#wu ming anonymous

[mylittleponygrrl]

Full review from vox.com:

Hidden Blade / Wuming

Wang Yibo’s performance as Mr. Ye and the art created by the film’s director, Cheng Er

::-::-::-::-::-::

The shadowy puzzle-box pleasures of Chinese spy thriller Hidden Blade

Satisfyingly cerebral, Hidden Blade features a masterful Tony Leung and a breakout performance from Wang Yibo.

By: Aja Romano on February 28, 2023 7:30 am

Wang Yibo and Eric Wang in Cheng Er’s moody, shadowy spy thriller Hidden Blade, now in cinemas. Well Go USA

Toward the end of Hidden Blade (无名), the arty Chinese World War II spy thriller that has now reached US cinemas, everything comes to a halt.

“Matte kudasai,” Wang Yibo, playing the canny, careful Secretary Ye, says in silky Japanese. Wait, please.

And then we all — the character he’s talking to, the camera, the film score, the audience, the movie — slow down and wait. We wait for him to light a cigarette, take a drag, then another. We wait for him to look at his reflection. We watch him, wreathed in smoke, take his time.

With a lesser actor, this would feel excessive, showy; it would flatten the moment. But this is Wang Yibo, star of The Untamed and Street Dance of China, former K-pop idol, sometime motorcycle racer, multitalented polymath, and multinational heartthrob. In the pause, tension and dark purpose coil in his jawline, his shoulders, in every flick of his wrist. I have never wanted to look at anything more in my life.

Hidden Blade has gone largely unnoticed in mainstream US media, usually getting name-checked as the legendary Tony Leung’s latest film. The New York Times gave it a kind but mixed capsule review. Other outlets that bothered to review it did so poorly, with multiple reviewers unable to tell cast members apart from one another (!), a handful misunderstanding and misstating the plot, one reviewer dismissing the entire cast apart from Leung. Several wrote it off as a propaganda film.

But Hidden Blade, from writer-director Cheng Er, deserves a much better critical assessment than this. It serves propaganda only in the way that the average war movie might glorify the homeland — think Top Gun: Maverick. In this case, that means a homeland battered by a brutal Japanese occupation. Our timeline centers around Republic-era China, several years after the Nanjing Massacre. The country’s combative factions — the Japanese occupants, the Kuomintang leadership, the current puppet government, and the underground communist resistance — all vie to control China’s future as the war wages around them. Our main characters, Director He (Leung) and his subordinate Secretary Ye (Wang), both work for the Japanese regime in Shanghai, rooting out members of each of the opposing factions and doing the governor’s bidding. But spies are everywhere, and their allegiances aren’t always obvious — sometimes not even to themselves.

Hidden Blade’s production house, Bona Film Group, loosely placed this film into a “trilogy” called the China Victory Trilogy. (The prior film, The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021), was a mega-blockbuster; this film had a far more lowkey release, though it’s been such a success — closing on $1 billion RMB, it’s reportedly the top-grossing art film in Chinese history — that there’s talk of a sequel.) Each film, linked thematically but not materially, highlights a different group of ordinary people battling a war. This outing explores the pressures placed on WWII spies who often had to work in complete isolation for months and even years; the film’s Chinese title translates to Anonymous. Cheng takes the smoke-and-mirrors obfuscation of the spy genre literally: Ye spends much of the time he’s onscreen symbolically mirroring He, while studying himself in mirrors, being looked at through mirrors, and functioning as a looking-glass for the film itself.

This could all easily feel like shallow gloss with little substance, and the plot seems relatively thin; but over the course of the film, that plot reveals itself to be a tightly edited jigsaw awaiting your assembly.

This is a big part of why repeated viewings of Hidden Blade are such a pleasure (I saw it six times in four days). The film is a metaphorical escape room you find your way through, muddling at first, then quicker and quicker until you arrive at an open door. Cheng’s aesthetic style flickers through the muted action of the first half, from Godard-like formalism to von Trier-esque visual war poetry to outright Tarkovsky homages. But steadily the stylistic flourishes give way to a riveting, sparse thriller with phenomenal fight scenes, staged with excellent attention to setting and detail by fight choreographer Chao Chen. Cai Tao’s cinematography has lingered with me for days, with some shots cracking the whole film wide open for me on third or fourth watch.

