#he liang chen

[lucygold95]

Two POTO Korea actresses recently watched London POTO.

1. 조하린[Cho/Jo Ha-rin] Meg watched london

POTO and met London Meg, Maiya Hikasa💌

2. 손지수[Sohn Ji-soo] Christine watched

london POTO and took a photo of Jon & Lily.

+ It reminds me of a Chinese phantom(何亮辰[He Liang-chen]) meeting a Korean(김주택[Kim/Gim Ju/Joo-taek]) phantom not long ago.

(I'll add more things to the post in the link above later. Because I found 何亮辰's POTO Korea review video later.)

[roadtophantom]

The three Chinese Phantoms being teased for the first ever Phantom of the Opera China tour

[xiaolanhua]

The Starry Love 星落凝成糖 (2023) Dir. by. Chu Yui Bun

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | The Double (2024)

For starters, this was a great watch. The production value was outstanding, the clothing design beautiful and the performances exactly what you want from this kind of revenge story, which is subtle and over the top at the same time, somehow. The music and editing could be better but they didn't stop me from enjoying this drama.

The main characters are smart, deadly and flirty. Their friends and family members a perfect fold for their cunning ways.

Wu Jin Yan and Wang Xingyue have an explosive chemistry. It's unreal. Every scene they had together got me giddy with excitement.

The villains were not your typical and I found myself equally invested in the part they had to play in this story. Their ending was befitting to their respective arcs and retribution sweet.

It's my first time watching a drama where Li Meng stars in but I am damn impressed by her. She's a powerhouse and I will be looking forward to her future projects.

This is also the kind of drama where nobody is safe and I commend the script writer for going there when so many other don't. That said, if you are going to kill a major character, you can't have a lukewarm resolution.

I have spent the better part of the last hour reading and watching every interview the director, cast and crew gave about this drama because when I finished it watching I was pissed.

This might be controversial because I know this is a well loved drama, hell, I loved watching this drama but what was the director thinking changing the script of the final episode and leaving the story as an open ending? Viewers spent 40 episodes, invested in this characters, hoping for them to have a happy ending, only to be met with a final scene that can be interpreted as reality or wishful thinking. Leaning more on the latter.

A revenge story it's not something you leave open ended. And, yes, I know there's an epilogue and I think it should be part of the final episode not something you release just in case fans might be angry at what you did. This is so unserious, I am lacking words.

This drama was a solid 8 for entertainment and production value until that ghastly final scene, forcing me to drop a full number. They should have known better... and they did. Why release an epilogue if they didn't?

Rating: 7/10

[kdram-chjh]

Cdrama: The Double (2024)

Gifs of Ending of cdrama "The Double"

ENGSUB 【墨雨云间 The Double EP01】 木叶动，秋声起，墨雨中，云间明 | 古装 爱情 | 吴谨言 / 王星越 | YOUKU COSTUME

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMVTrm7F1eg

[chineseredcarpet]

Chen Xinhai and his agency share snaps from a 临江仙 衡门有狐 livestream event with Bai Li, Zeng Shunxi, Liang Yongqi, He Ruixian and Zhou Jieqiong

[25shadesoffebruary]

[convenientalias]

Mei Changsu's like "He's an incorruptible man loyal only to the emperor and allergic to factions to you. I get him though."

[grassbreads]

I've been speed-rereading through a bunch of Tai Sui excerpts because I'm making a post that requires a bunch of quote screenshots, and dear lord I forgot how many scenes in this novel give me fucking shrimp emotions.

[niteshade925]

April 12, Xi'an, China, Daci'en Temple/大慈恩寺 and the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda/大雁塔 (Part 3 - History):

The entrance to the Xuanzang Memorial Hall:

Xuanzang/玄奘 (602 - 664 AD; birthname Chen Yi/陈祎) was a famous Chinese monk, scholar, and translator who journeyed throughout Central Asia and India to bring Buddhist sutras from India and translate them into Chinese. He was also the founder of the Consciousness-Only School/唯识宗 of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism.

