#Song Yuanyuan

[terminusantequem]

Song Yuanyuan (Chinese, b. 1981), Monster, 2022. Oil on canvas, 130 x 142 cm

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Fun Facts behind TTEOTM!

Creative Team

Till the End of the Moon is the second TV drama produced by newcomer Otters Studio (獭獭文化), which was originally set up for dangai/BL drama Immortality (皓衣行), also featuring Luo Yunxi.

The Hangzhou-based Otters Studio is a subsidiary of Nanpai Entertainment (南派泛娱), the company owned by Kenneth Xu (aka “Third Uncle" 南派三叔). Xu is best known as the novelist and screenwriter behind "Grave Robbers' Chronicles" (盗墓笔记).

A big part of TTEOTM's core creative team also worked on Immortality. And a lot of the Immortality team came from Ashes of Love (2018) with Luo Yunxi. This includes...

He Fang (Screenwriter) - Immortality

Luo Xuan (Screenwriter & Associate Producer) - Immortality

Huang Wei (Costume Designer) - Immortality

Guan Dazhou (Music Director) - Immortality

Wang Yirong (Lead Producer) - Immortality

Wang Haiqi (B Unit Director & Action Director) - Immortality & Ashes of Love

Tsang Mingfai (Makeup Designer) - Immortality & Ashes of Love

Shen Xufei (Special Effects Director) - Immortality & Ashes of Love

Hua Tian World Concept - Immortality & Ashes of Love

Wang Haiqi was the stunt coordinator who trained Luo Yunxi in Ashes of Love

Part of the creative team came from Huanyu (Bai Lu's management company, aka the production company of Yanxi Palace). This includes award-winning art director Luan Hexin, Huang Xinyao (Yue Fuya) and Liu Min (Nan'an).

This is the second time Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu have paired up in a drama. They previously played a couple in modern workplace romance Love is Sweet (2020). Bai Lu expressed interest publicly in pairing up with LYX again in a costume drama numerous times.

In addition, a number of Love is Sweet actors have minor roles or cameos in TTEOTM:

Zhao Yuanyuan (Qiao Na aka Yuan Shuai's colleague who has a crush on him) plays the Moon Goddess

Cheng Chang (Jiang Jun's father) plays Ye Xiwu's father

Deng Jinghong (Jiang Jun and Yuan Shuai's shady client) plays Ye Xiwu's brother Ye Zeyu

The popularity of TTEOTM has generated renewed interest in Love is Sweet on iQiyi. In the first half of 2023, Love is Sweet is ranked #5 on Yunhe's "old/classic drama" list, receiving 360M views (10M views/episode), equivalent to airing a new medium-budget drama.

Two actors in Ashes of Love also have minor roles in TTEOTM:

Wang Yifei (Shuihe aka peacock princess in Ashes of Love) plays the Devil God's lieutenant Siying

He Zhonghua (Heavenly Emperor aka Runyu's father) plays the King of Sheng, again terrorizing Luo Yunxi's childhood

In addition, a number of TTEOTM actors play minor roles in the unaired Immortality:

Huang Yunyun (Yue Yingxin) plays Song Qiutong

Zheng Guolin (Qu Xuanzi aka Susu's father) plays Jiangxi

Huang Haibing (Zhaoyou) plays Nangong Zhangying

He Zhonghua (King of Sheng) plays Nangong Liu

Geng Yeting (Ye Qingyu) plays an unknown role

Production

The source novel (黑月光拿稳BE剧本) was optioned by Otter before it was complete due to strong early hype around the IP and interesting characters & premise. It's one of the top 10 most-saved web novels of that genre on the Jinjiang platform. Its title literally translates to "black moonlight is guaranteed a bad ending screenplay".

The screenplay was written for 40 episodes, which was edited into 50 episodes of probably 45 mins each. The original plan (based on governmental records) was to air 34 episodes as part 1 and 16 episodes as part 2. However, the NRTA (Chinese government agency that regulates TV) closed the loophole around airing two seasons back to back early this year, which is why TTEOTM was edited back down to 40 episodes of 55 mins each so that it could air in one go.

TTEOTM changed its Chinese title twice. It was originally named 月照千峰为一人 (The moon shines for one person). It was then renamed to 长月无烬 (long moon without Jin/ember, also a pun for without limit or endless), which is the official publication name proposed by fans of the web novel. Right before the booting ceremony, it was renamed 长月烬明 likely for auspicious reasons (especially after the LYX accident and Immortality not airing)

Some keen netizens have noticed that if you break apart the characters of its Chinese title, 长月烬明, it becomes 长月火尽日月, which literally means....

长月 (long moon) - how people refer to the drama, in its short form

火 (fire) - Chinese internet lingo for explosive or popular

尽日月 (to the end of sun and moon)

(Gotta give one to Chinese people for coming up with auspicious names)

Luo Yunxi was injured right before production began when filming his final scene in Light Chaser Rescue. He got punched in the mouth by a costar which required emergency surgery and left a scar on the top left corner of his mouth. Production was delayed as a result. Bai Lu had to film her solo scenes first starting Oct 19, 2021. The booting ceremony took place on Nov 6, 2021 after Luo Yunxi joined the set.

Luo Yunxi was the first actor to be cast, according to an interview with the producer. It is rumored that he might have even picked which novel to adapt as Otter initially optioned both "Black Moonlight" and "Black Lotus Casebook". Bai Lu is also the "only choice" for Li Susu according to Yu Zheng.

Yin Tao (Who Rules The world, Love & Redemption, and Ancient Love Poetry) was originally considered for director, but he worked on the Blood of Youth instead. In the end they went with Kuk Kok Leung, an award-winning veteran TVB director who has adapted 7 out of 8 Jin Yong novels. One of the Cantonese songs Luo Yunxi kept singing on set is the OST of the 1983 Condor Heroes where Kuk served as Assistant Director.

Sun Zhenni (Pianran) and Zhao Shiyi (Fuyu) won their roles through open casting call. Sun Zhenni was a big fan of Bai Lu, and the two became close friends during the shoot. She is 1/4 German Jewish through her paternal grandmother.

Chen Duling (Ye Bingchang / Tian Huan) briefly dated Xichao Wang (who plays Jing Mie, the demon god's other lieutenant). They were apparently introduced by Yu Zheng (boss of Bai Lu's studio).

Luo Yunxi and Sun Zhenni are the only actors who dubbed themselves in the drama. Bai Lu is dubbed by Duan Yixuan, who is also the voice behind Linglong in Love & Redemption.

This is the second time Luo Yunxi plays a dragon god (Runyu is the first). This is also the second time Bai Lu plays a character who leaps off the tower to her death in a costume drama.

Post-production was rumored to be delayed and then rushed due to a number of reasons, including covid which hit the special effects team hard and the last minute change of the 40-episode rule.

Promotion

During the premiere day, celebrities posted on Weibo to promote the drama in support of Luo Yunxi (usually actors only ask for this favor when it's a really important project to their career): Huang Xiaoming, Tan Songyun, Wu Jingyan, Chen Yuqi, Cheng Xiao, Victoria Song, Zhang Ruonan, Huang Xuan, Chen Yao. The most noteworthy ones were Chen Xiao (whose drama was also opening on the same day) and EDG (the esports team that LYX supports)

[psikonauti]

Song Yuanyuan (Chinese, b. 1981)

康忙小猪, 2020

Oil on canvas

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Song Yuanyuan  -  Luxury Goods   (oil on canvas, 2016)

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Song Yuanyuan (Chinese, b. 1981), Gate, 2015. Oil on canvas, 200 x 300 cm.

[psitrend]

Interview with Alice Poon, author of Tales of Ming Courtesans

New Post has been published on https://china-underground.com/2020/04/30/interview-with-alice-poon-author-of-tales-of-ming-courtesans/

Interview with Alice Poon, author of Tales of Ming Courtesans

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Alice Poon steeped herself in Chinese poetry and history, Jin Yong’s martial arts novels, and English Literature in her school days.

This early immersion has inspired her creative writing. Always fascinated with iconic but unsung women in Chinese history and legends, she cherishes a dream of bringing them to the page. She is the author of The Green Phoenix and the bestselling and award-winning non-fiction title Land and the Ruling Class in Hong Kong. She now lives in Vancouver, Canada and devotes her time to writing historical Chinese fiction.

Official Site | Instagram | Twitter

Where does the interest in the lives of these three fascinating female figures come from?

When I did research in 2014 for a subplot minor character Chen Yuanyuan for my earlier historical novel The Green Phoenix (published in 2017), I accidentally stumbled on Liu Rushi’s biography, titled An Ulterior Biography of Liu Rushi, written by the eminent historian Chen Yinke, who lauded her as the embodiment of the Chinese nation’s spirit of independence and liberal thinking. My interest in Liu was immediately piqued, and a vague idea of blending Chen’s story with Liu’s was formed then. Between 2015 and 2018, on and off, I plowed through the 800,000-word, 3-volume, biographical tome.

In 2016, I also chanced to read Kong Shangren’s famous classic historical play The Peach Blossom Fan, and Li Xiangjun’s story left a deep impression. It then struck me that these women were among the Eight Great Beauties of Qinhuai and their lives were the most dramatic. I felt strongly that they had far more moral courage and integrity than people are willing to give them credit for.

By early 2018, the idea of writing a novel featuring them took concrete shape.

How long did it take you to make this volume? How did you go about finding information?

The research started in 2014 and continued in fits and starts until early 2018. In mid-2018 I started to work on the first draft. The full manuscript was completed in mid-2019.

The main source of information for Liu Rushi was her epic biography by Chen Yinke. For Li Xiangjun, I relied on The Peach Blossom Fan and Hou Fangyu’s short biography of her. As for Chen Yuanyuan, Wu Weiye’s narrative poem Song of Yuanyuan and Mao Xiang’s memoir Reminiscences of the Plum Shaded Cloister were the key source.

Other information about the period and cultural details mainly came from Yu Huai’s Banqiao Zaji (Diverse Records of the Wooden Bridge), Jonathan Spence’s Return to Dragon Mountain: Memories of a Late Ming Man and Zhang Dai’s The Dream Recollections of Taoan, plus various English-language reference books related to women, culture and the literary world in Ming China.

Why did you choose this particular historical period? What did the invasion of the Qing mean for Chinese society and culture?

The period in question is one that straddles two ruling regimes: the Ming and the Qing dynasties. I have a particular interest in this turbulent period because growing up I had come across intriguing and poignant human stories of love, sacrifice, divided loyalties and patriarchal cruelty from the period through books, operas, movies and TV dramas. As a grown-up, I’ve found these stories highly relatable, as they seem to reflect in some way our present-day human condition. Also, this period in Ming history saw the culmination of literary (in particular poetry) and music development. It witnessed a dynamic interaction between cultured courtesans and the literati, both in the romantic and literary sense. In short, in my new novel I wanted to highlight three courtesans’ love stories and their gritty struggle against a misogynistic society, as well as the era’s unique and vibrant artistic tapestry.