This film basks in tiny thematic details — the timing of a musical cue, the symbolism of a tableau, the way a character’s face is lit between light and shadow. Then there’s the symbology; my friends have been discussing the thematic element of food in this movie for days: The symbolism of an intimidating bowl of drunken shrimp, the political nuances of debates over French cuisine, the secrets of an unassuming box of pastry.

In other words, Hidden Blade’s cerebral challenges invite you to play the games its characters are playing. It opens itself to the audience more and more with every repeat viewing. The supporting cast makes the most of limited emotional real estate; Eric Wang and Zhou Xun sink their teeth into their very different roles in the spy game. Tony Leung’s performance in particular grows craftier and more intelligent on every viewing as you begin to understand the veneer of polite soullessness around which he layers his real, veiled emotions. The moments he lets them peek through are masterful to behold.

But as much as Tony Leung was made for subtle but heady roles like this, Hidden Blade belongs to Wang Yibo, and so does this review.

A production still of Hidden Blade featuring Wang Yibo, released for the film’s ¥500m box office. The film has since grossed nearly ¥1 billion. Bona Film Group

This is Yibo, after all, a 25-year-old wunderkind who spent his childhood training in Korea to become a K-pop idol but who returned to China and became a Chinese entertainer slash dance star slash actor instead. I first wrote about Yibo here in 2020 in my review of the historical fantasy series The Untamed. I described him then as “conveying Grand Canyons of emotional depth” through “mesmerizing infinitesimal facial adjustments.”

A screen cap of Wang Yibo as Lan Wangji from the global phenomenon, Chinese tv series, Chén Qíng Lìng / The Untamed (2019) Tencent (New Style Media Group)

Since then, I have watched Yibo disappear into one strikingly different character after another, embodying them all with talent and skill beyond his years; I have watched him deliver performance after performance, transforming himself onstage and off. He has a star quality that’s hard to describe until you truly get acquainted with his performances and his persona. On first impression, he’s rarely the hottest or the strongest or the glitziest entertainer in a room — but he’s the one who unfailingly blows you away in the end, the one you can’t stop talking about.

As Secretary Ye, Yibo packs the same intensity: He smolders and throbs and pulses his way through Hidden Blade, talking only rarely but speaking volumes with the soulful eyes that first captivated me and a jillion other fans three years ago.

Since The Untamed, Yibo has become a massive star in his home country. He was originally scheduled to make his film debut in the much more high-profile Born to Fly (now scheduled for a spring release), in which he stars as the equivalent to Tom Cruise in Top Gun. As much pressure as a role like that must be to play, the weight Yibo carries in Hidden Blade feels almost heavier. Cheng has talked at length about how the more he saw Yibo act, the bigger his part became; he rewrote the film around Yibo as production progressed, eventually transforming Ye from a smaller part into the soul of the movie.

That’s a huge responsibility, but Yibo shoulders it effortlessly. He immerses himself in Ye’s tortured psyche; he trembles and seethes and changes the mood of an entire scene with a single sharp glance. A debut like this, from an actor this young, in a part this intense, carrying the entire film beside one of China’s greatest living actors, all while juggling four different languages (Japanese, Mandarin, and Cantonese and Shanghainese dialects) feels remarkable. Yibo’s performance seals Hidden Blade’s status as an unexpected pleasure. Once finally assembled, its cinematic intricacies yield infinite rewards.

[yibo-wang]

WANG YIBO as SECRETARY YE HIDDEN BLADE (2023) | 无名, dir. Cheng Er

[gwarp]

Wang Yibo - Hidden Blade New BTS

The door was not locked.

© 电影无名官微

[3thousandlanterns]

the fact that we don't know hua cheng's birth name is so... fuck. he goes from being defined by his shame (hong hong-er, in reference to his red eye) to being called to as nothing at all (wu ming, which literally means anonymous or no name) to hua cheng, "flower city." his name was the last part of his identity to refer to xie lian. flower city. crimson rain sought flower. all because it was the flower-crowned martial god who saved him all those years ago, back when he was named after the reason he jumped off the wall in the first place.

