A Dream of Splendor has finished filming and released stills of its characters. Starring Liu Yifei, Chen Xiao, Liu Yan and Lin Yun, the drama will probably premiere on Tencent next year. [Extended synopsis]
Photos, stills, posters that caught our eyes this week. What caught yours?
A Dream of Splendor 梦华录 stars Liu Yifei (Mulan) as Zhao Pan’er, the owner of a Hangzhou teahouse who is abandoned by her husband-to-be Ouyang Xu after he ranks third in the national examinations. She embarks on a journey to the capital Bianjing to seek justice for herself, and helps Song Yinzhang (Lin Yun) and Sun Sanniang (Liu Yan) escape their abusive marriages along the way.
Continue reading
Photoshoots that caught our eyes this week. What caught yours?
Continue reading
Liu Yifei is finally back in China after almost a year, and that means she can finally have good photoshoots again (unlike the previous LV photoshoot that doesn’t showcase any of her fortes). First up is this stunning cover shoot by Chen Man that showcases Liu Yifei as more modern and chic than ever.
Photos that caught our eyes this week. What caught yours?
She may be the only Disney Princess who isn’t a princess, but that hasn’t prevented Liu Yifei from wearing her crown. Liu Yifei recently did a photoshoot with jewelry giant Chaumet, where she donned 30 million RMB (4.5 million USD) worth of crowns. The all-white photoshoot gives me a lot of nostalgia for her RoCH days when she was just 16.
BTW, Liu Yifei finally returned to China from the US last month, reportedly for a new drama project.
Continue reading
Leslie Zhang Jiacheng is yet another instantly recognizable photographer. His photographs are characterized by an oil painting-like texture and composition. He also has a distinct interpretation of zhongguofeng or Chinese-style that is more muted than, say, the mainstream style of photographers like Chen Man.
Photos that caught our eyes this week. What caught yours?
Often lauded as director Zhang Jizhong’s best Jin Yong drama, his adaptation of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils has all of his fortes without any of his weaknesses. A perfect combination of solid hand-to-hand combat and artistic license in the action choreography, a stunning cast in equally stunning on-location scenery, a focus on the grandeur of the stories but finally with nuanced relationships and chemistry between the characters. Hu Jun is truly one of the few actors who pulls off the rugged-at-large-soft-in-the-heart Xiao Feng, while Jimmy Lin’s idol-drama-take on Duan Yu makes him much more likable than the original character. Liu Tao’s Ah-Zhu was the first TV character who made me cry, while Jiang Xin’s Mu Wuantong remains her most gorgeous role to date. Chen Hao and Shu Chang also gave amazing performances as two complex female antagonists.
The impeccably cast series stars Hu Jun, Jimmy Lin, Gao Hu, Liu Tao, Chen Hao, Jiang Xin, Shu Chang, Liu Yifei, Yang Rui, Xiu Qing, Tong Chun-Chung, Christy Chung, Diana Pang, etc.