whoissilmoy

this is not wuxia. it's fictional historical period.

Wonderland of Love shows both strong and vulnerable ML and FL. Each are their own person, they do not do what the other says though, they stick by their own values, but ultimately, understand they're really just pursuing the same goal for the country. Their conversations feel like real life couple, many viewers expressed that too.

director is a woman

that's what I thought, filming is for 4 months so it should end in mid Feb

I thought he reported it a bit later

Was With You the role that made her a household name? It is ranked #5 is on Douban's current list of 'Mainland drama list of romance.' It's impressive to be among a list with Hu Ge and Liu Yifei dramas. To put it into perspective, I list them here:

1. Romance of our parents 2014 9.4
2. A Dream of Red Mansions 1987 9.7
3. The Legend of Sword and Fairy 2005 9.1 (Hu Ge)
4. The Legend of Sword and Fairy III 2009 9.0 (Hu Ge)
5. With You 2009 8.9 (Tan Song Yun)
6. Meet Yourself 2023 8.8 (Liu Yifei)

I found the article really interesting. It offers insight into the industry and shows how Yu Zheng is also trying to adapt. It also makes me wonder how much the idea that long‑form dramas should adjust to short‑form trends ended up influencing the pacing of this drama. I've seen a few Douban comments from viewers who addressed this. The Double was a massive success and had that short form hook style too, so I wonder if Yu Zheng brought in short form director to try to replicate that success.

"Jade Tea Bone" - Director's Notes
Zhang Zhiwei commented on Yuming tea bone
2026-01-13 13:19:57 Edited Hubei

When I first came into contact with the script of "Yuming Tea Bone", I became very interested in this story, green tea belly black champion X cold female tea king, distinctive character, female clan, son-in-law choice, family struggle, suspense detective, novel story, so I quickly took over the drama and started the preliminary preparations.

"Jade Tea Bone" was launched on March 13, 2025, and was completed on 6.10, after 90 days. The production volume of 45*36 episodes and minutes, coupled with a large number of group scenes, is a relatively difficult drama.

(The following content contains a small amount of spoilers~)

(1) Tone

On the eve of the launch, our director team and the photography and lighting team discussed that the opening place is the Rong family, a tea king family that has lasted for hundreds of years, how to make it present a prosperous temperament in the interlacing of light and shadow, is an important part of the establishment of the story. We did some light and shadow tests to improve the whole story of "Jade Tea Bone" with different tones such as gold, daylight, and moonlight. Here are some test samples.

One of the more challenging parts was filming the "exterior" in the studio. The Rong family has a large number of daytime dramas that need to be completed in the studio, and the biggest difficulty in studio filming is the lack of real direct sunlight and natural skylight. Based on this, we put forward standard requirements for the picture: on the one hand, the unreality brought by traditional studio photography must be completely eliminated, and on the other hand, the texture of real sunlight and sky light must be accurately simulated through the lighting system, and further serve and strengthen the narrative expression through the change of light level and picture tone.

(2) One of the core shaping points: Rongfu

The background of the Rong family story is special, the unique female clan, the female is respected, the background is an important factor that can be established at the beginning of the story, I think more about the position of the picture, you can intuitively see the difference at a glance, or the high and low, or the stars arch the moon.

(3) One of the core shaping points: the emotions of the male and female protagonists

In the mutual pull and temptation, sometimes the two clearly know that the other party is acting, and they are willing to cooperate; Or deceived the other party, but also because of understanding the other party's position, I am tolerant in my heart, and I am very "intellectual"~hhh

At the beginning of the story, the disappearance of the tea girl has not been solved, and Rong Shanbao is in danger and chooses to enter the game with his own body. After she was "rescued", Rong Shanbao was able to see Lu Jianglai for the first time on the high platform.

Rong Shanbao has lived in Linji for a long time, and she chose to protect Yang Yun in the case of Wei's family, knowing how Linji's officialdom is, and suddenly Lu Jianglai such a number one person appeared, her emotions were complicated, and she was a kind of favor of a person in a high position, appreciating, looking at and even examining. Therefore, when he went home to change clothes, he heard Manzhu's words, so he said to check on the new Master Lu. And Lu Jianglai "caught a glimpse" of Rong Shanbao, if she had a smile that seemed to hit the center string, the two looked at each other from afar, which was a kind of fateful "love at first sight"~

She "demoted" him to a groom, not to offend the Rong family, but on the contrary, she knew that Lu Jianglai's fatal injury must have been persecuted because of the Wei family's case, and he was a good official who did not know the "sky and the earth" for Linji's officialdom. Therefore, he had the intention to let him "go incognito" in the stable, of course, Rong Shanbao did not fully trust Lu Jianglai at this moment, thus opening the opportunity between the two.

First the male protagonist faced the female protagonist in the crowd in a high position, and then the female protagonist stood in a high position and looked at the male protagonist, which was also a hint of the direction of the plot in the early stage.

