Tencent’s upcoming big-budget acting variety show Attention, Actors 演员请就位 (lit.) has hired directors Li Shaohong (Palace of Desires, Dream of Red Mansions 2010), Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine, Legend of the Demon Cat), Guo Jingming (Tiny Times, L.O.R.D) and Zhao Wei (So Young) as judges who will assemble their own team from a group of 58 actors.
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This Tang dynasty relief come to life under Song Jia and co. as they sing of a better life.
Using star power, original songs, and innovative stage performances, variety show National Treasure 国家宝藏 has made artifacts and museums come to life to the audience. A round-up of the best song and dance numbers, with performances from Chen Xiao, Song Jia, Purba Rgyal, Zhai Tianlin, and Wu Tong. Embedded videos are set to where the performance starts.
Students from the Beijing Dance Academy perform a dance that perfectly encapsulates the youthful playfulness and grace of young scholars. Watch the viral practice room version here. If you like this style, I also recommend Zhao Lei, Yan Xujia, and Guo Zifan’s performance of West Chamber here. I want a boyband with this style of performances.
A round of applause for The Sound Season 2, guys. The variety show has invited four of my favourite actresses – Wan Qian (Tribes and Empires, Lost in 1949), Liu Mintao (The Disguiser, upcoming The Love of Hypnosis), Qin Hailu (Red Sorghum, White Deer Plain) and Li Qin (White Deer Plain, Princess Agents)– to participate in the fourth episode, which airs on the 15th.
The controversial acting variety show I Am An Actor 我就是演员 (previously Birth of a Performer) is back for a second season. Zhang Ziyi is the only remaining judge from the first season, and is joined by dependable uncle actors Wu Xiubo (The Advisors Alliance) and Xu Zheng (Dying to Survive). The variety show airs every Saturday night on Zhejiang TV beginning tomorrow.
This gorgeous promo features Zhang Ziyi looking back on her characters (Wu Xiubo, Xu Zheng):
Ren Suxi’s live performance in Hunan TV’s new live musical show, Phantacity 幻乐之城，is full of childhood wonder but also made me cry like an idiot at the airport.
The series features Faye Wong as she overlooks the production of four 10-minute mini-live musicals per episode. Episode one featured Yi Yangqianxi and Hu Xianxu, Huang Xiaoming, Ren Suxi, and Lei Jia. Yi Yangqianxi and Hu Xianxu’s work with Peng Youlun was visually stunning and a decent watch, but the breakout performance was definitely director Xin Shuang and actor Ren Suxi’s “Time Machine.”
Here’s my favorite performance of the CCTV Sping Festival Gala, a theatrical spectacle set atop Mount Tai that almost looks like an Olympic Torch Lighting. The three song performance features Huang Xiaoming, Wallace Chung, Jerry Yan, Xia Li’ao, and Li Yundi.
The Sound 声临其境, as the name implies, is a variety show where viewers are treated to a feast for the ears as actors showcase their voices and prove just how important line reading is to acting. Dubbers’ contributions to Chinese dramas should not be overlooked, but it makes a huge difference when you have good actors who are able to use their own voices.
Each week, four actors are invited to dub a wide variety of characters behind the stage, and the two most popular guests make a brief appearance before all four of them prepare a short stage performance.
Disclaimer: This may look like a Zhu Yawen fangirling post, but it’s not, I swear.
Episode 3: A Gentleman’s Voice (one-off recap)
Guests: Li Jianyi, Gao Yalin, Zhu Yawen, Zhai Tianlin
“Taste life through food, taste China through film. A Bite of China returns.” – Season 3 slogan
Season three of the documentary series that tells the story of China and its people through their food, A Bite of China 舌尖上的中国, has released a trailer. The series will air during the 2018 Chinese New Year to maximize the number of ugly cries they get from those of us who are away from our families.
After a four-year hiatus, the series was revived under a new producer. Like the previous seasons, it’ll feature eight themed episodes, each directed by a different director. Based on the trailer, the most interesting food so far is the fried chrysanthem. Hopefully the new season will live up to the previous two.
National Treasure 国家宝藏 will showcase 27 historical artifacts from 29 different museums across the country with the help of “protectors” (listed below), who will then present the story behind each piece in a short stage performance.
Actors / hosts featured: Zhang Guoli, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Wang Kai, Liu Tao, Li Chen, Duan Yihong, Wang Gang, He Jiong, Ma Su, Qin Hailu, Chen Xiao, Jackson Yi Yangqianxi, Liu Yijun, Guo Tao, Lei Jiayin, Guan Xiaotong, Sa Beining, Cai Guoqing, Ren Zhong, Ning Jing
Theme song: A Thousand Years in One Glance 一眼千年 – Na Ying
I need a sci-fi flick inspired by this scene featuring a galaxy hidden in a lollipop.
Michelle Chen, Shen Mengchen, Jiang Xin, Tang Yixin, Victoria Song, law student Xu Jiru, and a random white woman are in Up Idol 我们来了2, but more importantly, the amazing director Peng Youlun filmed them. Here are the two most visually stunning ones: