#character: zhang chi

[movielosophy]

Pegasus | the view

[thecollectibles]

Medieval Space Opera by Zhang Chi

[xiakeponz]

for modern AU fics - what chinese media did diaspora consume?

making this post because some of us in the diaspora server were having a chat about what Chinese media "Diaspora Chinese" watched in the 90's - 2000's (and even sooner than that) while not having access to satellite chinese media or streaming services - this is in the context of writing modern AU fics based off Chinese media/novels (so your main character's grandpa or uncle is not, in fact, watching an episode of Friends or Shortland Street or something as flavour text because sorry what the hell-)

We generally watched a lot of stuff on VCDs, including bootlegged and non-bootlegged movies, shows, anime/donghua. My household had a whole VCD album of this, and a lot of VCDs (even if they were pirated editions) would have a fancy hardcover box with a magnetic clasp and some artwork representing the show on it.

All of this is Mandarin - so not TVB stuff, because I'm from Northern China and I don't know any cantonese - but Canto friends, please feel free to add to the list! This is mostly stuff my parents liked to watch, or I liked to watch with them, with the exception of a few which I mainly watched with friends/cousins when I was maybe (in most cases) eleven/twelve years old onwards. This is a pretty personal list, meant to give people general idea of a possible "ballpark" of sorts, and by no means exhaustive.

Now, for the list of shows which I can confirm I had or someone I know had on VCD or some kind of offline media format lol (I'll try add release year stamps and links to the EN wikipedia where possible):

Period dramas (mostly Qing Dynasty stuff):

Huan Zhu Gege 还珠格格 (1998, April-) This is a classic, so many memes come from this show; hugely popular series, basically cemented Zhang Tie Lin's face as the face of the Qing Emperor for about a decade. Tie Chi Tong Ya Ji Xiao Lan 铁齿铜牙纪晓岚 (2002-2010) - I loved this show as a kid and watched all four seasons on repeat with family... The "trio" in this show are well known and loved.

Amazing Detective Di Ren Jie / 神探狄仁杰 (2004) A very popular and addictive show. Ok now the Big Four:

Romance of 3 kingdoms 1994 / 三国演义 (1994) - a classic that has had many remakes, my older cousin would play this on repeat...

Hong Lou Meng/红楼梦 （1987） - another classic with many remakes, but I think the most recognised by the public one is the 1987 one.

Journey to the West / 西游记 live action (1986) - I think the 1986 version of the live action is the most recognised one. *Shui Hu Zhuan / 水浒传 (1998) - I am not too familliar with the live action of this one in my household tbh bc my mum doesn't like it lol (she keeps saying it's too depressing) but I'm sure it's up there with the rest of the big four, if anyone has an opinion on this one please let me know!

Modern setting shows:

My dad loved all the Sun Honglei (孙红雷 - actor name) stuff, iirc it was a lot of MinGuo period espionage stuff, your shanghai 1920's sxc aesthetic. This actor has been around since 1999? Qian Fu （潜伏）was very famous, and Ren Jian Zheng Dao Shi Cang Sang （人间正道是沧桑）。 These were around '08 and '09.

Chuang Guan Dong - 闯关东 (2008) (Baidu link, sorry - couldn't get an EN wikipedia one). This show was huge when it was airing, everyone was watching it. I was pretty young but even I watched it and got invested ... and I thought it was such an "old person" show at the time lmao. Xiao Bing Zhang Ga / 小兵张嘎 （2004） (sorry, again Baidu link) - yo, anti-japanese war movies set between 1937-1945 were crazy popular - this is one of them and was very popular):

Donghua/Anime (all the stuff kid me watched and some which I didn't but were popular):

喜羊羊与灰太狼 (2005-) Calabash Brothers / 葫芦兄弟 （1986-1987） Black Cat Detective / Hei Mao Jing Zhang 黑猫警长 （1984-2010） Lan Mao Tao Qi 3000 Wen 蓝蓝猫淘气3000问 AKA 蓝猫 (blue cat) (October 1999 - Present) Legend of Ne Zha 哪吒传奇 (2003) Journey to the West/Xi You Ji 西游记 This was truly the Donghua I grew up on from when I was a bb, the OP song and ED song are classic bangers all kids know. Slam Dunk/ 灌篮高手 - People truly watched a lot of anime that may or may not have been terribly dubbed into mando (possibly canto too). Late 80s and 90s kids were all over this, and Dragon Ball, Crayon Shinchan (labixiaoxin).

Taiwanese Dramas:

This is mid-late 2000's, I would be remiss to not talk about the Taiwanese dramas of this era. Mike He, Rainie Yang, Wu Zun (amongst many, many others) were huge. Stuff like Dou Niu Yao Bu Yao, it started with a kiss, Hua Yang Shao Nv (Taiwanese version of Hana Kimi) were all pretty popular. Not sure if these shows all hold up in 2023, but boy were they popular at the time.

Note about CNY:

For CNY, people would try to tune into 春节联欢晚会 (the CCTV official CNY show) at that One Friend Who Had China Satellite TV's house. Zhao Ben Shan / 赵本山 was a comedy staple, and the show would often feature people from the music industry to perform. Eventually these people became more and more relevant to my gen and Jay Chou etc started appearing.

Last but not least Xian Jiaaaan 仙剑:

In 2005 I was all over 仙剑奇侠传 (Chinese Paladin), based off the video game. This show was crazy popular and probably sent me and a whole lot of other kids into Xianxia / Wuxia hell (and Hu Ge hell, and later I came back to love Liu Yifei). Thank you. The OST is a true banger.

[bl-bracket]

Bracket Statistics #9

Ok so I forgot to do this after the second season of Poorest Little Meow Meow, so this is a combination with the second season of Greenest Flag as well! Luckily there's no overlap between the characters featured! I'll make note of which new characters were from which brackets with some handy color coding!

Another reminder that this is just the individual character brackets! So no Best Kiss, Best Siblings, Build-a-BL, or Best QL Marriage Proposals!

***Also for the purposes of country breakdown, I'm counting Meet You at the Blossom as coming from China. The show is in Chinese, with almost all the actors from China, and based on a book from a Chinese author. I'm open to changing it to Thailand or Taiwan if people think those would be more appropriate, but for now, this felt like it would make the most sense of the three***

There have now been 135 different dramas that have been in these brackets. 82 are from Thailand, 17 are from Japan, 7 are from China, 9 are from Taiwan, and 20 are from South Korea.

There were 18 new shows total. 13 were from Thailand, 2 were from Japan, 1 was from China, 0 were from Taiwan, and 2 were from South Korea.

The new shows from Poorest Little Meow Meow are: 4 Minutes (Thailand), Long Time No See (South Korea), Love Sea (Thailand), Meet You at the Blossom (China), One Room Angel (Japan), The Rebound (Thailand), and This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans (Thailand).

The new shows from Greenest Flag are: Cooking Crush (Thailand), I Feel You Linger in the Air (Thailand), I Hear the Sunspot (Japan), I Saw You in My Dream (Thailand), Kidnap (Thailand), Knock Knock Boys! (Thailand), La Pluie (Thailand), Last Twilight (Thailand), Monster Next Door (Thailand), Our Dating Sim (South Korea), and The Trainee (Thailand).

There have now been 298 individual characters featured here. 198 from Thailand, 28 from Japan, 23 from China, 20 from Taiwan, and 28 from South Korea.

There were 51 new characters featured. 38 from Thailand, 3 from Japan, 4 from China, 2 from Taiwan, and 3 from South Korea.

There were 18 new characters in Poorest Little Meow Meow.

The 10 new characters from Thailand were: Shin (3 Will Be Free), Great (4 Minutes), Tian (A Tale of Thousand Stars), Thaenthai (Laws of Attraction), Tongrak (Love Sea), Kenta (Pit Babe), Phob (Something in My Room), Nut (The Miracle of Teddy Bear), Atom (The Rebound), and Methas (This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans).

