#ggdd entertainment circle

[rainbowsky]

Anonymous asked:

Big fan of your posts! What do you think of Huang Ziteng's [redacted]

Love to hear your thoughts!

Hi Anon. Thanks so much for your kind words, I am glad you're enjoying my blog! ☺️

I suppose you must be a bit surprised to see your name come up as anonymous, since your question was not submitted anonymously. It is because this particular ask put me in a bit of a dilemma and I decided to err on the side of caution. I don't want anyone getting offended by what I have to say about things like this.

The material in question

The content that you shared with me was indeed video footage of Huang Ziteng speaking on a livestream about GG and DD. I asked a dear friend who is fluent in Chinese to give me a rough overview since there was no translation, and this is what Shufu is saying:

They've been together for 6 years.

DD was the one who was more outward in the pursuit, but GG was expressing his love with his eyes, and it's impossible to say who was attracted first.

A bit of background about The Untamed, saying that an actor with the last name of Ma was already cast as Wei WuXian and only needed to sign the contract, but Ma was in a series that was popular at the time and decided he wanted more compensation. The production couldn't afford it, and switched to GG.

Turtles will have a lifetime of candies.

This video is also not new (based on other copies found online, it's at least as old as October of last year), and apparently this isn't the first time he's spoken fairly openly about them in a livestream.

My thoughts

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this, and I want to dig into a couple of issues because this really touches upon some of the core considerations of being a turtle.

1 ] Supporting closeted couples

GG and DD are closeted, at least when it comes to being in the public eye*. This isn't just because of their queerness, but it is also because they are celebrities and as such they're required to appear single.

*It is obvious they are out among their friends and close colleagues, but that is very different from being publicly out.

We need to consider audience expectations and the pressures of investors, brands and productions to be able to market stars on the perception of romantic availability. This is why stars in that industry tend to hide their relationships and even families and children.

As celebrities GG and DD are not able to be publicly out.

Being queer is undoubtedly also a complication. Even though many Chinese citizens are tolerant of homosexuality, especially the younger generation, many are only tolerant of it as long as it is not seen or discussed. It's highly likely coming out would result in a lot of backlash among audiences, even from people who aren't fans that dream of one day marrying them.

Chinese audiences can be absolutely savage towards anyone who takes up a certain type of public airspace. Anyone who sticks their head up too far for any reason stands a chance of having it chewed off.

That's quite apart from the political implications for them. The current government has had a very anti LGBTQ approach. GG and DD are not at liberty to be open about their sexual orientation if they want to be able to continue to enjoy a top spot in this heavily government-regulated industry, where they are frequently put in the position of being role models and ambassadors.

If they were to come out publicly about their relationship, or even just about being queer, it's very likely that a lot of queer people and queer allies would be inspired and emboldened by them.

While that might sound like a good thing to our Western ears, it's likely not so in the eyes of the government. This government treats LGBTQ people as potential political dissidents, which is why they crack down so much on opportunities for queer people to gather. Night clubs are shut down, queer organizations and agencies are shut down, Pride marches are no longer allowed.

The last thing they would want is for two of the top celebrities in the country to become poster boys for the queer rights movement. And this could easily happen whether GG and DD wanted it or not.

If they were seen as in any way leading or even just inspiring a politically subversive movement (as any movement that is critical of government policy is treated), it would not be good for them.

There is another, in some ways potentially more serious issue. This government has repeatedly characterized queer people as having a corrupting influence on youth. GG, and especially DD, are extremely popular among young people. If they were to come out about their relationship or about being queer, there is a possibility that in the eyes of the government they would instantly become 'corruptors of the youth', with all of the outcomes that one can imagine for such a corrupter.

In other words, it could be very unpleasant indeed.

Make no mistake about it, the government knows they are a couple. This government knows. But GG and DD are allowed to play the roles they play in the industry because they are useful to the government, because they are mouthpieces for political messaging, and because they keep a low profile with regard to their personal lives.

There's also the personal side to this.

As queer people, our identities and our personal lives frequently become a source of controversy and friction. Therefore our personal stories absolutely must be under our own control. We must always be the ones deciding how much about us is known, and who knows it.

All of this to say, this is not Huang Ziteng's story to tell, and as somebody who knows them personally and is publicly associated with them - having worked with them in the past - outing them like this to fans is extremely not okay. Unless he has their permission, he is seriously violating their privacy and potentially putting them at risk.

