 years old, she moved to South Korea to train and become an idol K-pop singer from 2016 (WJSN/Cosmic Girls). She returned to China in 2018 and restarted a career in C-pop ; also in dramas from 2019 with first ones airing in 2021. (Baidu) SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS : ACTRESSin 5 dramas and 3 movies: [direct links to show on original platform provided, if available, Note : watching may require subscription after free episodes.] Marna movie, as Bai ManNa (It was her screen actress debut). The ill-fated movie was based on a, since banned, erotic novel and filmed in 2016 with 3 other rookie idols (incl. WSJN/Cosmic Girls MěiQí) trying to act as youngsters during the Cultural revolution. It was canceled after a brief release in Canada in 2017 prior to its planned but aborted release in 2018 by Youku. (more on Profile) Before Farewell (74 mins) 2020 Rocket Girl 101's graduation documentary [only on YouTube, without Eng Subs] The Romance #1 (90' movie) 2021 as Rainbow, alongside Xiǎo Guǐ as Xiao Kai. Personal project of the two musicians, also screenwriters here, who imagined a fantasy around an A.I. [90 mins, direct link : iQiyi]  (1) Douluo Continent (aired 2021, shot in 2019) as Xiǎo Wǔ [40 eps, watch it directly linked here to WeTV or Viki]
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Her family name Qí is also that of several Chinese dynasties, and her given name Pā is referring to flowers. Thats all very lovely and hints to "exotic flowers" in first sense. But it also now means "
Qí Pā meets Lǐ Xióng (ep2)
(3) 
(4) 
(5) 
Kuí Mùláng 奎木狼 /Lǐ Xióng 李雄 | Chén Zhéyuǎn 陈哲远 ✨💙   |
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| Kuí Mùláng was the King og the Beast Kingdom, hidden behind a portal from the Dà Xià Kingdom. Due to a past catastrophe, the kingdom was in a precarious situation, and the King had to sacrifice some of his dwindling inner strength to keep the waters flowing and drinkable for his people, who were of diverse Beast origins. Except for that, he only used his magic sparingly, for opening the portal to Da Xia that he had once discovered when he was ambushed by enemies, or in real emergencies. Kuí Mùláng was from Wolf bloodline (Mùláng 木狼 means Timber wolf), but for some reason he was shapeshifting with one fearsome appearance at night, and another, handsome in the day. In this realm, wolves could only mate with one wife, so he had to find the perfect one. | Voiced by Yú Chāngyǔ 余昌宇 (probably because the production was not sure CZY would not have a Cantonese accent. He was not mentioned as dubbed in other dramas, except for "Handsome Siblings") Yú Chāngyǔ also dubbed Chén Mùchí (Cháofēng 3rd prince in "The Starry Love")  |
 Kuí Mùláng lived in Kui Star palace [奎星宫 Kuí xīng gōng] in the Royal grounds of his kingdom ; he assigned a separate residence (瑶华宫, Yáohuá gōng /Precious flower palace) close by to Qí Pā, so she would not feel too pressured by him, together with a maid for her (Hongxiu) and a very special bodyguard: himself in the day form she did not know was also him. He had decided to try to recover the precious Holy Pearl that he had lost without harming the girl (Qí Pā had accidentally swallowed it a few years before, when he had stumbled, wounded, into Daxia!). According to ancient lore, that could only be done if she gave him a real true-love kiss. But KML fell for her first, while he approached her in the form of the special "guard" Lǐ Xióng 李雄 (That name is interesting, as it carries meanings of strong, powerful male, as in 雄兽 [xióng shòu , tomcat], 雄大 [xióng dà, mighty and powerful], and literally "ruler of great talent and bold vision " 雄主 [xióng zhǔ] !).