The 1 new character from Japan was: Tomoda Koki (One Room Angel).

The 3 new characters from China were: Zongzheng Huaien (Meet You at the Blossom), Zongzheng Shaoyu (Meet You at the Blossom), and Ling Jing Shi (The Spirealm)/

The 2 new characters from Taiwan were: Jack (HIStory 3: Trapped) and Zhang Teng (Kiseki: Dear to Me).

The 2 new characters from South Korea were: Chi Soo (Long Time No See) and Tae Myungha (Love for Love's Sake).

There were 31 new characters in Greenest Flag.

The 28 new characters from Thailand were: Rock (Cherry Magic TH), Ten (Cooking Crush), Yai (I Feel You Linger in the Air), Yu (I Saw You in My Dream), Bas (I Told Sunset About You), Min (Kidnap), Latte (Knock Knock Boys!), Tian (La Pluie), Mhok (Last Twilight), Night (Last Twilight), Tinn (Laws of Attraction), Mahasamut (Love Sea), God (Monster Next Door), Kongthap (My Love Mix-Up! TH), Gun (My School President), Joe (My Stand In), Alan (Pit Babe), Daisy (Secret Crush on You), Jane (The Trainee), Ryan (The Trainee), JJ (This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans), Nub Nueng (This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans), Yang (To Sir, With Love), Cher (Wandee Goodday), Chain (We Are), Fang (We Are), and Peem (We Are).

The 2 new characters from Japan were: Taichi (I Hear the Sunspot) and Naoya (Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But To Kiss!).

The 1 new character from China was: Lan Sizhui (The Untamed).

The 1 new character from South Korea was: Shin Kitae (Our Dating Sim).

If we include characters who have been in multiple brackets: 386 are from Thailand, 53 from Japan, 53 from China, 35 from Taiwan, and 49 from South Korea.

130 characters have been featured at least twice (opposed to 102 before). The average amount of times a character has been featured in a poll is 1.94 times (opposed to 1.81 before). The most amount of times a character has been featured still is 8 which was Prapai (Love in the Air) and now also Pat (Bad Buddy).

The average amount of characters per show is 2.2, opposed to 2.12 last time.

A character from The Untamed has now one a bracket 6 times (Poorest Little Meow Meow - Season 1 & 2, Most Whipped, Autistic Swag, Best Siblings, and Most Unhinged).

There were 17 actors who had another character they played now be in a bracket. Of those 17, 8 had already had at least 2 characters in the brackets, while the other 9 only had one character prior.

Amongst these is a very special, Wayne Song, the first non-Thai actor to have multiple characters in the bracket (Xiang Haoting - HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count, Zhang Teng - Kiseki: Dear to Me).

Included under the read more is a full list of all the actors with multiple characters! (only based on the individual brackets) (

Bolded names are the 17 actors who had another character added.

4 Characters: Gun Atthaphan, Off Jumpol

3 Characters: First Kanaphan, Fourth Nattawat, Gemini Norawit, Jimmy Jitaraphol, Khaotung Thanawat, Mark Pakin, Mix Sahaphap, Phuwin Tangsakyuen

2 Characters: Bible Whichapas, Billy Patchanon, Book Kasidet, Earth Katsamonnat, Force Jiratchapong, Fort Thitipong, Garfield Pantach, Fluke Gawin, Heng Asavarid, Inn Sarin, Joong Archen, Krist Perawat, Louis Thanawin, Love Pattranite, Michael Kiettisak, Mike Chinnarat, Nut Supanut, Ohm Pawat, Pond Naravit, Satang Kittiphop, Sing Harit, Singto Prachaya, Tay Tawan, Wayne Song, Zee Pruk, Zorzo Natharuetai

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | Are You The One (2024)

Are You The One is a must watch for fans of historical and cunning, independent and smart characters, playing mind games against their enemies. If you liked cdramas like Story of Minglan and Wonderland Of Love, this might be for you.

This was a perfect drama. I have no notes. It delivered on everything that promised from beginning to end and properly developed the troupes of fake marriage and enemies to lovers in a fresh and entertaining way.

The court politics were fascinating to watch, giving the viewers all kind of strategies, taking down enemies one by one, making friends and even breaking down emotional walls for our lead characters. It was a treat to watch every single scheming they put on.

The development of each arc, with its respective main conflict, was entertaining. I am incredible happy with how the scriptwriter of this drama handled every storyline. All the characters consistently grow through this journey and have their moments in the spotlight. The resolution really well done, cohesive, grounded and coherent to each character' respective personalities and wishes.

The cast director really outdid themselves in this drama, each actor is the perfect choice for the character they are playing. My hat off to them for giving Zhang Wanyi such an incredible well written character as Lord Huaiyang, whom delivers some of the best moments of this drama from his war tactics, home life woes and comedic timing. Watching him grovel to win back his loved one was a never ending source of entertainment.

Wang Churan's Miantang is the perfect match. The growing of her character is perhaps more subtle but incredibly well performed and poignant. She delivered in every scene as a savvy business woman and every scheme at court as Lady Huaiyang.

Lord and Lady Huaiyang's respective strategies are different but they complement each other in an harmonious way, helping each other, growing together as people and governors. They consider themselves equals and respect each other, which is why I think they are one of the best couples in Dramaland I have seen in a while.

As for the secondary characters, there's always someone that stands out in a drama and for me, this time, it was Empress Shi, played by Yuan Yu Xuan. She gave us one of the best performances of this year. Her character grows from timid concubine daughter being emotional abused at home to a revered phoenix. When she finally stood her ground, against her own family, it was a wonder to watch. She got a standing ovation from me.

Chang Huasen was a really good choice to play Ziyu, a very stoic character that made sacrifices along the way to power. His growing has a lot to do with trust and I think, at the end of the day, he learns who should never be used as a pawn in the court games.

Marquis Zhennan and Miss He, played respectively by Zhang Chi and Liu Lingzi, were a source of entertaining. Both characters equally smart and filial in different ways that made them complement each other, and help their friends find ways to navigate the art of war.

Even the actors playing the enemies were outstanding, smart as the leads, and keeping them on their toes until the very end.

From a technical point of view, Are You The One also had a beautiful cinematography, the locations and sets were wonderful, the costume design matched each character really well. The use of sound and lack of it, which it's more important than we actually realize, was perfectly matched on every scene.

The strongest point was the writing and directing. It was clear Directors Liu Guo Nan and Cong Xiao know what they are doing when it comes to visual storytelling. As for screen writer Zhao Tian You, I think they did an outstanding job writing these characters and story.

This is how I like my dramas: smart, coherent, cohesive and fun. I highly recommend it.

[lunarriviera]

why Du Cheng can't hold a grudge: a little  猎罪图鉴 | Under the Skin meta

When Shen Yi first joins the Beijiang City precinct, Du Cheng can't stand him. Not only is he still pissed off about Tragic Backstory, but he doesn't believe a sketch artist can hold any real value, especially not in our era of policing via surveillance. In another drama, he might have continued to nurse his animosity for the duration of the season. But there's one moment very early on which expresses Du Cheng's whole character so succinctly that you know he'll very soon give it up, and quite quickly succumb to Shen Yi's charms usefulness.

First, though, he stomps into Bureau Chief Zhang's office pitching a fit about Shen Yi, of all people, occupying the late Captain Lei's office. But Zhang-ju is not a woman to be messed with. She promptly calls his bluff.

Du Cheng, still hacked off, doubles down. He throws his badge on her desk. Fine! Fuck being a cop! He'll deliver pizzas! Anything, not to have to work with THAT VERY PRETTY GUY.

But then Jiang Feng comes to the door to announce that a body's dropped. Try to sound a little less thrilled, please, Jiang Feng.