The Qing’s invasion into Han China certainly stirred up violent resentment in Chinese society, especially during Regent Dorgon’s oppressive reign as he tried to use brutal force to subdue the Han Chinese by foisting Manchu customs on them despite their repulsion (a notorious example was the shave-head mandate on pain of death). Luckily his violent rule didn’t last long, and thanks to the benevolent rule under Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang/the Shunzhu Emperor and later the Kangxi Emperor, there came a chance for war-torn China to heal and prosper as the Manchu rulers realized that only civilized ways could win hearts and minds.

The Han culture and civilization had very deep roots and had always been the Han Chinese’s pride, so the initial violent clash with the Manchu couldn’t but leave gaping wounds on society, both physical and emotional. As a matter of interest, this part of Chinese history is fleshed out in my 2017 novel The Green Phoenix.

How does the fate of these three women intertwine with the fate of China?

While alive, all three women struggle for survival, dignity and hope for a better life, but that struggle is in vain, much like the Ming Dynasty’s futile fight to avert its fate of humiliation and defeat.

But in the story, the women refuse to give up hope.

How were courtesans socially considered in China at the time?

Courtesans, like actresses, entertainers and prostitutes of the time, were socially classed as “jianmin” (worthless people).

They were considered below the commoner class, which effectively meant they were social outcasts.

Alice Poon

What was the fate of the protagonists?

Liu Rushi, upon her husband’s death, was bullied by her husband’s relatives into taking her own life. Li Xiangjun passed in her sickbed with a broken heart, having been abandoned by her lover.

Chen Yuanyuan lived into old age, but her fading years were said to be spent in quiet solitude in a nunnery.

What were the episodes that most touched you?

To tell you the truth, I teared up in several places of the story while writing the first draft.

One episode that touched me most was where the child Liu Rushi faces the death of her mother. I still choke up whenever my mind goes over that scene, because it always brings back the sad memory of my own mother’s death from lung disease.

There was a scene where Liu Rushi and Chen Yuanyuan have a heart-to-heart talk on the night before Liu’s wedding. They have been estranged from each other for a while due to an earlier row based on some misunderstanding. The way they are able to bare their souls to each other that night moved me deeply.

Are there traces in contemporary Chinese culture of the influence of these female figures?

Many Chinese people are familiar with the folklore about Chen Yuanyuan. One of Jin Yong’s famous novels – The Deer and the Cauldron – recreates Chen’s story and features her daughter as one of the wives of the protagonist. There are numerous movies and TV historical drama series that feature Chen.

Iconic historian and intellectual luminary Chen Yinke (1890 – 1969) spent ten years of the latter part of his life to write the 800,000-word An Ulterior Biography of Liu Rushi. He reconstructed Liu’s life story from her impressive collection of poetry and letters as well as her peers’ literary works (poetry, epistolary writings and memoirs). Some of Liu’s paintings are in the custody of The Freer Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. There is a 2012 China-produced film that features Liu Rushi as the protagonist.

Both Chen Yuanyuan and Li Xiangjun were both renowned kunqu opera singers. This operatic art reached its peak of development in the late-Ming era. Kunqu opera was named one of the masterpieces of Intangible Heritage by UNESCO in 2001.

Related articles: The Story of Princess Shanyin’s Harem

#ChineseWomen, #Concubines, #Courtesans, #MingDynasty, #QingDynasty

[huaschengs]

❃ Eastern and Southeastern Asians Facecast Help❃

Note: :D hi,  I’m tired of people casting the wrong facecast for characters in creations. So, I made a list. 

Please stop interchanging East Asians and Southeast Asians (whether between the two or within).

Even with this list and other sources, please be sure to double-check every faceclaim you use in your creations/works, thank you.

List posted 10/6/2020

Updated 12/25/2020

Disclaimer: 

Please let me know if there are any errors. 

 The creator of this list doesn’t have that much knowledge of South Asian celebrities and models. Please refer to other lists, thank you.

I didn’t include people from all Southeast Asian countries.

Thai:

Baifern aka Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul (พิมพ์ชนก ลือวิเศษไพบูลย์)

Bass aka Suradet PiniwatSuradet Piniwat (สุรเดช พินิวัตร์) 

Ben aka Benjamin Brasier (เบญจมินทร์ เบรเซียร์)

Bright aka Vachirawit Chiva-aree (วชิรวิชญ์ ชีวอารี)

Captain aka Kongyingyong Chonlathorn (ชลธร คงยิ่งยง)

Copter aka  Panuwat Kerdthongtavee (ภานุวัฒน์ เกิดทองทวี)

Diary (ไดอารี่)

From RedSpin

Dome aka Woranart Ratthanaphast ( วรนาถ รัตธนภาส)

FahProud (ฟ้าพราวด์) 

From RedSpin

First aka Nattapat Kapilkarn (ณัฐภัท กปิลกาญจน์)

Frung aka Narikun Ketprapakorn (นรีกุล เกตุประภากร)

Gulf aka Kanawut Traipipattanapong (คณาวุฒิ ไตรพิพัฒนพงษ์)

Gun aka Napat Na Ranong (ณภัทร ณ ระนอง)

Jackie aka Jackrin Kungwankiatichai (จักริน กังวานเกียรติชัย)

Jam aka Charattha Imraporn (ชรัฐฐา อิมราพร)

James aka Teeradon Supapunpinyo (ธีรดนย์ ศุภพันธุ์ภิญโญ)

Jaylerr aka Kritsanapoom Pibulsonggram (กฤษณภูมิ พิบูลสงคราม)

Joong [or Chen] aka Archen Aydin Winphakun (อาเชน วิรภากุล)

Kaownah aka Kittipat Kaewcharoen (กิตติภัทร แก้วเจริญ)

Kayavine aka Kay Lertsittichai (เค เลิศสิทธิชัย)

Kim or Kimmon aka Varodom Khemmonta (วโรดม เข็มมณฑา)

Lay aka  Talay Sanguandikul (ทะเลสงวนดีกุล)

Lisa aka Lalisa Manoban (ลลิษา มโนบาล)

Birth name: Pranpriya Manoban (ปราณปริยา มโนบาล)

Lotte aka Thakorn Promsatitkul (ฐกร พรหมสถิตกุล)

Mark Prin aka Prin Suparat (ปริญ สุภารัตน์)  

Mew aka Suppasit Jongcheveevat (ศุภศิษฏ์ จงชีวีวัฒน์)

Minnie aka Nicha Yontararak (ณิชา ยนตรรักษ์)

Namfah aka Thunyaphat Phatrathinchaicherin (ธัญญภัสร์ ภัทรธีรชัยเจริญ)

Natty aka Ahnatchaya Suputhipong (อานัชญา สุพุทธิพงศ์)

Nine aka Kornchid Boonsathitpakdee (กรชิต บุญสถิต์ภักดี)

Noey aka Warattha Imraporn (วรัฐฐา อิมราพร)

Paris aka Paris Inthonkomansut (พาริส อินทรโกมาลย์สุต)

Pavel aka Naret Promphaopun (นเรศ พร้อมเผ่าพันธ์) 

PearPunch (แพร)

From RedSpin

Pepe (เปเป้)

From RedSpin

Perth aka Tanapon Sukhumpantanasan (ธนพนธ์ สุขุมพันธนาสาร)

Peter aka Cholapatr Jeepetch (ชลพัชร จี้เพชร)

Piglet aka Charada Imraporn (ชาราฎา อิมราพร)

Pimmy (พิมมี่)

From RedSpin

Plan aka Rathavit Kijworaluk (รัฐวิทย์ กิจวรลักษณ์)

Porsche aka Sivakorn Adulsuttikul (ศิวกร อดุลสุทธิกุล)

Porsche aka Nishapang Suksawatnachok (ณิชชาพัณณ์ สุขสวัสดิ์นำโชค)

From RedSpin

Praew aka Narupornkamol Chaisang (ฤภรกมล ฉายแสง)

Ryu aka Vachirawich Aranthanawong (วชิรวิชญ์ อรัญธนวงศ์)

Sorn aka Chonnasorn Sajakul (ชลนสร สัจจกุล)

Tae aka Darvid Kreepolrerk (ดาวิชญ์ กรีพลฤกษ์)

Taew aka Natapohn Tameeruks (ณฐพร เตมีรักษ์)

Tee aka Thanapon Jarujittranon (ธนพล จารุจิตรานนท์)

Third aka Lapat Ngamchaweng (ลภัส งามเชวง)

Title aka Kirati Puangmalee (กีรติ พวงมาลี)

Tor aka Thanapob Leeratanakajorn (ธนภพ ลีรัตนขจร)

Toto aka Thanadech Ophatthanyakorn (ธนเดช โอภาสธัญกร)

Vietnamese:

Amee (Trần Huyền My)

Annie (Nguyễn Thị Thu Thủy)

Bảo Anh (Nguyễn Hoài Bảo Anh) 

Bích Phương (Bùi Thị Bích Phương)

Chi Pu (Nguyễn Thùy Chi)

Cody (Võ Đình Nam)

Duc Ung (Ứng Văn Đức)

Erik (Lê Trung Thàn)

Grey-D (Đoàn Thế Lân)

Hoàng Yến Chibi

Hong Phu (Huýnh Hồng Phú )

Ivone (Bui Diệu Linh)

J (Phạm Tiến Đạt)

Key (Võ Trần Thái Trung)

Kha Ngan

Khoi My (Trần Khởi My)

K.O. (Nguyễn Thái Sơn)

Lana Condor (Trần Đông Lan)

Liz (Ngụy Thùy Linh)

Lục Huy (Lục Quang Huy)

Min (Nguyễn Minh Hằng)

Minh Hằng (Lê Ngọc Minh Hằng)

Minh Hoang (Nguyễn Minh Hoàng)

Miu Lê (Lê Ánh Nhật)

Nicky (Trần Phong Hào)

Phuong Ly (Phương Ly)

Quang Huy (An Quang Huy)

Rosy (Mai Huyền My)

Sơn Tùng M-TP (Nguyễn Thanh Tùng)

Soobin Huangshan (Nguyen Hoang Son)

Thanh Hằng (Phạm Thị Thanh Hằng)

Tóc Tiên (Nguyễn Khoa Tóc Tiên)

Toof.P (Nguyễn Lâm Hoàng Phúc)

Tùng Maru (Hồ Lê Thanh Tùng)

Yori (Lê Võ Huỳnh Nga)

Zino (Ngô Nguyên Bình)