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MYTHOLOGICAL KUI MULANG | |
Note: Kuí Mùláng (Chinese: 奎木狼; lit. 'The Wood Wolf of Legs') is a deity in traditional Chinese spiritual beliefs. He is considered to be one of the 28 Mansions, which are Chinese constellations. Kuí mùláng is associated with the constellation Andromeda, which appears in the sky in the middle of November. - According to the novel Investiture of the Gods (Fēngshén Yǎnyì), Kuí mùláng was originally named Li Xiong. After he died in the Battle of the Ten Thousand Immortals, Jiang Ziya deified him as the Wood Wolf of Legs, one of the 28 stars. The Legs mansion (奎宿, Kuí Xiù) is one of the 28 mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger. In East Asian cultures, the Legs mansion (Kuí Xiù) represents wisdom, scholarship and literature. [Wikipedia Kui Mulang and Legs]. |   KML and Qí Pā, watching the night sky |
Nevertheless, the original myth of Kuí Mùláng and Princess Baihua, of Baoxiang kingdom (宝象国), is a sad story. "“There once was a Celestial Guard who fell deeply in love with a Jade Maiden. However, their love was forbidden. And so, by his hand, he sacrificed their immortality, that they might be reborn in the mortal realm, their union unbound by the rules of heaven. But fate moves slowly. To prolong his mortal life, the Guard ensnared and devoured powerful souls that wandered into his domain as he awaited the return of his beloved. ” And he became the Yellow Robed Demon whom Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) defeated in Journey To The West. Stories differ though, so that according to The Investiture of the Gods 《封神演義》[Fēng shén yǎnyì ; or Fēngshénbǎng《封神榜》i.e. Gods' list], Lǐ xióng 李雄 who became a god named Kuí Mùláng (奎木狼), disobeyed rules because of lust, and was beheaded in the array of the ten thousand immortals, in the war led by Jiāng Zǐyá against the followers of the evil fox spirit (Jiāng Zǐyá 姜子牙 was the Daoist "saint of the military" who assisted 6 kings of Zhōu 周 and destroyed Shāng 商 magically, subsequently choosing 365 influential people to become canonized and elevated to deities, among which KML). But Kuí Mùláng was reborn in mortal realm and resumed his tryst with 百花羞 [Bǎihuā xiū] while keeping her prisoner. "In Journey to the West《西遊記》, the love between Kuí Mùláng and Baihua is a love that transcends all constraints, transcends the boundaries of time and life, and is not afraid of any cruel suppression, destruction and punishment. Their love is vigorous and touching. Although their love story ends in tragedy. They had already been caught by the 27 other deities, and separated once, but had found their way together again. Yet, their 13 years together and two children were eventually destroyed because of the cruel Heavenly Court. Zhu Bajie strangled the children. Kuí Mùláng who had renounced his Immortal status, was dragged back and banished by the Jade Emperor to Dust Palace, to tend the furnace of Taishang Laojun ( Lao Zi), forever separated from his love." [story adapted from a min.news featurette] -- In fact, Kuí Mùláng appeared 4 times in Journey to the West. The purpose of these 4 appearances was different, and the plot of the story was also different. Some were to suppress the demon Monkey King, some were in the lower realm for the demon to kill the predestined fate, and some were to assist. Sun Wukong [Monkey King] descended to slay demons. Kuí Mùláng [...allowed] us to appreciate four fairy stories with different plots. [inf.news article: interesting read] Note about movies: a 2019 series of animated movie themed around the Invetiture of the Gods started with a new twist on the story of Jiang Ziya ! But don't expect it to feature KML; instead, there is Nezha, his well-known martial nephew. A new spin comes in 2023 with the animated movie New Gods which features Yang Jian (also known as Erlang Shen) who also assisted in the defeat of Shang.... |  picture from 2023-08-19 inf.news  Kuí Mùláng as Yellow Robed Demon in Journey To The West 《西遊記》(Villains wiki) Picture by Rolf Müller 2005 taken in the Long Corridor in the Summer Palace in Beijing. The painting shows the four heros of the Journey to the West, left to right: Sun Wukong, Xuanzang, Zhu Wuneng (Zhu Bajie, the Pig), and Sha Wujing (the Sand demon). (Wikipedia) Ancient illustrated edition of Fēng shén yǎnyì 封神演義 (Investiture of the Gods novel, Wikipedia). Èrláng Shé n二郎神 Picture from Baidu story in Chinese. |
Xiǎo (young) Kuí Mùláng -小奎木狼, ep7, 15  | -------------------------------------------------- 徐崴罗 Xú Wǎiluō (video) born December 9, 2010, he debuted in 2017 in Glory of the Tang Dynasty 2 as Li Bi; and has played other child supporting roles in over 25 other dramas. He's among the "top 10 cutest child actors of China". ---------------------------------------------------- |
Characters in Dà Xià Kingdom (大夏国)