A statue of Xuanzang in the memorial hall:

Xuanzang's 17-year journey from Chang'an (Xi'an) to India and back drawn out on a map. The route he took to India is in red, and the return route he took back to Chang'an is in green. On his way he traveled through many kingdoms in Central Asia and India, and he would later compile his experiences into the work known as Records of the Western Regions/《大唐西域记》. This work is still very important for historians and archaeologists studying Central Asian and Indian history, because it gives locations of important sites, such as the ruins of Nalanda monastery (phonetically translated as 那烂陀寺 in Chinese) in modern day Bihar. The Ming-era novel Journey to the West/《西游记》 was also very loosely based on this work; more specifically, the novel was based on folk tales about Xuanzang's travels, which was in turn loosely and partially based on Xuanzang's experiences recorded in this book.

(Metal?) wall murals and a giant wood relief depicting Xuanzang's early life and his journey to India and back (generally viewed in order from left to right since it's a continuous narrative):

Biography of the Tang Dynasty Buddhist Tripitaka Master Xuanzang of the Great Ci'en Temple/《大慈恩寺三藏法师传》 (alternatively translated simply as "The Life of Xuanzang"), written by Xuanzang's disciple Huili/慧立 in 688 AD.

An artifact not strictly related to Xuanzang: Ritual Confession of Mercy Temple/《慈悲道场忏法》, a Buddhist repentance work/忏文 written for Emperor Wu of Liang (464 - 549 AD) for the purpose of conducting a "ritual of transcendence" (called 超度; I could not find an English translation for this so this is my own translation) for the emperor's deceased wife. This particular version was printed in Ming dynasty in 1608.

Ceiling of the memorial hall, decorated with Sanskrit characters:

The second exhibition hall also has wall murals and a giant wood relief, this time depicting Xuanzang's life after returning to China:

Xuanzang has stated that the purpose of his journey was to bring back Buddhist sutras in their original Sanskrit, so that the integrity of the original texts may be better preserved in future translations and a more faithful interpretation of the sutras may be achieved. When he returned from India in 645 AD, he brought back with him 657 Buddhist texts in Sanskrit, and with support from Emperor Taizong of Tang, he proceeded to translate these texts into Chinese with his team of translators.

Daci'en Temple still preserves less than 20 leaves of the original palm leaf manuscript/贝叶经 brought to China by Xuanzang. I didn't get to see these artifacts myself, but just for reference, here are some potato quality pictures I've found online:

Below is a part of a (Ming-era? Not sure) printed copy of the Mahā-prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (《大般若经》 or 《大般若波罗蜜多经》 in Chinese), which was translated into the Chinese text seen here by Xuanzang and his team:

Part of Complete Translations by Master Xuanzang/《玄奘法师译撰全集》:

A view of the exhibited part of the collection of works that were either by Xuanzang or written about Xuanzang. Being an aspiring translator myself and knowing that these were works connected to a great translator who lived 1300+ years ago, there is just a feeling of awe here that can't be described properly in words...

There's also the twin steles associated with Xuanzang at the foot of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. The stele on the west (below left) was written from right to left, composed by Emperor Taizong of Tang Li Shimin/唐太宗 李世民, while the stele on the east (below right) was written from left to right, and was composed by Emperor Gaozong of Tang Li Zhi/唐高宗 李治 (the two emperors are father and son). The calligraphy for both steles was provided by Chancellor Chu Suiliang/中书令 褚遂良. Both steles gave an account of Xuanzang's life and praised him for his achievements, and both were erected in 653 AD. Since I didn't go into the pagoda, I didn't see these two steles (I believe one of them isn't at the pagoda anymore? It might be at Beilin Museum now), so here are pictures of the ink rubbings from Open Museum (open in new tab to view the full image):

And finally, some fun souvenirs from the gift shop! These are tiny incense pellet holders topped with the twelve zodiac animals

A funny greeting card that translates to "And We miss you too" (朕 is a first person pronoun used exclusively by emperors to refer to themselves; today many people use 朕 to jokingly refer to themselves)

[the-monkey-ruler]