Korean:

Ahn Hyo-seop (안효섭)

English name: Paul Ahn

Arden Cho

Bae Ju-hyun aka Irene (배주현)

Bae Suzy [or Suzy] aka Bae Su-ji (배수지)

Byun Baek-hyun aka Baekhyun (변백현)

Cho Mi Yeon aka Miyeon (조미연)

Cho Seo Young aka Ireh (조서영)

Choi Choong Hyup aka Baron (최충협)

Claudia Kim

Han Eunji aka Mia (한은지)

Han Sung Min (한성민)

Heo Yoorim aka Aisha (허유림)

Jamie Chung

Jang Eun Seong aka Dosie (장은성)

Jang Woo-young aka Ace (장우영) 

Jeon Ji-woo aka Jiwoo (전지우)

Jeon Jung-kook aka Jungkook (전정국)

Jeon So-min aka Somin (전소민)

Jeon So-yeon aka Soyeon (전소연) 

Jo Serim aka Onda (조세림) 

Jung Jae-hyun aka Jaehyun

Legal name: Jung Yoon Oh (정윤오)

Jung Ho-seok aka J-Hope (정호석)

Jung Sung Chan aka Sungchan (정성찬)

Kang Seul-gi aka Seulgi (강슬기)

Ki Hong Lee

Kim Dong-young aka Doyoung (김동영‬)

Kim Gun Hak aka Leedo (김건학)

Kim Ho-sung aka Lou (김호성)

Kim Jennie aka Jennie (김제니)

Kim Ji Soo aka Jisoo (김지수)

Kim Jin Seok (김진석) / Kim Woo Jin (김우진) aka BM

English name: Matthew Kim  

Kim Jong-in aka Kai (김종인)

Kim Jung-woo aka Jungwoo (김정우) 

Kim Nam-joon aka RM (김남준)

Kim Seok-jin aka Jin (김석진)

Kim Sihyeon aka Sihyeon (김시현)

Kim So-hyun (김소현)

Kim Soo-hyun (김수현)

Kim Tae-hyung aka V (김태형)

From BTS

Kim Tae-hyung aka J.Seph (김태형)

From K.A.R.D

Kim Tae-yeon aka Taeyeon (김태연)

Kim Ye-rim aka Yeri (김예림)

Kim Yoo-jung (김유정)

Kim Young Jo aka Ravn (김영조)

Kwon Bo-ah aka BoA (권보아)

Lee Chae-young aka Chaein (이채영) 

Lee Dong-hyuck aka Haechan (이동혁)

Lee Gun Min (이건민) aka Seoho

Legal name: Lee Seo Ho (이서호)

Lee Ji-eun aka IU (이지은 )

Lee Je-no aka Jeno (이제노)

Lee Keon Hee aka Keonhee (이건희)

Lee Min Hyung aka Mark (이민형)

English name: Mark Lee

Lee Sun-bin (이선빈)

Lee Sung-kyung (이성경 )

Lee Tae-min aka Taemin (이태민)

Lee Tae-yong aka Taeyong (이태용)

Min Yoon-gi aka Suga (민윤기)

Moon Chae-won (문채원)

Moon Geun-young (문근영)

Moon Tae-il aka Taeil (문태일)

Na Jae-min aka Jaemin (나재민)

Na Go Eun (나고은)

Noh Yoon Ho aka Ayno (노윤호)

Park Chae Young aka Rosé (박채영)

Park Hee Jun aka Ziu (박희준)

Park Ji Eun (박지은) 

Park Ji Min aka Jimin (박지민)   

Park Ji-sung aka Jisung (박지성) 

Park Jiwon aka E:U (박지원)

Park Shin-hye (박신혜)

Park So-dam (박소담)

Park Soo-young aka Joy (박수영)

Park Su-jin aka Swan (박수진)

Pony or Pony Park aka Park Hye-min

Seo Su Jin aka Soojin (서수진)

Seo Ye-ji (서예지)

Seo Young Ho aka Johnny (서영호)

English Name: John Suh 

Son Dong Ju aka Xion (손동주)

Son Seung Wan aka Wendy (손승완) 

Yeo Hwan Woong aka Hwanwoong (여환웅)

Chinese:

Bai Jingting (白敬亭)

满族

Bai Lu (白鹿)

汉族 

Cai Xukun (蔡徐坤)

汉族  

Cai Zhuo Yi aka Joey Chua (蔡卓宜)

Cao Lu (曹璐)

苗族

Cheng Mengchen aka Shen Mengchen (沈梦辰)

土家族

Curly G (希林娜依·高)

维吾尔族 

Deng Lun aka Allen Deng (邓伦)

汉族 

Dilraba Dilmurat (دىلرەبا دىلمۇرات)

Mandarin Chinese: 迪丽热巴/ 迪力木拉提

维吾尔族  

Dong Sicheng aka WinWin (董思成)

汉族 

Gulinazhaer Baihetiyaer aka Gulnazar (古力娜扎) (گۈلنەزەر بەختىيار)

Mandarin Chinese: Gulinazha/Guli Nazha (古力那扎尔·拜合提亚尔)

维吾尔族  

Fan Bingbing (范冰冰)  

汉族

Fan Chengcheng  (范丞丞)

汉族

Fernanda Ly (利献灵)

Gao Yuanyuan (高圆圆)

汉族 

Guan Xiaotong (关晓彤)

满族 

Huang Guanheng aka Hendery (黄冠亨)

汉族 

Huang Renjun aka Renjun (黄仁俊)

朝鲜族 

Jia Fu aka Fingal (付嘉)

汉族

Jia Nailiang aka Jerry Jia (贾乃亮)

汉族

Jike JuanyiJike Junyi aka Summer (吉克隽逸)

Other name:  王隽逸   

彝族

Jing Tian (景甜)

汉族 

Li Bingbing (李冰冰)

汉族 

Li Qin (李沁) 

汉族 

Li Xiaolu aka Jacqueline Li (李小璐)

汉族 

Lin Xinru aka Ruby Lin (林心如)

汉族

Liu Shishi aka Cecilia Liu (刘诗诗)

回族

Liu Yangyang aka Yangyang (刘扬扬)

汉族 

Liu Ying (刘颖) aka Ying Er (颖儿)

汉族 

Lu Han (鹿晗)

汉族 

Luo Yunxi aka Leo Luo (罗云熙)

汉族 

Ma Sichun aka Sandra Ma (马思纯)

回族 

Madina Memet (مادىنا مەمەت )

Mandarin Chinese: 麦迪娜 or 麦迪娜·买买提/ 买地娜·买买提

维吾尔族

Meng Ziyi aka Zoey (孟子义)

汉族

Merxat (米热夏提▪亚里坤)

维吾尔族

Ni Ni (倪妮)

汉族 

Ouyang Nana (欧阳娜娜)

汉族 

Qian Kun aka Kun (钱锟)

汉族 

Song Yuqi aka Yuqi (宋雨琦)

汉族 

Song Weilong (宋威龙)

汉族 

Song Zuer aka Lareina Song (宋祖儿)

汉族 

Sun Li (孙俪)

汉族 

Sun Bohao (孙博豪)

Tang Yan aka Tiffany Tang (唐嫣)

汉族 

Tang Wei (汤唯)

汉族 

Ten aka Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul (เตนล์ ชิตพล ลี้ชัยพรกุล)

Li Yong Qin (李永钦)

Ethnically Chinese 

Tian Yitong (田依桐)

Tong Liya (佟丽娅)

锡伯族 

Father: Tong Jisheng (佟吉生) of Xibe ethnicity from Xinjiang 

Mother: Mao Haiying (毛海英) of Han ethnicity from Gansu

Wang Chuanyi aka Kingone Wang (王传一)

Wang Jiaer aka Jackson Wang (王嘉尔)

Wang Likun aka Claudia Wang (王丽坤)

满族

Wang Yibo aka Yibo (王一博)

汉族 

Wang Yifei aka Faye (王一菲)

汉族 

Wang Yiren aka Yiren (王怡人)

Wang Ziyi (王子异)

Wang Zhuocheng (汪卓成)

汉族

Wu Qian aka Janice Wu (吴倩)

汉族 

Wu Tianming aka Constance Wu (吴恬敏)

Wu Xize aka Caesar Wu (吴希泽) 

汉族 

Xiao Dejun aka Xiao Jun (肖俊)

汉族 

Xiao Zhan aka Sean Xiao (肖战)

汉族 

Xu Ke (徐可)

徐可 

Yang Mi (杨幂)

汉族 

Yang Wei Ling Hua (杨魏玲花)

蒙古族

Yang Zhiying aka Katherine Yang (杨之楹)

Yang Zi aka Andy Yang (杨紫)

汉族 

Ye Shuhua aka Shuhua (叶舒华)

Yu Shuxin aka Esther Yu (虞书欣)

汉族 

Zhao Liying (赵丽颖)

汉族 

Zhang Liyin (张力尹)

彝族

Zhang Xinyuan (张辛苑)

汉族 

Zhang Yixing aka Lay/Lay Zhang (张艺兴)

汉族

Zheng Shuang (郑爽)

汉族 

Zhou Dongyu (周冬雨)

汉族 

Zhong Chenle aka Chenle (钟辰乐)

汉族 

Zhou Jieqiong aka Kyulkyung (周洁琼)

汉族

Zhu Zhengting (朱正廷)

Japanese:

Abe Haruno aka Haru (阿部春野)

Adachi Yuto aka Yuto (足立湯と)

Alice Hirose- Hirose Arisu (広瀬 アリス)

Aragaki Yui (新垣 結衣)

Hamada Asahi aka Asahi (浜田朝光)

Hirai Momo aka Momo (平井 もも)

Hirokawa Mao aka May (廣川茉音) 

Honda Hitomi aka Hitomi (本田仁美) (ほんだ ひとみ)

Ishigami Kuniko (石神 国子)

Kanemoto Yoshinori aka Yoshi (金本芳典)

Katsuno Rise aka Remi (勝野莉世) 

Kiritani Mirei (桐谷 美玲)

Birth name: Sayasa Matsuoka (松岡さや紗)

Komatsu Nana (小松 菜奈)

Lyrica Okano

Minatozaki Sana aka Sana (湊崎 紗夏)

Miyawaki Sakura aka Sakura (宮脇咲良)

Mori Koyuki aka Yuki (もうりこゆき)

Myoui Mina aka Mina (名井 南)

English name: Sharon Myoui

Nakagawa Taishi (中川大志)

Nakamoto Yuta aka Yuta (中本悠太)

Okamoto Tao (岡本 多緒)

Osaki Shotaro aka Shotaro (大崎将太郎)

Sasaki Nozomi (佐々木 希)

Satoh Takeru (佐藤 健)