A murder you say??? This is Du Cheng catnip. Can he hold out?

Look at his big dumb head swiveling around helplessly, like someone's just announced there's free cake in the break room.

Zhang-ju is canny as fuck, though. She looks down at his badge and idly wonders aloud who's going to catch this one. No idea really. Who could it possibly be.

At this point, Du Cheng has managed not to be a police officer for a whole fifteen seconds.

UGH FINE GIVE ME MY BADGE BACK YOU WIN. But Zhang-ju has not finished winning.

(This woman is a mother of twins or I will eat my laptop.)

Du Cheng has to pretend to think about this for another whole three seconds or so.

UGH FINE JUST GIVE IT BACK I'LL TAKE HIM WITH ME OKAY? OKAY???

(And then they proceed to drive off without him anyway, so that our little hero must ride to the crime scene alone on his bicycle. But the ways in which Shen Yi returns everyone's cold shoulder with this kind of serene tai-chi-like nonresistance is another meta entirely.)

All of this underscores two things: 1) Du Cheng's compulsive need to clear cases himself, and 2) his imminent practicality about so doing. When it turns out that Shen Yi is actually incredibly useful, Du Cheng stows his shit with remarkable rapidity and they do an enemies-to-friends speedrun in like three episodes, because nothing else matters to Du Cheng like solving crimes. It's truly the way to his heart. And when Shen Yi gets captured by Cai Dong in episode 3, what does Du Cheng say? "He's got one of our own." It's not just blind loyalty to the force; Shen Yi has already proven to Du Cheng that he really is a cop.

(And, ACAB; and China suffers from massive police corruption. So this procedural, like all the others, isn't reality, isn't a valorization of police work, but is probably some secret third thing.)

[anime-academia]

Books read in 2024 (plus ratings)

江戸川 乱歩/ Edogawa Ranpo 孤島の鬼 (Kotō no Oni)/ The Demon of the Lonely Isle [trans. Alexis J. Brown] (10/10) Utterly unwell over this one. The last part makes me want to cry every time I think about it. The Black Lizard and Beast in the Shadows [trans. Ian Hughes](7/10) Fun reads! The first one is an Akechi Kogoro mystery iirc. The Phantom Doctor (7/10) Also Akechi-sensei and fun, but nowhere near as brain rewiring as Koto no Oni. Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination [trans. James B. Harris](7/10) A collection of some of Ranpo's works. Some were good, some were mid, and some were just Junji Ito levels of weird.

Shakespeare The Tempest (8/10) Fun, but coloniser mentality much. Did read it in conjunction with Jane Eyre, not actually reading Robinson Crusoe, and reminiscing over Wide Sargasso Sea, so that was actually very fun for the brain. Twelfth Night (Or, What You Will) (10/10) I need to direct a production of this play so badly. Or just let me be Cesario. As You Like It (7/10) Fun but not really my vibe.

The Martian by Andy Weir (9/10) Not usually a sci-fi girlie, but this was delightful to read.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (8/10) Delightful, amazing, BBC Sherlock can actually take the Reinbach plunge for the gross mischaracterisation of Sherlock.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (7/10) Good, it's a classic for a reason. I would recommend reading Wide Sargasso Sea along with JE.

人間失格 (Ningen Shikkaku)/No Longer Human by 太宰 治/ Dazai Osamu [rather crusty pdf, I don't remember who the translator is] (8/10) Incredible. Reminded me of reading The Bell Jar. It did make me really sad tho, ngl, but there's also a sense of recognition.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (10/10) Loved this!

镇魂 (Zhèn Hún)/ Guardian by Priest (6/10) Was not vibing with the main story. Miscommunication and just general ridiculousness imo. B-plot was fun and Changcheng is so baby and sweet. I love him. 3 of the 6 stars are for him, the rest are for the other characters excluding MC and not-actually-a-professor. 2 books

川口 俊和/ Toshikazu Kawaguchi [trans. Geoffrey Trousselot] さよならも言えないうちに/ Before We Say Goodbye 思い出が消えないうちに/ Before Your Memory Fades この嘘がばれないうちに/ Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Cafe (7/10) for all. They were good, but not rent-free levels of good.

White Teeth by Zadie Smith (7/10) It was good.

墨香铜臭 (Mo Xiang Tong Xiu) [Trans: Seven Seas] 人渣反派自救系统 (Rén zhā fǎnpài zìjiù xìtǒng)/Scum Villain's Self-Saving System (9/10) So much about this one. I think about it at least once a week, probably. This was 4 books iirc 魔道祖师 (Módào Zǔshī)/ Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (8/10) Love the political intrigue. I will read this again at some point so that I can enjoy it while understanding what's happening. Everything can be explained by the answer "Jin Ling's uncle". Honestly, probably some of my favourite characters are in here. 5 books 天官赐福 (Tiān Guān Cì Fú)/ Heaven Official's Blessing (8/10) Yeah, filing and maths is difficult. Intriguing plot as well and as with MDZS, got stabbed in the heart several times. this is like 8 books long T^T

二哈和他的白猫师尊 (Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun)/ The Husky and His White Cat Shizun by 肉包不吃肉 (Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou)/ Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat [Trans: Seven Seas] (7/10) I was ready to give up, but the actual plot was interesting. and there's time travel. idk how many.. 3 or 4

女将军和长公主 (Nu Jiangjun he Zhang Gōngzhu)/Female General, Eldest Princess by 请君莫笑 (Please Don’t Laugh) [Trans: Melts and Eiko] (8/10) Plot is good. Stressed me tf out though ngl. Definite recommendation. Like watching shoujo after too much shounen. I think about this one frequently as well.

The Twelve Week Year by Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington Idk how to rate this, but it's been helpful and I wanna try this method out this year.

Ghastly Tales from the Yotsuya Kaidan by Saitō Takashi (7/10) Wanted to kill a lot of people in this myself. That being said, the story is told nicely.

The Snows of Kilimajaro by Ernest Hemingway (7/10) Collection. Some were good, some were mid. His life was absolutely wild. Idk how Hemingway survived as long as he did tbh.

ダンジョン飯/ Dungeon Meshi by 九井諒子/Ryoko Kui (9/10) Loved this!! Suck you in with fun fantasy and then damn, the curtains are not just blue. 14 volumes

Depilautumn by Nakahara Chūya [trans. Kenneth L. Richard & John L. Riley] (8/10). Poetry Anthology, fun but not all were a vibe.

River of Stars by Yosano Akiko [trans. Sam Hamill & Keiko Matsui Gibson) (8/10) Delightful and Yosano was pretty damn amazing!

[linjunjian]

JS108 translation: Murong Hui

Murong Hui

Murong Hui, courtesy name Yiluogui, was a Xianbei from Jicheng in Changli. His ancestors were descendants of the Youxiong clan, who had long dwelt among the northern barbarians, settling in the plains of Zimeng, known as the Eastern Hu. Later, they rose to power alongside the Xiongnu, commanding over 200,000 archers, with customs and official titles similar to the Xiongnu. During the Qin and Han dynasties, they were defeated by the Xiongnu and sought refuge in the Xianbei Mountains, from which they took their name. His great-grandfather Mohuba, at the beginning of Wei, led various tribes to settle in Liaoxi. For his meritorious service in following Emperor Xuan's campaign against the Gongsun clan, he was appointed as the King of Shuaiyi and established his state north of Jicheng. At that time, many in Yan and Dai wore the buyao crown. Mohuba saw and admired it, so he gathered his hair and adopted the crown. The tribes thus called him Buyao, which later became corrupted in pronunciation to Murong. Another account says the name Murong came from "admiring the virtue of heaven and earth" and "succeeding the appearance of the three lights." His grandfather Muyan was the Left Wise Prince. His father Shegui was promoted to Xianbei Chanyu for his achievement in preserving Liucheng, and moved his settlement to northern Liaodong, whereupon they gradually adopted the customs of the Central Plains.