[ailinaline]

【纯享】王一博首唱《无名》主题曲！镜子舞台来袭杀疯全场！《2023湖南卫视春节联欢晚会》Hunan TV Spring Festival Gal...

[hualian-fic-recs]

I'm alive/Fanfic Asks

Hey sorry I've been silent for so long. To be completely honest, Hualian and tgcf aren't the only types of fanfic I read, so I go down rabbit holes with other pairings for a while.

Anyway, I've been sitting on some asks for a while hoping I could answer them one day, but alas. I am turning them over to the public to see if others can help!

@nostalgiatyrant asks:

Hi again �� Im looking for another fic, but this time, the description comes from a friend. They said that “after the altar scene wu ming takes care of xie lian as he heals. Xie lian is like traumatized and dazed mostly so wu ming is doing his best commanding weaker ghosts and etc” It was a tweet, in case you haven’t seen it, and tbh, I love this idea so much— if you find any fics like it at all Id love to read them

Maybe: For you, I'll become invincible by HanaSheralHaminail. 177k, M, WIP. all the spoilers

Maybe: no light, no light by NeithOfTheVeil. 11k, T, spoilers

Maybe: A Long and Slow Recovery by ardenrabbit. WIP

@sineofu asks:

Hello , can you recommend m some fics where the heavenly official realise that hua Cheng have returned or a fic timed after his return. Thank you

anonymous asks:

Is there any fanfics where like the puqi villagers think that they are single and something happens?

anonymous asks:

Can u tell me if there is any hualian Spiderman au fics?? I saw a few fanarts and fell in love with them.

@uwuchengsbab asks:

Do you know any fics where Hua Cheng prays to Xie Lian before his 3rd ascension (during those 800 years) and Xie Lian hears him? Something angsty with a happy ending? I’ve already read what faith provides by parsnipit and it kinda sounds like falling in love by FlowerCitti but was wondering if you knew more?

Maybe: Dearly Departed by IlluminatingSceadugenga. WIP

@bri-bri1222 asks:

I was wondering if there are any fice where HC and XL are in a DDLB relationship and just filled with cuteness and fluff.

anonymous asks:

There's this Hualian fanfic I've never been able to find no matter what. I don't know if the tags are obscure or what. But the premise is that Xie Lian is cursed or to relive his worst injury over and over again at random moments and therefore the Hundred Swords wounds opens on his body unexpectedly and suddenly. The story is very hurt/comfort between Hualian and Hua Chrng looks after him and heals him. A plot point is that it happens in front of Mu Qing/Feng Xin at a temple and they discover the truth about what happened and take Xie Lian to Hua Cheng. I beleve it's multi-chapter. Ling Wen and Jun Wu also make appearances.

Maybe: Old Wounds and Old Friends by HoundsofCerberus. 4k, T, all the spoilers

Similar: A Splinter in the Heart by theearlymorningmist. 14k, T, spoilers

@theladypeartree asks:

Hello!! This might be a tricky one as I'm not sure it exists! Have you or any of your followers found any fics that have A-Yuan and Guzi friendship? I've found many crossovers, but not with the kiddos! Thank you for your hard work! ❤

anonymous asks:

Big spoilers for the later novels in this one: Hey there, I was wondering if there was any fics in which Xie Lian goes through with calling down the human face plague on Yong'an. I can't recall finding any and I'm not sure how to start looking. Thanks!

he who walks in sorrow by atomic muffin. 7k, M, read warnings!

Ok these are some I have been searching around for and haven't found much yet. If anyone has recs I would be grateful!

[moononmyfloor]

Hi Producer (正好遇见你) Infodump

Disclaimer: I have no idea about the accuracy of the information shared in the drama, I'm merely transcribing for future reference purposes. Proceed with caution!

.