My Little Monkey King (2017) 我的小小美猴王

Director: Cao Liang / Hong Yun / Wang Fei / Li Gang / Bian Rongtao Screenwriter: Yu Hongyang / Zhang Cancan / Yu Kaixiang / Ren Haixiao / Zhang Qiang / Jiang Zhaoquan Starring: Yang Hong / Tian Bo / Yu Lan / Wan Chun / Yan Mo Mo / Zeng Rong / Wang Junxiang / Chen Xi Genre: Animation Country/Region of Production: Mainland China Language: Mandarin Chinese Date: 2017-03-09 (Mainland China) Number of episodes: 12 Single episode length: 22 minutes Type: Reimanging

Summary:

The Little Monkey King is a little monkey from Flower Fruit Mountain. He came to the human world and wanted to learn scientific knowledge and grow himself through living in the human world. The little Monkey King came to the lively temple fair. In order to avoid puppies after him, he turned into a rag doll and jumped into a stall. He happened to be bought home by Dabao's father as Dabao's New Year's gift. In this way, the little Monkey King came to Dabao's home and lived with their whole family. The two, who both loved learning and taking risks, became best friends. Thus, the little Monkey King began a series of stories about learning knowledge and understanding the world with Dabao. This series of cartoons starts from the little things that happen in children's daily life, triggering some basic scientific knowledge about astronomy, geography, chemistry, literature, society and so on. By watching cartoons, young audiences can learn this knowledge in a lively and interesting way, making education and entertainment

Source: https://movie.douban.com/subject/27003557/

Link: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1px411V7MK

[shijiujun]

Finale BTS | Chen Dongyang and Zhou Minglei Ver.

Zhou Minglei's (left) actor's name is Xie Chengjun, his chosen English name is Angus, and he's known in Taiwan as Zaizai or Zai-ge

Chen Dongyang's (right) actor's name is Liang Zhe

DAMN THEY FILMED ONLY FOR TWO DAYS?! FELT WAY LONGER BUT I GUESS I GEDDIT THEIR SCENES TOTALLED 5 MIN OR LESS

HAHAHA Xie Chengjun cracking me up always he's so enthusiastic

[lonelylonelyghost]

Re-watch of The Spirealm. Episode 36

Everything is great, nothing bad is happening with anybody, everything is finefinefinefinefinefinefi

"Who asked you to save me?"

"Ge, I have nothing left for you. I'll leave you the hope to live."

That is... a lot to ask of someone whose soul has just been broken in two

"Go ahead, put anything." What on earth am I supposed to put here?! Fuck you

Remember when this show was fun?

"From mother: Can we meet up?"

Oh please no...

There's nothing worse than still have a hope for them to change

He was so giddy and full of tentative excitement when meeting his mother, even after all that she'd done to him. But then...

"Qiushi, when I came down here, I told my family that I was talking out the trash."

And you see all that light slowly draining from his face.

"A few days ago, did you and a good-looking young man come to sneak a peak at me and your sister? Thank you for not coming up to us. If your little sister had seen you, her father would've been angry."

Just... so casually cruel.

Before, all those villains were despicable, but you kinda understand them - they're driven by greed, power or just simple desire to survive and see another day. It's selfish, and it's human.

But this - like, how can a person, any living being, be like this?

And to hammer the last nail in the coffin, she does not return the bag of cash that Nanzhu gave, but gives Qiushi his childhood drawings, as if it doesn't have any value anymore.

"I thought this could be my chance to give you these."

"Were you about to throw them away?"

"No! I thought they'd be useful to you. (even though we saw that she definitely was going to throw them into the bin). After all, these preserve your childhood memories."

"Aren't those also your memories too? Don't you want them anymore?"

"Don't worry. I won't come here again. Your trash has all been cleared."

REMEMBER WHEN THIS DRAMA WAS FUN????

And now he discovers that his boyfriend is not even real

"What is the clue to the 11th Door? Please, answer me, NPC!"

Just loss, after loss, after loss...

"That's right. Yes, I am the NPC who will purify this game. Only when I enter the last Door can this game return to its original state."

"You're the NPC in this game."

"Well, that's a simplified way of putting it. The reality is a bit more complex."

"It's OK. Go ahead. I can understand."

"Lin Qiushi."

"Tell me."

"Lin Qiushi."

"You've been deceiving me for so long, I should be able to understand, right?"

"Lin Qiushi, listen to me!"