For this reason, I find it extremely difficult to imagine that GG in particular would have given him permission to speak openly about their relationship. He would have understood that it could make Huang Ziteng look bad, as there's no way for him to say or prove that he has their permission to discuss these things.

All other considerations aside, I just don't see GG being okay with that.

2 ] The issue of veracity

Turtles love Shufu. Of course we do. He gives us candy, and we all love candy. There are many turtles who starve and suffer without candy. Some of our favorite candies came directly from him. What's not to love?

The problem here is, there's absolutely no evidence or proof of anything that he says beyond what we already know as turtles. He isn't giving us any new evidence or proof of their relationship (and that's probably really good thing given what I just talked at length about above), and most crucially he has not given any fresh insight into them as a couple. Nothing that might show he really has an inside perspective on them.

There's absolutely nothing to say that he isn't simply parroting everything we say back to us, telling us what we want to hear.

For what purpose? Well, people can be a bit strange, especially when it comes to fame and attention and popularity. I've actually seen this with my own eyes IRL. Humans can behave in puzzling ways when in the proximity of people who are very famous and popular.

Personal opportunism aside, the world can be very cold and lonely, and people will often go to great lengths to feel special, to feel powerful and to feel loved.

I just finished talking about how much turtles tend to love Shufu. That alone is something that should give all of us pause when it comes to a situation like this. We are vulnerable to being taken advantage of by somebody in his position. We need to proceed with caution and understand the possibility that he could be just saying these things for his own purposes.

This actually happened with Cheng Yi. Remember she used to share a lot of cartoons and candies and other things related to GG and DD. It turns out that she tried to profit from impressionable c-turtles a while back, in ways that made them uncomfortable. We all need to be very careful who we trust. And I say this as someone who has a chronic problem with being too trusting and naive.

I am by no means saying that Huang Ziteng is lying, or that he is setting out to take advantage of turtles, I'm simply pointing out that we do not know where he's coming from or why he's doing what he's doing, and there are a lot of legitimate reasons to be concerned. We don't even know what his current relationship with them is, or if he actually has any recent information about them.

So I know a lot of turtles are going to be extremely excited about the idea that someone who knows them personally is openly confirming their relationship. However, I would urge caution on this.

The way I see it there are three possibilities:

He is directly aware of their relationship, and was sharing this information with their permission. Of course anything is possible, but given all of the issues I just discussed above, I find it highly, highly unlikely. They already have the fake rumor house and their own social media accounts and various other ways of feeding us. I find it unlikely that they would authorize friends and colleagues to out them publicly.

He is saying all of this without their permission, and doing so for his own reasons, whether that be emotional validation or personal gain or some other purpose. Unfortunately we have to accept that this is a very real possibility.

He is a turtle himself, whether he has direct knowledge about their relationship or not, and is excited to talk about them with other turtles, and everything he is saying is just the ramblings of any turtle - without any actual validation, just like any other turtle.

Which of these possibilities am I leaning toward? For now I'm sitting somewhere between option two and option three - much more leaning to two. I'm going to reserve judgment for now, but I'm starting to look a little bit more carefully at past candies from him and thinking they might need to be reevaluated.

In other words, I'm starting to have doubts about him and his motives, although I am keeping an open mind. I will need more information before I can really make a decision on where I stand.

I would like to conclude by saying to everyone - don't be cynical, don't view everyone as a grifter or an opportunist, but also don't be naive and gullible. Things are rarely what we assume, whether we are assuming well or ill.

The truth usually falls somewhere between, in the grey area between the extremes.

Maybe one day we will get the answers to some of these questions, but for now we really don't have much information to go on. It's up to each turtle to chart their own path, I just hope we will all exercise critical thinking and discernment.

Final thoughts

Someone like this coming along and saying a bunch of stuff does not change a single thing for me as a turtle. I have no way of knowing whether he is speaking based on his own personal experience and close relationship with them, or whether he is speaking as a turtle who has been at some remove from them since filming.

I long ago stopped needing any validation of GG and DD's relationship. I trust my own judgment, so this kind of confirmation isn't really something I seek out or feel any kind of way about at all. I already believe BJYXSZD.

I feel like that insulates me somewhat from being swept away by something like this, and makes it possible for me to look at it with a skeptical eye.

If we analyze what he's saying, he sounds like somebody who has been watching the BTS. This is exactly the sort of thing I've seen many turtles say over the years. And if you examine his statements, for example, "It's impossible to say who was attracted first," a comment like that makes my spidey senses tingle.