Ep 30-31: Ancient Makeup

In "Strategies of Zhao" from "Zhan Guo Ce", women from Zheng wore makeup on their cheeks and brows. Cheek and brow makeup already existed in that era and were part of women's daily life. Men also used makeup.

Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji wears a sun hat, pearl earrings, a military outfit with arrow sleeves, and a suit of yellow armor. How fashionable.

On this screen of 18 scholars [Qi Xiu Lei Gao], we can see a man wearing a wangjin, which was promoted by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. One day, Zhu Yuanzhang was on an anonymous trip to Shenle Temple. He saw a Taoist priest tie a wangjin under the lamp. Curious, he asked, "What might this be?"

Answered the Taoist priest, "It's a wangjin. Wrapped your hair with it and the hair shall remain tidy."

Zhu Yuanzhang was delighted. He thought the item bore the meaning of "unifying the land". He then decreed it be worn. According to "The History of Ming: Carriages and Clothing", all men of the Ming Dynasty, regardless of status, all wore a wangjin.

Shen Congwen made an inference after observing the colors of the outfits shown in "The Night Revels of Han Xizai", that it was produced between the fall of Southern Tang and the Chunhua era. Who can accomplish that now?

.

Recreating those makeup styles, the cultural meaning it carries, the social background behind the changes of outfit designs and makeup styles etc need to be paid attention to.

Wu Zetian's Peach Blossom Powder

Classic Makeup Restoration

.

"Hands as delicate as tender shoots, skin smooth and fair with shine. Neck slender like that of a swan, teeth white and lined-up perfectly.

A plump forehead and long thin curvy brows, a smile so enchanting, her eyes so alluring.")

In "Odes of Wei, the Classic of Poetry", the sung Princess Zhuang Jiang who was so graceful and gorgeous was the embodiment of the classical beauty of Chinese women. Over centuries, generations of women have pursued beauty tirelessly, leaving behind countless wonderful dreams created with poetry.

"Her waist is tied with a white silk stripe. Her ears are adorned with lustrous earrings. Her fingers are slim like the tips of a green onion. Her lips are red as if covered in vermilion."

That is the beauty of a woman's solemn makeup.

"Eyes filled with shyness. A faint smile with her red lips."

Such is the beauty of bashfulness.

"Mountains on the screens glitter with the morning sunshine, her fair hair on her fair skin is like a cloud over a snowy field. She lazily rises to paint her brows, and finally grooms after a long delay."

That is a woman's beauty at leisure.

"Her clothes flowy like clouds and her face gorgeous like blooming flowers. The morning dew blown by the spring breeze enriches the color of the blossom."

This is a woman's alluring beauty.

"Raindrops fall on her rosy cheeks, mingling with tears and her rouge."

This is the beauty of a woman's tearful countenance.

The beauty of Chinese women is reflected in the harmony and coordination of hairstyles, makeup, attire, footwear, and accessories. It forms a complete and systematic women's boudoir culture, leaving behind beautiful and captivating legends.

(Check out this gorgeous traditional style cosmetics chest btw😍)

.

Documentary segment:

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More Hi Producer posts

[hyperfixation-polls]

Okay so I’m not going to lie, I am a huge theater nerd, and one of my favorite things to do is imagine different sets of characters I like being theater nerds and performing in musicals! (Like Charles Xavier and Erik Leshnerr totally would kill it as Jean Val Jean and Javier! Like they just make sense in a production of Les mis.)

Currently in MXTX’s works I have two musicals that I feel like I fit certain groups, though not all the main characters are performers in the show, some may be audience members, or like the anonymous donor who sends outrageous flowers each night to the lead (*cough cough* hua Cheng).

So for TGCF, i personally feel like one of my favorite musicals, Jesus Christ Superstar just makes sense. Now like me start this with I’m not a particularly religious, I personally just really like the music! It’s so fricken good and it’s a super cool way to tell the whole story, you know?? And I feel like Jesus would most certainly be played by Xie Lian. (Just listen to gethsemane, like I just feel like it’s all a Xie Lian Vibe!) Now with a possibly controversial move, mu qing and Judas. But wait, people say that in the musical there are like gay undertones these two, so shouldn’t he be played by hua Cheng??