"I don't know what I can explain to you. Do you want me to tell you that I'm just a programming? That once the mission is over, I'll cease to exist forever? I was created for you, and for you I'll disappear."

"Lu Yanxue once asked me what love is. I could answer that love is between Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, but I can never experience the anticipation before transformation, because I am not real.

Chen Fei asked me what friendship is. The search engine told me that however deep the Lake of Peach Blossom may be, it's not as deep as the love Wang Lun has for me. But I can never understand why friendship is deeper than the lake, because I am not real.

So, I felt confused. I felt indifferent. Until I met you."

"I'm grateful to you for gradually making me feel real, for making me feel like I can at least be perceived as a person. So I could feel sad for Li Dongyuan, I could make sacrifices for Tan Zaozao, I could feel heartbroken for Cheng Qianli.

You can take your time to think about it and make your choice."

"What choice? Is it to save someone dear to me or to save a group of people I don't know instead? What kind of bullshit choice is this? Let me ask you again. What is the clue to the 11th Door?"

"Two leave, one returns."

"Whichever one of us goes will die. Isn't it obvious? Do I have a choice? Do I have any choice in this situation? Was it ever up to me?"

"I have never had a choice. From my creation to my death."

"I'm sorry. But I can't let you die. I won't enter the 11th Door."

"Even if you don't go, my end will still be the same."

"But it won't be the same for me."

Somebody shoot me.

[rose-tinted-vision]

Floating Youth (冰球少年 lit. trans: Ice Hockey Youths)

For Gab @randomingoftherandomness, who so kindly asked me to yap about them

Now, if you liked Hikaru no Go (2020 live action), this might be up your alley too.

Floating Youth is at its core, a slice of life drama about a group of teenagers/university students who dream of winning an Ice Hockey championship, and tells the story of their growth and relationships with one another as they work towards that goal.

(you can skip this part if you're here for the Tea 🍵)

Main Character 1: Shen Zhouzhou (portrayed by Zhu Zhengting)

the textbook rich kid who is pressured by his father to Reach Greater Heights

is actually a softie under that cold and aloof personality

actually listened to Chen Che when he told him to gtfo (it's a Whole Thing)

deserves the world honestly

Main Character 2: Chen Che (portrayed by Bai Shu)

was raised by his grandmother and loves her dearly

is the passionate, hot headed half to Shen Zhouzhou's (MC 2) rational and taciturn's other half

has a high EQ when it comes to everyone else but Shen Zhouzhou

Shen BingBing (portrayed by Xu Hao)

Shen Zhouzhou's little sister

unofficial PR manager of the Ice Hockey team, occasionally livestreams, extroverted unbothered queen

cares for her brother a lot

The Tea:

So I likened Chen Che and Shen Zhouzhou to Shu Guang and Yu Liang mostly because Chen Che is also the more 'happy go lucky' character to SZZ's level headedness.

(Though they differ in the sense that they weren't childhood rivals but childhood best friends who were practically joined at the hip. Until university, where their family circumstances drive a wedge between them).

so over the course of the first few eps they break up argue at least 3 times

honestly though they just have each others best interest at heart but as I mentioned above, Chen Che has EQ with everyone but SZZ (poor guy)

SZZ also goes Abroad to train (like Yu Liang) but its Worse in his case because he didn't willingly go and well. He wasn't welcomed there either.

He does eventually manage to come back though! But It Gets Worse because Chen Che thinks that SZZ will only be able to reach his full potential in Ice Hockey if he trains abroad rather than in their small town, so he tries pushing him away (it does not go well. my boy develops anxiety).

"What do you mean the two of you are fine! You guys never communicate clearly, each one dawdling more than the other!"

and honestly everyone can see how they're hurting and messed up because of their communication issues. everyone but them im-

If my shitty sales pitch somehow convinced you to watch the drama, here are some links to watch it on YouTube:

There's the English Dub version, original Chinese version (no subs), and Indo subs version

The only painful thing about this drama is that there's no English subs for it 💔 it's truly putting my Chinese to the test

[kdram-chjh]

Cdrama: The Double (2024)

Gifs of Intro of cdrama "The Double"

ENGSUB 【墨雨云间 The Double EP01】 木叶动，秋声起，墨雨中，云间明 | 古装 爱情 | 吴谨言 / 王星越 | YOUKU COSTUME

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMVTrm7F1eg

[wenella]

Zhu Yilong: A New Adventure is about to Begin

朱一龙：新的冒险即将开启

EN translation of Zhu Yilong's Harper's Bazaar June 2023 Cover Issue Feature Interview by wenella

2023 is a brand new year for Zhu Yilong. It is also a year full of possibilities.