[ Note : 大 dà means "big"; 夏 means both "summer" as in 夏天 xiàtiān, and "China" as in 华夏 huáxià; 国 guó means "country" as in 中国 zhōngguó，also "China"]
CHARACTERS------------------------------------------------------------------ CAST
Lǜ Lí 绿篱 & Zhào Wáng 赵王 They were the current Queen and King of Dà Xià kingdom, (aunt and elder uncle of Qí Pā). They had taken over ruling Dà Xià, after the abdication of Qí Pā's royal parents:* Zhāng Péngpéng 张芃芃 (mom of Qí Pā) * Qí Chéng 齐晟 (dad of Qí Pā) |
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Lü Li's name means hedgerow, but since she was from Dà Xià, that is not meaningful (she was not a Beast) She was concerned about Qí Pā not having found a suitable husband, so she went several times to persuade her to have a look at the portraits and "resumes" of the ones she had selected as possible matchs, in "blind date" style. She favored a prince for Qí Pā, who turned out to be a jerk. When Qí Pā disappeared, they sent a search party for her led by Mǎ Yīngxióng, but when he returned from his own abduction, they did not try to dig any more into that mysterious disappearance. | Hǎi Líng 海铃Born September 9, 1992. Also known as "Karina Hai". She was Lü Lin in the former drama (led by Zhang Tianai in the role of the first Princess.) | ||||
  | Jiāng Qílín 江奇霖Born 江超 April 2, 1985. Also known as "A-Joe" and 七零 [qī líng i.e. 7-0] He has played in 15 other dramas and 4 movies. - | ||||
Xìng Píng jùnzhǔ 兴平郡主 Princess Xìng Píng was the granddaughter of King Zhào and Lǜ Lí, and had fun with her aunt Qí Pā. | Lè'er 乐儿Dubbed by Zhōu Zhī (周之)
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fùjiāng Ā Lái 副将啊来
|  Uncredited castGifs are made by me | ||||
Lieutenant general A Lái was the designated fiancé, self-proclaimed son-in-law of the King (驸马 fùmǎ), and jerk, who wanted to force Qí Pā brutally to marry him. (ep1, 8, 9)PS - If you wondered what was written on the birthday cake in ep. 18 : see my gif below.
+ The buns around the big one are shaped like peaches (symbol of longevity), while those around are shaped like flowers as in the meaning of the princess' given name, and like gold money pouches or rose perfumed sachets, all auspicious symbols for birthday wishes! There is even a small "ruyi"scepter [carrying the meaning "as you wish"] to the left ! A ruyi is a talisman in a form reminding of a sacred lotus, with a long curved stem, symbolizing power and good fortune in Chinese folklore,. These scepters were traditionally presented as birthday gifts.
It may not be totally irrelevant to notice the homophonous words :
寿 shòu (Longevity) and 兽 shòu (Beast)
And since I am at it, here is Wu Xuanyi's first track on her solo debut mini-album, 《25》of 2020
Charactersin Beast Kingdom(化兽 国 Huà shòu guó)Liǔ Jūn 柳君He was of the Venomous Snakes bloodline, always wearing gloves so as not to poison inadvertently those who might touch him. He was the closest and most trusted aide of the King, since they grew up in close proximity and KML had saved his life once. Extremely loyal and privy to the King's secrets, he was the only one who saw KML without a cloak and a mask. Being cold blooded, he was at first puzzled when a furry cat maid from the palace started purring at him !  |
Intractable Guys (2021) as Zhōu Ziháo, ML dancer in a modern comedy about a boy group. Dance of the Sky Empire (2020) as Biān Lìng Chéng, support role in the wǔxiá comedic romance alongside Xǔ Kǎi (ML) and Wú Jiāyí (FL). Soft Memory (2019) as Sixth Brother, support role in a very minor music youth romance alongside a trio of conflicted youths. He showed off his rap and dancing skills. The Prince of Tennis (2019) as Sòng Cí, support role in the youth sports drama that has six ML in the team led by Péng Yùchàng.
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Born March 14, 1995, Wáng Lù Qíng (English name: LQ), formerly known as Wáng ěr Yìxuán (王迩忆璇), is a graduate from Beijing City University. She officially entered showbiz in 2014 with her participation in the youth campus screening of "Left Ear" (2015 movie). She has played in 4 other movies and , since 2018, in 17 dramas (incl. 2 upcoming and TPATW). Among these, she was the glutton "Pandora" Pan Duo in 2022 comedy Assistant of Superstar. She has played in several short-length movies such as 2022 Love for Two Lives and 2023 The West Wind Is Strong. Fandom Name: Sunflower / 太阳花----------------------------------------------------- | |||
Bái Kē 白珂The Commander of the guards that kept order in the Kingdom was of the hedgehog bloodline, so he was not easily stung by the taunts of his crush,  |
Graduated from the Film and Television Performance Department of China Academy of Traditional Chinese Opera in 2016. He debuted in dramas and a guest role to play a King, and has since moved up to support roles in seven other dramas, incl.