Hui was tall and imposing from a young age, with a handsome appearance, standing eight chi tall, and possessed heroic qualities and great magnanimity. Zhang Hua, the General Who Pacifies the North, was known for his ability to judge character. When Hui, still wearing a youth's cap, went to pay his respects, Zhang was greatly impressed and said to him: "When you come of age, you will surely become an extraordinary vessel of your time, one who will rectify difficulties and save the age." He then gave Hui his own cap and hairpin, and they parted with deep mutual regard. After Shegui's death, his younger brother Nai usurped the position and plotted to kill Hui. Hui fled in secret to escape harm. Later, the people of the state killed Nai and welcomed Hui back to establish him as their leader.

Initially, as Shegui had harbored resentment against the Yuwen Xianbei, Hui sought to settle his predecessor's grievance and petitioned to attack them. Emperor Wu refused permission. Enraged, Hui invaded Liaoxi, killing and plundering many. The Emperor dispatched Youzhou forces to suppress Hui, and they fought at Feiru, where Hui's forces suffered a major defeat. Thereafter, he continued to raid Changli annually without cease. He also led forces east to attack Fuyu, where King Yilü committed suicide. Hui razed their state city and took over ten thousand people captive. The Eastern Barbarian Colonel He Kan sent Supervisor Jia Shen to escort and establish Yilü's son as king. Hui dispatched his general Sun Ding with cavalry to intercept them. Shen fought fiercely and beheaded Ding, thus restoring the state of Fuyu.

Hui then consulted with his people, saying: "Since my ancestors' time, we have served the Middle Kingdom. Moreover, Chinese and barbarians follow different principles, and there is a natural distinction between the strong and weak. How can we compete with Jin? Why not seek peace instead of harming our people?" He then sent envoys to submit. The Emperor commended this and appointed him Commander of the Xianbei. Hui paid respects to the Eastern Barbarian Prefecture, wearing Chinese attire and observing the etiquette of scholars. He Kan received him with troops in formation, whereupon Hui changed into barbarian clothing before entering. When asked why, Hui replied: "If the host does not observe proper etiquette, why should the guest?" Upon hearing this, He Kan felt ashamed and treated him with increased respect and caution. At this time, the Eastern Hu Yuwen Xianbei and Duan clan, fearing Hui's growing power and influence, frequently conducted raids. Hui responded with humble words and generous gifts to pacify them.

In the tenth year of Taikang (289), Hui relocated again to Mount Qing by the Tu River. As Dajicheng was the ancient site of Emperor Zhuanxu, he moved to settle there in the fourth year of Yuankang (294). He taught his people agriculture and sericulture, and established laws and institutions similar to those of the Upper Kingdom. During the Yongning period, when Yan experienced severe flooding, Hui opened his granaries to provide relief, saving the people of the Youzhou region. When the Son of Heaven heard of this, he commended him and bestowed ceremonial robes.

In early Tai'an, Yuwen Mogui sent his brother Quyun to raid the border cities, while his separate commander Da Suyan attacked and plundered various tribes. Hui personally attacked and defeated them. Enraged, Suyan led 100,000 troops to besiege Jicheng. The people were terrified and lost their will to resist. Hui said: "Though Suyan has gathered troops like dogs, sheep, and ants, his army lacks discipline and order. He is already within my calculations. My lords, you need only fight with all your might and have no cause for worry." He then personally donned armor, rode out to attack them, and greatly defeated Suyan, pursuing them for a hundred li and capturing or beheading over ten thousand men. 

At the beginning of Yongjia, Hui proclaimed himself Great Chanyu of the Xianbei. In Liaodong, Governor Pang Ben killed Eastern Barbarian Colonel Li Zhen due to personal grudges. The frontier Xianbei leaders Su Lian and Mu Jin, using vengeance for Zhen as a pretext but actually intending to cause chaos, attacked and captured various counties, killing and plundering officials and commoners. Governor Yuan Qian suffered repeated defeats, and Colonel Feng Shi fearfully sued for peace. The raids continued for years, causing people to lose their livelihoods, with refugees continuously seeking refuge with Hui.

Hui's son Han said to him: "Among ways to seek hegemony, none surpasses aiding the king. Throughout history, all successful rulers have relied on this principle. Now Lian and Jin are running rampant, the royal army has been defeated, and the common people are being slaughtered - what could be worse? These petty men use Pang Ben as an excuse while actually taking advantage to become bandits. Lord Feng seeks peace by offering to punish Ben, yet the harm only grows deeper. Liaodong has been falling for almost two years, the central plains are in chaos, and the provincial armies repeatedly suffer defeat. Now is the time to aid the king. The Chanyu should display the might of the Nine Campaigns, save those in dire straits, enumerate the crimes of Lian and Jin, and gather righteous forces to punish them. Above, we can restore Liaodong; below, we can absorb these two tribes. This will demonstrate loyalty to the dynasty while bringing benefit to our state. This is the beginning of our grand plan, and will ultimately lead to success among the princes."

Hui followed this advice. That day, he led cavalry to attack Lian and Jin, greatly defeating and beheading them. The two tribes all surrendered. He relocated them to Jicheng, established Liaodong Commandery, and returned.

When Emperor Huai was in distress at Pingyang, Wang Jun, acting on imperial authority, appointed Hui as Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary, Champion General, Grand Commander of the Vanguard, and Great Chanyu, but Hui declined. During the Jianxing period, Emperor Min sent envoys to appoint Hui as General Who Guards the Army and Duke of both Changli and Liaodong. At the beginning of Jianwu, Emperor Yuan, acting on imperial authority, appointed Hui as Bearer of the Insignia, Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary, Commander of Military Affairs for the Various Barbarians and Refugees of Liaozuo, General of Dragon Flight, Great Chanyu, and Duke of Changli, but Hui declined these honors.

General Who Conquers the Barbarians Lu Chang advised Hui: "Now that both capitals have fallen and the Emperor is in distress, Langye's authority in Jiangdong is truly what people's lives depend on. Your Excellency commands the northern regions beyond the sea and controls this entire area, yet various tribes still rely on their numbers to take up arms and have not submitted to civilization, perhaps because your office lacks imperial mandate and they consider themselves strong. Now you should send envoys to Langye, encourage support for the great succession, and then spread imperial orders to attack the guilty. Who would dare not follow!"

Hui approved of this advice and sent his Chief Clerk Wang Ji across the sea to encourage support. When the Emperor [Yuan] ascended to the throne, he sent Ceremonial Officer Tao Liao to reaffirm the previous appointments, conferring upon Hui the titles of General and Chanyu, though Hui firmly declined the ducal enfeoffment.

At this time, with both capitals having fallen and Youzhou and Jizhou having been overrun, Hui maintained clear laws and governance, and humbly welcomed refugees. Many displaced officials and commoners came to him with their families. Hui established commanderies to govern these refugees: people from Jizhou were organized into Jiyang Commandery, those from Yuzhou into Chengzhou Commandery, those from Qingzhou into Yingqiu Commandery, and those from Bingzhou into Tangguo Commandery.

He then selected talented individuals and entrusted them with administrative duties: 

- Pei Yi of Hedong, Lu Chang of Dai Commandery, and Yang Dan of Beiping served as chief strategists

- Feng Xian of Beihai, You Sui of Guangping, Xifang Qian of Beiping, Feng Chou of Bohai, Song Shi of Xihe, and Pei Kai of Hedong served as his chief ministers

- Feng Yi of Bohai, Song Gai of Pingyuan, Huangfu Ji of Anding, and Miao Kai of Lanling were appointed to key positions for their literary talents

- Zhu Zuoche of Kuaiji, Humu Yi of Taishan, and Kong Zuan of Lu State were treated as honored guests for their traditional virtues

- Liu Zan of Pingyuan, being well-versed in Confucian studies, was appointed as Director of the Eastern School, where the heir apparent Huang led noble youths in studying under him

During breaks from governing, Hui personally attended these lectures. As a result, people sang praises on the roads, and courtesy and deference flourished.