The 35-year-old has started promoting two films that he starred in, namely “Lost in the Stars,” a suspenseful crime film produced by Chen Sicheng, which will be released soon, and “Only the River Flows,” a collaboration with Wei Shujun, which was selected for the 76th Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard category.

At the age of 35, Zhu Yilong is entering a phase that he has been anticipating.

He performs roles and writes new stories for them.

He is the person in the story, yet he is also the person who creates the story.

"I calculate time with my work."

Zhu Yilong calculates time with his works. Two movies a year. Ten more films later, he'll be 40 years old. This is how he counts.

Zhu Yilong was filming on his 35th birthday on April 16, 2023. He didn’t prepare for his birthday live stream but took the opportunity to chat with his fans on his birthday. He seemed a little nervous as he was doing the live stream alone. “Well, I don’t see anyone else while live streaming.”

Among the new generation of male actors, Zhu Yilong’s career trajectory is considered rather smooth; he learnt to play the piano in elementary school, enrolled in Beijing Film Academy to learn acting, and kickstarted his acting career in his junior year. After graduation, he garnered audience’s attention and support for his various drama roles. The web drama Guardian propelled him to popularity in 2018. In the show, he played three roles Shen Wei, Black Robe Envoy, and Ye Zun, and impressed viewers with his mature acting skills.

Yet, he also seems a little different from his peers. He seems rather mature for his age. Perhaps it is due to his shy, introverted personality, or the way he looks at people with his soft, glistening gaze in films, conveying sentiments that can only be spoken through his eyes. He is rather arty too and has performed Liang Bo’s “Boy,” Lo Ta-yu’s “Dream Chasers,” and Hedgehog’s “Cloud Bound Train” on stage. He doesn’t appear on variety shows and rarely does live streams. All these make him seem a little special.

In one of Zhu Yilong’s rare live streams in 2022, he sang the theme song of “Lighting up the Stars.” The film is a tragicomedy that deals with a unique theme; he plays Mo Sanmei, a young man from Wuhan who works in the funeral industry. After an encounter with a little girl, Mo Sanmei finds a sense of responsibility and the meaning to his life. In order to play this role well, Zhu Yilong experienced life in a funeral parlour and sported a buzz cut. “I love the joys of reunion and sorrows of parting; I love the everyday life in this world.” He has sung the film’s theme song on several occasions. Each time, he played either the piano or the guitar, with his head lowered, while articulating the lyrics in his deep voice clearly. Beneath his gentle demeanour, we see occasional flashes of Mo Sanmei’s defiance and enthusiasm.

Zhu Yilong said that there are so many film genres that he would like to try. “I want to work with different directors and try different acting styles.” As such, he feels the lack of time acutely. He wants to keep making movies. The sceneries of his journeys, the waves of the sea, the winds of the world…… he hopes to depict everything that he sees, encounters, and feels, through the cinematic lens.

In Zhu Yilong’s opinion, there is no distinction between the status of a film actor and a TV actor. It has nothing to do with status. Rather, making movies requires the actor to immerse himself in a totally different circumstance. “You will experience something different from your life, you will need to leave your comfort zone and experience a circumstance that you are unlikely to encounter in your life.” As an actor, he enjoys this kind of life. He said that being an actor has taught him to be reflective. He used to read scripts and find certain situations unreasonable. However, if he encounters such issues now, he would reflect to see if he finds the situation unreasonable simply because he hasn’t experienced something similar, or if it is one that he doesn’t truly understand.

“In fact, most of the time, it is most likely due to the fact that we haven’t experienced such situations before. Real life can be more dramatic and hyperbolic than in scripts.”

“Hiding behind his role and helping the creator to complete the work"

In May 2023, the film Only the River Flows, directed by Wei Shujun and starring Zhu Yilong, was selected for the 76th Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section.