From Rong Shanbao saving Lu Jiang in the snow, to being rescued by Rong Shanbao in Lu Jianglai's dream, and then to Lu Jianglai waking up and seeing Rong Shanbao's face by the window, I dealt with it as a "scene", through the link of the three scenes, to complete Lu Jianglai's deep heart for Rong Shanbao has both life-saving grace and emotional complex feelings.

Then the male protagonist was reduced from a county magistrate to a groom, and the female protagonist was the heir to the family in power, forming the initial relationship of "strong woman and male tea".

In the expression of the language of some key scenes, I used subjective lenses many times, so that female audiences can quickly bring into the perspective of the heroine and see this "little tea cat", who wouldn't love this cat~

In the process of the emotional progression of the two, the color gradually became stronger.

In terms of light treatment, both orange and red-orange tones use homemade candle array sets as face lights to bring a hazy and ambiguous feeling of delicate beating. It's just that the weather is getting hotter and hotter, and the whole scene can be described as in full swing~

After the male protagonist was restored, the relationship between the two changed from "strong woman and male tea" to "double tea and double strength".

(4) One of the core shaping points: group drama

There are many group dramas in "Yu Ming Tea Bone", and after the story enters the Rong family, it involves the appearance of the Rong family. This scene is the only scene in the whole film that uses a round table, and the whole family looks happy but has different thoughts, and the undercurrent is surging.

The play has repeatedly chosen to use a large number of symmetrical compositions, either solemn, tense, or confrontational.

The old lady sits in the center, everyone in the Rong family stands in rows, and the person being interrogated kneels on the opposite side, forming a sense of oppression.

There are many behind-the-scenes creations and plot interpretations like this~ After a long time, I found that I only started a lot, and I have the opportunity to talk about it slowly~

Put some screenshots of your favorite dramas and light and shadow to finish~

(5) Some thoughts on short dramas or long dramas

These days, when surfing on social media, I always see some short dramas hanging long dramas, long dramas becoming short dramas, short dramas being boring, and long dramas fluttering and fluttering. In fact, there are some thoughts in my heart. After taking root in film and television creation for more than ten years and gaining some fame in the field of short dramas, he had the opportunity to shoot standardized long dramas for the first time as a short drama turned drama director. My heart was nervous and full of creative desire, and at the same time, I filmed the work "Jade Tea Bone" with the greatest sincerity - no different from the short drama period, and I did my best.

Whether it is a short drama or a long drama, there is no shortcut to obtain the audience's recognition, and sincerity is the biggest bargaining chip. Short dramas are becoming more and more voluminous, and so are long dramas. I believe that my peers, whether they are engaged in short dramas or long dramas, are going through a difficult thinking and change, so I won't go into detail here.

In the current environment, the road to breaking the game in a long drama is like sailing against the current, the cost of trial and error is so high, and every step is like walking on thin ice, and it is inevitable that there will be limitations. "Yuming Tea Bone", a "long drama and short drama" transformation work, in addition to fast-food-style slicing and dazzling lively dramas and other means of customer acquisition, its core and group portrait depiction are the biggest highlights, and it is also my favorite part. Whether it is Lu Jianglai, who is dark in officialdom but has a bright heart, or Rong Shanbao, who bears the heavy responsibility of a decadent family but is upright in his heart, they all stick to their hearts in the "Wei family" case; Whether it is the princes who participate in the choice of son-in-law with their own purposes, or the ladies of the Rong Mansion who compete for power and love, or the bizarre grievances and hatreds in the Lu Mansion in the capital, they all have their own character arcs and highlights in the end. This is also the biggest feeling I got from trying a standard long drama for the first time, it can carry more expression and more narrative methods, and it has its own unique charm.

If "Yuming Tea Bone" is lucky enough to bring you some movie-watching pleasure, it is the happiness of all our creative staff~

(6) Conclusion

Special thanks to Teacher Yu and all the actors for their trust and support for me, a new long-term drama director, and I am also honored to shoot the script of the weekend teacher, "Yuming Tea Bones" has been broadcast more than halfway, thank you for discovering the highlights of "corn ribs" and "artificially fermenting" yeast!

Finally, whether it is the criticism and correction of the audience and friends, it is my motivation to move forward, thank you for taking the time to watch, thank you!

Life is a subject of continuous cultivation of the Tao, the Tao is blocked and long, and the original intention remains unchanged.

This is a Yu Zheng production. The director, Zhang Zhiwei, posted a long article on Douban (see spoiler below). That would fit Yu Zheng PR style. However, given it's a milestone project for her, it's probably more genuine, but also strategic, I think. Apparently, this is her first long form drama. Her past works are all short form dramas. But Yu Zheng also has his own long-time director on this project. I wonder why he chose a director new to long form. Well, she did really great for being her first one. I read that short form is booming faster than long form. Yu Zheng has been getting into short‑form dramas in recent years, so I wonder if that’s why he chose to collaborate with her — maybe he’s building new alliances in the short‑form space as well. This is the first project, Yu Zheng is Chief Producer, highest level, so I would think this is a milestone project for him too. But perhaps as Chief Producer, he can call all the shots is how he brought in a short form director?

