Is there anyway we can watch all the uncut episodes
No unfortunately. π’ There are some scenes we saw from the Douyin clips they released as promo such as the rain dancing scene, the extended cut of Xia Zi thinking about her dad when she first came back, and the extended grandma scene. But those never ended up in the actual drama itself and that's why some C-viewers said they felt scammed lol.
wait why was the show's episodes reduced to only 8?
I enjoy the 20-40 episodes format too. I think modern dramas will do fine within 20 while period dramas probably do need the 30β40 episode format if they get into a new worldbuilding. I grew up on C-dramas that used to be over 50-60 episodes, and I loved those because they were very well written with an ensemble cast. But we don't get those much nowadays and the current scriptwriters are not that great (of if there are good ones, the final product becomes totally different due to various interferences). βπ₯²
Had a strong start but the ending made the team behind this seems like they didn't understand what ε «ειθ·―δΊεζ actually meant. HXY making that poem about herself and ZYK at the end due to their names undermined the meaning of this poem/title of this drama. Still had strong moments but I wished the drama landed a bit more. I think the romance aspect hurt the drama.
Xia Zi's father already passed away months ago, just that his body was brought back late and during the Meshrep…
Sure, but that is not the case within the context of this particular plot. It was also due to Xia Zi's mom who encouraged the dancing/singing as she wanted to change the atmosphere. Everyone else is not going to just sit and not join in when the wife of someone who they loved initiated this (especially when she herself don't consider it inappropriate and want them to join in).
I also have to correct myself because the box didn't contain the decreased as his entire body was gone. It only contained his clothes and the animal bone he left behind.
However, there can be an argument that the scene can be adjusted where they had their moment of silent/mourning when the box was first brought home. Then they had their gathering potentially the next day where they can then dance/sing as remembrance. But this drama reduced their episodes so much that it seemed like the decision was made where all these scenes were combined in 1-2 episodes.
Also lol, most cultures don't sing/dance for funeral related scenes either. I think it is more on the failure of the director's side to try to separate this from just this specific family/group of people doing it (not having to do with culture) and this being a cultural aspect. I can see the confusion and there were C-viewers asking about it too.
wait why was the show's episodes reduced to only 8?
What kjpjqgw said, it is part of those increasing miniseries project that C-ent has been trying out to try to reduce filler (and to reduce cost) as that has been a complaint from C-viewers and audience shift to short form dramas. But they are still working through it as some scriptwriters struggle with this format too.
Very unfortunate that this drama was reduced to 8 episodes. This drama was originally meant to be 24 episodes. They rushed some of the plot lines due to that and also cut out/edited out quite a lot of scenes. There is this scene with Xia Zi and Zhou Hengzhi on the rooftop singing and they mentioned it was going to start raining and then it cut to black. However, there were clips showing that the scene would have continued. ZHZ went and get an umbrella to give to XZ, it started raining and XZ rejected the umbrella. She started dancing in the rain and he joined in and it was that moment that defined a shift in their relationship of them just enjoying themselves/not worrying about things.
There was another scene of XZ seeing grandmother on the chair and started tearing up as she looked at her sleeping before approaching her and leaning on her for their first appearance. That scene for example was cut at the start and the end very abruptly. There are a lot more, but it is unfortunate that the cast did their part, but the director/scriptwriter failed to make the transition within the 8 episodes smoother.
On C-side, there is an issue with this director as she was trying to push certain actresses in this drama and was very stubborn about some of the plot lines she wanted to keep. In the scene when XZ and FN reunited for the first time and he grabbed the goat to stop it, the actress Li Landi mentioned that in that scene, a lot of the locals actually ran to help her as they thought she really was injured which shows the warmth of the locals. A better director would have incorporated the scene as that is a natural human response.
The male lead ZHZ and the "2nd ML" FN was also supposed to be one character (ML was supposed to be a childhood crush who also ended up as FL's business partner). There is probably some kind of BTS platform/production deal involved to split those characters into two to allow another actor to be able to act.
Minawaer's storyline also had some controversies as it was deemed not suited for this kind of genre (terrible husband, bad mother-in-law, etc.). That storyline is not unique to Kashgar and could had been in a typical Chinese drama of a typical family life focusing on women in terrible marriages. The focus of her dancing and potentially having to give it up due to the marriage would have been enough within 8 episodes instead of wasting it on the husband/mother-in-law with specific scenes.
Lai Li's storyline with the pottery aspect was also brushed under the rug too quickly due to the episode limits, and so did XZ's decision to transform the Inn.
There are definitely great scenes (and I still think this is a good drama carried by the acting and specific emotional scenes + I like the complicated relationship between Xia Zi and Minawaer), and you can tell the director is capable of having those scenes, but she has biases and wasn't willing to listen to the constructive criticisms given by C-viewers. Taking out the love lines of these 3 women (because why did all 3 have to have 2 love interests each in an 8-episode drama?) would have given more room for them as individuals, their connections to each other, and to Kashgar.