Shimabukuro Satsuki  (島袋 さつき) aka Meisa Kuroki (黒木 メイサ)

Takahashi Juri aka Juri (高橋朱里) (たかはし じゅり)

Takata Mashiho aka Mashiho (高田ましほ)

Takei Emi (武井 咲) 

Watanabe Haruto aka Haruto (渡辺春虎)

Yabuki Nako aka Nako (矢吹奈子) 

Yamashita Tomohisa aka Yamapi (山下 智久)

Yamada Ryosuke (山田 涼介)

Filipino:

Angel Locsin

Birth name: Angelica Locsin Colmenares

Charo Ronquillo 

Coco Martin

Birth name: Rodel Pacheco Nacianceno

Daniel Padilla

Devon Seron

Gabbi Garcia

Birth name: Gabriella Louise Ortega Lopez

Janine Tugonon

Birth name: Janine Mari Raymundo Tugonon

JC de Vera

Julie Anne San Jose

Birth name: Julie Anne Peñaflorida San Jose

Manuel Jacinto

Rita Daniela

Birth name: Rita Daniela De Guzman Iringan

Sam Concepcion

Birth name: Samuel Lawrence Lopez Concepcion

Teresita Marquez  

Birth name: Teresita Ssen Lacsamana Márquez

Yūn/Yūki Mago

Birth name: Laya

Indonesian:

Jelita Septriasa aka Acha Septriasa

Maudy Mikha Maria Tambayong aka Mikha Tambayong

Muhammad Tulus aka Tulus

Nikita Purnama Willy aka Nikita Willy

Rachel Amanda Aurora

Rizky Febian Adriansyah Sutisna aka Rizky Febian  

Sherina Munaf

Shireen Sungkar

Yunita Rachman aka Yura Yunita 

Malaysian: 

Amber Chia 

Jordan Rodrigues

Yunalis binti Mat Zara'ai aka Yuna

Mixed: 

Aarif Rahman aka Li Zhiting (李治廷)

Of Arab, Malay, and Chinese descent

Awkwafina aka Nora Lum 

Of Korean & Chinese parentage

Mother: Korean, Father: Chinese

Bambam aka Kunpimook Bhuwakul (กันต์พิมุกต์ ภูวกุล) 

Of Chinese descent, one of his grandma is Chinese.

Belle aka Jin Hyeon Ju (진현주)

Of Korean and Filipino parentage

Mother: Filipina, Father: Korean

Brenda Song 

Of Thai & Hmong parentage

Chanmina aka Otomonai Mina (ちゃんみな)

Of Japanese and Korean parentage

Mother: Korean, Father: Japanese 

Elaiza Ikeda

Of Filipino and Japanese parentage

Mother: Filipino of Spanish descent, Father: Japanese

Haley Tju

Of Chinese and Indonesian descent

Hari Won  aka Lưu Esther 

Of Vietnamese and Korean parentage

Mother: Korean, Father: Vietnamese 

Hashimoto Tenka (橋本 甜歌)

Of Japanese and Chinese parentage

Mother: Chinese, Father: Japanese

Heart Evangelista aka Love Marie Payawal Ongpauco-Escudero

Filipina-Chinese

Lucas aka Lucas Wong/Huang Xuxi (黄旭熙)

Of Thai & Chinese parentage

Mother: Thai, Father: Chinese

Manika aka Manika Grace Ward

Part Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Malaysian, and Spanish

Nichkhun aka Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul (นิชคุณ หรเวชกุล)

Mother: Chinese, Father: Thai/Chinese descent

Takahashi Yu (高橋 ユウ) 

Of Filipino and Japanese parentage

Mother: Filipino, Father: Japanese

Tomo aka Visava Thaiyanont (วิศว ไทยานนท์)

Of Thai & Japanese parentage

Mother: Japanese, Father: Thai

Yuki Anggraini Kato 

Of Japanese and Indonesian parentage

More resources: 

https://kprofiles.com/

https://mydramalist.com/

https://www.celebsfacts.com/

https://ethnicelebs.com/

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@/ kpopfcs- Tumblr

@/ japanesefcs- Tumblr

@/ herorps- Tumblr

@/ rphlix- Tumblr

@/ h4nb1ns- Tumblr

Check Wikipedias (+ their sources) that are in other languages.  Google translate them or ask for help to translate/read it.

Disclaimer---> tw: weight for Italicized bolded sites

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break, ch. 16

Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī & Wēn Qíng, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn

Characters: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Wēn Qíng, Wēn Níng | Wēn Qiónglín, Granny Wēn, Lán Yuàn | Lán Sīzhuī, Wēn Remnants, Wen Meilin (OC), Fourth Uncle, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Jiang Yanli, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin

Additional Tags: Pre-Slash, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Secrets, Crying, Masks, Soulmates, Truth, Self-Esteem Issues, Regret, It was supposed to be a one-shot, Fix-It, Eventual Relationships, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, wwx needs a hug, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Filial Piety, Handfasting, Phobias, Sleeping Together, Fear, Panic Attacks, Love Confessions, Getting Together, First Kiss, Kissing, Boys Kissing, Family, and they were married, Bathing/Washing, Hair Braiding, Hair Brushing, Feels, Sex Education, Implied Sexual Content, First Time, Aftercare, Morning After, Afterglow, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Torture, Scars, Eventual Happy Ending, Hand Jobs, Chronic Pain, Biting, Conversations, Self-Sacrifice, POV Third Person, POV Lan WangJi

Summary: The Jiang siblings visit the Burial Mounds. Feels are had.

Warning: Involves bugs as food. For Notes, see end.

AO3 link

Chapters:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

------------------

Lan Wangji is unsurprised, and somewhat relieved, when Wen Qing takes one look at Wei Ying upon their return to the Burial Mounds and tells him to go take a nap with A-Yuan.

His husband had already been swaying dangerously in the Yiling market when they had bought supplies, and had tried to insist Jiang Yanli ride in the cart while he walk, though he had quickly been overruled when Wen Ning, of all people, pointed out they could both ride comfortably if someone had a qiankun pouch for their purchases. Jiang Wanyin had pulled one from his sleeve, one that seemed oddly full, and Wen Ning helped place their purchases in it.

“Get in the damn cart, moron,” the Jiang sect leader said when Wei Ying hesitated.

“A-Xian, come ride with me,” Jiang Yanli coaxed, taking his arm and steering him to it herself.

Wei Ying was exhausted enough to fall asleep on her shoulder, despite the bumpy ride, on the way back, A-Yuan snuggled in his sister’s arms. He doesn’t look particularly refreshed when they have to wake him.

Despite his exhaustion, Wei Ying still tries to argue against a nap, eying his siblings, clearly considering their visit more important than his health. Lan Wangji finds his disregard for his own well-being concerning, but is well aware it isn’t unusual, just something they need to break him of. 

“I told them,” he says. “In town. I bet they have questions, and—”

“I can answer their questions, Wei Wuxian!” she cuts in. “I performed the surgery, after all. You’re delegating the task to me and going to take a nap before I bring out the needles—don’t think I won’t knock you out.”

The mention of her needles clearly cows him, but he still seems hesitant. 

“It’s our turn to take care of things,” Jiang Wanyin says, not looking at him. “You’ve done enough, Wei Wuxian.”

“More than enough,” Jiang Yanli murmurs, and reaches forward to pull him into a gentle hug. “Let us take care of our A-Xian, hm?”

Wei Ying seems frozen for a moment in the embrace, but relaxes into it. Lan Wangji can see him tremble as he hugs her back, and he knows, for the moment, they’ve won. It’s a small triumph, but at this point he’ll take it. 

“Okay, shijie,” he says finally. “Xianxian will take a nap with Yuanyuan.”

She lets him go and pats his cheek in a way that reminds Lan Wangji of his mother when he was very young. 

A-Yuan insists on giving his guma a hug before he lets Wei Ying take his hand and lead him toward the cave. 

“Go with him,” Wen Qing insists, to his surprise. 

It must show somehow, because she sighs. 

“I told you when you came: you take care of him. That’s your job. I’ll take care of this—I wrote Jiang-guniang, after all.”

Lan Wangji nods, privately relieved his presence isn’t required for this conversation. He bows to each of them before leaving, including Wen Qing as a thank you even though it makes her huff in embarrassment. 

As he takes longer strides to catch up with Wei Ying, he can hear Jiang Yanli speak to Wen Qing in a sweet voice that is likely terrifying up close in how it utterly fails to hide her ferocious protectiveness of her beloved adoptive brother—he mentally wishes Wen Qing luck. 

He picks up A-Yuan and gets a startled glance from Wei Ying, who is not quite to the point of barely standing, but close enough that Lan Wangji wraps his free arm around him to steady him as they make their way to the cave. 

A-Yuan babbles sleepily about having a new aunt and uncle, having been largely unaffected by the tension in town, and before long they’re both tucked in. Wei Ying doesn’t bother removing his boots, so Lan Wangji does it for him. 

Before he can rise, Wei Ying reaches out for him, his eyes half-lidded as he’s already being pulled toward sleep, in what Lan Wangji recognizes as a plea for him to stay, to sit on the bed and let him be close as he sleeps. After the stress of the afternoon on his husband, he is happy to oblige, happy Wei Ying would ask, even silently, for his support. 

“I will stay,” he tells him, settling beside him on the bed, letting Wei Ying tuck close and use his thigh as a pillow. 

Not to be left out, A-Yuan clambers over them and settles curled between them against Wei Ying’s stomach, his face pressed into the front of his robe as he falls asleep. Lan Wangji draws the blanket up over both of them.

He has used the table near the bed both as a desk and to play the guqin, so it is no trouble to carefully stack the papers next to the bed and slide the inkstone back so he can pull out Wangji.

Wei Ying lets out a soft sigh, the tension leaving his body, as he starts ‘WuJi.’ The song has been a comfort to his husband, he knows, when he himself failed to be, and he hopes to soon work on a new song, something that will capture the joy he finds in their marriage. The circumstances in which they and the people Wei Ying rescued live are less than ideal, and he wishes he could take him from this place of darkness and the memories of the horror he still cannot speak of, but they are together, and that is much preferable to being alone in the Cloud Recesses. 

Before long, Wei Ying is asleep, and he segues into songs of cleansing and healing. Without a golden core, without Wen Qing’s needles, the latter has little impact—but little isn’t none, and he is still recovering. Every little bit helps, and after the stress of the day, he helps the only way he can, aside from serving as Wei Ying’s pillow. 

He loses himself in the music, coming close to a meditative state as he plays. Time passes like sand through fingers before he hears hesitant steps enter the cave. 

Lan Wangji pauses in his playing, recognizing two sets of footsteps, one the shuffling gait of Wen Ning, and the other softer. He is unsurprised when Jiang Yanli is the second set. 