Only the River Flows was shot on 16mm film, making it a brand new experience for Zhu Yilong. Zhu Yilong described Wei Shujun as an extremely talented young director and they would often discuss filmmaking.

"The overall creative direction of this film, the acting style, and the way the plot advances, differ greatly from my previous films. Unlike regular movies that utilize character's emotions to create plot twists, Only the River Flows shows how the whole story and atmosphere changed the character instead.”

Zhu Yilong’s upcoming film is a commercial suspense thriller “Lost in the Stars.” He adopted a completely different way of acting in this film. “There are many types of films and there is no one way of acting that is necessarily more ‘superior.’ Different genres require different acting styles.” He said, “I was initially hesitant to accept the role when I first read the script because the character is highly complex. He often vacillates between different states – this character isn’t linear and I wasn’t sure how the role would be presented eventually. However, audiences might find this aspect thrilling because there are plenty of plot twists.”

Zhu Yilong spoke with the film’s producer Chen Sicheng many times and in great detail about the film’s production and expected outcomes. Chen Sicheng told Zhu Yilong that he wanted to make an extreme genre film. Zhu Yilong agreed with the mode of presentation and decided to join the team.

“I realised something very interesting.” After making Lighting up the Stars and Lost in the Stars, Zhu Yilong noted, “Transforming into a character isn’t only about changing a look, gaining or losing weight for the role, or simply growing long hair or a moustache. Rather, it is related to one’s understanding of acting. The transformation needs to be thorough. If I use only one type of acting method to take on different genres, I am just merely repeating myself and not really challenging different genres.”

On the topic of self expression, Zhu Yilong admitted, “It is difficult for an actor to express his world views through his character or performance.” He feels that an actor is only a medium. A film is constituted by its director, lighting, art…… and many other creators; the actor is just one aspect of the entire creativity process. Therefore, he doesn’t seek to express himself through the lens. Rather, he hopes to help every creator and director to realize their work and to present their vision as holistically as possible – a film isn’t merely about what an actor has to say to the world.

Zhu Yilong, who wishes to remain hidden behind his role and avoids repeating himself, is striving to do his best in every step he takes. He shows us how an ordinary person can gain recognition through hard work, one step at a time.

"Allowing myself to be more relaxed"

When Zhu Yilong isn’t filming, his life is quite boring. He admitted that he is an introvert and said, “My lives in films are so exciting. I’m actually quite tired each time I wrap a film. So I just want to keep things simple and comfortable; I will be more than satisfied just to get enough rest.”

Zhu Yilong is 35 years old. He is considered to be at his prime, though not necessarily young anymore. However, his smile, eyes, and posture, still exude a youthful charm. On his birthday, he said that he didn't want to celebrate, but he would like to make a birthday wish. When we asked him what he would like to say to his 40-year-old self, he said, “I don’t want to talk to my 40-year old self. Time is passing so quickly. I don’t feel like 40 years old is a distant age. Time passes very quickly when one is busy.”

A few years ago, Zhu Yilong thought that getting less exposure and not going on variety shows could help to preserve an actor's mystique. But he thinks differently now. “Everyone has the right to choose how they want to live and everyone has the right to choose their acting style. There is no hard-and-fast rule regarding acting. If they feel comfortable or enjoy participating in variety shows as part of their job, why not?”

These changes happened over the past two years. Previously, Zhu Yilong would think, “I aspire to become this type of actor, I will work hard in this manner, I will go to this extent for my role…” However, he feels that it doesn’t really matter anymore. “As long as it isn’t something calculated or deliberate, I think it is fine,” he said with regards to what type of acting he preferred and the goals he hoped to achieve.

“I just want to let my acting be more natural, I want to be more relaxed. I don’t deem my roles as pathways to quick success nor weigh the advantages of each role I play. I don’t think about what I can get from a role.”

“I don’t want to seek approval or recognition for the characters I play or my acting style. I don’t think too much about this issue. I just hope that I am able to enjoy the process of creating my roles, of emptying and transforming myself into my character as much as possible.”

For him, every performance is a door.

The completion of a work is not the end, but the door that leads to his next adventure.