#Yin Ke

[bobopaopao]

#Yin Ke#Shameless

[movielosophy]

The First Shot | Working family

[rlzip]

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love (2024)

[beyourselfchulanmaria]

movie -The Assassin 2015 (Ci ke Nie Yin Niang) '刺客聶隱娘' 劇照 /Shu Qi 舒淇 (b. 1974 Taiwanese)

一生牽絆皆是緣，你我珍惜眼前人。(All our life-long ties are fate then may you and I will cherish the people in front of us. - Lan~*)

《最好不相見》馮小剛執導的電影《非誠勿擾2》片尾曲 

作詞：倉央嘉措《十誡詩》poem by tsangyang gyatso/6th Dalai Lama 第六世達賴喇嘛 (ཚངས་དབྱངས་རྒྱ་མཚོ)

作曲：欒樹 原唱：李漠 演唱：李健

最好不相見 便可不相戀 最好不相知 便可不相思 最好不相伴 便可不相欠 最好不相惜 便可不相憶 最好不相愛 便可不相棄 最好不相對 便可不相會 最好不相誤 便可不相負 最好不相許 便可不相續 但曾相見便相知 相見何如不見時 安得與君相訣絕 免教生死作相思 最好不相見 便可不相戀 最好不相知 便可不相思 最好不相伴 便可不相欠 最好不相惜 便可不相憶 最好不相依 便可不相偎 最好不相遇 便可不相聚 便可不相聚

If we were not to meet, we would not fall in love; If we were not in acquaintance, we would not be drowned in lovesickness; If we were not in company, we would not mutually owe; If we were not to cherish, we would not recall; If we were not to fall in love, we would not mutually abandon; If we were not face to face, we would not meet; If we were not to hurt, we would not fail to be loyal; If we were not to promise, our love would not continue; Albeit, ever to meet is to know! If ever is assuch, better not to meet. Alas! How could I part with you eternally, thus not in the gyre of endless lovesickness?

[beelikesdramas]

I just finished a vertical Chinese mini-drama called Save Myself or My Baby Girl starring Yu Yin and Ke Chun AND IT WAS AMAZING!!! I can't get over it

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | You Are Desire (2023)

From the very start I was very impressed with this drama. The first episode felt grounded in reality and presented all the main characters as young adults behaving like such but also with a level of maturity that felt respectful. Sometimes youth dramas don't know how to balance the growing pains, friendship and romance but You Are Desire does it perfectly.

Xia Feng Yan created a story with solid development based on actual growing from well rounded characters that act and react in ways that feel natural. I am amazed this is her first project and I will keep an eye on her because she has a bright future.

Deng Ke (My Huckelberry Friends) also started in the industry as a screenwriter before transitioning into directing, so it was a perfect fold for Xia's story. He understood the assignment and complemented the script with beautiful cinematography, camera movements and choice of cast.

This drama could have died in the hands of a lesser cast but Zhou Yiran and Zhuang Dafei carried the drama flawlessly. Most of the story centers around them and how they interact with others when loneliness has been a part of their young lives for a long time. The supporting cast were also at their best, each with their own lives and struggles which made them well rounded individuals and not an artifact to push the leads's story.

All of these elements created a beautiful group of people dealing with different experiences. A slice of life drama where we understand the world is not always fair and parents make mistakes; where people need to learn to grieve in a healthy way. That families can all look very different from each other and that's okay as long there's love. That you don't always pass the university exam and your workplace might suck. A world where you fall in love and support one another as you grow together with a clear understanding of each other. That life can be sweeter when you are surrounded of good people who truly appreciate you.

Overall, You Are Desire it's a wonderful story that enjoyed from the very first episode to the last one. Criminally underrated, for sure, as I don't understand how more people are not talking about what is probably one of 2023's best cdramas.

[kdram-chjh]

Cdrama: The Journey of Chong Zi (2023)

Chongzi doesn't want the two boys she likes to fight.😣😥 #重紫 #TheJourneyofChongzi #杨超越#徐正溪 #shorts

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/N85DnDQDc6M

[freelyturbulentturtle]

[mspopstar]

Okay! Now what would happen if you locked Kirby, Shadow Kirby, Keeby and the other Kirbys in the same room?

KE: "Kirby! Hello!!! Where are we?!? Is this some kind of game!!!"

KB: "Ah, an' Keeby's finally awaken."

SK: "Took you long enough, now that everyone has arisen. We can begin to investigate our trapping."

KU: "What the hell is goin' on here anyways! I was busy takin' a nap and now I'm here, talk about rude, right? Right, Kirby?"

KB: "Right, Kusa. Well, I'm not too sure about what's goin' on myself... It's a bit odd isn't it."

AKAA: "..."