He is also unsurprised to see her face wet with tears. 

Wen Ning offers her a short bow, then hefts the bathtub from their alcove as he does daily, kindly bringing fresh water and herbs for Wei Ying to use at night. He nods to him in thanks. 

Jiang Yanli returns Wen Ning’s bow, and his esteem of her rises—many failed to give that respect to him in life, and more would likely refuse to now that he is a corpse, spiritual conscious or not. But Wei Ying’s sister recognizes him as he is: family. 

Though the reverberation of the strings has ceased, the motion of stilling them is a comfort to Lan Wangji as he waits for her to speak. She watches her brother sleep for a while. 

“Wen-guniang… She said he’s in pain,” she finally says. 

Lan Wangji nods to confirm. 

“That he’s been in pain since— since the war, and we didn’t…”

More tears spill down her cheeks, and he knows if Wei Ying were awake he would spring to comfort her. 

“He hid it,” he tells her softly. “You could not have known.”

She makes a sound that is almost pained. 

“I raised him. I knew something was wrong, and I didn’t—“

Jiang Yanli presses her fist against her mouth. 

“I led him to believe I disdained him and wished for him to be punished,” Lan Wangji says.

His failure to communicate had led to the strain of their relationship, to the point where Wei Ying had questioned whether he was still his zhiji, and he will forever regret letting him walk away into the darkness and rain even after that. He empathizes with her completely.

She is silent for a while before she nods.

“Wen-guniang has an idea,” she says. “She said Zewu-Jun pointed out that there is a life debt among our generation. The six of us, A-Xuan, and Nie Huaisang. An auspicious eight. Swearing brotherhood… It could protect A-Xian, and the people here.”

Xiongzhang had hinted at it, and Lan Wangji is glad Wen Qing is furthering the possibility.

“It would tie together the four sects, and the remnants of the Dafan Wen,” he adds, thinking aloud. 

“A-Cheng pointed out that the lotus blossom has eight petals,” she says, smiling wistfully. “He and A-Xian used to talk about being the Twin Prides of Yunmeng. It seems almost like a sign.”

Lan Wangji is struck silent at the idea; the eight auspicious signs are almost sacred, and the imagery would be iconic. The imagery was prevalent at temples—the eternal wheel of life, the endless knot, the conch, the parasol, the lotus… 

The noble eightfold path, an expansion of the threefold way.

Almost implying an expansion of the Venerated Triad, and associating Wei Ying with the noble path regardless of his cultivation.

“Apt,” he says when he finally finds his voice.

“I’ll talk to A-Xuan,” she says, her voice distant. “I know he and A-Xian didn’t get off on the right foot, but he knows I love my didi.”

“Xiongzhang is bringing Chifeng-Zun and Nie Huaisang to see the settlement after your wedding,” Lan Wangji tells her. “I am certain Wen Qing will broach the topic of a sworn brotherhood with them then.”

Jiang Yanli sways slightly, and he panics for a moment; if he needs to move to catch her, it will jostle and wake Wei Ying, and he needs the rest. But she steadies herself, and he is able to gesture to a chair instead, and she takes a seat.

“Hanguang-Jun, since you are my brother’s husband, I wondered if I might call you A-Zhan.”

The request to use his birth name surprises him—xiongzhang had only requested to call Wei Ying by his courtesy name—but she seems earnest about wanting to welcome him to the family. 

“Of course. May I call you… A-Li?”

A smile blossoms across her face, and she nods, looking pleased. 

Then Wei Ying murmurs in his sleep and their attention snaps to him. Lan Wangji strokes his hair gently, letting his fingers brush his scalp in a way he knows soothes him. He settles almost instantly, but he doesn’t stop his ministrations. 

Jiang Yanli, when he next looks up, is watching with a bittersweet look on her face. 

“I used to do that for him,” she says softly, “when he had nightmares. Until he started hiding them.”

Lan Wangji doesn’t know what to say, so only nods. He understands her sense of helplessness, knowing Wei Ying is adept at hiding his pain, would still be hiding it if not for having pulled his wrist away a second too late. 

“I wish he was coming to my wedding,” she confesses, her voice breaking. “He belongs there. But they’d try to kill him.”

He cannot disagree with either statement. Wei Ying should be there, as one of her last remaining family members, even if he did not share her blood, but it would never be permitted. Not now. Not until the plan xiongzhang implied to Wen Qing is put into motion.

But by then she will be married, the wedding over, and Wei Ying will not have been permitted to attend.

“You have done what you can to include him,” he tells her, hoping to soothe her. “He did not expect this much.”

It seems to have the opposite effect, tears lining her cheeks again.

“He never expects anything of us,” she whispers. “Mother made him feel undeserving, like he should feel grateful for any scrap. I try not to hate her for it, but…”

Lan Wangji can understand how she feels, has seen the marks from Zidian on Wei Ying, still healing when he gave his core to his brother, something he has probably hidden from his sister even through everything. And he knows Wei Ying feels he deserves those marks, believing the fall of Lotus Pier to be of his doing. The emotional damage goes far deeper. 

“We can only assure him he deserves more,” he says after a moment. “And be sure to give it to him.”

He has been trying to do so, but it never feels like enough to make up for abandoning him at Qiongqi Path, for failing to join him on the righteous path, even if it is the single-plank one, for making his zhiji believe he reviled him. He understands how Jiang Yanli feels—though perhaps she feels it more deeply, or at least differently, as the person who basically raised him. 

Footsteps approach from the cave entrance, Wen Ning with the tub filled with fresh water, something he has insisted upon doing since it was purchased. At some point during each day, he cleans and fills it, even preparing a fresh sachet of herbs to help Wei Ying recover. Truthfully, even with Lan Wangji’s arm strength he doubts he could lift it as easily as the fierce corpse is able, and he is grateful for his thoughtfulness. 

“Than—thank you for waiting, Jiang-guniang,” he says after setting it down. “Popo is waiting to help us in the k-kitchen with preparing dinner.”

Jiang Yanli favors him with a smile. 

“Thank you, Wen-gongzi.”

“Ah, you c-can just call me Wen Ning,” he says, looking flustered as he often does when people offer respect to him. 

“Then you must call me Jiang Yanli.”

Wen Ning looks like he might protest, but she turns to Lan Wangji before he can, dipping into a proper and respectful bow. 

“A-Zhan, thank you for taking care of A-Xian. It is…”

Her voice cracks, emotions nearly overcoming her again. It takes her a moment to recover. 

“It is a relief to know someone else is here for him when I cannot be. I entrust him to your care.”

The formality, Lan Wangji realizes, is her approval of their union. Warmth spreads through him at her acceptance. 

“However,” she says, a slight smile on her face that is also somehow fierce. “I think you will agree with me that A-Xian deserves a real wedding, at Lotus Pier, as soon as it is possible.”

The image of Wei Ying sitting on a bed in Nightless City in his red underrobes, the joy of his waking mixing with the wish they were wedding robes… that Jiang Yanli wants to ensure they receive that, that their union can be celebrated, if belatedly, in the way Wei Ying deserves to be honored. 

“Yes,” he says softly. “I agree.”

She nods, clearly pleased.

“It will happen, A-Zhan; I’ll make sure of it.”

Lan Wangji has absolutely no doubt she will. 

She leaves with Wen Ning, and he remembers her intention to cool the soup Wei Ying so loves for the settlement. It will be a welcome meal for them all.

Though he could resume playing, Lan Wangji opts to sink into a meditative state instead, waiting. He doesn’t need to wait long, as footsteps that are almost stomps approach and enter the cave.

He is ready to stare at Jiang Wanyin disapprovingly, but the steps hesitate, becoming uncertain, on the way to the alcove. 

“He’s still resting,” Lan Wangji says before he can speak. 

Jiang Wanyin’s face does something strange, going soft for a moment as he gazes at his brother and nephew, the top of A-Yuan’s head just visible poking out from beneath the blanket. Then his expression shutters.

“He needs the rest, then?” he asks.

“Mn. He is recovering. He also was giving most of his food to A-Yuan before I arrived. He is finally eating properly.”

The muscles in the Jiang sect leader’s jaw clench, working as though he’s stopping himself from saying something—or, more likely, yelling.

“He always gives too much,” Jiang Wanyin says finally. 

Lan Wangji nods; he agrees with that assessment. 

“I want to bring him back to Lotus Pier.”

The announcement is unexpected, and he reconsiders his assessment of the man. 

“He will not leave these people.”

“I know that. The Wens too, of course.”

“They do not wish to be known as Wens,” Lan Wangji tells him, and watches Wei Ying sleep for a moment to be certain he won’t hear before continuing. “I believe they hope to take on Wei as a family name. They have not broached the subject with Wei Ying yet.”

Jiang Wanyin sits heavily in the chair his sister vacated, sighing. 

“He’ll do that thing. Where he belittles himself,” he says, his voice rough. “It’s like he believes all the awful things a-niang said about him.”

Because he does believe them, Lan Wangji is well aware. His anger at a dead woman is unbecoming, but it will likely never fade. She trained Wei Ying to see himself as worthless, as a charity case, when he was one of the best cultivators of their generation. Even without his core, he was still inventing tools to help the cultivation world that slanders and wishes him dead. 

“Not that I’m much better. He’s my brother and I fucking abandoned him,” Jiang Wanyin mutters. “And I accused him of abandoning me, on top of it. When—when he left a big piece of himself with me to protect me.”

It occurs to Lan Wangji that perhaps both Jiang Wanyin and Jiang Yanli suffered their own childhood traumas associated with bad parenting, that this is perhaps just a variation of that which has led Wei Ying down his path of self-destruction through giving too much, through not valuing himself. His own troubled upbringing led him to value his clan and the Lan rules over his zhiji, to believe his identity must be tied up in being a perceived paragon of Lan virtue above all else. Theirs led to Wei Ying’s isolation as well. 

“You had no way of knowing,” he says. “Now that you know, you are trying to help him.”

What they do now does not absolve them of their wrongs, but it is a start. 

Jiang Wanyin’s jaw clenches again, then releases when he sighs. 

“I can’t undo the shitty stuff I said to him. You’ll come to Lotus Pier with him, right?”

“Of course,” Lan Wangji says, surprised that’s in question. “He’s my husband.”

He receives a nod in response.

“He’ll need bigger quarters, then, for you and A-Yuan. I could give him a-niang’s old quarters, but I don’t know if he’d want to live where she did. He deserves them as my head disciple, so maybe if I remodel them…”

Jiang Wanyin seems to be thinking out loud. 

“Wei Ying is still your head disciple?” he asks, having not realized. 