He also played in a movie in 2020 titled Fall In Love With My Bad Boy. | |||
Hú Dié 蝴蝶She was of the Weasel bloodline, despite her name which means "Butterfly". She was afflicted with a condition that made her fart worse than a skunk, when she was stressed. She was Second in Command to Bái Kē, her childhood friend, whom she always taunted and quarreled with, but could not let out of her sight. She took an instant dislike to the "foreign" Princess, but slowly was influenced by her.  ----------------------------------------------------- |
[MDL had her mistaken as Hé Wénjié 何文婕 who debuted as FL in 2021 fantasy romance "Time and You Are Both Sweet" 时光和你都很甜 and support in 2022 "My Huckleberry Friend"] [Baidu and Cpophome have her as Wú Wénjié] Wú Wénjié also played in support roles in two dramas shot in 2023 :
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Mǎ Yīngxióng (Hero Ma) 马英雄 He was a general from the Dà Xia kingdom, always ready to sacrifice his life for the country or for the Princess, who had to talk him out of it repeatedly.He was taken to the Beast Realm by Kuí Mùláng and Liǔ jūn, to fulfill her wish to see people from her own place. There, Hero Mǎ fell in love at first sight with Chūn'er, but almost got executed when he got "seduced" by the wrong girl.---------------------------------------------------- |
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Chūn'er 春儿The Palace Kitchen Maid, who was of the Sparrow ("tweeting bird"!) bloodline, was always fond of gossips, when she was not cooking delicious buns as snacks. Of course, she became the Palace reporter, cooking up a very modern media service for the Beast realm, when she was not too busy longing for her foreign "Hero".  ----------------------------------------------------- |
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OTHER CAST(Beast and Daxia kingdoms) CHARACTERS ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- CAST |
子魅 Zi Mèi (Qí Pā's hooded bodyguard in ep.1) 王大人 Wáng dàrén (see ad below) (Lord Wang, corrupt official, ep.1) 鹅黄 姑娘 È‘huáng gūniáng (Miss Goose, Dàxià palace maid, Ep16, 25) 胡半仙 Hú bànxiān 饰 夕娘 Xi niang (the evil plotter's female aide, fox beast) 苏大强 Su Daqiang (scorpion beast, poison master) 海棠 Hai Tang (chameleon beast, diguise master) 海棠 Hai Tang (young) 齐长老 -- Qí zhǎnglǎo --(Elder Qi) ep11+ 鲁长老 -- Lǔ zhǎnglǎo -( Elder Lu) " (He defended Jǐng Mùhàn in ep.13) 秦长老 -- Qín zhǎnglǎo (Elder Qin) " 熊嬷嬷 Xióng māmā (Bear nurse ep.12, 14, 15) 黄太医 , 御医 Huáng tàiyī ; yùyi (court physician Huang, ep4, 7, 12 +) 若公公 Ruò gōnggōng (Eunuch Ruò, Earthworm, devoted to Jǐng Mùhàn, ep7 ++) 大宇 Dà Yǔ (a guard from Beast Palace, ep.5, 8, 10, 19) 柔柔 - Róu Róu ("soft": she was a martial artist of mantis bloodline, competing ep.19) 西门 Xīmén ("the sweet": of donkey bloodline, competitor for charm class, in ep.19 老妇人 lǎo fùrén (old woman who had found and cared for "Lan'er" in the forest, ep.20-22) 姑姑甲 Gūgū Jiǎ (First aunt) 姑姑乙 gūgū Yǐ (Second aunt) 白姑姑 Bái gūgū (stewardess "aunt" Bai, teacher of etiquette, ep.6) 汤泉店老板 Tāngquán diàn lǎobǎn （owner of hot springs male baths, ep.5) 青姑姑 Qing gūgū (ep.2, 4-6), "young aunt" Stewardess impersonated by Haitang 红姑姑 Hóng gūgū (stewardess Hong, incharge of Costume dept. ep.4, 13) 小翠 Xiǎo Cuì (ep.26) 浩南 队长 Hào Nán duìzhǎng (female patrol captain, friend of Hong Xiu, ep.5, 10, 14+, 27) 女蚕老板 Nǚ Cán lǎobǎn (Female silkworm boss, briefly in ep.1) 猪猪男甲 -Zhū Zhū nánjiǎ (pig man 1) 猪猪男乙 Zhū Zhū nányǐ 2 (pig man 2) 牛头男 niútóu nán (Bull Head man) 熊猫 Xióngmāo (Panda, ep 1) 狗大娘 Gǒu dàniáng (Mrs Dog, ep.1) | Xiè Chéngqián 谢承潜 Wáng Yīlóng 王一笼 . uncredited . Li Qianyi 李千逸 (voiced by Gu Fang Bing) Yin Jing Wen 尹静闻 (voiced by Zhao Ming Zhou) Lin Ai Jia 林艾泇 (voiced by Yan Meng Meng) Bi Chu Ran 毕楚然 Lěng Zhōngyì 冷中易 (冷少爷 Easy Joe) Chén Hóngyì 陈弘毅 Wáng Chūnzi 王春子 Zhèng Jiànwěi 郑建伟 . Zhāng GǎnGǎn 张敢敢 . Chá Yī 查伊 . Zhāng Zǐhào 张梓浩 . Bái Jīngjīng 白晶晶 (Bái Guìjuān 白桂娟) . Yán Diéchén 严昳晨 Sòng Wénjuān 宋文娟 Huang Xiao Hui (黄小慧) . Wāng Zhé 汤泉店老板 . Zhào Yànqiáo 赵彦乔（Zhào Jīng 赵晶) . Yì Hán 易晗 . Wáng Lìxiǎo 王莉晓