Overall, C-side's reception of this drama is that Li Landi did her part and her acting was praised, but she was almost wasted in this drama so a lot of them are just treating this as a visual project for her. They felt the Douyin clips didn't match their expectations of this drama (supposed to be healing, more of the friendships, the community, etc.) and felt that XZ's character/connection to Kashgar ended up on the back burner (but was saved by Li Landi's acting).
Dramas like this show the troublesome undertone in the C-ent and what happens when a director/scriptwriter is too stubborn and lost in their own craft without considering the viewers' experience. She was very lucky to have a cast who can act and I hope she reflects on this because people went easy on her due to Li Landi's acting.
Why are they singing & dancing in someone's funeral? (Isn't that considered a funeral bcz they're practically…
Xia Zi's father already passed away months ago, just that his body was brought back late and during the Meshrep (which was meant to welcome back Xia Zi). This therefore wasn't really a funeral. Within the drama, they danced and sung as they recognize that Xia Zi's father won't had wanted them to be sad and to mainly cheer up Xia Zi.
MDL is unfortunately always like this. Some of the best C-dramas that I have seen (non-idol ones that doesn't…
Yeah, C-fandoms are super competitive and try to tear down certain celebs because it has to do with who gets the scripts. The less notable actors/actresses around, the higher chance your fav gets a good script (but also depends on whether these actors/actresses have strong backers to get those scripts).
The big crimes like taxes definitely can get celebs blacklisted but there are still some around who were allegedly involved in cheating, domestic abuse towards girlfriends, sleeping with fans, etc. that are still acting now.
MDL is unfortunately always like this. Some of the best C-dramas that I have seen (non-idol ones that doesn't…
No, it probably won't be out for a while. The last 2 episodes are airing today on TV. I don't expect the Douban rating for Bloom Life to be high. There is some controversy over it (the mains' scenes being cut, the editing in the latter half, the plot of Minawaer, etc.). There are also other C-fandoms that have been upset over Li Landi for awhile now (just C-fandoms being competitive + some previous promo issues) so have been purposedly rated her dramas low and this was a TV drama so not likely to have many online viewers to defend this drama to balance out the ratings. I did be surprised if it can maintain a 6 with how hardcore the antis are going.
MDL is unfortunately always like this. Some of the best C-dramas that I have seen (non-idol ones that doesn't…
The 7.8+ ones on MDL for non-idol dramas are probably the really good ones.
You can also try searching the Chinese title of a drama with the word "douban" in the search engine to check the rating for it on Douban (from Chinese viewers' POV). Dramas that are usually rated as 6+ there means it is passable, 7+ means a good drama, 8+ means great, and 9+ means excellent. Douban raters can be pretty tough on C-dramas so if they rate it high, then you can usually trust that it really is good.
MDL is unfortunately always like this. Some of the best C-dramas that I have seen (non-idol ones that doesn't…
Maybe something like ζ°ε§ (new drama) or ζ°ε§ζ¨θ (new drama recommendation). Sometimes searching up the keyword with the month like ζ°ε§ 5ζ2026 (new drama May 2026) can also show dramas that are airing in May 2026 including the non-idol ones.
MDL is unfortunately always like this. Some of the best C-dramas that I have seen (non-idol ones that doesn't…
Xiao Hong Shu (the app) might be a good place for international fans as they allow for foreign accounts + has translation features to translate the comments right there. Twitter I know has a pretty decent sized C-drama community and there are translation accounts on there that translate C-ent news!
MDL is unfortunately always like this. Some of the best C-dramas that I have seen (non-idol ones that doesn't…
This one was pretty well liked with the acting and the plot recently but might not be everyone's cup of tea if they are not into thriller/psychological genre: https://mydramalist.com/696679-zhi-mi
MDL is unfortunately always like this. Some of the best C-dramas that I have seen (non-idol ones that doesn't…
I think Li Landi is really versatile so I check out all her dramas in general because I can always trust her to convey her characters well (even if the plot goes sideway). The Way Home is up in the airs because the actor who plays the older Wu brother in the drama had a cheating scandal recently. I don't think they would need to swap his face but there is not much update now regarding this drama except it kept on being pushed back. There are some rumors that it might be picked up by CCTV, but who knows at this point due to that scandal. Q4 might be the best bet though.
MDL is unfortunately always like this. Some of the best C-dramas that I have seen (non-idol ones that doesn't…
Internationally that might be the case but in C-ent within her generation, she is considered one of the best actresses. It is the reason why she can do CCTV dramas like this that air on TV (not many C-actors/actresses in their lifetime will have a leading drama on prime TV and definitely not at her age when she was only 25 years old when she acted in this drama). It is an acknowledgement from them that they can trust her acting skills to be in a project like this.
Some of her most successful dramas in China are actually some of her non-idol dramas like "All the Way to the Sun". But if you ask international viewers who tend to prefer idol/romance dramas, most of them won't bother watching an urban drama like that or only know about her period idol dramas lol.