“Yeah,” Jiang Wanyin says, then grimaces. “I never took him off the register. Kicking him out was for show, because he insisted. He never stopped being head disciple, but he probably doesn’t realize that.”

He likely doesn’t, knowing Wei Ying. Wei Ying, who still believes himself responsible for the fall of Lotus Pier, for the deaths that were a part of it. Even being head disciple, there will be much he cannot do, lacking a golden core. 

“I can help with his duties,” Lan Wangji offers impulsively. 

Jiang Wanyin blinks at him, startled, then smiles in a way that makes him look painfully young.

“Appreciated. He’ll… Well, he’ll need help with some of it. At least until Wen Qing figures out a way to help him.”

Lan Wangji realizes the Jiang sect leader is still hoping there’s a solution, that Wei Ying will again achieve the impossible. 

“She’s going to make a list of things she’ll need to get started,” Jiang Wanyin continues. “And I’ll work to get ahold of them.”

A-Yuan stirs before Lan Wangji can reply. 

“Loud,” he murmurs. “A-Die sleeping, shhhh.”

He wriggles his way out from under the blanket, somehow managing not to disturb Wei Ying as he does, then crawls off the bed.

“Jiang-shushu loud.” 

His voice is pitched in an almost theatrical whisper, and Jiang Wanyin snorts in amusement. 

“Okay,” he whispers back, also theatrical. “Let’s leave your a-die to sleep and go find guma, then.”

A-Yuan glances back at Wei Ying, then at Lan Wangji, who nods encouragingly. Then he turns back to Jiang Wanyin and holds his arms up expectantly. 

Jiang Wanyin stands, pulling A-Yuan into his arms as he does. 

“I’ll watch the kid. It looks like everyone else is busy right now.”

Lan Wangji simply nods in response. A-Yuan chatters softly to his uncle as they make their way out of the cave, leaving him alone with Wei Ying.

Jiang Wanyin’s absence is a relief. He finds it difficult still not to resent him for his choice to abandon Wei Ying, for the fact that Wei Ying’s core now rests within him, even for his desperate hope that his brother will somehow heal enough to form a new one. In far too many ways, it’s not enough, just as anything Lan Wangji does now cannot make up for his own failures.

He reminds him of Wei Ying’s mortality, as unfair as that may be.

Resentment will help nothing, may even be exacerbated now by the Burial Mounds, so Lan Wangji works to focus instead on the sensation of Wei Ying’s hair against his fingers, the weight of his head on his thigh, his soft breaths, and he is eventually able to fall into a sort of meditation until Wen Qing comes to fetch them.

“Jiang-zongzhu set up the tablets for the adoption rites, so we can start with those,” she tells Wei Ying once he’s awake.

Wei Ying stares at her blearily for a moment.

“Adopting A-Yuan,” Lan Wangji prompts gently. 

Wen Qing gives him a disapproving look. 

“He’s very excited, and your siblings can serve as witnesses.”

“Right. Sorry. Been a long day,” Wei Ying murmurs, then glances at Lan Wangji. “It’s still today, right?”

Lan Wangji brushes a lock of hair back from his face. 

“Mm. You slept only a few hours.”

Wei Ying melts into his touch, and he leans forward to brush his lips against his forehead. Wen Qing clears her throat and drops a bundle on the bed.

“Your sister also made Jiang-zongzhu go back into town and buy nice clothing for you and A-Yuan for the adoption rites.”

She indicates the bundle.

“So hurry up and get changed. She cooked up a feast, and everyone’s hungry. I think she’s determined to give you a proper wedding banquet.”

Wen Qing, ever brusque, turns on her heel and leaves before either of them can respond.

Wei Ying opens the bundle on the bed, blinking at the high quality clothing. The fabric, at a glance, looks black, but has threadwork in a deep blue and purple. It sends a message from Jiang Wanyin: Wei Ying is of the Jiang sect still. A red underrobe, new zhong yi, a red silk hair ribbon embroidered with little pink lotuses, and even new boots complete the package.

“Aiya, Jiang Cheng… How can I wear these?”

“You were not removed from the sect registry. He insists you are still his head disciple. 

“Oh,” Wei Ying breathes, taking a heavy seat on the bed, clearly overwhelmed. 

Lan Wangji wonders if he should tell Wei Ying the rest—that Jiang Wanyin intends to bring everyone at Burial Mounds to Lotus Pier permanently when it is feasible. But he will leave that to the Jiang sect leader. 

Instead he opens his qiankun pouch and pulls out the light blue robes he arrived wearing, which he hasn’t worn in days. If dinner is in part for them, he should dress appropriately, as well.

Changing takes little time, though Lan Wangji has Wei Ying sit for his hair to be combed and put back in its crown, as it came loose as he slept. 

The entire settlement is waiting for them in the hall when they enter, and though only Wen Qing has seen an official adoption rite, she demurs from describing it. 

“It was Wen Zhuliu’s, so it feels like bad luck to copy it,” she says when pressed. 

None of them argue. 

“We should have seen an adoption rite,” Jiang Wanyin mutters. 

Wei Ying seems not to have heard, focused on A-Yuan. He takes the child’s hand and leads him to the space where someone has set up an altar with his parents’ tablets, complete with sticks of incense and food offerings: three cups holding tea, water, and Jifu’s fruit wine, plates with small stacks of oranges and sweets. A fire burns in a small brazier in front of the altar, a stack of joss paper set nearby. 

For a moment, Wei Ying is completely silent, looking at the altar as though struck. 

Jiang Yanli breaks the silence. 

“You’ve never been able to venerate them,” she murmurs.

Lan Wangji understands suddenly: there was no place set for Wei Ying’s parents’ tablets at Lotus Pier, and so his husband has never been able to properly pay them respects—cruel, given their bodies were never found to begin with. 

“Thank you, shijie.”

His voice is heavy with emotion, and he kneels and gestures to A-Yuan to do the same. 

Wei Ying keeps it simple, first apologizing for being unable to do his filial duty for them, kowtowing before them. A-Yuan copies him dutifully, and this receives smiles from the others. 

“A-Die, a-niang, I want to introduce my son to you, Wei Yuan. He may not share my blood, but he is your sunzi. I ask you to help me protect and guide him, if you are able. This one will do a better job honoring you in the future.”

He murmurs something to A-Yuan, who bows as best he can.

“Wei Yuan greets yeye and nainai. A-Yuan will burn joss and incense and clean your altar. A-Yuan promises to be filial.”

They light the incense using the brazier, then burn joss together, letting the paper fall into the flame piece by piece.

Lan Wangji longs to join them, to thank Wei Ying’s parents for bringing him into the world, and Wei Ying turns to him as though hearing those thoughts. When his husband gestures, he steps forward to take his place kneeling beside him. 

“A-Die, a-niang, I also want to introduce you to my husband,” Wei Ying says, blushing as though they’ve not been wed over a week. “We completed our bows, but not before your tablets.”

They bow together, three times again.

“Fuqin, muqin, thank you for Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji says, bowing one last time alone. “I promise to honor him, and to protect him and Wei Yuan.”

They burn the remaining joss together, as a family, before standing. 

Jiang Yanli rushes forward to hug Wei Ying, who pulls Lan Wangji and A-Yuan into it. There’s a warmth to it that he isn’t used to, his own family reserved, and it surprises him as much as xiongzhang’s hug did. 

“Ah, I have a new didi and an adorable zizhi!” she says happily, then pulls at their arms as she releases them from the embrace. “We prepared a nice meal to celebrate, come!”

The tables are covered in dishes, the serving bowls and platters clearly heated by talismans to keep the food at an ideal temperature. 

“The guests of honor fill their plates first,” popo says insistently, clicking her tongue when Wei Ying gestures for her to go ahead. “A-Xian is still too thin!”

Wei Ying startles at the affectionate address and she smiles and pats his arm. 

Lan Wangji steps forward first, recognizing the futility of refusing popo’s demand. There is a bowl with chili sauce on the table, likely Wei Ying’s favorite kind. The dishes range from the familiar—the lotus root and pork rib soup he was introduced to earlier in a huge tureen, braised pork belly with mushrooms and bok choy, tea eggs, fried radish cakes, baozi, cucumber salad, sautéed dock root and millet with Sichuan peppercorns that would make his mouth numb—to the unfamiliar. He recognizes noodles cooked with what looks like water spinach and shaved carrot, mixed with, upon closer look, crisp-fried silkworm pupae. 

He doesn’t realize Wei Ying is beside him until he makes an intrigued noise. 

“Where did we get those? Shijie, did you bring them?”

“A-Ning found a copse of mulberry a few nights ago,” Wen Qing tells them. “He brought the silkworm cocoons to the aunties to unwind so we can sell the silk. He harvested the berries, too.”

“We—we cooked them with d-dessert,” Wen Ning adds. 

Though he is aware that silkworm pupae are commonly sold at market when silk is harvested, Lan Wangji has never had occasion to try them. Despite the fact that silk is harvested by the GusuLan weavers and used in robes for the clan, the production is kept out of the Cloud Recesses because the cocoons are boiled to extract the intact silk, killing the pupae in the process, and killing any creature, even an insect, is prohibited within the bounds of the Cloud Recesses. Presumably the pupae are sold in Caiyi, but meat is not a staple in his home. 

But he was raised not to be a picky eater, and insects are a viable source of protein, something sorely needed by the people living here. Wei Ying seems content to serve himself and A-Yuan a large helping, so Lan Wangji does the same, placing a wide variety of dishes on his own plate to sample, but avoiding the chili sauce for the sake of his palate. 

“I put in fewer peppercorns than I usually do,” Jiang Yanli murmurs to him. “I know you like milder dishes.”

He nods his thanks, and lets her press a bowl of soup into his free hand. 

She follows him with two more to place before Wei Ying and A-Yuan, then pinches her brother’s cheek as though he’s a child. 

“Eat the whole plate, Xianxian, and then you’ll get dessert.”

He is quietly pleased when Wei Ying plays along with a bright smile. 

“But what if Xianxian wants more?”

She leans forward and kisses his brow like a mother might. 

“Xianxian can have as much as he wants. Popo and Wen Ning helped me cook plenty. And dessert is mulberry millet pudding sweetened with honey, so I know you’ll like it.”

Then she turns to A-Yuan and favors him with the same treatment. 

“You too. Eat plenty so you can grow big and strong.”

“A-Die plants me with the radishes so I will!” A-Yuan says proudly, and those within earshot laugh. 

Jiang Yanli’s laughter is not unlike the gentle ringing of the bells the Jiang sect wears at their belts. She turns to him, patting his shoulder affectionately. 

“A-Zhan as well. Your strength is important. More than three bowls if you want.”

The reference to the rules of the Cloud Recesses is nostalgic, but not in a painful way. It is more a reminder that he will now uphold the rules as he sees fit, now that his home is Wei Ying. 