SK: "Do you think we've been kidnapped?"

KB: "Heeeh? I don't know? Probably. I'm makin' guesses but I can't think of anyone who'd do this."

SKB: "What do you mean?"

KB: "Bein' in a white room doesn't really strike as my greatest Nightmare so it can't be the Nightmare Wizard either. We're awake and if he had a evil plan he would make it way more extravagant..''

SKB: "Anyone else that piques your thoughts?"

KB: "Can't be Yin-Yarn, we're not made out of yarn and this room does NOT feel like pants. Necrodeus can't be behind this 'cause he'd also just kill us all too. Can't be Taranza, he's too preoccupied with Sectonia and he'd rather torture me for days on end than kill us... Probably wouldn't involve any of ya'll. Susie... Susie wouldn't do this kind of thing I think and if it was her we'd already have broken out of this cage. Gryll would rather challenge ya' than trap ya' and I haven't eaten Salt, Pepper and the other one so I haven't a clue why'd I have that stinkin' witch's ire... Kracko isn't strong enough to pull something like this off....Neither is Whispy"

KU: "Woah, that sounds like... A LOT! I'm gonna take a nap, so..."

SKB: "Any other ideas, Kirby?"

KB: "Can't be Dark Crafter cause... We're all smooth. Hyness is out of the question, he promised me he wouldn't do anythin' evil. Marx is the same as Nightmare, this too borin' for him to do. Too weak too."

SKB: "How... How many people hate you?"

KB: "A lot. Ah. Hate... This is Zero ain't it."

SKB: "Wh..Who?"

KB: "No, no, no... Agh. He's... He's like Dark Mind but actually a threat! Your world's Zero's him I think. Anyways, Dark Mind wasn't that big of a deal but Zero... Zero's a big deal. I hope it ain't him. But... we're in a white room. Thinkin' about it now this seems like somethin' he'd do. Guy lives off of makin' people suffer so trappin' us in a prison with no food, water, or anything really makes sense. He's literally gonna bore us to death an' probably feed off of the resultin' sadness from that... Awh, an' he's probably gone an' messed up Pop Star while we're here. Crap."

SKB: "...I hope it isn't that but let's calm down first."

SKB: "You, yellow one. Why are you covered in blood? What do you remember last before coming here?"

KB: "It's Keeby, Shadow!"

KEB: "Hihihi! I had a really fun cage match!!! Knuckle Joe said he'd take me out for a huuuuge super mega, ultra deluxe, beef bowl with ramen if I won so I went all out! Guess I got a lil' too excited cause then I went an' passed out an' now I'm here."

KB: "Ah, sounds like ya' won. Good job!"

SKB: "Affirmative. Here I appeared closing my eyes during yet another arduous training session with Meta Knight."

KB: "Eh? Nuh-uh! He was doing his afternoon patrol-y thinー"

SKB: "My Meta Knight, you ingrate."

KU: "...I was playin' around at the Dedede Resort Casino. Y'know, pinball and then I decided to take a nap by the beach after a hefty loss. Then I woke up here. Well. Wake me up once you've figured out an escape plan an' all that."

KB: "Awh, that sounds like a lotta fun, ya' have to invite me sometime. I found myself here cause Gooey licked my face to get at a fish I had and I had to rub my face real hard to get all that slobbery stuff off. When I opened my eyes, I was here!"

SKB: "That's it? you were licked by that infernal pet of yours and then you closed your eyes and that's how you appeared in this room?"

KB: "Heey, Gooey's not my pet he's my friend! What about it?"

SKB: "Well, Kusa and Keeby found themselves here after sleeping. You and I simply...blinked. Akaabi over there... I don't know. What I'm getting at is that there's no connection."

KB: "Geez, you know now that I'm thinkin' about it... If I had known we'd all meet up like this I'd have packed a picnic basket or lunch or somethin'."

KEB: "Yummy!!!"

SKB: "By the stars, Kirby, you're right... This is terrible."

KB: "Heh? What, ya' don't like picnics?"

SKB: "No, you daft fool. Food. We're going to starve in here."

KU: "GAH, DON'T EVEN SAY THAT!!!"

SIX HOURS LATER...

AKAA: "here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here--"

SKB: "Akaabi, please."

KEB: "Loop numba' 3236, loop numba' 3237, loop numba' 3238, loop numba' 3239, loop numba' 3240, loop numba' 3241, loop numba' 3242, loop numba' 3243, loop numba' 3244, loop numba' 3245, loop numba' 3246, loop numba' 3247, loop numba' 3248, loop numba' 3249, loop numba' 3250, loop numba' 3251, loop numba' 3252, loop numba' 3253, loop numba' 3254, loop numba' 3255, loop numba' 3256, loop numba' 3257, loop numba' 3258, loop numba' 3259, loop numba' 3260, loopー""

SKB: "Keeby, please."

