PeachBlossomGoddess

He is a good actor that definitely should work more and talk less. I do feel someone was maybe trying to teach him a lesson for loose talk about another actor that caused the poor guy a lot of issues. Hopefully this is the last of it but its hard to know for sure.

Idk I didn't pay attention to the letter dates but I do think they were childhood sweethearts so its possible.

The very opening sentence of Ep 1 says in 1941 occupied Suzhou.... (1:30)🤷🏻‍♀️

No worries!

I am quite sure it says in ep 1 that the story starts in 1941. The Wang Regime which ZZF belongs to was only started in 1940 it didn't even exist in 1930.

I didn't read the novel but I have no problem with the narrative style. It's quite a simple grift I don't think its confusing or hard to follow. Maybe she is just watching too many dramas and got confused.🤷🏻‍♀️

The book is a true account novel written by Shen Xingxing :
https://book.douban.com/subject/36865034/
about his own experiences driving a truck in the Golden Triangle. The drama director and screenwriter is Suan who also directed Reset. It was filmed in 2023 in Yunnan near the Myanmar and Laos borders. Basically next to the Golden Triangle.
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E8%BE%B9%E6%B0%B4%E5%BE%80%E4%BA%8B

We use BBG at work so I have it but its super expensive we think about switching to Reuters for our market data all the time. I wouldn't pay for it on my own either.

Yeah it seems to me she didn't have the full story on what Ziyu was up to. But if it has to do with rebellion ignorance or she was tricked is not going to get her a free pass... She is in deep shit. I hope she realizes it sooner rather than later instead of wasting time getting all bent out of shape bc CXZ was just doing his job and trying to entrap her.

Thanks for sharing this. The Golden Triangle is a very complicated area and a known hotbed for drug trafficking and all kinds of illegal activity. But the scamming syndicates are everywhere, not just in the Golden Triangle - its in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Thailand etc. The reporter is exaggerating the Golden Triangle's issues and Zhao Wei by making that the epicenter of everything bad. Its also the typical ignorant Western press reporting. China unlike America does not interfere with domestic affairs of sovereign nations. They are not going to storm across the Thai/Laos/Myanmar border to play superhero superpower and take down Zhao Wei. That is how wars get started !!! And you can bet your bottom dollar if they did it, the US would seize it as an excuse to sanction or even start a war with China for invading Thailand/Laos or Myanmar. Its just ridiculous. I really need to start looking for some alternative to Bloomberg I am tired of paying them so much money for crap like this. The real issue, which I hope the drama explores is that all three countries are basically run by the military. And the military are partners in the whole drug trafficking effort. They need it to fund their existence. They can shut it all down if they wish but they don't. They just cry about how they have no control over the situation bc its not a legitimate economic activity for a legitimate government to be engaged in. It is a business worth billions of dollars and very meaningful to these otherwise nothing economies. I do think Uncle Cai is based on Zhao Wei. But he can come and go openly bc he is supported by the local governments there.

I think to start with we have to ask whether the current emperor's reign is legitimate or whether there are other more legitimate claimants to the throne. He is a child emperor whose regent seems to be his mother, with no other evident high official advising them on affairs of state. Looks like a train wreck waiting to happen. And Ziyu does not strike me as an ordinary bandit. He is too educated in the classics and plays Go like a military strategist. If Miantang is actually involved in a rebellion intended to restore a more legitimate heir to the throne, then she has not done anything wrong. That's the only way I can imagine her getting away with her involvement with rebellion. But idk anything I didn't read this book.

Actually one of the reasons The Rebel was so highly rated on Douban was its historical accuracy down to ridiculous things like the date and time on a watch. I remember reading multiple ecstatic posts about that. Not to mention the literary and ideological allusions. I of course don't appreciate any of that to the same level and actually can't even comment on whether it was that tight but this one is on the opposite of that spectrum as being mocked for its inaccuracies. I think its fine we don't suffer from too much information as the Chinese audiences and can just take it at face value.

Well... he best not try bc she can stab him in the neck with a hairpin. Quite dangerous.

Well Zhang Songwen wants to mentor rising actors and he has said he wants to work with them to try to elevate their performances. His fans have been very disappointed at his drama choices with the more cynical voices accuse him of selling out and collaborating with traffic stars. I think there is a lot of that that had people rating this down from the get go. But this genre is also a hard one, it is well loved by history buffs. I personally don't like this period of history so I am not that familiar with it but even I can see the plot has a lot of holes. Is it so bad it should be 4.7 on Douban? I don't think so but I understand why people who are knowledgeable about this period are laughing at some of the holes.

I have been watching 1.25 throughout. I suspect it was shot at a faster speed and slowed down slightly in airing. Its Tencent cheating to get 40 episodes when they actually only shot 35.

I don't think he is harmless. I was actually wondering whether he is the final villain until the part he told Miantang to hide the gold from Yun'er.

Yes it is one of the beautiful old cities in China to visit, really worthwhile. It has its own distinct culture and heritage.

So many villains. They'd best get together.

Thx for sharing, it is indeed a good review. There are indeed lots of plot and logic holes which are also raised in many of the critical Douban reviews. I am enjoying it bc I love Suzhou its such a wonderful historical city with so much culture. The spy aspects however require serious suspension of disbelief...

That's awesome! An empress that pigs out! I can live with that!!!

I personally don't think their chemistry is terrible but bc its Zhang Songwen, audience expectations were too high - they thought it would be along the lines of Zhang Yi vs Zhang Songwen in The Knockout. I am not saying this is bad but it is definitely nowhere near that level. Not to mention Zhang Luyi vs Li Yifeng and Yin Zheng vs Zhang Ruoyun in Sparrow. C-netizens loved The Rebel but I didn't like it that much bc I didn't like ZYL's over emotional spy and the FL was meh. Wang Yang was quite scary in it though. I am a bit disappointed by ZSW vs ZSX in this but I do like both their interactions with the other cast members. I think Douban is too harsh and I am enjoying this but I can't say it is one of the best Chinese spy dramas I have watched bc its just not.