The director of this drama also directed two very popular 2024 dramas, War of Faith and Always on the Move, both were nominated for 2024 Magnolia awards in all three categories: Best Movie, Best Director, and Best Actor.
AvenueX: "2024 Summer is REALLY BAD for C-Dramas. They all collapsed partly due to the 2024 Summer Olympics. Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty would have done even better if not for the Summer Olympics. Most people's attention got grabbed by the sport in China. Therefore, dramas that unfortunately ended up airing during the Summer Olympic game time didn't get that much attention."
ABAY was running 100M views a day on Maoyan charts until the Summer Olympics came on. I really believe the Summer Olympics cut short ABAY due to the final stretch for the Olympic games, it clipped ABAY much earlier.
source: Wikipedia "The Hongxi Emperor, Zhu Gaochi, ordered that the capital be moved back to Nanjing from Beijing (which had been made the capital by the Yongle Emperor in 1421). However, he died, probably of a heart attack, a month later in May 1425. His son, Zhu Zhangji, had been declared heir apparent and became the Xuande Emperor at age 26. Although the Hongxi Emperor had a short reign, he is credited with reforms that made lasting improvements, and his liberal policies were continued by his son."
"After a short reign of ten years, the Xuande emperor died due to a brief illness. His rule was marked by a period of relative peace, with no major internal or foreign conflicts. Later historians regarded his reign as the golden age of the dynasty."
This drama is more than a love story. There are a lot of historical details. There are lot of rich characters, their personalities are portrayed accurate to how history described them. It touched on a lot of history during this time. Just the way all the characters were portrayed just brings to life the way history described them.
Their acting is so on point love WJY's acting. Sigh wish she get a script that brings her popularity to a whole…
WJY is a very good actress. I don't understand why she doesn't get some roles. She's not getting younger. Her character in AMA was memorable. I don't think any other Chinese female actress could have performed that role the way she did, Hollywood style. It's hard for her if her agency doesn't support her at all.
any china expert can fill me in on the filming locations? absolutely loved the sceneries (big city, fishing village…)
Qingdao is a coastal city located in the eastern part of China’s Shandong Province, on the Yellow Sea coast. It’s known for its beautiful beaches, colonial architecture, and Tsingtao beer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmEbUmgeZ1E
There's also a Qingtian fishing village in the drama that was two hours away from Beijing by bus. I guess that was shot in Qingdao. Was the whole film shot in Qingdao? I really don't know.
Surrounded by ruthless, exploitative, and underhanded individuals, Han Ting finds Ji Xing’s innocence and purity refreshing. Her genuine nature contrasts with the harshness he’s used to. He admires her intelligence, diligence, tenacity, innovative thinking, ambition, passion for AI medical technology, compassion, and self-worth. However, like everyone, she has her flaws. She is emotional, wears her heart on her sleeve, and can be very stubborn and apprehensive. She often becomes so preoccupied with her work that she is unaware of her personal life. Her impulsive decisions and lack of foresight, often driven by drastic measures, frequently lead to chaotic situations. However, she is intuitive and guided by a strong gut feel and common sense. Her out-of-the-box thinking often helps her navigate through these challenges. She is a fast learner and, as demonstrated during the 3D printer problem, she exemplifies an engineer who plans ahead for failures with contingency plans. To be fair, many of her problems are caused by external forces. Despite these, her journey will see her grow into a highly capable executive, following in Han Ting's calm and effective style.
Ji Xing embodies the entrepreneurial spirit. She demonstrates this by refusing financing that would compromise her control over her company, showing her determination to maintain independence. Instead of working for Han Ting, she chose to start her own company with little capital to pursue her dream. Han Ting provided invaluable mentorship. His guidance was crucial, especially since she was inexperienced and unprepared for the competitive, high-stakes, and ruthless business environment. However, she has what it takes and learns fast.
Ji Xings mother is one of the best parent side characters I have seen. She's bossy, sweet, funny, but also empathetic…
Perhaps you meant the mother is assertive and communicative, not bossy? In the novel, the mother wrote a beautiful and caring letter to JX. Her parents are quite open minded.
@whoissilmoy: Why is that, why are you saying to not have the pairing? ...now, some has said that along XK's career…
It’s because Yu Zheng, a buzzworthy figure in the industry, might create unnecessary hype around their partnership.
XK got Yanxi because the other actor bowed out. XK's age and noble appearance fit the row, plus YZ saved a ton of money using him. XK hit a home run with his portrayal of Fuca Fuheng. He got The Legends because he became a prominent actor after success of Yanxi, the most googled movie in 2018 despite Google was largely blocked in China, so XK became a known entity to producers and directors. He got AMA because he decided to try out and got the role despite Yu Zheng said don't. He won two Best Actors awards for AMA because he interpreted the character his way so that Yu Zheng was surprised the character is different than what he had in mind. He got the role of Yang Hua in SHPH because Tencent approached Yang Mi and Yang Mi approached Yu Zheng and said she wanted Xu Kai for this project. He got the role in BCE because the producers approached him due to his work in SHPH, and he accepted despite Yu Zheng said don't. I can't find where I read it, but Zhou Dongyu took the role in ALP due to some contractual obligation.