SKB: "Kirby...?" KB: "Yes, Shadow?" SKB: "We're not dead, right?" KB: "No... I don't even think that's possible, right?" SKB: "Everything and anything will inevitably die."

KB: "...Huh. Probably not. Why're askin'?"

SKB: "Well..."

KB: "Hhmm?"

KEB: "ーnumba' 3261, loop numba' 3262, loop numba' 3263, loop numba' 3264, loop numba' 3265, loop numba' 3266, loop numba' 3267, loop numba' 3268, loop numba' 3269, loop numba' 3270, loop numba' 3271, loop numba' 3272, loop numba' 3273, loop numba' 3274, loop numba' 3275, loop numba' 3276, loop numba' 3277, loop numba' 3278, loop numba' 3279, loop numba' 3280, loop numba' 3281, loop numba' 3282, loop numba' 3283, loop numba' 3284, loop numba' 3285ー"

KU: "SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOORREEEEEEEEEEー"

AKAA: "here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta hereー"

SKB: "I have done a lot of terrible things, and I have a sinking feeling that this is my personal Hell. Maybe when I was training with Meta Knight, instead of dodging properly, he halved me. Thus, for my slothful behavior and negligence leading to the harm of many before you showed up... This, this is my punishment. If so, I give my regards to Lord Morpho. She truly has outdone herself this time."

KB: "Hmmn. I don't know. This doesn't seem like a punishment, don't it?"

SKB: "That, that right there is why I'm on edge and close to losing my mind! Stop it!"

KB: "Heeh? What'd I do!?"

SKB: "How can you be so... so calm?!"

KB: "Hm. It's a little bad, yes, but I'm surrounded by friends and I always manage to get out of these sit-chyuu-waytions, don't I?"

AKAA: "here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here I gotta get outta here ー"

KEB: "numba' 3286, loop numba' 3287, loop numba' 3288, loop numba' 3289, loop numba' 3290, loop numba' 3291, loop numba' 3292, loop numba' 3293, loop numba' 3294, loop numba' 3295, loop numba' 3296, loop numba' 3297, loop numba' 3298, loop numba' 3299, loop numba' 3300, loop numba' 3301, loop numba' 3302, loop numba' 3303, loop numba' 3304, loop numー"

SKB: "AKAABI, KEEBY, CUT IT OUT!!!"

SKB: "Is it impossible for you still yourself for more than a second you spaz?!?"

AKAA: "...No."

SKB: "And you, be quiet! Nobody wants to hear that. I tolerated you licking off your own blood and babbling like an animal but if you continue that jabbering, you'll see a real animal!"

KEB: "Hii－! Scary!"

KB: "Shadow, calm down."

SKB: "Don't refer to me as Shadow, refer to me as Kirby! I hate this! Stuck with a bunch of lesser beings!"

KB: "...Well, I can't do that cause I'm Kirby. So calm down, okay?"

SKB: "H-How can I? I'm trapped with you and them and I'm stuck, and I can't go home a-and andー"

KB: "Shadow, it's gonna be fine. I'm sure of it! Totally sure! 100% positive!"

SKB: "How?"

KB: "Cause I belive in myself and my selves!"

SKB: "It's BELIEVE! BELIEVE YOU ASS!!! I'm not YOURS either!"

KB: "Anyways, chillax Shadow. I've figured out a way to get out of here!

SKB: "...."

KEB: "Ooh, ooh! Me too!"

KB: "Aren't ya' gonna ask how?"

SKB: "...How?"

KB: "It's a bit of a hunch, and I feel like dumb for not realizin' earlier but couldn't we just warp outta here?"

SKB: Can... Can the Warp Star even make it here? Wherever here is?"

KB: "I dunno, better to try than do nothin'! Plus, ya' gotta remember. The farther we are, the faster it is! Dedede said it can build up an huuuge amount of speed but then he started talkin' maths so I tuned it out!"

SKB: "Well... If that is the case, I suppose it could work. Go ahead and call it."

KB: "WAAAAARRRRRRPPPPPP STARRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

KB: "Now we wait."

SKB: "Wait, wait, wait! ...Kirby."

KB: "Yeah, Shadow?"

SKB: "Correct me if I'm wrong but... If your Dedede said that the Warp Star increases with speed and force relative to the distance of the summoner, right?"

KB: "Geez, what now Shadow? Can't ya' be happy and wait patiently?"

SKB: "No. It could kill us all. You know how your Warp Star constantly explodes when you land because you don't decrease its fv? Let's say you're summoning it from...20 miles away. That's fine cause the combined velocity and force wouldn't be dangerous.... That'd be like... F⋅v≈1.2075×10^9, right? Anyways, not too big of a deal! Small explosion, very managable."