No. Judas spends like half the show arguing with Jesus and then betrays him, like hua Cheng couldn’t handle that, even if it’s acting he would just fall apart. No this role has to be Mu Qing. Mu Qing will argue with Xie Lian and calls him out, and did leave him eventually, which to many is a betrayal. So like yeah, those two just have the right energy. Now don’t worry I haven’t forgotten Feng Xin. He is Peter. The one who follows Jesus but when he is condemned to death, denies knowing him three times, and then sings a reprise of I don’t know how to love him (literally a song about not knowing how to love Jesus/Xie Lian). Like it’s just give Feng Xin. Now i feel like Shi Qingxuan would make a great mary Magdalene! Kind hearted and a good friend to Xie Lian, I vibe with this (if Hua Cheng was not the mysterious donor guy but was in the production, this is just about the only role I could see him playing! Let me know if you agree in the comments!)

Now Lang Qing Qui is totally pilot, ends up killing jesus/xie lian, but doesn’t want to, and is like I’ll be haunted by this forever.. I don’t think I need to say anything else. Now pei Ming is totally one of the other main high priest with Shi Wudu! (Don’t worry I’m not forgetting ling wen. Let’s all be honest, she isn’t an actor, she is totally the assistant director or stage manager, over worked, under paid, under appreciated, and yet completely irreplaceable. ) Now of course Qi Rong has to be here, and of course he would play King Herod, who sings a full flashy song making fun of Jesus/Xie Lian. And Jun Wu is the director who pushes Xie Lian and seems to be just a little too interested in Xie Lian.

Now my other musical idea is the lightening thief musical and mdzs! Wei wuxian would be Percy (if you don’t get why listen to good kid) wen Ning would be Grover (kind hearted and soft yet the protecter of percy/wwx, it’s perfect) and Wen Qing would be Annabeth (sassy, super smart, and sarcastic. It just fits!) Yanli would be Percy’s mom, Nie mingjue would be ares, Jiang Cheng is totally playing Luke ( you can’t argue you know I’m right), and Lan Xichen is the main director and Lan Wanji is the music director/Assistant director! Sorry that’s all I have on this one so far!

[journeytothewestresearch]

How long would it have taken to carve 100 chapter woodblocks for the 1592 Journey to the West? Wu Cheng’en died in 1580-1582 so when would he have submitted his work?

Wu Cheng'en's authorship is not completely settled among the academic community. But even if he contributed to the standard 1592 edition of the JTTW, he only added his own flourishes to an already extant body of episodes. For example, during the Ming (1368-1644), there were no less than three versions of the novel in circulation. These include:

The 1592 edition, Newly Printed, Illustrated, Deluxe and Large Character, Journey to the West (Xinke chuxiang guanban dazi Xiyou ji, 新刻出像官板大字西遊記).

The "Zhu edition," Newly printed, Completely Illustrated, Chronicle of Deliverances in Sanzang of the Tang’s Journey to the West (Xinqie quanxiang Tang Sanzang Xiyou shi ni (e) zhuan, 新鍥全像唐三藏西遊释尼(厄)傳) by Zhu Dingchen (朱鼎臣) of Yangcheng (羊城, i.e. Guangzhou).

The “Yang edition,” Newly Printed, Complete Biography of Sanzang’s Career (Xinqie Sanzang chushen quanzhuan, 新鍥三藏出身全傳) by Yang Zhihe (陽至和) of Qiyun (齊雲).

Koss (1981) shows that the 1592 edition is an expansion of Zhu, and Yang is a later abridgement of the former. Zhu being the oldest, with portions likely predating 1450, is based on its earlier style phrasing and chapter structure; the use of vernacular language with simplistic two-person dialogue and fewer and less literary poems, suggesting a reliance on oral literature; and Zhu illustrations serving as the basis for many pictures from the 1592 edition.

As you know, Wu died 10 years before the 1592 edition was published, so it was later published anonymously. But since portions of the 1592 JTTW are almost exactly the same as the Zhu version, it may not have taken long to finish the chapter woodblocks.