I rewatched it a few days ago and I was sobbing at the end 🙈🙈😅😅🤣🤣🤣.How does this drama gets…
The story and the acting are so layered, with lines full of hidden meanings and foreshadowing, that rewatching it reveals new insights and details each time (especially if one had to read subtitles). For example, when I rewatched the scene in Episode 1 where Zeng Di brings Jing Xi to Xingyue, I realized I had missed the secret dialogue between XWX and HT hidden beneath the conversation with the four men playing poker. I also wanted to rewatch that scene to catch the subtle interactions between HT and JX, especially HT’s expressions as he assessed the situation unfolding with ZD, JX, and others, and recalling his past with JX. It’s revealing to rewatch certain scenes after seeing how much things have evolved over the story. For example, rewatching JX in the car as ZD drives her to Xingyue, you can see how different JX was back then and how the dynamics between them have changed. Every drama has its beginnings and arcs, but this one particularly fascinates me when going back to the beginnings, revisiting the early scenes and noticing the nuances in the acting. The beginning scenes also have a past between the leads, which adds to the fascination of going back to the start of the story. Having watched the entire drama already, when I rewatch, I can read more into the nuances and understand what is in their minds and hearts even better. The story has evolved greatly, making each rewatch a richer experience.
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ABAY was running 100M views a day on Maoyan charts until the Summer Olympics came on. I really believe the Summer Olympics cut short ABAY due to the final stretch for the Olympic games, it clipped ABAY much earlier.
https://x.com/i/status/1832283862438760569
"The Hongxi Emperor, Zhu Gaochi, ordered that the capital be moved back to Nanjing from Beijing (which had been made the capital by the Yongle Emperor in 1421). However, he died, probably of a heart attack, a month later in May 1425. His son, Zhu Zhangji, had been declared heir apparent and became the Xuande Emperor at age 26. Although the Hongxi Emperor had a short reign, he is credited with reforms that made lasting improvements, and his liberal policies were continued by his son."
"After a short reign of ten years, the Xuande emperor died due to a brief illness. His rule was marked by a period of relative peace, with no major internal or foreign conflicts. Later historians regarded his reign as the golden age of the dynasty."
This drama is more than a love story. There are a lot of historical details. There are lot of rich characters, their personalities are portrayed accurate to how history described them. It touched on a lot of history during this time. Just the way all the characters were portrayed just brings to life the way history described them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRPD1ca9d4A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmEbUmgeZ1E
Qingdao Polar Ocean World
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3eMcEawJ71o?feature=share
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9vER_OKgJcA?feature=share
XK's March 5, 2023 Birthday Vlog takes his fans to the sea at Qingdao, but it was cloudy day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iouiALMd-xc
bts
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GDakq9Ifgls
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/T_dJJ5a7WPY
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IRgb4RS9ev0
pigeons
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/w20kywuZISI?feature=share
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IQU7WajSZa0
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YezNUeWMr4E?feature=share
ABAY Wrap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-akW5inMufo
There's also a Qingtian fishing village in the drama that was two hours away from Beijing by bus. I guess that was shot in Qingdao. Was the whole film shot in Qingdao? I really don't know.
Ji Xing embodies the entrepreneurial spirit. She demonstrates this by refusing financing that would compromise her control over her company, showing her determination to maintain independence. Instead of working for Han Ting, she chose to start her own company with little capital to pursue her dream. Han Ting provided invaluable mentorship. His guidance was crucial, especially since she was inexperienced and unprepared for the competitive, high-stakes, and ruthless business environment. However, she has what it takes and learns fast.
XK got Yanxi because the other actor bowed out. XK's age and noble appearance fit the row, plus YZ saved a ton of money using him. XK hit a home run with his portrayal of Fuca Fuheng. He got The Legends because he became a prominent actor after success of Yanxi, the most googled movie in 2018 despite Google was largely blocked in China, so XK became a known entity to producers and directors. He got AMA because he decided to try out and got the role despite Yu Zheng said don't. He won two Best Actors awards for AMA because he interpreted the character his way so that Yu Zheng was surprised the character is different than what he had in mind. He got the role of Yang Hua in SHPH because Tencent approached Yang Mi and Yang Mi approached Yu Zheng and said she wanted Xu Kai for this project. He got the role in BCE because the producers approached him due to his work in SHPH, and he accepted despite Yu Zheng said don't. I can't find where I read it, but Zhou Dongyu took the role in ALP due to some contractual obligation.