KB: "Heeeeh?"

SKB: "The force and velocity of your Warp Star expoentially increases relative to the distance of its summon or target, building up lots of energy. That's why they're so dangerous but so quick. So, if we all are far FAR far away. Depending on where we are... if it's then the force and speed of the Warp Star will increase with such an exponential level strength that once it makes impact it will be like standing right next to hundreds of thousands of Bombers exploding all at once."

KB: "Oh I'm sure it'll be fine. Plus maybe it'll break this prison! Win-win!"

SKB: "With us in it."

KB: "P'shaw! It'll be fine! I've been through worse!

SKB: "Kirby."

KUU: "Whaat? We're still here? Lame. What'd I miss"

SKB: "Kirby here is going to harness the infinite power of exponential force of a Warp Star and kill us all"

KB: "Nuh-uh! Shadow's bein' a sourpuss cause he couldn't save the day like he wanted. I'm about to break us out."

KUU: "Well, how long will it take? I'm gettin' sleepy again. Hungry too."

KB: "...I dunno..."

SKB: "Well, there is a positive. It's gonna come here quick. By this point, it will eventually exceed the speed of light and a blazar jet. Perhaps more even. You probably don't know, but it theoretically can travel between dimensions so..."

KB: "So... 'Kirby, you're plan might work?' is what ya' mean to say?"

SKB: "Yes! Yes it will work, it will work and then we will be disentigrated as a celestial object makes impact with the force of travelling past the speed of light."

TEN MINUTES LATER...

AKAA: "Do you all hear that?"

KB, SKB, KEB, KUU, AKAA: "?"

*Piii-------------------------------------------------------!!!!!"

*Krrkk...k..*

KB: "Yay, it's here!!!"

SKB: "..."

KEB: "AHAHAHAAH!!!! BRING IT ONNNNNNN!!!!"

AKAA: "WE'RE GONNA GET OUTTA HERE!!!!"

KUU: "Is it gettin' hot in he-"

A̴̟͇̞͈̘̱̟̙̗͑̎̓̎̎̊̇̐Ȧ̵͚̘̗͈͓̘͓Å̴͈̝̀͌̀͗̅͊̅̚͝ͅA̶̛͕̠͜A̷̗̙͕̪̻̭̞͕̗͌À̷̡̒̑̅̅̂̉͊̂̑A̶̧̠̱̲̝͎͐̈̂̉́̚Ȁ̴̡͘A̸̢̼̻̲̫̖͚͗̔͐͊͂͗̏͐͌A̷̗͛̏̐͂̉̋̿̎̋̌A̴͕͙̩͚̩̩͖̍͌̋̅̉̇̈͂́A̸̮͎̲̭͍̫͈͆͒͆̈̚͝Ą̶̩͈̱̟̱̖͖̉Ã̸̛͇̗͖̳̣̩̂͊̍͊Â̷̰̪͍̻̳Ḁ̵̌̑̄̎͗̔A̸͕͍̦̲͙̼̳̼͔̽̐͝A̵̧̢̺͉̩̺̎͌̏͛̄Å̴͔̯̽̈́̉͌͊͝Ả̴̙̎͜Ȁ̵̛͇̰̟̠̮͖̗̅͊̔̇͂̑Ȧ̶̧̰̦̮̞̭̮͕̳Ä̴͓͚̥̪̤̤́̆̈́͐̈́̐̏͝ͅH̸͚͍̱̿́̋Ḩ̶̧̫̒̒̒̚͝H̸̝̪̮̜̭͗͐͋̑̋̓̚Ḩ̷̮̳̲̤͙͚̇͋̓̔̐��Ḫ̶̻̩̬̲͇̠͊͑͊̈́̆̍͑̾͠ͅḦ̸̛̙̱̎̽H̸̙̹̒̐̒̾Ḩ̶̛H̸̙̰͉̱̘̰̘̙̭̣̑͊͌̓̾̓̓̏̌A̸̧̨̛̰̪̰̲͈͗̉̓́̑̾͘͠͝A̴͚͔͋̀̓͘͝͠Ą̸̛͕̞̮̰̖͈͊͒̾̀̕A̶̢̡̢̡̞͔̪͔͈̲͋̈́̇̔͘À̵̢̩̱̰̙͔͆͜A̴̖͈͉̟̝̣̠͋́A̴̢̦̲̐

???? LATER...

[bobopaopao]

Jiang Gangzheng (Yin Ke) is a complete liar

[movielosophy]

The First Shot | The squad.