At this time, Cui Bi, the Inspector of Pingzhou and Colonel of Eastern Barbarians, considered himself a prominent southern official and hoped to gather followers, but no refugees came to him. Suspecting Hui of detaining them, he secretly allied with Goguryeo and the Yuwen and Duan states, plotting to destroy Hui and divide his territory.

In early Taixing, the three states attacked Hui. Hui said: "They believe Cui Bi's empty words, seeking temporary gain, and come as a loose alliance. Without unified leadership or mutual submission, I will surely defeat them. However, their initial assault will be fierce, and they hope us to fight quickly. If we counter-attack directly, we'll fall into their trap. If we remain calm and wait, they'll grow suspicious of each other. First, they'll suspect I'm conspiring with Bi to destroy them; second, they'll suspect one among their three states has a Han-Wei style plot with me. Once their morale is confused, victory will be certain."

When the three states attacked Jicheng, Hui closed the gates and didn't fight. He sent wine and cattle to entertain the Yuwen forces, loudly announcing: "Cui Bi's envoy arrived yesterday." As expected, the other two states suspected Yuwen of collaborating with Hui and withdrew. Yuwen Xiduguan said: "Though the two states have left, I alone will take their territories - what need have I of others?" He surrounded the city with camps stretching thirty li.

Hui assigned elite troops to Huang to lead the vanguard; Han led elite cavalry as the surprise force to strike from the side directly into their camps; Hui advanced with the main formation. Xiduguan , overconfident in his numbers, failed to take precautions. When Hui's army arrived, he had just begun to organize resistance. As the vanguards engaged, Han had already entered their camps and set them ablaze. Their troops panicked and were thoroughly defeated. Xiduguan barely escaped, and all his troops were captured.

A camp guard then found the Emperor's jade seal with three knobs, which Hui sent to Jianye with Chief Clerk Pei Yi. Fearing Hui's revenge, Cui Bi sent his nephew Tao to falsely congratulate Hui. When envoys from the three states also arrived requesting peace, saying "This wasn't our intention; Inspector Cui instructed us," Hui showed Tao the siege locations and threatened him with troops, saying: "Your uncle instructed the three states to destroy me - why do you come with false congratulations?" Tao, frightened, confessed everything.

Hui then sent Tao back to persuade Bi, saying: "Surrender is the best strategy; fleeing is the worst." He followed with his army. Bi, along with several dozen horsemen, abandoned his family and fled to Goguryeo. Hui accepted the surrender of all Bi's followers, relocated Tao and Gao Zhan and others to Jicheng, and treated them with the courtesy due to guests. The following year, when Goguryeo raided Liaodong, Hui sent troops to attack and defeat them.

When Pei Yi returned from Jianye, the Emperor sent envoys to appoint Hui as Commander of Military Affairs in Pingzhou, General Who Pacifies the North, and Inspector of Pingzhou, increasing his fief by 2,000 households. Soon after, he was further appointed as Envoy of the Imperial Insignia, Commander of Military Affairs for Eastern Barbarians in Youzhou, General of Chariots and Cavalry, and Shepherd of Pingzhou. He was promoted to Duke of Liaodong Commandery with a fief of 10,000 households, while retaining his positions as Attendant-in-Ordinary and Chanyu. He received an iron certificate with vermillion writing, was granted authority over the eastern coastal regions, and was ordered to establish official positions and appoint administrators for Pingzhou.

When Duan Mobo first took control of his state, he failed to maintain proper defenses. Hui sent Huang to launch a surprise attack, entering Lingzhi, where they captured fine horses and valuable treasures before returning.

When Shi Le sent envoys to establish peaceful relations, Hui rejected them and sent their envoys to Jianye. Enraged, Shi Le sent Yuwen Qidegui to attack Hui, but Hui dispatched Huang to resist. He appointed Pei Yi as Commander of the Right Division, with Suo Tou leading the right wing, and ordered his younger son Ren to advance from Pingguo to Bolin as the left wing to attack Qidegui. They defeated him and captured all his troops. Taking advantage of their victory, they captured the state's capital, seizing resources worth hundreds of millions and relocating tens of thousands of households back to their territory.

When Emperor Cheng ascended to the throne, Hui was additionally appointed as Palace Attendant and promoted to the rank of Special Advanced. In the fifth year of Xianhe (330), he was further appointed as Commander of the Palace Forces with Equal Authority as the Three Excellencies, but he firmly declined to accept this position.

Hui once remarked casually: "The law courts hold people's lives in the balance, so we must handle them with utmost care. Worthy and virtuous people are the foundation of the state, so we must treat them with respect. Agriculture is the basis of the nation, so we must give it urgent attention. Wine, sensual pleasures, and flattery are extremely destructive to virtue, so we must guard against them." He then wrote "Family Instructions" containing several thousand words to elaborate on these principles.

He sent an envoy with a letter to Grand Commander Tao Kan, which said:

"To Your Excellency:

You uphold virtue and display authority, pacifying and stabilizing the realm. You devote yourself to both civil and military affairs, keeping soldiers and horses in good condition. I deeply admire and look up to you, and my respect grows ever stronger. The royal road is long and treacherous, and we are separated by vast distances. Whenever I gaze at the river's edge, I crane my neck looking into the distance.

Heaven has sent down hardships, and disasters have come one after another. The old capital could not be defended and became the court of barbarians, forcing the imperial carriage to relocate and seek refuge in Wu and Chu. The Great Jin dynasty, which was established to last for countless generations, has not lost Heaven's mandate, as shown clearly in celestial signs. Thus, righteous and valiant men harbor deep indignation. Despite my meager achievements, I have received special favor from the state. Yet I have failed both to sweep away the Jie barbarians above and to personally face the nation's crisis below. Moreover, treacherous ministers were allowed to repeatedly threaten the imperial capital. Wang Dun initiated calamity first, and Su Jun spread his poison afterward. Their brutality exceeded that of Dong Zhuo, and their wickedness surpassed that of Li Jue and Guo Si. Throughout the realm, who does not share in this anger! I am deeply puzzled that our civil and military officials, who enjoy such imperial honors, have been unable to eliminate the bandits of the Central Plains and wash away the shame of our nation.

You, my lord, have established your base in Jiangyang and shown your brilliance in Jing and Heng. You wield authority like Duke Ye and possess the determination of Bao Xu, yet you have allowed criminals like Bai Gong and Wu Yuan to reach the extremes of their violence - this would make even Qiuming ashamed. Even the likes of Zizhong of the small state of Chu were ashamed when their ruler was weak and the ministers could not match their predecessors. They disciplined themselves and warned others to subdue Chen and Zheng. Even Wen Zhong and Fan Li were able to assist Goujian and achieve victory at Huangchi. How much more so now, when Wu's territory is full of talented people standing shoulder to shoulder - yet they do not support the sage ruler and advance north across the Yangtze.

With righteous proclamations, we should attack the rebellious Jie barbarians, issue commands to rally the warriors of the old states, and recruit those who wish to preserve our foundations. Would this not be as easy as leaves falling with the wind or wheels rolling downhill? Moreover, when the Sun family first rose, they used the forces from Changsha to defeat Dong Zhuo, aiming to support the Han court. Although they encountered setbacks and their noble aspirations were not fulfilled, their original intentions were sincere, even to the point of disregarding their own lives.

