Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

@Snowcup
Thank you for starting this conversation.

In response to TH's novel writing technique, it's exhilarating and interesting to delve into her buried layers. However, this technique has sparked countless "what ifs," "whataboutism," and fan wars between those who favor different characters.

I agree that the first half featured some truly beautiful film composition, particularly for YaoLiu. Everything with YaoLiu felt like a dream, a painting, and visual poetry. From the neck sucking, moon gazing, water pool, to the brothel scene—it was all a visual feast in terms of cinematography and composition. In contrast, the YaoJing scenes were ones we’ve all seen before, and since their relationship involved an affair, most of it takes place indoors. However, as we moved into the third act, much of this visual beauty was lost.

In the novel, we don't lose TH's poetry and slice-of-life elements, but in the drama, these were sacrificed because the story suddenly needed to be wrapped up, leaving many visual elements by the wayside.

Considering there were multiple directors, and since we don’t know who was responsible for which scenes or whether they all shared the same vision, it explains why LYF feels strangely pieced together. You can see that one or two directors were very good at shooting dramatic scenes but lacked visual composition, while one or two had a strong visual composition but focused more on the slice-of-life scenes. It’s rare for people to attribute the direction of a film or drama solely to the writer, and LYF’s fandom gave TH too much credit. The vision and direction of the live narrative through film composition is actually in the director’s hands, not the screenwriter’s.

In my opinion, the omitted scenes were probably not at TH's or the directors’ discretion, but rather due to scrutiny from outside stakeholders and censorship. And the added scenes of XL for me is just clickbait because Tencent realized he was a strong selling point. There was a rumor that an Liuliang actor once declined a role because it didn’t fit his brand image, and I wonder if branding also influenced how characters were altered to meet the specific standards of stakeholders (corporate sponsors, investors, and, of course, the main actors). But I think the biggest culprit here is censorship.

There’s a source somewhere that discusses the unspoken censorship rules, such as the strong ethical principles expected of all protagonists—meaning a female lead can only truly have one official lover, generals and emperors must be magnanimous and put people first, etc.—all of which clearly impacted each character arc. I felt that the only one not affected by this was Xiang Liu, because TH wrote him to overcome his flaws with these magnanimous traits already in place.

For example, in TH's discussion about why she chose a dream sequence to portray CX’s decision to choose the throne, I found it lackluster. In my opinion, in the novel, he did finally choose the throne. In the chapter before XY disappeared, TH compared him to a poem that alluded to how a true emperor should act, as mentioned by a fellow MDL. In these same paragraphs, CX also realized how he had been played by Jing’s sneakiness, and his decision to let XY go marked his point of growth. The dream sequence took away the power of CX’s narrative. But I still wonder what pressures TH faced that led her to chalk CX’s development up to a dream sequence.

I feel that LYF is so layered, and TH struggled to focus on just a few of them, trying to cram everything in, and then suddenly had to wrap up the story in the last 23 episodes, causing it to ultimately be just better than the average drama. However, it never overcame the barriers in narrative and technical elements necessary to propel Chinese drama into greatness.

 Kokuto:

Oh, now I'm curious.  Do you have any specific examples?  Them both wearing red wedding gowns during XY's seven day wait, as they stared at each other is the most obvious to me.

There's been some comments about the missing figure in XY's last poison gift to XL, the crystal ball with the mercouple in it.  Unlike the book, XL didn't add a figure (whose identity was a point of discussion), as was done in the novel.  Instead, they used a disappearing merman stalking behind the bigger sea shell, to create a transition to XL rescuing Jing.

The red wedding gowns are definitely symbolic imagery for the “hidden lines” in the drama and perhaps supports the “buried layer.” :p

I see the transition to Jing in the water after the crystal ball as intentional misdirection. The crystal ball was altered, and it’s meaningful.

Here’s another symbolic replacement.

How to Grow White Lotus Flowers

 Kokuto:

Sometimes, I wish the gifts were a little more obvious, when having to talk to some folks ... but then again, since they can't understand what LOVERS Bug means, it probably would just be ignored anyway. ;p

The posters are so passionate about their preferences. I actually enjoy the differing and die-hard shipping that LYF seems to generate. It’s fun to watch, and for some reason, I’m completely unbothered if they prefer Jing or CX. We all have our own unique perspective and that makes life interesting.

 Snowcup:

I see the transition to Jing in the water after the crystal ball as intentional misdirection. The crystal ball was altered, and it’s meaningful.

How was the crystal ball in the drama altered?  The Jing merman disappeared from the crystal ball after the stylistic transition to Jing floating in the water about to be eaten.

 Snowcup:

Here’s another symbolic replacement.

Yes, the white lotus has been a symbol for XL, but we really didn't see it much.  IIRC, there were lotus images under XY's steps, on the path to her marriage to Feng Long.  But I'm not remembering them elsewhere.

 solarlunareclipse:

Interpretation 1

Xiang Liu added a new merman to the crystal globe, one that lurks beside the big clam shell, creepily watching the two original merpeople like a stalker. This raises the question: which merman represents Tushan Jing—the original merman or the new one? At 32:56, the camera pans from the original merpeople to the creepy new merman, then the scene directly cuts to Jing floating in the ocean. The scene cutting from the new merman to Jing means that the new merman must represent Tushan Jing, and the original merman must represent Xiang Liu.

Yes, stalker merman is Jing.  However, the figure disappears from the globe afterwards.  There's only the original male and female merfolk in the crystal globe when XL puts it in the doll.

 solarlunareclipse:

Interpretation 2

In the novel, Xiang Liu added a regular man representing Tushan Jing to the globe, who held the mermaid’s extended hand and smiled down at her. Meanwhile, the original merman was moved to the corner, still near the clamshell, but as if in another world.