You can read more about this here:

Edit:

Here is an example of how close certain sections of the Zhu version are to the 1592 version. The following quote describes the first time that Monkey meets the Patriarch Subodhi. It then continues with a poem describing the awe-inspiring presence of the holy master. The red indicates differences in the Zhu edition:

With solemnity the Monkey King set his clothes in order and followed the boy into the depths of the cave. They passed rows and rows of lofty towers and huge alcoves, of pearly chambers and carved arches. After walking through innumerable quiet chambers and empty studios, they finally reached the base of the green jade platform. Patriarch Subodhi was seen seated solemnly on the platform, with thirty lesser immortals standing below in rows. He [It] was truly [a realm of immortals. Let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter]: A Golden Immortal of Great Awareness and of great ken and purest mien, Master Bodhi, whose wondrous appearance like the West Had no end or birth by work of the Double Three. His whole spirit and breath were with mercy filled. Empty, spontaneous, it could change at will, His Buddha-nature able to do all things. The same age as Heaven had his majestic frame. Fully tried and enlightened was this grand priest (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 114). 這猴王整衣端，隨童子徑入洞天深處觀看：一層層深閣瓊樓，一進進珠宮貝闕，說不盡那靜室幽居，直至瑤台之下。見那菩提祖師端坐在台上，兩邊有三十個小仙侍立台下。果然是座仙境。且聽下回分解。 大覺金仙沒垢姿，西方妙相祖菩提，不生不滅三三行，全氣全神萬萬慈。空寂自然隨變化，真如本性任為之， 與天同壽莊嚴體，歷劫明心大法 (原作“怯”) 師。

The Zhu version is comprised of ten scrolls (juan, 卷) with three to ten subsections each. These subsections differ from the chapter layout of the 1592 edition. For example, subsections one to three and four to five respectively correspond to chapters one and two of the 1592 edition (Koss, 1981, pp. 14-15). It’s interesting to note that the above quote describing Monkey and Subodhi's meeting caps the first subsection of scroll one. This is why it ends with: “Let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter” (qieting xiahua fenjie, 且聽下回分解).

Source:

Koss, N. (1981). The Xiyou ji in Its Formative Stages: The Late Ming Editions (Vols. 1-2). (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 8112445)

[yibo-wang]

HIDDEN BLADE (2023) | 无名, dir. Cheng Er

[gwarp]

Hidden Blade New BTS

Let me introduce to Mr. Tony, this is Dumb and Dumber.

© 电影无名官微

[gwarp]

Mr. Ye supremacy❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 I need the middle pic in hires🥹

wang yibo as ye mi in hidden blade 🤍

[p-h03n1-x]

Yibo Official Weibo update 1.15.2023 with photos Wang Yibo before his performance of Wu Ming / Anonymous/ Hidden Blade OST for today’s Hunan Chinese New Year Gala

Edit: it’s CNY celebrations already ☺️

[hiddenwashington]

anonymous asked: mw mxtx characters?

absolutely! my current hyperfixation, we love to see it! from mo dao zu shi, we’d love to see lan qiren, madame lan, song lan, mo xuanyu, cangse sanren, wei changze, yu ziyuan, jiang fengmian, and su she! from tian guan ci fu we’d love to see pei ming, lang qianqiu, jian lan, mei nianqing, jun wu, pei su, and xuan ji! and from scum villain, we’d love to see tianlang-jun, shen jiu, luo bingge, zhuzhi-lang, ning yingying, ming fan, qi qingqi, yang yixuan, and su xiyan!

[ocdhuacheng]

the person who wrote that no paths are bound fic posted some hate comment they got on twitter and god its so embarrassing bc the commenter was RIGHT like everything they said made sense that fic sucks ass

Lmfao I’m blocked so I went on my super secret lurking Twitter account to see what the comment was and like yeah sooooo true ao3 user telli you’re the only person with taste on that goddamn website

[waiiyibo85]

I gonna die now 😭 , my baby is so gorgeous with exquisite temperament .

WANG YIBO in Anonymous