When Sun Quan held Yangzhou and Yuezhou, he relied externally on Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao, internally on Gu Yong and Lu Xun, resisted Wei successfully, and captured Xiangyang. Since then, successive rulers have all been able to pressure Xuzhou and Yuzhou, causing the Wei court to eat their meals late with worry. I don't know if today's talented people in the Jiangnan region are hiding their wisdom and concealing their strategic abilities? Or have the great examples of Lü Meng and Ling Tong been lost to time?

Moreover, now that the violent Jie barbarians are brutal, the people of the Central Plains are under urgent pressure, their situation as precarious as stacked eggs. The enemy's false authority is something the people's hearts have already abandoned - they show weakness that can easily be shaken. Although Wang Lang and Yuan Shu were deceptive, their foundations were shallow and weak, and disaster came swiftly - these are all events that you, my lord, have witnessed.

Minister Wang is pure and has few desires, skilled at self-preservation - in the past, Cao Can also followed this path and was known for his principle of 'maintaining uniformity.' Lord Yu holds the honored position of the emperor's uncle and bears the responsibility like Shen Bo, transcending worldly matters with clear wisdom and discretion. During these times of invasion and trouble, I have received generations of favor from the Great Jin, yet I regret being in a remote region, unable to aid the sacred court, only able to set my heart toward the distant capital and feel indignation when facing the wind.

Today, among all those looked up to within the empire, only you, my lord, have sufficient influence to tip the balance like in the times of Chu and Han. If you would exert all your effort and deploy the forces of the five provinces, occupy the outskirts of Yanzhou and Yuzhou, and cause those inclined toward righteousness to turn their weapons around and lay down their arms, then the Jie bandits would surely be destroyed and our national shame eliminated. In my region, I dare not spare any effort in service. However, advancing alone with a small force is insufficient to make the enemy fear both front and rear attacks, and those loyal subjects who wish to respond from within have no way to act. Therefore, I present these thoughts from afar, though words cannot fully express everything."

Murong Hui's envoy encountered storms and was lost at sea. Afterward, Hui rewrote his previous letter and sent it along with memorials from over thirty officials, including Feng Chou, the Colonel of Eastern Barbarians, and Han Jiao, the Acting Minister of Liaodong, to Tao Kan's office, saying:

"Throughout history, few nations and families have not experienced decline after reaching their peak. Since the Great Jin dynasty's rise to power, it conquered Mount Hun and Hui, with military prowess surpassing historical records. However, at the end of Emperor Hui's reign, court factions created difficulties, disaster struck the capital region, and rifts formed within the imperial clan. This allowed the Jie bandits to exploit the weakness, overthrowing the Central Plains. The old capital fell into ruin, imperial tombs were desecrated, causing both humans and spirits to grieve and both the living and deceased to feel outrage. In the past, even when the Xianyun were strong and the Xiongnu were at their peak, none were as brutal as today's Jie bandits, who trample across Chinese territory and falsely claim imperial titles.

Heaven has blessed the Jin dynasty and bestowed it with outstanding talents. The General of Cavalry and Chariots, Murong Hui, has governed his state since his youth, remaining loyal to the royal house. He is wise, trustworthy, respectful, and solemn, with aspirations to establish merit. When the empire fragmented and the imperial court relocated, Emperor Yuan initiated the restoration and Emperor Su continued the lineage, pacifying the regions beyond the Yangtze. Although Hui is separated by mountains and seas, and cut off by the Jie bandits, he constantly looks toward the capital with his heart set on it, losing sleep with concerns for the state rather than himself. Tributes have been sent continuously, with ships filling the routes, and military campaigns have never ceased, always serving righteous causes.

Now the Jie bandits' evil reaches to the heavens, relying on their barbaric kind, establishing bases in Zhao and Wei, and extending their control over Yan and Qi. Although Hui leads righteous forces to punish these great rebels, even when Guan Zhong served Qi, he said that his honors were insufficient to command his subordinates. How much more so for Hui, who supports the royal house and has achievements worthy of a hegemon, yet holds a low position and light rank, not yet receiving the Nine Honors? This is not the way to show special favor to frontier nobles and encourage extraordinary merit.

Currently, imperial edicts are cut off and the royal road is dangerous and distant, with tribute missions taking years to complete their journeys. Now the old territory of Yan - bounded by the desert in the north, reaching Lelang in the east, extending to Mount Dai in the west, and stretching to Ji region in the south - has all fallen under barbarian control and is no longer part of the imperial domain. The officials and commanders believe we should follow the precedent of the Zhou Dynasty and the early Han period by promoting Hui to King of Yan and appointing him as Grand General. This would allow him to command all divisions from above and reduce enemy territory from below, causing the people of Jizhou to submit upon hearing of it. If Hui could receive such imperial orders, he could lead various states, oppose the barbarians, and achieve accomplishments like those of Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin. If it benefits the state, this authority can be granted exclusively.

However, Hui has remained firmly modest and maintained his integrity at an even higher level. Whenever honors were bestowed by imperial edict, he would decline them for years, and we officials cannot force him to accept. What we present here is not merely to seek elevation of status; rather, our sincere thoughts are truly for the nation's strategy."

Tao Kan replied to Feng Chou and others, saying in essence: "The General of Cavalry and Chariots has put the state before himself, sending continuous tributes. When the Jie bandits sought peace, he detained and sent their envoys. He campaigned westward against the Duan state, northward beyond the frontier, pacified the distant Suotou, and presented tributes from remote regions. Only the northern regions remain unsubmitted, against which he has repeatedly sent campaigns. I also understand that regarding official titles in the east, ranks are equal at all levels, with neither authority to command others when advancing nor proper hierarchical distinctions when retreating. The proposal to promote the General to King of Yan has been fully explained. Advancing rank based on merit is an ancient system. Although the General has not yet been able to enforce official authority, his loyalty and righteousness are complete. Now that this memorial has been submitted for imperial consideration, whether fast or slow, it should await heaven's decision."

The court discussions were not concluded. In the eighth year (333), Hui passed away, and the matter was dropped. He was sixty-five years old and had ruled for forty-nine years. The Emperor sent envoys to posthumously bestow upon him the titles of Grand General and Palace Attendant with Equal Authority of the Three Excellencies, with the posthumous title of Xiang. When Jun later usurped the throne, he falsely bestowed the posthumous title of Emperor Wuxuan.

Biography of Pei Yi

Pei Yi, courtesy name Wenji, was from Wenxi in Hedong. His father Chang served as the Colonel Director of Retainers. Yi was upright and capable, and was progressively promoted to Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat, then to Gentleman Attendant at the Yellow Gates, and Governor of Xingyang.

When chaos engulfed the realm, Yi's elder brother Wu was serving as Governor of Xuantu. Yi then requested to become the Governor of Changli. After serving in the commandery for some time, Wu died, and Yi was summoned back. He then accompanied Wu's son Kai to escort the funeral procession south. When they reached Liaoxi, they found the roads blocked, so they sought refuge with Murong Hui.

At that time, many displaced scholars who saw Murong Hui's emerging power were uncertain whether to stay or leave. Yi was the first to establish proper relations with Hui, setting an example for other scholars to follow. Hui was very pleased and appointed Yi as Chief Clerk, entrusting him with military and state affairs.

When Xiduguan's bandits approached and besieged the city, causing unrest both inside and outside, Hui sought counsel from Yi. Yi said: "Although Xiduguan commands a large force, his army lacks discipline and his troops have no formation. If we select elite soldiers and strike while they are unprepared, we can capture them easily." Hui followed this advice and successfully raided the enemy camp. This greatly enhanced Hui's prestige and authority. When he wanted to send envoys to Jianye to report this victory, he carefully selected his messenger and ordered Yi to carry out this diplomatic mission.

Initially, the court regarded Hui as merely a frontier chieftain due to his remote location. When Yi arrived as envoy, he eloquently described Hui's military prowess and noted how talented individuals from across the realm were serving under him. This changed the court's entire perspective.