Kě Lè 可乐 Hu Zi Jian 胡子健 Wáng Kūnyǒng 王昆勇 Wáng àixī 王艾希 . . |
There are not that many conspicuous ads in the drama, but this was a funny one, about 路易威登 (Lùyì Wēidēng) LV — Louis Vuitton — brand bags ! (very beginning of drama, ep1)
Next : Crew, Filming location, Director, Author, Broadcast, and Reception
The Princess and the Werewolf (2023) is a Chinese television series, starring Chén Zhéyuǎn and Wú Xuānyí in a comedic spin on the tale, where the wolf king wants to marry a sassy princess who accidentally swallowed the pearl that holds his power.
Source tale of Beauty and The Beast : links to original and translations into English. Wikipedia page about the tale and its numerous adaptations.
Filming took place 2021-Jun-29 to 2021-Sep-29 in Hengdian studios.
interesting BTS with sets, wirework and more in this 9'50 video. (from 2:05 to 5:06, the video includes the early footage of sets and flash views of work and director and crew reactions, wrap bouquets..., published in a 3 mins Weibo short of 29 September 2021, and next, the trailers).
 Director Chéng Fēng 澄丰 |
Author : Orange -Xiān Chéng 鲜橙 |
Directed by Chéng Fēng 澄丰He already directed 13 other dramas since 2006 Young Justice Bao, season 3 ; among those, the famous xianxia drama Ashes Of Love which starred Yáng Zǐ, Luō Yúnxī, and Dèng Lún (the latter went to such fame that he was mentioned and guest in other productions, until he fell from grace in 2022 because of a tax reporting imbroglio caused by incompetent accountants). Also Ms Cupid In Love, which got an extra episode, in 2022, a xuánhuàn romance starring Cáo Yùchén and Tián Xīwēi. Among his upcoming projects is historical romance Wrong Carriage, Right Groom, starring Tián Xīwēi, Áo ruìpéng, Zhào Shùnrán, Bái Bīngkě. Screenwriter : Chǔ Chǔ 储楚She lives in Beijing and already did screenwriting for the 2021 police thriller Truth, and, together with Jiǎng Shèng Nán (蒋胜男) for 2020 The Legend of Xiao Chuo (also known as Yàn Yún Tái 燕云台 ). She worked with other screenwriters for this show : Lǐ Zhāo, Liú Qiū Yè, Luō Màn Yíng. Other Production details :
(*) Note : Dubbing is routine in Chinese dramas for several reasons. The actors don't always speak non-accented putonghua (common language), which is the main idiom promoted officially, so everyone can understand without reading subtitles (which are anyway common in Hanzi Chinese characters, since everybody, even non-mandarin speakers, can read and understand them, in China); therefore, when actors come from a region where another language or dialect is spoken (such as Cantonese, Chengdu mandarin...) the producers will automatically be prepared to employ dubbers. Fantasy, wuxia, xianxia productions are often made on noisy sets, so voice there is not optimal; and voice should be taken also to superimpose it on added background music or as "thoughts". Some actors are called upon to dub their own acts, but they may not be perfect voice actors, so the lip movements may not be synchronized; professional voice actors are better used to this, and it saves time for the actors' filming schedule, also saves costs. TPATW production relied on voice actors (dubbers) for most of the cast. In the past couple of years, though, productions have increasingly let actors/actresses do their own dubbing, when required, and accepted small variations in accents. 谷放冰 The dubbing director for TPATW is also a voice actress, who worked among other projects for a spy series in 2013, and dubbed the Heavenly Empress roles in Ashes of Love (2018), and in The Starry Love (2023), besides being the voice of the Fox, Xī niáng, in The Princess and the Werewolf (TPATW for short). |