[kastellaran]

Revising An Earlier Translation

Earlier this year, after the youtube special where the first lore document was released, I put out a rough translation of it along with a translation of the line that could be heard in the brief clip of the movie they played. I'm not putting out a new translation of the document yet, though I want to do that soon, because there are some things about it that bother me, but I want to at least explain my revision of the movie line translation, now that I have more context for the scene it's said in, and more importantly, I understand a little more about the lore being referenced.

Just for reference, this is the line in question: 故にこの剣　陰陽八卦がひと振り“坤”の剣がある。我ら64卦が携えし蒐我の業物。またの名を…退魔の剣！ yue ni kono ken | inyou hakke ga hitofuri "kon" no tsurugi ga aru. warera rokujuuyonke ga tazusae shi shuuga no wazamono. mata no na wo... taima no ken! Originally I translated it like this: "…and so this sword is Kon, one of the swords of the Eight Yin Yang Trigrams. The master swords of the collected selves we sixty-four omens wield. Otherwise known as the Sword of Exorcism." Grammatically, I still agree with this, but here are some tweaks I would like to make (Scroll to the bottom to avoid my notes and just see the translation): 1.) inyou hakke doesn't sound nice in English no matter which way you translate it, but I'd reword it as "eight trigrams of yin and yang." 2.) Given that Kusuriuri is explaining that mononoke can't be slain by ordinary humans right before this, I'd translate that がある as "I have," as in, "which is why I have this sword." "Mononoke can't be slain by the works of man, therefore this sword is Kon..." doesn't really make as much sense in English as "Mononoke can't be slain by the works of man, therefore I have Kon..."

3.) Change "collected selves" to "Shuuga." That was my first or second time encountering that term, and I really didn't know what to make of it back then, so I just translated the meaning of it, but now I understand it's a term coined by the writers to explain the lore. It does seem to point at some kind of collective unconscious type thing (though maybe not exactly in the Jungian sense), but nowadays I choose to keep it as Shuuga, because it's easier to type and I'm still not sure what a really nice translation would be that doesn't accidentally sound like an already established philosophical term (which would be called something else in Japanese and therefore might mislead an English reader). 4.) Change "omens" to "hexagrams." Again, at the time I wasn't familiar with the I Ching or bagua, so I didn't realize there were sixty-four hexagrams as well as the eight trigrams, which is what's being referenced. Still, I'm a little torn about this because well, omens sounds cool and hexagrams sounds weird and clunky to someone who doesn't know about bagua. Additionally, the gua/ke in bagua/hakke refers to divination, which is why translated it as "omens," because I thought it was a nice way to invoke the divination meaning while still sounding like something that could refer to a physical entity (the medicine sellers). But on the other hand we do already have established language in English for talking about bagua, and we say "eight trigrams" and "sixty-four hexagrams," as unsexy as it sounds to me. You're not gonna find anything if you look up "eight/sixty-four omens," but you will if you look up trigrams and hexagrams. By the way, if anyone's wondering why we call them that, it's because the eight trigrams are a set of symbols each made of three lines, some combination of solid and broken (representing yin and yang). So it's "tri" as in three, and "gram" as in writing. Hexagrams are a combination of two trigams, so they've got six lines, which is what "hexa" means here. Anyway, so my final translation of that line (and a bit of what comes before it) would probably be: "If the mononoke is not slain, these strange occurrences will not stop. However, a mononoke cannot be slain by the works of man. That is why I have this sword, 'Kon,' one of the eight trigrams of Yin and Yang, the master swords of Shuuga which we sixty-four hexagrams wield...otherwise known as the swords of exorcism!"

[culiehua]

Jem's ancestral origin

bc @jaimrennnn pointed it out again, here are my thoughts on Jem's maternal ancestry bc it only now occurs to me that the following are not just regular thoughts normal non chinese people have 😭:

Literary review: Jem speaks Mandarin and not Shanghainese, it's assumed he is from the north. But where? Why?

Now this is where it gets interesting:

一 The language(s)

Nothern Chinese dialects include quite a few different dialects; there are over 300 languages in China in total – and most are not mutually intelligible. At all.

(As someone who is also fluent in Mandarin and wouldn't understand a thing in ancient Shanghai... I feel his pain)

Mandarin is the official language in all of China TODAY, however, the Beijing dialect based Mandarin as we know it today did not undergo nationwide codification until the early 20th century.

And it was only in the 1800s that a shift to Beijing based Mandarin happened. Previously, and into the 1800s, Nanjing based Mandarin was the official Standard during the Ming (1368-1644) and part of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).