They are surrounded by familiar chatter, the smell of food of a more quality fare than any at the Burial Mounds have had in some time, and the warmth of family. 

He hopes this can be the sort of happiness that awaits them for some time.

----------------

In my culture, generally we don’t eat insects/bugs and often find it intrinsically disgusting. I’ve never eaten insects/bugs. However, my biases are not applicable to the culture I am writing into. My understanding from friends is that there are many insects and arachnids commonly eaten in China. A close friend of mine has eaten ant eggs, grasshoppers, and other insects. Another has mentioned tacos that involve insects as a common ingredient in Mexico. In China, markets often have fried scorpions on a stick, grasshoppers, and many other insects as street food for purchase.

Given life on the Burial Mounds involves a lot of scraping by, I’d imagine some of their meals involve insects, which culturally wouldn’t be unusual. Likely if there were insects in the Burial Mounds, eating them helped Wei Wuxian survive them. They’d be an important source of protein.

While silkworm pupae are often fried in peanut oil and eaten on skewers or like nuts, from my research, my friend believed the dish I concocted in here was believable. (I also researched what the taste and texture is, but decided not to include it.) She also said the dessert of mulberry millet pudding is something eaten in southern China, which I didn’t know—I just knew it sounded like it’d be delicious.

In terms of the millet, meta discussions of MDZS have involved the fact that millet was likely more common (and less expensive) than rice at rough time of the setting, so I included that.

My friend was kind enough to read for cultural sensitivity regarding the auspicious eight, adoption rites, and ancestor veneration, so I hope they read well. This is a chapter I was particularly worried about because of the cultural aspects, and I hope it reads well.

[dreamingsushi]

More than Blue (2018)

So it’s been a long time I wanted to watch that movie, because I like both the main actors and because I don’t know.  It seems like a movie which will make me cry and I love crying over a movie, that’s all what I live for.  And I really love the theme song of the movie by A-Lin, so it was just about time that I watch it and here I am.  On the side, I am also watching Before we get married, so it will be nice to see Jasper Liu in another character.  Sheet mask is on, blankets are out -- it’s cold at night -- what is full, time to press the play button!

The movie starts with A-Lin recording a song, but she can’t keep on going because of the lyrics : it’s impossible for her to put in her feelings, so she doesn’t want to sing.  On the drive, her driver make her and her manager listen to a demo song that has not been published yet.  They immediately fall in love with it and go to seek the writer of that song.  But only to be disappointed because that person, Cream, already is impossible to reach anymore, neither the singer Zhang Zhekai, because he already died.

Cream (Song Yuanyuan) and K (Zhang Zhekai) were highschool classmates and from their first encounter on were always together since they had so much in common.  For K, it was love at first sight, for Cream, we don’t know, but anyways they go to college together and they naturally end up living together.  I loved how it’s Cream that kissed him first.  It changes from the clichés, it made me happy, and it was so cute to see K being hesitant, like in a wonder if he really could deserve that happiness.

Oh no... Even at the beginning, he knows he can’t stay with her forever because he has a disease.  I am already heart broken.  They are really cute together.  Cream is a songwriter and he works at the same company, I think he must be a artistic director or something like that?  Anyways, he deals with the artists, I am really not too familiar with the music industry.  Because of his disease, he often faints and feels dizzy, but he tries to keep it a secret from Cream.  And I just LOOOOOVE Cream, she is so cute and he knows so well how to take care of her.  It’s only been half an hour.  I don’t want to keep watching.  I regret everything.  I don’t like crying, I don’t like feeling heart broken like that.

It just breaks my heart.  Okay, I will write this again and again.  He tells her his wish is for her to get married to a good man, which would mean a healthy guy.  He wants to keep her to himself so much but he knows it will break her heart if he allows it to happen.  SO SAD.

Bonnie -- an artist singing one of Cream’s song -- was curious about K and Cream’s relationship, only to be shocked by learning that they lived together for a little more than 10 years and are still not dating, never slept together.  Because it’s obvious that Cream has feelings for K.  So she advices to go date someone else and make him jealous.  I DON’T LIKE THIS.  Jealousy is not a good way to win back someone.  This is wrong, don’t listen to her, please...

So at Lisa’s party she meets a dentist, the next day she’s in his office for a dental check and she blurts out that she wants to know him.  When she tells the news to (omg I almost wrote Kehuan, I have to be careful haha), so when she tells this to K, he asks Bonnie’s manager to make a check up on that guy.  HE IS JUST SO CUTE!  I want to pinch his cheeks.  Well, the dentist is actually engaged to some Cindy which is a very well known photographer and she has had some affairs.  So K sends the pictures to the dentist (I promise I will catch up with his name sometime) and they end up fighting.  How does Cindy knows it’s all K’s work?  I don’t know, but she’s really not happy with him.  Even though she beat him, he still goes and he begs her to break up with her boyfriend because Cream fell in love with him (that being the dentist).  She finally agrees on one condition : since K is going to die, she wants him to be her model for an exposition about death.  That’s creepy.  He leaves without agreeing, but I am sur he will T_________T

Well he did.  And you know, it’s breaking my heart, because I think... I think Cindy actually really likes Yang Youxian, but she’s a kind person and accepted because K’s story is so pitiful.  And that is sad for Youxian too because, it’s obvious that Cream is interested in him just to make K confess his feelings.  She brough Youxian to the filming of Bonnie,s MV and you can by the looks she glances at K that she’s waiting for him to have some reaction, to be unhappy or something.  This is so heartbreaking.  Why won’t he just tell her about his condition?  I know he’s her only family and to lose him as her boyfriend would be painful, but he will still die in the end.  She’ll still hurt so much.  Guys are so stupid sometimes.

Okay, so in the end, maybe Cream indeeds like Youxian since she’s getting married to him.  She even asks K to pick her wedding dress with her.  This is so painful.  I’m actually already crying.  I hurt so much for K.  What would I do if the person I liked wanted me to choose their wedding dress? (that wouldn’t really happen because I should be the one wearing one, but still I can imagine the pain) 

He arranges with Cindy for her to send in his stead a cactus to Cream every year for three years, after that she shouldn’t even notice that he’s gone.  I have to stop watching, this is so sad and I just can’t help but wanting to cry, but it’s stuck in my chest.

K is the one to walk Cream down the aisle to the alter.  This is so painful.  I can’t stand it.  I don’t like where this is going.

She knew all along.  She played the game to make him happy.  Because for both of them, the happiness of the other was more important.  She used Youxiu to make K happy.  But then, when he dies, she kills herself.  This is so sad.  I can’t stop crying.  I knew the end of the movie, I knew the whole story but I didn’t think I would cry so bad.

This is definitely the saddest movie I ever saw in my whole life, it’s even sadder than Love Story.  The acting was so good, the story too.  It’s so dumb, they could have at least shared a little bit of happiness together, they wanted the same things.  This is too sad.  I have nothing more to say.

This movie is it.  The music, the acting, the cinematography, the story.  All about this movie is beautiful.  So beautiful that it is painful.

I recommend watching this movie, but prepare also a box of tissues.  You will need it.

[terminusantequem]

Song Yuanyuan (Chinese, b. 1981), Poet, 2014. Oil on canvas, 160 x 210 cm

[fyeahcindie]

Listen/purchase: Yuanyuan-大象圓圓 by Lele

A couple of cuties from 麗麗 / LELE 王紫蓓 aka Lele Wang =D

This is the only song on her bandcamp, and I think it is also her most recent single. (The ‘release date’ is listed as July 2018, but it’s been around for a couple of years; there’s version at StreetVoice from 2016)

Let’s go back to her Animals’ Party ep of 2015 for this one:

Lele&DanDan的動物園 Every song on Animals’ Party is sweet.  =D

More listening links: Lele Karaoke YouTube (lots of ukulele cover tutorials),  KKBOX

[psikonauti]

Song Yuanyuan (Chinese, b. 1981)

The Entrance of Palace 宫殿入口, 2018

Oil on canvas

[architectnews]

WAA Riverside Gastropub, Chaoyang, Beijing

WAA Riverside Gastropub Chaoyang, Beijing Restaurant Architecture, Fon Studio Chinese City Design Photos

WAA Riverside Gastropub, Chaoyang

3 November 2021

Architects: Fon Studio

Location: Beijing, Northern China

Photos by Fon Studio

WAA Riverside Gastropub Space Design

There are many kinds of catering brands in Beijing Liangmaqiao area, young entrepreneurs have gathered here for new business during recent years. WAA is a space with the business format of creative food and craft beer, based on a flexible site, customers dining here compose of various scenarios.

Interestingly, the restaurant is located in a special building block across the Liangma river, with a independent and open deck terrace which has naturally become a precious resource of the store.

The first challenge is brought by the composite shape of building body, containing the “European” style building and square box at the entrance. On the other hand, the irregular layout makes the structural columns numerous and the natural light disordered, though interior space height is enough.

With the brand’s new product thinking and the river close to the site, we try to respond with geometric form to create a moderate spatial dynamics. In the environment based on dark tone, the space changes horizontally and vertically run through the beginning and end, so that people can have a rich viewing experience at the time of dining and drinking.

The box at the entrance is the boundary of time&space between inside and outside, with a slowly turning channel leads people indoors, then a partition forms a seat area for multi person dinners near the window. The area of kitchen, brewing and bar are classified as an overall interface, but showing different states. Among them, the kitchen uses a green round window to show the cooking scene inside, and also an interesting interaction added on the dark stone wall.

In the core dining area, the stacked ceiling shape and lights point to the raised area on the west side to reconnect the originally separated site. In order to weaken the volume sense of the columns, we use coatings with different textures to unify the turning top surface with them, and match the desktop designed in the same way to form a semi open enclosed space.

The beverage bar’s facade is made of wood and stainless steel, which spans the main dining area and raised area. While strengthening the integrity, it also forms a bar seating area of two heights. The background is a fully transparent brewing area, and visitors can also see the production process of craft beer.

Private areas such as washroom and boxes of are set behind the main space, but they are still moderate changes sought under the unified design language.

We and the principals of WAA look forward to the momentum space in the day and night change here, which can make this gathering place of food and drinks brings people continuous burst of fresh energy, as the river does.

WAA Riverside Gastropub, Chaoyang, Beijing, China – Building Information

Project Name: WAA Riverside Gastropub design Address: No.53 Maizidian Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China Client: WAA Design Company: Fon Studio Design Team: Jin Boan, Li Hongzhen, Luo Shuanghua, Song Yuanyuan, Zhang Jingyi Design Period: 2020.12-2021.02 Complete Time: 2021.07 Area: 460 ㎡ Main Materials: Terrazzo, Wood Panel, Stainless Steel, Texture Coating Main Brands：Maxtop, Keding, Art Master

Photographs: Fon Studio

Fon Studio

The architecture design office FON STUDIO was established in 2016. The three partners, Jin Bo’an, Li Hongzhen, and Luo Shuanghua, had the same passion and interest in design practice during their studies.