MDL rating pisses me off bc why is this a 7.8 its such a refreshing drama but no one wants to bat an eye bc everyone…
MDL is unfortunately always like this. Some of the best C-dramas that I have seen (non-idol ones that doesn't focus on romance) are around low 8. I think it is also because fans of some of the idol dramas have multiple accounts to increase the rating really high while these types of dramas don't really have much raters/fans so it is easy to have it be rated low if only a couple of users rated it low.
I appreciate that she has a life after retirement. Even though she is retiring, she is looking for a new path which is involved in painting/restoring arts. Our life is not over even when our career is over. There is aways more to do and explore!
1
I also have to correct myself because the box didn't contain the decreased as his entire body was gone. It only contained his clothes and the animal bone he left behind.
However, there can be an argument that the scene can be adjusted where they had their moment of silent/mourning when the box was first brought home. Then they had their gathering potentially the next day where they can then dance/sing as remembrance. But this drama reduced their episodes so much that it seemed like the decision was made where all these scenes were combined in 1-2 episodes.
Also lol, most cultures don't sing/dance for funeral related scenes either. I think it is more on the failure of the director's side to try to separate this from just this specific family/group of people doing it (not having to do with culture) and this being a cultural aspect. I can see the confusion and there were C-viewers asking about it too.
There was another scene of XZ seeing grandmother on the chair and started tearing up as she looked at her sleeping before approaching her and leaning on her for their first appearance. That scene for example was cut at the start and the end very abruptly. There are a lot more, but it is unfortunate that the cast did their part, but the director/scriptwriter failed to make the transition within the 8 episodes smoother.
On C-side, there is an issue with this director as she was trying to push certain actresses in this drama and was very stubborn about some of the plot lines she wanted to keep. In the scene when XZ and FN reunited for the first time and he grabbed the goat to stop it, the actress Li Landi mentioned that in that scene, a lot of the locals actually ran to help her as they thought she really was injured which shows the warmth of the locals. A better director would have incorporated the scene as that is a natural human response.
The male lead ZHZ and the "2nd ML" FN was also supposed to be one character (ML was supposed to be a childhood crush who also ended up as FL's business partner). There is probably some kind of BTS platform/production deal involved to split those characters into two to allow another actor to be able to act.
Minawaer's storyline also had some controversies as it was deemed not suited for this kind of genre (terrible husband, bad mother-in-law, etc.). That storyline is not unique to Kashgar and could had been in a typical Chinese drama of a typical family life focusing on women in terrible marriages. The focus of her dancing and potentially having to give it up due to the marriage would have been enough within 8 episodes instead of wasting it on the husband/mother-in-law with specific scenes.
Lai Li's storyline with the pottery aspect was also brushed under the rug too quickly due to the episode limits, and so did XZ's decision to transform the Inn.
There are definitely great scenes (and I still think this is a good drama carried by the acting and specific emotional scenes + I like the complicated relationship between Xia Zi and Minawaer), and you can tell the director is capable of having those scenes, but she has biases and wasn't willing to listen to the constructive criticisms given by C-viewers. Taking out the love lines of these 3 women (because why did all 3 have to have 2 love interests each in an 8-episode drama?) would have given more room for them as individuals, their connections to each other, and to Kashgar.
Overall, C-side's reception of this drama is that Li Landi did her part and her acting was praised, but she was almost wasted in this drama so a lot of them are just treating this as a visual project for her. They felt the Douyin clips didn't match their expectations of this drama (supposed to be healing, more of the friendships, the community, etc.) and felt that XZ's character/connection to Kashgar ended up on the back burner (but was saved by Li Landi's acting).
Dramas like this show the troublesome undertone in the C-ent and what happens when a director/scriptwriter is too stubborn and lost in their own craft without considering the viewers' experience. She was very lucky to have a cast who can act and I hope she reflects on this because people went easy on her due to Li Landi's acting.
The big crimes like taxes definitely can get celebs blacklisted but there are still some around who were allegedly involved in cheating, domestic abuse towards girlfriends, sleeping with fans, etc. that are still acting now.
You can also try searching the Chinese title of a drama with the word "douban" in the search engine to check the rating for it on Douban (from Chinese viewers' POV). Dramas that are usually rated as 6+ there means it is passable, 7+ means a good drama, 8+ means great, and 9+ means excellent. Douban raters can be pretty tough on C-dramas so if they rate it high, then you can usually trust that it really is good.
Mystery/crime: https://mydramalist.com/37243-a-murderous-affair-in-horizon-tower
Thriller/crime/law: https://mydramalist.com/760989-wu-jin-de-jin-tou
Drama/comedy/sports: https://mydramalist.com/45437-qi-hun
Thriller/mystery/sci-fi: https://mydramalist.com/697563-kai-duan
Thriller/mystery/crime: https://mydramalist.com/51571-cat-s-cradle
Some of her most successful dramas in China are actually some of her non-idol dramas like "All the Way to the Sun". But if you ask international viewers who tend to prefer idol/romance dramas, most of them won't bother watching an urban drama like that or only know about her period idol dramas lol.