Author: Xiān Chéng 鲜橙 (Orange)A Hebei native, Sūn Yíng Yíng 孙莹莹, was born in 1980, Scorpio. She loves to eat oranges and drink orange juice, so she took the pen name "Fresh Orange". She also once used the pen name Bèi Xīn 贝昕. She is a Chinese web novelist from Héběi province, publishing with Jìnjiāng Literature 晋江 . She graduated from Héngzhōng High School 衡中高中 and Tiāndà University 天大大学. She now has one son and one daughter (Little Chéngzi 小橙子, and xiǎo Yòuzi 小柚子). Since 2020, she is a member of China Writers Association. (Baidu infos). Her best-selling novels include :
These were adapted to TV series as :
Note: Go Princess, Go! also got a Korean version, with 2021 Mr Queen (철인왕후 / Cheorin Wanghu) 20 eps. series. Xiān Chéng also did screenwriting, such as for 2022 Unexpected Falling series. |
TitleThe drama TPATW was initially planned as being titled Go, Princess, Go! Season2 but, since the story differed from the first novel, it was retitled in 2023 The Princess and The Werewolf for the international market, and : 郎君不如意 (Lángjūn bù rúyì : "Unhappy husband") for the Chinese speaking audience. Intentions from Cast Characters and Crew (short video) Promotion: First trailer was released May 6, 2023, with a poster for kissing under the flowers. On May 20, the show released a video of all "520" (love) couples in the show looking at each other and changing costumes [it's in the beginning of the BTS video above] : Weibo--" May 20, 2023- ‘ Lang Jun is not happy ‘ uploaded new video trailer for "520Day" : "They look at each other to express affection, and the tenderness is hidden in the eyes! Papa Wolf's sweet pies are here! Qí Pā and Kuí Mùláng/Lǐ Xióng, super-sweet look at each other makes you thump : So excited!" A short piece ~ 4 mins, was aired in May 2023, in the form of an appetizer micro audio drama performance to sample the audio novel, in Chinese (no subtitles but listen to the wolf howl, and the dialogues about the gongzhu Princess and the Dawang king). Trailer 2 (Viki Global, July 2023) Trailer 3 (Youku Romance, dual subtitles) Trailer 4 (Youku, multisub) |  The drama passed review Feb 2023 (source Marcus Here, July 21, 2023, Youtube) Note: May 20 (520 is pronounced "wu er ling", close to "wo ai ni") is the third Valentine’s Day celebrated by young Chinese netizens. This is in addition to the other two lovers’ days that people celebrate in China: traditional Chinese lovers’ day, qixi, (七夕) on lunar "July" 7 (hence the nickname "Double Seventh Festival" - it falls on August 22 in 2023); and Western Valentine’s Day on February 14. |
Once the decision was made to air it, the drama's promotion attracted connections from half of the entertainment industry to help with its publicity. Prominent figures like Yú Zhèng (于正), Dù Huá (杜华, founder and CEO of China's second biggest entertainment company, Yue Hua Entertainment), Zhōng Chǔxī, Liú Shīshī (Cecilia Liu), Huáng Bó, Yú Shūxīn (Esther Yu of LBFAD fame), and Bái Lù, among others, talked in favor of it.
18 July 2023: It was announced that it would be broadcast on 20 July 2023, and posters and stills were released.
| July 19, the show released the entire OST demo, and the MV "Little Wish" sung by Wú Xuānyí. |  |
July 20, the show released the calendar for broadcast.
 |  |  |
Aired: Jul 20, 2023 - Aug 9, 2023
30 x 45 min. episodes airing on Youku and later, on Viki, and Youku English Channel on Youtube. (direct links to view the drama: click on your option ; the first two have English subtitles (or, other languages ones according to choice. Viki offers 10 choices: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Greek... ; the other platforms have other choices (including Arabic, Thai, Vietnamese, Bahasa Malayu or Indonesia, on Youku). The Youku English Channel features dual subtitles in Chinese and in English. Since it airs at a different speed than for original platform VIP audience, some episodes are still in the queue for release as of this date (August 12, 2023).