While both would be plausible Mandarin varieties that he could have spoken given the time period, what we see Jem use though is the Beijing based version of Mandarin. While Nanjingese is semi-intellegible for speakers of Beijing Mandarin, it is notably different. So you are right: He does not use any other variety in the written text we see, therefore Mandarin being his only Chinese language means he or rather his family are likely not only from Northern China but speak a dialect that, at least in unintonated pinyin form, is exactly the same (note: we are assuming they don't have a notably different one bc dialect speakers are very particular about keeping their dialects alive as they do not really exist in written Chinese).

But there's more! The northern Mandarin dialects (not just Mandarin the official language) may belong to the same language family and some can be vaguely understood amongst each other (that's why it is also common to have instances where people speak with each another in different dialects, each understanding the other but unable to speak the other dialect) but 1) not all provinces above the Yangtze are Mandarin variety dominant: Zhejiang and south Jiangsu for example are predominantly Wu-dialect heavy (think Shanghainese) which are... not understandable as a Mandarin speaker lol while some dialects from Sichuan or Shandong for example may be easier to understand (remember there are many dialects, even from different language families, in each province).

and b) there's also the fact that even Mandarin varieties don't... necessarily understand each other. You can definitely hear the difference in speech even if they aren't different in grammar or vocabulary!

What do we know about Jem tho?

Jem speaks in a very... classic kind of way I suppose? There are no real regional colloquialisms, he sounds very Standard Mandarin (pronunciation not evaluable) but he does use some literary words that I'd never use in my life (separate post on that) which makes his Mandarin very textbook elegant. He doesn't have the classic /r/ marker at the end that many northeners have either. He doesn't have the Dongbei Mandarin accent either, the Xiajing dialect is something else, etc etc.

He does use the the Wade-Giles system of romanization (based on the Beijing dialect, was the anglophone system of transcription in the 20th century) when speaking English though (I Ching, Kwan Yin) which amuses (and...confuses) me bc he speaks Chinese in perfect Hanyu pinyin? So I'd say he englishifies Chinese terms when speaking English.

(There's also the problem that he was young when he lost contact to the language environment and that he had two L1s growing up resulting in crosslinguistic interference anyway. Mixed linguistic backgrounds do often result in the development of a "clearer" accent, or lack therof...)

二 The Ke family name

I've talked about it before, but Chinese family names have meaning. In the past last names were location bound, i.e. you'd have wider clan names for all the people from one region (which is what put Ke on the top 100 most common last names list in the first place. Yes that list exists). So you can look up where these names originate from or rather where they are common.

So far, I'd narrow the name origin down to these places: Shandong and Hubei (Wu dialectal regions excluded bc we assume he has no other background dialect; nomadic tribes also excluded bc traces unclear).

Why they would make sense:

Hubei the hometown of bronze and birthplace of Chinese modern industry for Steel works (haha... "they shatter even the strength of iron or of bronze". But that was after Jem). It's basically in the heart of China, a lot of cultural history, and the weather is very hot (they are called one of the three furnaces...) it's said that people there are louder and easier riled up bc of the weather. But the Hubei dialect does sound pretty different from the Standard. So there's that.

Shandong is famous for being a cultural and religious center for Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism (Hometown of Confucius!!) ... and also for having the tallest people in the country. The people here are also very bold and straightforward but also very hospitable with a generally good reputation, the common hero personality. It is also an agricultural center (ahem, Ke ≈ tree, remember). Character wise, it fits. There are a lot of Shandong people who moved to Beijing a long time ago since it's very close.

Given that neither Jem nor Wenyu seem like hot-headed people, but rather practical, calm, honest and are believers of buddhism and chinese philosophy (reincarnation wheel + with how often Jem refers to that thousands years old book you'd believe he has it printed behind his eyelids...), I'm rather inclined to guess their ancestors are from Shandong originally, i.e. the chill ones. (Yes you cannot generalize people but we have nothing on them 😭). However, I believe they have lived in Beijing for generations.

What is also interesting is that the average victorian Englishman stood at 167cm. As of now, the English average height is 175±6(m) and 162(w). In Shandong, the average height now is 175(m) and 169(w). But in the Qing dynasty the average northern man was this tall already. So I'd go on the taller spectrum for the nephilim and say Wenyu, as a northerner, is atleast 170. Jem is considered tall, somewhere between 178 and 180cm. Calculating this into the height, Jonah is max. 178cm. Since the Carstairs weren't tiny either, this fits. (Shandong people are the tallest people in China, followed by Beijing people. Tall girl Wenyu supremacy!!). I think Shadowhunters are taller bc of exercise that's why you have Will at the same height but Jem could definitely not do as much physically, having to rely more on efficiency and genes so I believe he has tall!genes but he definitely did not get that primarily from the victorians.