When Yi was about to return, the Emperor tried to retain him to test his loyalty. Yi declined, saying: "I and my family have long enjoyed imperial favor and served in the central government. Due to circumstances, I found myself in distant lands. Now that I have the fortune to see the court and receive gracious orders to stay in the capital, this would indeed be a great personal honor. However, considering that the imperial residence has been displaced and the imperial tombs dishonored, General Murong Hui, though far away, remains devoted to the royal house with a sincerity that moves heaven and earth. He is preparing to pacify the central plains and welcome back the imperial carriage, which is why he sent an envoy thousands of miles to demonstrate his loyalty. If you retain me now, he might think the court looks down upon him in his remote location and doubts his sincere heart, causing his righteous spirit to waver. Therefore, I, your humble servant, forget myself for the state's sake and wish to return to deliver my report."

The Emperor said, "Your words are right," and sent Yi back.

Later, Hui told his officials, "Chief Clerk Pei's reputation carries weight in the central court, yet he humbled himself to serve here - isn't this heaven's gift to me?" Yi was later appointed Minister of Liaodong and then Governor of Lelang.

Biography of Gao Zhan

Gao Zhan, courtesy name Ziqian, was from Tiao in Bohai. From a young age, he showed exceptional talent and intelligence, and grew to be eight chi and two cun tall. During the Guangxi period, he was appointed as Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat. When the Yongjia chaos broke out, he returned to his hometown and discussed with the elders, saying: "Now that imperial authority is weak and warfare spreads everywhere, this commandery with its fertile land and natural defenses of rivers and seas will surely become a target for bandits during times of war and famine. This is not a place to seek safety. Wang Pengzu is already established in You and Ji, controlling the resources of Yan and Dai, with strong military and rich state - we can rely on him. What do you all think of this?" Everyone agreed with his proposal.

He then led several thousand households to migrate north to Youzhou with his uncle Yin. Later, finding Wang Jun's governance inconsistent, he sought refuge with Cui Bi and followed him to Liaodong.

When Cui Bi plotted with the three states to attack Murong Hui, Zhan strongly advised against it, but Bi did not listen. After Bi's defeat, Zhan surrendered to Hui along with others. Hui appointed him as a general, but Zhan claimed illness and declined to serve.

Hui, respecting Zhan's character and bearing, visited him frequently to comfort him, saying: "Your illness lies here [in your heart], not elsewhere. Now that the Son of Heaven has been displaced, the Four Seas are falling apart, and the common people are in chaos, not knowing where to turn. I wish to work with you gentlemen to restore the imperial house, eliminate the oppressors from the two capitals, escort the Emperor back from Wu and Hui, pacify all directions, and achieve merits comparable to the ancient heroes. This is my heart's desire and my wish. You are from a great clan of the Central Plains and of noble status - you should be deeply concerned and sleep on your weapon waiting for the dawn. Why do you harbor reservations about the distinction between Chinese and barbarians? Besides, the Great Yu came from the Western Qiang, and King Wen was born among the Eastern Yi. One should only consider a person's ambition and strategy - how can different customs be a reason to withhold one's loyalty?"

Zhan continued to claim serious illness, which greatly displeased Hui. Moreover, Zhan had a conflict with Song Gai, who secretly urged Hui to eliminate him. When Zhan heard of this, he became increasingly uneasy and eventually died of anxiety.

[staydandy]

Fireworks of My Heart (2023) - 我的人间烟火 - Whump List

List by StayDandy Synopsis : Fire chief Song Yan and ER doctor Xu Qin reunite after ten years. The two parted ways in their youths due to family. When they meet again, both of them have grown and changed a lot. Due to the nature of their work, Song Yan and Xu Qin's paths continue to intersect. Song Yan leads the firefighters in a brave fight to save others. No matter how many tests of life and death come his way, he never veers from his original aspirations. His persistence encourages Xu Qin gradually untying the knot that has troubled them for years. They walk side by side, overcoming family differences to be together as they guard this beautiful city in their own ways. (MDL) AKA : My Fireworks on Earth | Waiting for You in a City

Whumpee : Song Yan played by Yang Yang • Suo Jun [fire Instructor] played by Vin Zhang • Jiang Yu [fire Instructor] played by Wang Yan Lin • Liu Jun Ping [firefighter] played by Zhao Ren Jie • Yang Chi [firefighter] played by Meng A Sai • Zhan Da Peng [firefighter] played by Yi Da Qian

Country : 🇨🇳 China Genres : Action, Romance, Medical

Notes : This is a Full Whump List • Adapted from the web novel “Waiting for You in a City" (一座城，在等你) by Jiu Yue Xi (玖月晞) • So many characters to whump I nearly ran out of colors

Episodes on List : 16 Total Episodes : 40

*Spoilers below*

01 : [flashback] Song Yan shot … [present] toothache … blown back by an explosion

02 : Toothache

04 : Pierced in the back with broken metal.. treated at hospital

06 : Wrist lightly scratched

08 : Suo Jun collapses, pain, retches … face burned, arm paralyzed, hospitalized

12 : Jiang Yu exhausted from 20km run, collapses.. tries to run more, collapses.. bruises & blisters on his feet

13 : Song Yan stung by hornets, carried into hospital (comedic)

15 : Liu Jun Ping falls down a mountain side, foot stuck in a crevice, Song Yan stays with Jun Ping, temperature dropping, shivering.. Jun Ping carried out … leg bruised & bandaged

18 : Yang Chi's hand is cut in a fight … treated

21 : [flashback] Song Yan shot several times, passes out.. wakes, receiving field-aid, passes out again.. hospitalized

22 : [present] Supports a collapsed wall with his own body while someone tries to break it apart, feels the force of every blow of the sledgehammer … slips while helping carry a sledge of concrete

23 : … continued from previous ep. ... Throws up, unsteady, exhausted, continues to retch … trapped under a collapsed building, unconscious.. debris fallen on top, pierced through stomach by rebar … rescued, unconscious the whole time

24 : … continued from previous ep. ... 4hr surgery.. in medical tent … walking with crutch

30 : Jiang Yu is blown off a 2nd story floor by an explosion, knocked out

31 : Song Yan gets cyanide poisoning during a mission, dizzy, passes out … ambulance, oxygen mask, unsteady heartbeat, chest compression, shocked with defibrillator.. hospitalized

33 : Zhan Da Peng is caught in a flashback & explosion, knocked out, heavily burned, buried in debris

More Whump Lists for this show: simply-whump

[zalrb]

Sorry if you've answered this before but I did search your blog and nothing showed up for me. But I was wondering if you have any favorite fight scenes from movies and tv shows? Like physical fight/combat scenes that actually blow you away by how good they look? Where it doesn't look too choreographed and even though it's stylized, it still looks awesome? For me personally, kdramas take the cake for best fight scenes, and one of my hands down favorite fight scenes of all time was from bloodhounds ep 1 when woo doo hwan's character had to fight to get to his mom. Like I was truly in awe watching that scene, I couldn't believe my eyes haha. Would love to know your favorites and/or thoughts on fight/combat scenes :)

Ooh yes! So. I grew up with martial arts movies, my cousins loved Jet Li so a lot of my favourite fight scenes are from the movies I grew up with

Twin Warriors/Tai Chi Master

Fist of Legend

Once Upon A Time In China

Fong Sai Yuk

and then when I was a bit older and started watching them on my own, I still had affection for Jet Li so:

Romeo Must Die (and I loved Aaliyah??)

Cradle 2 The Grave (with DMX??)