If he was close enough to them to know the details of their relationship, and especially if he was close enough to be given permission to share those details, surely he would have some insight into such things, or at least some personal flourish to add.

So for reasons I already stated, I'm not able to take this at face value and just trust he is acting in good faith and out of complete honesty as someone who is in their close inner circle. If anything this throws everything he's previously shared into doubt for me, and makes me wary of his motives.

Like I said, every turtle has to chart their own path, and develop our own perspectives based on the available information.

It's not like we have to decide one way or the other, either. It's always an interesting thought exercise to explore a variety of different perspectives and possibilities, and keep our minds open. Since we are unlikely to ever get confirmation one way or the other, there's no point in jumping to conclusions.

In any case, I will be keeping my eye on him.

My friend said the most interesting thing about this livestream is what he says about GG and the role of WWX. I have to agree. Production talked during promo about GG being first choice for WWX, so this statement from Huang Ziteng is very interesting (and likely impossible to verify).

Standard disclaimer: this is my personal opinion based on my own experience and perspective. There may be people who will disagree with what I have to say and that is their right, but I won't tolerate any hostility. We can agree or disagree on friendly terms. Anyone who is unable to be friendly and civil in their disagreement is asked not to respond to this post.

[rainbowsky]

I hope this spells the end of all of the ridiculous rumors about the two of them.

wang yibo - mentioned by da peng during his interview with mnews 🎤

DP: I love Yibo very much and the character he created. Sometimes, we think Chen Shuo is real. Yibo being shortlisted is just like Chen Shuo in the world-class competition. It’s like getting a prize. It makes us excited. We all have a code name for him. We call him “Little Earth Dog”. That day, the group chat exploded and everyone is like “little dog is amazing” or “Shuo Shuo is amazing”. On the set, we call Yibo by his character name, Shuo Shuo. We can’t call him by his name because he is Shuo Shuo while filming. This is the biggest affirmation of his performance.

[rainbowsky]

It's Chinese New Year, let's go for The Legend of the Condor Heroes!! 🧨🎆!

A Zhan, go, go! 🐍

Let's support Xiao Zhan together! Support The Legend of the Condor Heroes!! 🦅

Liu Haikuan is such a good brother-in-law!

[rainbowsky]

Yibo, you should go back to Yangshuo, domestic entertainment is too dangerous

Liu Yongbang, Yibo's climbing instructor from Exploring the Unknown, made a post on Weibo discussing the dangerous situation Yibo was in.

Last night, Wang Yibo showed admirable professionalism and dedication in his wirework performance at Hunan Satellite TV's New Year's Eve concert. He perfectly presented a difficult performance on stage, leaving the audience with no signs of panic.

However, there are huge safety hazards behind the performance.

During the rehearsal, it was discovered that there was a problem with the main lock connected to the wirework. The door of this main lock could not rebound and could not be closed properly, indicating that the equipment provided by the wirework company was not only old (and a three-no product), but also had serious quality problems.

However, the staff responsible for the installation of the wirework failed to check and repair this hidden danger carefully, and let him take the risk to go on stage. What is more worrying is that this main lock looks like a three-no product, which does not meet professional safety standards, adding great risks to the performance.

During the formal performance, Wang Yibo completed all the movements with a high degree of concentration, and even did not show any panic at the high-risk moment of flipping in the air, covering up the dangerous hidden dangers under the perfect performance.

However, it is behind this perfection that the helplessness of the actors performing with their lives and the inadequacy of industry safety management are exposed. If the flipping action is slightly deviated, the consequences will be disastrous.

We hope that relevant departments will attach great importance to this incident and strictly inspect the quality of the wire company and its equipment. From a professional perspective, such equipment should not be used in high-risk performances.

Industry norms and standards must be further strengthened to prevent such safety hazards from happening again and ensure that every performer can perform in a safe and reliable environment.

[rainbowsky]

Liu Haikuan was at the show. What a good brother!

At first, I could still see when I stood up, but then... I couldn’t see anything... It’s getting better and better!

[rainbowsky]

"Wishing Hu Jun a smooth and successful performance!" - YiBo

Yibo sent a beautiful bouquet of flowers to his Born to Fly co-star Hu Jun, in honor of opening night of his National Theater play, "Thunderstorm."