The director doesn’t say it directly, but she seems to hint that she put a lot of effort into blending short‑form pacing with long‑form storytelling. She seems to say that long form dramas need to adapt, "Long dramas have to evolve, but they also have unique advantages worth preserving.”

Wonderland of Love 2023 or "Le You Yuan" beautiful OST too - Li Ni — The male lead: The emperor's overlooked grandson (and imperial prince/grandson). He hides his royal identity, serves as a carefree border general, and gets drawn into power struggles, rebellions, and the fight for the throne despite initially wanting no part in it. He's smart, strategic, and brave.
Cui Lin — The female lead: The ambitious and spirited daughter of a powerful general. She disguises herself as a male lieutenant (often called Lieutenant He) to fight on the battlefield. She's strong, competitive, sassy, and equally cunning in military tactics.

The story centers on their enemies-to-lovers dynamic: They start as rivals clashing on the battlefield with wits and strategies, constantly trying to outmaneuver each other, which eventually sparks romance amid war, hidden identities, and political intrigue. It's also highly sentimental drama.

The average of the latest 100 comments is 6.3, if that is an indication.

I thought Xiao Yao 逍遥 is the one who has the unclouded soul. Hong Ye's soul is "clouded" by centuries of sufferings. Xiao Yao has suffering too but not consumed by it. She brings healing and hopes to break him free.

If it’s related to Feb 2024, then it’s the slander he spread online claiming Xu Kai contracted an STD. The timing was suspicious — right after WOL’s success. I remember first seeing a YouTube video about it during SAF6’s airing in Jan 2024, and it kept showing up for months. By March 2024, I even asked on the ABAY MDL page why this awful rumor wasn’t going away, because I’d already seen at least two videos pushing it. It stayed online for a long time, and I worried people would believe it. Honestly, I think WOL’s success triggered the attack and was meant to hurt upcoming dramas SAF6, BCE, and ABAY. They were afraid he might carry his success into 2024 and he did. Xu Kai had an amazing 2024 #1 post 90 actor with the most views. That nasty video was clearly meant to damage him, but it didn’t work. So, they try again in 2025.

I think around 2022, they actually believed that he was on a decline and didn't attack him (or maybe they did), but WOL late 2023 people were writing that Xu Kai was reviving his career, so they decided to spread rumors of STD. But after months of it trending on China's social media, he finally got fed up and reported it to the police for the first time (is that right Xu Kai never went to police before this?). It was during filming of MR he went to the police. 2024 brought even greater success primarily due to BCE and ABAY. 13 months after ABAY, they attacked him again just as Moonlit Reunion aired and it was a coordinated attack feels like well-planned out. Yu Zheng seems to have taken advantage of the attacks. But attacks failed again because MR was still successful.

Now we are in 2026 and soon Xu Kai's 800 Meters in Radius will be airing. I hope they don't attack again.

imo women are not inferior to men, they're only physically weaker.

I hope this story also captures the atmosphere of the era as described in the Douban synopsis, and I think it will. The director is very good at balancing romance with other themes.

"It shows the spirit of the Chinese people in the seventies who are "practical but kind, romantic but hardworking."

Director Lü Hao Ji Ji !

There are no romance tags or romance genre on MDL nor Douban unlike The Princess Agent (prequel) so why do people assume its romantic relationship. They "formed a deep friendship" (not they fell in love), since the prince played by a younger actor, rescued her but doesn't say she ever fell in love with him. But the prince also used her and she almost died, so she must have hated him and set out to avenge the male lead's death. The prince did fall in love with her, but it doesn't' say she fell in love with him, so he probably secretly loved her and there is no real romance shown other than he might have looked for opportunities. There is no mention of romance in the synopsis with the older male lead. It sounds like a respectable story to me. It does not sound like a true sequel, but a remake of story or a remake of a time in that story.

"After the slave girl Chu Qiao was rescued by Yan Xun, the prince of Yanbei, the two formed a deep friendship, and Chu Qiao helped Yan Xun, but Yan Xun used Chu Qiao as bait to set an ambush and kill Zhuge Yue, the son of the Daxia family, and Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao fell into the ice lake together. After Chu Qiao was rescued, he found an opportunity to assassinate Yan Xun and avenge Zhuge Yue. After Yan Xun fled back to northern Yan, he insisted on attacking Daxia, and the original dragon slaying boy eventually became an evil dragon, and he also hated Chu Qiao out of love, and wanted her to surrender to him by any means. While fighting against Yan Xun, Chu Qiao suspected that Zhuge Yue, who fell into the ice lake with him, was actually alive, so he tried to find his whereabouts. When she helped Bian Tang quell the civil strife, she was rescued by a mysterious man several times, and Chu Qiao had a sense of déjà vu for him, and it turned out that he was Zhuge Yue. In the end, Chu Qiao pacified the four directions and worked side by side with officers, soldiers and the people to protect the beautiful homeland."

does first billing mean the actor gets more pay?

yep

I can only find Zhao Lusi can match it if she hadn't suspended her acting career last year.