Hero (although I was really more watching for Zhang Ziyi)

speaking of, Michelle Yeoh vs Zhang Ziyi in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? ICONIC

and speaking of Michelle Yeoh, Magnificent Warriors

House of Flying Daggers

I'm always going to love Morpheus vs Neo in The Matrix

The Bride vs Crazy 88 in Kill Bill

can't bring up Kill Bill without bringing up Lady Snowblood

My favourite John Wick fight scenes are in chapter 2

and I do like a good shootout scene. I remember thinking The Town was so mid and did not understand the praise that movie got, I still don't, but it had good shootout scenes

LA Confidential

Heat has one of the most iconic shootout scenes too

The Bourne trilogy actually has some pretty good hand to hand combat scenes, one of which actually got claps in the theatre I was in

[jacquesthepigeon]

I loved Fei in the special and pretty much nothing else but her design makes me a little uncomfortable- it immediately calls me back to the Shang-Chi movie, and reminds me of how the titular character's sister was originally meant to have a streak of dyed hair, but the actress specifically asked them not to dye her hair and explicitly cited that it's an extremely common trope in Western media for the Badass Chinese Martial Artist Girl to have a hair streak and she did not want to play into that stereotype. Fei's debut happened around the same time as Meng'er Zhang made this statement and I cannot shake it.

I got so distracted by the whitification transformation that I forgot about the hair streak

[movielosophy]

Pegasus | Let's train like Takumi.

[thecollectibles]

Cyborg Port Mafia by Zhang Chi

[taisuiartgallery]

Guidepost

General Tags:

Art

Digital Art

Traditional Art

Fic

Video

Animatic

Memes

Comics

Crossover

Spoilers

Full list of more specific tags under the cut:

Character Tags:

Because there are So Many Characters, I've taken a page from E. Danglar's book and sorted them by region.

Southern Wan (Jinping)

Xi Ping

Zhou Ying

Wei Chengxiang

Bai Ling

Xi Yue

Pang Jian

Old Madam Xi

Xi Zhengde

Cui Jinjin

Zhao Yu

The Karma Beast

Chen Baishao (Jiangli)

Southern Wan (Xuanyin)

Zhi Xiu

Lin Chi

Wen Fei

Luo Qingshi

Zhang Jue

Lin Zongyi

Yao Qi

Chang Jun

Princess Duanrui

Su Zhun

Zhao Yin

Li Fengshan

Southern Wan (The Southern Mines)

Lü Chengyi

Liang Chen

Southern Wan (Other)

Zhao Qindan

Xu Rucheng

The Heart Demon

Western Chu

Qiu Sha

Hui Xiangjun

Yu Chang

Xuanwu

Zhuoming

Xiang Rong

Tao-er-nainai

Southern Shu

Wangge Luobao

Northern Li

Xie Chu

Kunlun's Third Elder

Wu Lingxiao

Accompanying Plant Tags:

Reincarnation Wood

Snow Shuffler

Late Autumn Red

Eternal Spring Brocade

Heartless Lotus

Item/Weapon Tags:

Tai Sui Qin

Zhaoting

The Law Breaker

The Unbound Furnace

Discard the False and Keep the True

Ship Tags:

Xi Ping/Zhi Xiu

Xi Ping/Zhou Ying

Zhi Xiu/Xi Ping/Zhou Ying

Wei Chengxiang/Zhao Qindan

Xi Ping/Yu Chang

Lin Chi/Hui Xiangjun

Qiu Sha/Hui Xiangjun

Qiu Sha/Hui Xiangjun/Lin Chi

Lin Chi/Wen Fei

Miscellaneous Tags:

Zhou Ying's Cat

The Sea of Stars

The Dragon Vein

Scenery

Fic Tags:

Gen Fic

Story Arc Tags:

(Any drawing/comic of a specific scene will have the relevant arc tagged. Tags for early arcs aren't necessarily spoiler-free.)

Midnight Song

The Dragon Bites Its Tail

Fragrant Jade Miasma

Demon Country

The Mountain Falls

Indignant Cicadas

Traveler Abroad

Unbound Knife

Eternal Flame

The Storm Begins

Flower in the Mirror

Tomb of the Sage

A Life of Regret

Conclusion

The Extras (Overall)

Antiquity Extra

New Capital Extra

Western Chu Extra

Frost and Snow Extra

Jinping Extra

Bonus Secret Info

For those of y'all that scroll all the way to the bottom of this tag list, here's an extra fun fact: this blog is run by ya girl Andromeda Grassbreads. You can find me TaiSuiposting over on my meta blog @morethanwonderful.

[novelease]

Join the Adventure in "Star Peak Legend"!

If you’re on the hunt for an enthralling Xianxia novel, look no further than "Star Peak Legend" by the renowned author 我吃西红柿 (Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi). This captivating story spans 1.4372 million characters and unfolds the grand saga of a cultivator destined to rewrite his fate.

The narrative kicks off with a cultivator who fails his heavenly tribulation but miraculously does not perish. Instead, he is reborn into the mortal realm with the memories of his former life. He finds himself within the prestigious Zhang family, one of the four major clans in the Qinglong Continent, and at the tender age of six, he becomes Zhang San Gongzi. However, he soon discovers that family ties can be treacherous, as he is cast out for their own gain.

As the first part of the novel concludes, the saga transitions into an epic exploration of the realms of immortals and demons. Readers are taken on a journey filled with magical elixirs, mystical beasts, and sacred cultivation lands, as the protagonist strives to make his mark in a world brimming with power struggles and incredible beings.

Don’t miss the chance to experience "Star Peak Legend." Join the protagonist as he embarks on his quest for glory and self-discovery. Read it for free at Star Peak,Legend, read more for NovelEase.

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Kenny Lín Gēngxīn 林更新 Featurette In The Great Wall Movie (2016)

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~ THROWBACK ~

Before The Fourth Master Yuwen Yue in Princess Agents, long before The High Ancient God Xing Zhi in The Legend Of Shen Li, there was Commander Chen (Chen Jiangjun). The head of Eagle Troops faction (archers, red cloaks and armours), one of the five elite forces called Nameless Order in The Great Wall movie. He caught my attention because of Matt Damon and Legolas. Why? First, it's Matt Damon. One of the few Hollywood actors that I really respect their projects and personality. He's so normal. And Legolas? Yeah, I really have something with archery, so...

Some people may have already known it, but the others haven't. Yet. Because most of them, their main focus is on television series, not the big screen. In fact, if you are looking at Gengxin's portfolio, all the movies that he starred in - although it's less than the other actors done (Gengxin is known for his carefulness in choosing a role, and never plays the same typical character twice) - are no less exceptional than the others. And still made him one of the highest paid actors in China. In 2014, he became the main lead in The Taking Of Tiger Mountain along with Zhang Hanyu and Tony Leung. Two years later in 2016, he played a major role as Hsieh Shao Feng/Ah-Chi, The Third Master, collaborated with Peter Ho, in Sword Master film. And in this particular film, he acted together in one frame and one table with Matt Damon, Willem Dafoe, Pedro Pascal also Andy Lau.

So, when some time ago, a lot of people said that he was riding on his partner's (and his very best) name Zhao Liying for fame, perhaps they only knew him after The Legend Of Shen Li. Or... Maybe as usual, haters that apparently will always be haters.

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Production: Legendary Pictures, China Film Group, Dentsu Inc., Fuji Television Network

Country Origin: China, USA, Japan

Released Date: 6 December 2016 (Beijing)

Director: Zhang Yimou

Starring: Matt Damon, Jian Ting, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau, Lu Han, Kenny Lin, Eddie Peng, Zhang Hanyu

Language: English, Mandarin

Music Director: Ramin Djawadi

Video Intro: Nameless Order (The Great Wall: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Ramin Djawadi

© 2016 Universal Pictures

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PS: Only on the big screen, that you will really hear his actual voice. Because most of his television series is done by voice over actors (which is a common in the Chinese film industry).

One thing that I remember, back then these elite forces, people on the internet called them Power Rangers 😅