Hu Jun said the flowers made him reminisce about filming Born to Fly, and that Yibo is "a good kid." He asked his staff to take pictures to send to Yibo confirming that he got the flowers.

Hu Jun played Yibo's commanding officer and mentor in Born to Fly. You can find my review of the film here.

I found it particularly endearing that Yibo signed his name in English. 🥹

Hu Jun performs the leading role in the play. Here is a synopsis from Esplanade:

A gripping exploration of a family’s descent into psychological and physical self-destruction, all due to the corrupt morality of a domineering patriarch Zhou Puyuan. In the course of 24 hours, shocking familial taboos and festering social class struggles bring tensions to a head as Zhou’s family hurtles toward their inevitable fate.

Thunderstorm—the debut dramatic work of Cao Yu (1910–96), regarded as the founding father of modern Chinese drama—has grown in stature to become one of the most significant Chinese dramatic works in the past century. This powerful portrayal of human complexity has been staged countless times, and also adapted to Chinese opera, dance and film, including film director Zhang Yimou’s Oscar-nominated Curse of the Golden Flower.

[rainbowsky]

Yibo photos at Hunan TV.

[rainbowsky]

I was wondering if he was going to post anything today! 😅

This really is too hilarious!

Happy 520 day🥰🥰🥰

the vid is from Huang Ziteng's douyin, the actor who played Lan Qiren. thank you l, shufu!

[rainbowsky]

I try not to post too much about non-GGDD topics, but I couldn't handle the crippling guilt of thinking y'all might be missing out on this breathtaking Douyin from Suo'er Yang Yang.

[rainbowsky]

Da Peng, director of One and Only, had a nice exchange with Yibo on Weibo, when he congratulated him on being nominated for best actor.

Da Peng to Yibo - If you work hard, you will succeed!

Yibo's reply - Thanks, Director! Congratulations to all the cast and crew of One and Only! Congratulations, Director!

Da Peng to Yibo - Continue to work hard!

[rainbowsky]

#uniq disbanded# is currently trending on Weibo because it is the band's 10 year debut anniversary, and Yixuan posted a message that sounded like a goodbye.

There is always a time to meet and there will always be a time to meet again UNIQ

Seungyoun posted on his Instagram as well, in celebration of the group's debut and his own 10th debut anniversary. Translation under the cut.

Thank you to everyone who has loved me for the past 10 years. Thanks to the many people who have helped me come this far.

I will continue to achieve it steadily and slowly in the future.

Rather than feeling that it is far and difficult since my debut, I was able to accept it as an experience and grow because everyone who has planted positivity and love has been with me.

I will not be impatient now and in the future, but will look broadly, and walk with you all feeling the cool breeze.

My pride, Moodz, my precious colleagues, my loving family, my supportive friends, thank you so much.

I love you so much and thank you.

Don't get sick, stay healthy, feel small happiness, and live together.

Lastly, Uniq members, Yixuan, Wenhan, Yibo, Sungjoo ❤️

Happy 10th anniversary. Thank you for congratulating me. I love you. ❤️

[rainbowsky]

I'm sure I've reblogged this before but it deserves another round.

Wang Yibo teaching Xiao Zhan how to dance

I think it's fated for them to meet at The Untamed, because Wang Yibo is a dance expert and Xiao Zhan isn't. Hence Xiao Zhan was able to ask Wang Yibo to help him with the dance steps and Wang Yibo was more than happy to oblige him.

[rainbowsky]

As promised, here's You Ming's unboxing video for Xiao Zhan Studio's annual gift box, which they give to media and industry contacts. My previous post on this year's box can be found here.

[rainbowsky]

Zhang Yixing (Lay) posted about GG's album.

Da Zhan, congratulations on releasing your first full-length album! 💿 I like the song "Fluorescence." ❤️

(Astute readers might notice the post has been edited. He'd initially used the wrong character for the song name, and corrected it.)

GG's reply:

Thank you Da Xing 😎

[rainbowsky]

Wang Leehom responded to the pleadings of netizens and posted the video. 😅

It feels like the whole internet is asking me for the pictures in my phone 😆

Your second brother always responds to requests 🙏🏼❤️

[rainbowsky]

Aww, Zhao Lusi made a post promoting her new drama, and GG reblogged it, inviting all of his followers to watch it. 😊

For those who want to take his advice, the drama is Story of Pearl Girl and it's on Youku. It is directed by Xie Ze, who directed Luoyang, which some of you might have seen.