Interactive Approach: On the day of its premiere, the four main actors hosted a live stream (recorded in Chinese) to interact with fans and viewers while watching the show together, creating a buzz and excitement around the drama ; it can also be watched on the recording of Chén Zhéyuǎn's Weibo live stream (in Chinese) sporting large wolf ears. - On August 7, Chén Zhéyuǎn did a humorous interview about his role as Kuí Mùláng/Lǐ Xióng.
other interview on Youku Taiwan (subtitles available)
Reception :
The drama started with a 6000 heat index after first day July 21,
and rose to 7000 three days later,
and again to 7500 by July 26 (banner on top of this Crew and production page). Highest peak: 7 688.
TPATW was still in the top 10 web TV dramas for the week ending Sunday August 13, 2023 (3 weeks in the top ten and even climbing from #8 to #6! see gif below), as computed from Vlinkage and other data. It reached a heat index of 7500 on Youku (max heat there is 10,000) after reaching 7000 already on July 23, three days after starting, which was rather decent for a drama that was in the less popular fantasy category, and almost 2 years delayed for unexplained reasons.
The drama had received positive comments such as this well illustrated October 2021 news feature in LAI Times, but later, there were also some sour opinions before the broadcast in 2023, shooting it down on the basis of posters, trailers and a probable bias, so some people were scared away, or joined the flak, or were delightfully surprised when trying it anyway. After it ended, balanced and positive comments could be found on different news and comments platforms, praising the light-hearted and comedic moments, pretty costumes, and an interesting spin on the old fairy-tale of Beauty and The Beast, or snarkily criticizing it. The ratings went from 6.3/10 on IMDB (US) to 9.67/10 on Nautiljon (French), with an average 8 on MDL. The success of the series can also be measured indirectly by the sharp increase in followers on the actors' Weibo accounts, so it was a success as "pure light entertainment" despite the odds of a fierce competion from hyped and long-awaited "bigger dramas".
(*) Note : The Fighting For Love Drama adaptation of the Orange novel, mentioned above, wrapped filming on Dec.20, 2021, and got license for 60 episodes on iQiyi. Because of new regulations, it might be cut to size to abide with those new rules (max. 40 episodes x 45 mins length including opening and credits) and be divided into 2 parts. But since it was filmed long before the new rules, it might perhaps be allowed not to have to put up with a 12 months delay between a hypthetical part 1 and part 2. That delay shall apply to dramas filmed from 2023, and those filmed before will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis for possible waiver.
About the Chinese magpie 喜鹊 [xǐquè]
On August 22, the Chinese will be celebrating Qīxī 七夕 also nicknamed Chinese Valentine's Day, Double Seventh Festival (because it is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunisolar month on the Chinese lunisolar calendar), and Qǐqiǎo 乞巧, or Magpie Festival.
In ep22, Qi Pa was temporarily blinded by a poison dart thrown by Haitang (her being the host to the Holy Pearl saved her again). In ep.23, Kui Mulang took her to the hilltop to get some fresh air and listen to birdsong. In the flowering peach tree (peach is the fruit of longevity in Chinese symbolism), raining pink blossoms and we know Qi Pa just had her 21st birthday celebrated...), magpies were chirping like songbirds!
Indeed, magpies do not only caw like crows, even if they are of the Corvidae family. Their songs are called "carolling" and they can imitate a large number of birds songs and even other sounds or human speech! A recording was made that illustrates their varied calls, chirps, and whistling (esp. after 3:04 on this mp3 sample. The album it is excerpted from is from Listening Earth)
Magpies can be found on several continents and even in Australia. The Oriental magpie (or "Chinese" or "Korean") subspecies is different from the Eurasian black-and-white bird : it is bigger, with a longer tail, and blue iridescent remiges on the wings, and is the most commonly seen in China and in Korea. These magpies have mostly black bills, but there is another species of Red billed magpies with blue feathers : they are native from southern areas, from the Himalayas to eastern China, and they have adapted to urban habitat, and can be seen in large cities in China such as Beijing and Hong Kong.
 Red-billed magpie. Watch and listen to it here ! (Youtube) and here where it picks up a lotus seed ! |  Oriental magpie. Watch a band stealing fur from a panda for their nest ! (Youtube) and this owner of a Beijing art gallery who raised two magpies and was, like many Beijingers, very fond of his pet birds (2')! |
 Listen to the story about the Happy Bird of China, the 喜鹊 (xǐquè) magpie ! (Hello China series of 100 word, GBTimes, Youtube) |  Azure Winged magpies in Shanghai, China. Watch them chirping in a tree ! (Wikipedia) |
"The magpie is a bird of joy and a good omen who often brings married bliss or heralds good news or the arrival of a guest. “Two magpies” is pronounced in the same way as “two happinesses” so a painting of two magpies was a metaphor for double happiness and was often given as a way of expressing congratulations particularly for a wedding." (Birdspot, Birds in Chinese symbolism)
Magpie: happiness and good luck
"The magpie is “喜鹊 (xǐquè)” in Chinese with 喜 meaning “happy,” and perhaps because of this name they are often associated with good luck.