三 Wenyu's pre-Shanghai residence

From what we also know, the Ke family ran the Beijing Institute as well (Jia, née Ke, and her hubby). It wouldn't be far fetched to say that they've been running it since way back. After all, the Ke's are also still in charge of Shanghai and the Herondale's ran London well into the 1990s.

What we also know is that Jem's mom, Wenyu, was sent as an ambassador of the nephilim to the emperor for a meeting at the Yuanming Yuan, burned down around a decade and a half prior to Jem mentioning it, so the visit occured before Jem could ever remember it.

Historically, from mundane history, we know this: Emperor Xianfeng ruled from 1850-61, the Garden was burned down by Europeans in 1860 during the 2nd Opium War.

Wenyu was born in 1839, so she probably went there as a late teenager. She had Jem at 21 and also moved to Shanghai with Jonah years later. Now why would China's nephilim send some random teenage girl to Beijing to talk to the ruler? Why would they send her from perhaps angel knows where thousand miles away? Unless... she was sent from the Beijing Institute? Who knows. Chaos breeds demons. (It's also odd that Cassie changed the timeline to this happening when Jem was 2 or 3. Was this supposed to mean that he might have witnessed it? Idk).

Beijing was the capital, and if the nephilim, as a race, would send an ambassador, it would make the most sense to send one from the local institute. Jem did not grow up learning another local differing variety either, leading me to believe both Wenyu and Jem were born in Beijing and learned court Mandarin.

四 Conclusion

I believe that Jem's maternal family originates from the Shandong/Beijing area but lived in Beijing for centuries before taking over Shanghai too, since they are not shown to know or speak any other distinctive dialect and the Shandong dialect, due to it's close similarity to the Standard variety, could have lost it's accent over time there with the surrounding Beijing dialect, the court dialect and their complete mutual intelligibility. Clan origin, height and personality also hint at this, as well as Wenyu's travel log. Jem's Chinese is very standard and does not deviate; he seems sophisticated and has a clear pronunciation. Beijing born and raised!

[bananaproved]

Top 6 shelved dramas that I would still really like to see

Ranked in no particular order, selection based on my personal tastes.

1) The Prisoner of Beauty

Plot : Adapted from the novel "Zhe Yao" by Peng Lai Ke, it tells the story of the arranged marriage between Wei Shao (Liu Yuning) and Qiao Man (Song Zuer). The fun thing about this marriage is that they both hate each other for complicated family reasons (in the novel Qiao Man's family is directly responsible for the death of Wei Shao's father), so they start they relationship by trying to make the life of the other a living hell. Ultimately, their relationship will develop as they are impressed by each other's ingenuity and discover common interests. There is also an important "let's protect the empire and the common people" plot behind the romance.

Why I wish I could see it : It looks good !! The main duo of actors are both really good looking, but the production in general looks really high budget, with good costumes and sets. I would love to see that. Just look at this trailer !

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : Song Zuer :/ bestie :/ tax evasion is bad !!

Can we have some hope ? : Not really, at this point of time, no c-actors caught for tax evasion managed to make an actual comeback in the industry (even really popular ones like Deng Lun or Fan Bing Bing). Song Zuer is still being investigated, so maybe we can hope to see her name cleared but it's a little unlikely because they don't investigate people just for fun. However Song Zuer was involved in a lot of high budget projects so I am sure a lot of people are really motivated to try to airdrop at least some of her projects if they have the possibility.

2) The Fated General

Plot : Classic high-budget historical drama telling the story of real life historical figure Huo Qubing (Zhang Ruoyun) during the Western Han Dynasty. It follows his military feats that got him the reputation of being one of the best military generals in the history of China.

Why I wish I could see it : First, the cast is incredible. We have Zhang Ruoyun (famous for being really good at choosing his scripts), Mao Xiao Tong, Bai Yu, Li Hongyi, Xu Yue, and others. It's really an all star cast except the drama was shot in 2016, before some of them became really famous, so it can be really interesting to watch ! Plus it's a really high budget drama, most of the outdoor scenes are shot in real landscape and not in a studio and it globally looks really good. For a better impression, look at this nice looking MV based on the different trailers of the show :

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : In 2019 (I think ?) the censorship rules changed concerning historical dramas and established the fact that dramas were forbidden to "distort" certain historical facts. This kind of put an end to traditional historical dramas as they became a way more risky investments, and stopped this one from airing as it already took some liberties in terms of storytelling. Huo Qubing is also a semi-controversial historical figure so it is not helping.

Can we have some hope ? : It's been 7 or 8 years and the regulations concerning historical fiction only got more restrictives in China so I would say no.

3) Immortality

Plot : I'm sure everybody knows the plot of Erha so I don't need to write it but just in case the important tags are : xianxia, dangai, shizunfuckers, reincarnation, blood spitting, stairs, ...