Most people think it is supposed to represent Jing, but I've held the belief it was supposed to represent the dream of XL, and represented what he wished for, that is to freely take the hand of XY and stay with her. 

I don't think the original merman was moved in the book.  I think it was always in a position that seemed to be in another world and, IIRC, even looking away.  That's why XL kept putting his finger on it, so it seemed that the merman was in the same world and touching the female figure.

 solarlunareclipse:

Before going into battle, Xiang Liu left his demon core with the Guifang clan. After his death, the Guifang clan, who has the ability to bring people back to life, can use his demon core to resurrect him. Once reborn, he and Xiao Yao will finally be able to be together.

Ah, the resurrection theory.  I don't quite see that played out in the crystal ball.  Especially given the second merman disappears.

I thought I had read a post about Tong Hua saying that the title of the third volume "Unending Yearning" (思无涯) refers to Cang Xuan yearning for Xiao Yao, perhaps with the implication that Xiao Yao may not eternally yearn for Xiang Liu--presumably because they might reunite in the future.

But I can't find that post :(. Does this sound familiar to anyone or am I hallucinating?

 Kokuto:

Yes, stalker merman is Jing.  However, the figure disappears from the globe afterwards.  There's only the original male and female merfolk in the crystal globe when XL puts it in the doll.

Is the disappearance intentional? It seems really weird for XL to add a new merman and then immediately remove it before inscribing the ball and sealing it in the big-bellied laughing doll. I'm not sure how to interpret it.

Another thing I just caught with Episode 22 is that it is a full moon when XL sends Chubby away. At this point, there is the second merman in the globe. Then the scene cuts to Jing's rescue. Then we cut back to XL inscribing and sealing the crystal ball. At this point, there is no second merman. There is also a crescent moon in the sky instead of a full moon, so that event must have happened quite a while after the first scene with sending Chubby away.

I'm not sure how to make sense out of all of this. Wouldn't Chubby just come back after he wakes up if XL sent him away long before the last battle?

 Kokuto:

I don't think the original merman was moved in the book.  I think it was always in a position that seemed to be in another world and, IIRC, even looking away.

You're right, after reading it again, I don't think the original merman was moved. The novel always describes it as in the corner and looking out of the ice crystal. 

 Kokuto:

Yes, the white lotus has been a symbol for XL, but we really didn't see it much.  IIRC, there were lotus images under XY's steps, on the path to her marriage to Feng Long.  But I'm not remembering them elsewhere.

Xiao Yao has many lotus accessories. She wears them at different times to impart different meanings. By the way, Toastmybuns1 on X is terrific at explaining the various symbolism in the drama and novel.

 Kokuto:

I'd forgotten that.  But given what happens to that white lotus in the drama, there could be a lot to unpack there.

Yes. Several cascading changes were made for the appearance of this lotus, which was used as a vessel for XY's blood and later its use during the killing of the lovers bugs at Jade Mountain. 

 plor20:

In my opinion, the omitted scenes were probably not at TH's or the directors’ discretion, but rather due to scrutiny from outside stakeholders and censorship. And the added scenes of XL for me is just clickbait because Tencent realized he was a strong selling point. There was a rumor that an Liuliang actor once declined a role because it didn’t fit his brand image, and I wonder if branding also influenced how characters were altered to meet the specific standards of stakeholders (corporate sponsors, investors, and, of course, the main actors). But I think the biggest culprit here is censorship.

There’s a source somewhere that discusses the unspoken censorship rules, such as the strong ethical principles expected of all protagonists—meaning a female lead can only truly have one official lover, generals and emperors must be magnanimous and put people first, etc.—all of which clearly impacted each character arc. I felt that the only one not affected by this was Xiang Liu, because TH wrote him to overcome his flaws with these magnanimous traits already in place.

For example, in TH's discussion about why she chose a dream sequence to portray CX’s decision to choose the throne, I found it lackluster. In my opinion, in the novel, he did finally choose the throne. In the chapter before XY disappeared, TH compared him to a poem that alluded to how a true emperor should act, as mentioned by a fellow MDL. In these same paragraphs, CX also realized how he had been played by Jing’s sneakiness, and his decision to let XY go marked his point of growth. The dream sequence took away the power of CX’s narrative. But I still wonder what pressures TH faced that led her to chalk CX’s development up to a dream sequence.

100% agree. I suspected this and stated as much over the past year after I read the leaked script, and even considering the changes in S1, but the article from the symposium which highlighted the opinions of industry experts and leaders reaffirms my belief that many of the changes that seemed incongruous are due to censorship concerns after all. 

What I now have is renewed appreciation for is that in the face of external pressures, the drama managed to find a way to insert the hidden lines (or in some cases, magnify them) where it could. While the result is not necessarily the most satisfying, I am glad that we are at least given that.

 liddi:

Life has become very hectic again and I've only just managed to settle down once more. In addition, to my surprise, I am back under a cloud of sadness again, reminiscent of the first time I read LYF years ago, so have not been very inclined to read or think about it in detail. There are quite a few earlier posts that I owe responses to, but have not done so for which I apologise. Will try and respond when I am in the right frame of mind once more. Thankfully Go East airs tonight, so hopefully that is exactly what the doctor ordered to cure me of my malaise. Gosh, I am beginning to sound like Xiao Yao - argh.

HUGS!

I'm very far behind too.  Just do what feels right.  You know we've all had problems keeping up with the thread, so don't feel like you have to respond.  :)  The topic will always be here.

That merchandise looks AMAZING!  It's totally on my want list. lol

And YES! Looking forward to Go East!  I think it will air at 7pm China Time.  It looks like fun.