After years of practice in each, with awe of design aesthetics, they decided to join forces in many practices such as space, product, and vision. The establishment of the firm allows them to still firmly believe in the interesting energy of open experiments and rational analysis.

Fon Studio are curious about new things and strive to bring each work with its due temperature and texture. The architectural practice also continue to observe and study the city, the land, and the spiritual field of daily life.

Design is always the art of facing and solving problems. All Fon Studio’s skills and thoughts eventually penetrate, manifest, and solidify in practice.

WAA Riverside Gastropub, Chaoyang, Beijing images / information received 031121 from LDH Architectural Design

Restaurant building designs

Location: Beijing, People’s Republic of China

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Beijing Architecture Walking Tours

Beijing Architecture News

The Dog House Design: Atelier About Architecture photograph : Sun Haiting The Dog House in Beijing

Office Environmental Design of Shiyue Media, Lang Park Vintage, Chaoyang District Architects: CUN Design photographers : Wang Ting, Wang Jin Office Environmental Design of Shiyue Media

MS-II Restaurant Architects: WAY Studio photographer : Zeng Hao, Fernie Lai MS-II Restaurant in Beijing

Hualong Private Terminal Space, Capital Airport Design: Shishang Architecture photographer : An Li Hualong Private Terminal Space

Comments / photos for the WAA Riverside Gastropub, Chaoyang, Beijing by page welcome

The post WAA Riverside Gastropub, Chaoyang, Beijing appeared first on e-architect.

[midnightrambles80]

YXBG Ch. 9: Parent-Teacher Meeting

YXBG Ch. 9: Parent-Teacher Meeting

Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi. “Yin Xiaomei, come to my office.” Mao Ruiying said sternly at the class door. Xiaomei’s calf softened, and she was very frightened. Song Yuanyuan’s eyes conveyed a “good luck” look, which made her wish she could just run away. Before the semester was over, Song Yuanyuan had lost a lot of…

[underaswift-sunrise]

Rules: share five songs you’ve been listening to on repeat recently!

I was tagged by @ashenwren , thank you so much! I can’t wait to listen to your songs! :D 💕 I looove music themed tag games!!! 🎶

路 by 蔡程昱

THIS SONG!!! I randomly found it on Spotify and it just blew me away. Especially because the main melody is adapted from Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C major, I almost screamed when I heard it! I couldn’t find a translation of the lyrics and was trying to translate it myself but it has a lot of literary terms xD Anyway, it’s an incredible song!!!

我们的爱 by LION 

Spotify strikes again with this wonderful cover of the original by F.I.R. ! The FEELS! When I read the title my mind went “omg can it be a cover...?” and then it started and AHHHHH This piece has such a great energy and feeling, the live version also rocks! :D

Fino a farci scomparire by Diodato 

I usually don’t listen to a lot of Italian music (the lyrics often make me cringe xD), BUT this song has a truly beautiful melody and the lyrics are quite good! I especially like the chorus: “E ora lo vedi con il tempo tutto sembra avere un senso, anche il nostro ritornare a innamorarsi in questo altrove. Fino a farsi scomparire, fino a farci scomparire (Now you see, with time everything seems to make sense, even our going back and falling in love elsewhere - quite untranslatable, in Italian it would be like “in this elsewhere”, very poetic! - until it fades away, until it makes us fade away).

I’m Not That Girl - Wicked

I’ve linked a live version by Idina Menzel because it’s just sooo heartbreaking, I like it much better than the official recording! What can I say, I live for songs about unrequited love, they just hit different xD 

破晓 (Dawn) by Kris Wu 

I’m so sad this song isn’t on Spotify!!! The lyrics are quite sad but the song actually relaxes me a lot! I’m not a fan of this genre but Kris Wu is really talented and some of his songs are just great! Also if you haven’t seen his performance of Dawn with ballet dancer Tan YuanYuan you can find it here! It’s magical...

I'm going to tag @betweencrossedblades , @yibocrisis , @huans , @yiling-recesses , no pressure as always ❤️

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Interview with Alice Poon, author of Tales of Ming Courtesans

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Interview with Alice Poon, author of Tales of Ming Courtesans

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Alice Poon steeped herself in Chinese poetry and history, Jin Yong’s martial arts novels, and English Literature in her school days.

This early immersion has inspired her creative writing. Always fascinated with iconic but unsung women in Chinese history and legends, she cherishes a dream of bringing them to the page. She is the author of The Green Phoenix and the bestselling and award-winning non-fiction title Land and the Ruling Class in Hong Kong. She now lives in Vancouver, Canada and devotes her time to writing historical Chinese fiction.

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Where does the interest in the lives of these three fascinating female figures come from?

When I did research in 2014 for a subplot minor character Chen Yuanyuan for my earlier historical novel The Green Phoenix (published in 2017), I accidentally stumbled on Liu Rushi’s biography, titled An Ulterior Biography of Liu Rushi, written by the eminent historian Chen Yinke, who lauded her as the embodiment of the Chinese nation’s spirit of independence and liberal thinking. My interest in Liu was immediately piqued, and a vague idea of blending Chen’s story with Liu’s was formed then. Between 2015 and 2018, on and off, I plowed through the 800,000-word, 3-volume, biographical tome.

In 2016, I also chanced to read Kong Shangren’s famous classic historical play The Peach Blossom Fan, and Li Xiangjun’s story left a deep impression. It then struck me that these women were among the Eight Great Beauties of Qinhuai and their lives were the most dramatic. I felt strongly that they had far more moral courage and integrity than people are willing to give them credit for.

By early 2018, the idea of writing a novel featuring them took concrete shape.

How long did it take you to make this volume? How did you go about finding information?

The research started in 2014 and continued in fits and starts until early 2018. In mid-2018 I started to work on the first draft. The full manuscript was completed in mid-2019.

The main source of information for Liu Rushi was her epic biography by Chen Yinke. For Li Xiangjun, I relied on The Peach Blossom Fan and Hou Fangyu’s short biography of her. As for Chen Yuanyuan, Wu Weiye’s narrative poem Song of Yuanyuan and Mao Xiang’s memoir Reminiscences of the Plum Shaded Cloister were the key source.

Other information about the period and cultural details mainly came from Yu Huai’s Banqiao Zaji (Diverse Records of the Wooden Bridge), Jonathan Spence’s Return to Dragon Mountain: Memories of a Late Ming Man and Zhang Dai’s The Dream Recollections of Taoan, plus various English-language reference books related to women, culture and the literary world in Ming China.

Why did you choose this particular historical period? What did the invasion of the Qing mean for Chinese society and culture?

The period in question is one that straddles two ruling regimes: the Ming and the Qing dynasties. I have a particular interest in this turbulent period because growing up I had come across intriguing and poignant human stories of love, sacrifice, divided loyalties and patriarchal cruelty from the period through books, operas, movies and TV dramas. As a grown-up, I’ve found these stories highly relatable, as they seem to reflect in some way our present-day human condition. Also, this period in Ming history saw the culmination of literary (in particular poetry) and music development. It witnessed a dynamic interaction between cultured courtesans and the literati, both in the romantic and literary sense. In short, in my new novel I wanted to highlight three courtesans’ love stories and their gritty struggle against a misogynistic society, as well as the era’s unique and vibrant artistic tapestry.

The Qing’s invasion into Han China certainly stirred up violent resentment in Chinese society, especially during Regent Dorgon’s oppressive reign as he tried to use brutal force to subdue the Han Chinese by foisting Manchu customs on them despite their repulsion (a notorious example was the shave-head mandate on pain of death). Luckily his violent rule didn’t last long, and thanks to the benevolent rule under Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang/the Shunzhu Emperor and later the Kangxi Emperor, there came a chance for war-torn China to heal and prosper as the Manchu rulers realized that only civilized ways could win hearts and minds.

The Han culture and civilization had very deep roots and had always been the Han Chinese’s pride, so the initial violent clash with the Manchu couldn’t but leave gaping wounds on society, both physical and emotional. As a matter of interest, this part of Chinese history is fleshed out in my 2017 novel The Green Phoenix.

How does the fate of these three women intertwine with the fate of China?

While alive, all three women struggle for survival, dignity and hope for a better life, but that struggle is in vain, much like the Ming Dynasty’s futile fight to avert its fate of humiliation and defeat.

But in the story, the women refuse to give up hope.

How were courtesans socially considered in China at the time?

Courtesans, like actresses, entertainers and prostitutes of the time, were socially classed as “jianmin” (worthless people).

They were considered below the commoner class, which effectively meant they were social outcasts.

Alice Poon

What was the fate of the protagonists?

Liu Rushi, upon her husband’s death, was bullied by her husband’s relatives into taking her own life. Li Xiangjun passed in her sickbed with a broken heart, having been abandoned by her lover.

Chen Yuanyuan lived into old age, but her fading years were said to be spent in quiet solitude in a nunnery.

What were the episodes that most touched you?

To tell you the truth, I teared up in several places of the story while writing the first draft.

One episode that touched me most was where the child Liu Rushi faces the death of her mother. I still choke up whenever my mind goes over that scene, because it always brings back the sad memory of my own mother’s death from lung disease.

There was a scene where Liu Rushi and Chen Yuanyuan have a heart-to-heart talk on the night before Liu’s wedding. They have been estranged from each other for a while due to an earlier row based on some misunderstanding. The way they are able to bare their souls to each other that night moved me deeply.

Are there traces in contemporary Chinese culture of the influence of these female figures?

Many Chinese people are familiar with the folklore about Chen Yuanyuan. One of Jin Yong’s famous novels – The Deer and the Cauldron – recreates Chen’s story and features her daughter as one of the wives of the protagonist. There are numerous movies and TV historical drama series that feature Chen.

Iconic historian and intellectual luminary Chen Yinke (1890 – 1969) spent ten years of the latter part of his life to write the 800,000-word An Ulterior Biography of Liu Rushi. He reconstructed Liu’s life story from her impressive collection of poetry and letters as well as her peers’ literary works (poetry, epistolary writings and memoirs). Some of Liu’s paintings are in the custody of The Freer Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. There is a 2012 China-produced film that features Liu Rushi as the protagonist.

Both Chen Yuanyuan and Li Xiangjun were both renowned kunqu opera singers. This operatic art reached its peak of development in the late-Ming era. Kunqu opera was named one of the masterpieces of Intangible Heritage by UNESCO in 2001.

Related articles: The Story of Princess Shanyin’s Harem

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