Why I wish I could see it : Outside of the obvious reasons (gay people on my screen, Luo Yunxi spitting blood), it's also produced by the same people involved in the production of Till the End of the Moon and Shui Long Yin, so I have I hopes for the artistic direction of the drama. Also for dmbj fans : did you know Liu Chang played a guest role in this drama ? Idk what he is doing here but I would love to see it.

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : We are all aware of the famous 2021 dangai ban, but in general the chinese government is not a big fan of massive and really agitated fandoms (in the way The Untamed fandom was), so Immortality is in a pretty bad position.

Can we have some hope ? : Yeah !!!!! Hyx TOMORROW !!! Believe in your dreams !!!

For real : Two options. 1) On a random morning of the year 20XX you wake up to danmei fans in your tl losing their marbles bc the 6 first episodes of hyx were randomly airdropped during the night with no promotion and no warnings. You cry some tears of joy and immediately go watch Luo Yunxi spit some blood on screen. 2) After many years hyx is still not out but there were so many leaks that the fans managed to recreate the entire series from scraps and now you can watch it in full. Look, they already started :

4) Night Wanderer

Plot : Zong Yin (Ni Ni) is a forensic expert living in Shanghai in 2021. She met, in her own apartment, a man, called Sheng Qing Rang (Deng Lun), claiming to be the owner of this apartment but in 1937. Together they discover that they can travel to their respective time periods through their shared apartment and start to develop a strong relationship, first as confidence and progressively as lovers. However, the situation get complicated as the Battle of Shanghai broke out in 1937 putting both of their lives in danger.

Why I wish I could see it : First, for lesbian reasons as I would never miss an occasion to stare at Ni Ni for 36 episodes (Wang Yuwen also has a supporting role here and I really like her ! Double win !). Second, it's actually a really nice and original plot for a CDrama and I have full confidence in both actors' capacity to pull off a really good performance to go with it. Look at this trailer ! It looks so promising !

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : Deng Lun !!! Tax evasion is bad !!

Can we have some hope ? : Even less than for The Prisoner of Beauty as Deng Lun is 100% proved to have committed tax evasion. There is often rumors about him coming back to acting but it's unlikely.

5) Winner is King

Plot : Based on the novel "Sha Po Lang" by Priest, set in a steampunk version of the Liang Dynasty. It tells the story of Chang Geng (Chen Zhe Yuan), a young man living in a random countryside village, who discovers after a raid on their village that the closest people around him were hiding a big secret about his identity. He also discovers that the people around him are not who they pretend to be, especially his yifu (adoptive father, played by Tan Jianci), and realizes that his life will never be the same.

Why I wish I could see it : Outside of the reasons already mentioned in hyx's case, Winner is King is also directed by the same director as Guardian and a Journey to Love. I really like his work and he proved that he was able to do really good things even with a really low budget, so now imagine with a decent amount of money ? It could be great. Also I really like the idea of an ancient china steampunk but I am too lazy to read the book.

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : Same reason as hyx and all the other dangais </3 Also I am not sure of how advanced the production was when it was stopped, because I feel like there are not as many content leaks.

Can we have some hope ? : If we can manifest hard enough the end of the ban, it is possible.

6) The Love of Hypnosis

Plot : During the end of Qing Dynasty, a (patriotic) young man named Yen Shen (Jing Boran) meets a fragrance shop owner named Lu Man Sheng (Liu Yifei). Man Sheng has the special ability/ mission to relieve the hearts of people suffering because of love, but it does not mean that her own romantic life is easier to deal with. Together they fall in love and have to navigate the really troubled times of the end of Qing Dynasty.

Why I wish I could see it : If you are familiar with Liu Yifei and Jing Boran acting I'm sure you can see the potential of this pairing ??? Just the poster has more on screen chemistry than some pairings have in 40 episodes. At this point the plot could be written by a cat walking on a keyboard and I would still have hope for a good chemistry. Also the drama has Liu Mintao in a supporting role and I am in love with her so it's a plus.

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : First, there are some copyright issues with the original manhwa author. Second, the second male lead, Zhao Lixin, got more or less canceled a few years back for political reasons (sorry I don't have the details).

Can we have some hope ? : I would say maybe a little. Copyright issues can be solved and I've heard that Zhao Lixin is still shooting in dramas, meaning that there is hope for some of his stuff still being released.

That's all <3

Sorry for depressing information maybe ? Next time I promise I will make a post about dramas I am looking forward to and that are likely to be released sooner or later. 

[kdram-chjh]

Cdrama: The Journey of Chong Zi (2023)

Chongzi's friends is always help her 🙊🙊 #重紫#TheJourneyofChongzi#杨超越#徐正溪#shorts

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nZo6aIGT9gc