 “Magpies on a Branch of Plum” by 17th century artist Lu Zhi (陆治) (Wikimedia Commons) | In Li Shizhen’s (李时珍) Compendium of Materia Medica (《本草纲目》), a 16th-century Chinese medicine volume, the renowned physician wrote that magpies are “smart and can report good news, so they are called xique.” Even earlier, in the Spring and Autumn period (770 – 476 BCE), author Shi Kuang (师旷) asserted in his Encyclopedia of Birds (《禽经》): “Magpies bring good news.” "Magpies also play an important role in Han mythology. In the story of legendary Niu Lang and Zhi Nǚ. The lovers were separated by a god named the Queen Mother of the West, and only allowed to meet once a year during the Qixi Festival (*) now a kind of Valentine’s Day in China. In the legend, magpies gathered together to form a bridge over the Milky Way so that the lovers could be together." |
"In the Manchu-led Qing dynasty (1616 – 1911), magpies were even worshiped as divine due to their role in the creation myth of the Manchu people, who believed they originated from atop Changbai Mountain on the border of China and North Korea today. The Veritable Records of Qing Emperor Taizu (《清太祖实录》), a book on the formation of the Qing empire, records the legend: Three fairies were playing in Tianchi Lake, at the summit of Changbai Mountain, when a magpie holding a red fruit in its beak flew past. One of the fairies managed to snatch the fruit, and ate it. Before long, she became pregnant and later gave birth to a boy—the earliest ancestor of Manchu people.
In Manchu culture, magpies were revered: During rituals and sacrifices made to the gods, they would prepare food for the birds too." (Birds and their Meanings in China, The World of Chinese, April 23, 2022).
But wait, did you know that magpies come in so many colors : look below and open the video !
 The Common Green Magpie Cissa chinensis is often seen from the lower Himalayas to Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo. Its voice is quite varied, often a harsh peep-peep but also frequent whistles and chatters.Watch a VIDEO (5:07) of 5 colorful magpies (Youtube); unlike in Europe, where they are viewed as pests, Asia values the magpies. |  The Taiwan Blue Magpie Urocissa caerulea, iwas voted national bird of the R.O.C. in 2007 (Wikpedia) Also called (trad. Chinese: 臺灣藍鵲; pinyin: Táiwān lán què) or the “long-tailed mountain lady” (trad. Chinese: 長尾山娘; pinyin: Chángwěi shānniáng); it is an endemic species living in the mountains of Taiwan at elevations of 300 to 1200m. |
 | Zhao Lusi did a double ad a few days agofor the L'Occitane beauty and perfume brand she was doing a pitch for ! + ("hidden" & virally) for THE PRINCESS AND THE WEREWOLF ! |
She asked if she could sing and started singing "Temptation of Wolf" (狼的诱惑 Láng de yòuhuò) laughingly hinting to her former co-star's old drama that was airing (and is still being watched although it has finally left the "top ten", sadly not Destined to become the next Knockout, lol) . The song is not young either, it is from the folklore repertoire of the grasslands ; here is a link to a lyrics video of.... 13 years ago! demonstrating that earworm choruses and rap already thrived then (click on picture):
Goodnight on Qi Xi while watching the magpies flock across the galaxy to bridge the way for lovers' reunion !
(Btw check the discussion about Full OST, to find a complete one for TPATW including the instrumental parts!)
Since it is Zhongqiujie (Mid autumn festival) tonight, please find herewith my best wishes to those who are discovering the drama and this section, and
@ MsDarkqueen , @Qipa No1 Fan, and all those who enjoy(ed) TPATW :
 |
Tonight in China (Chengdu)...
I can't resist copying down for you all a snippet from Swedish fan writer Örjan Westin (who published two collections of micro stories that are available on different platforms, Amazon included). Here was his 2022.04.16 piece:
"How full does the moon have to be ?"
"What?"
"The moon looked full last night, but you didn't turn into a wolf."
"The moon will be full tonight, just before seven."
"It's that precise ?"
"Yes, it's only full for a few minutes."
"So it's manageable?"
"My condition? Yeah."
Fitting for a zhongqiujie appreciation while munching on mooncakes while gazing at the full moon. And to remember TPATW !
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