Hugely popular variety show Sisters Who Make Waves is already back for a second season, and has brought in notable singers and actors Na Ying, Cecilia Cheung, Zhou Bichang & Wang Ou among others as contestants (full list below). The variety show releases 1 episode every Friday at 12pm (CN time), and should be up on Hunan TV’s official Youtube a few hours later.
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Sword Snow Stride has released stills of its supporting cast. The wuxia drama stars Zhang Ruoyun as a martial arts hero turned general and Li Gengxi as his slave (and maybe love interest?). Costars include Hu Jun, Zhang Tian’ai, Li Chun, Dong Jie and more.
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Guo Puyuan is one of those photographers whose every work feels like they should be on display in a museum. I only discovered him this year but he already has my top three favorite photoshoots of the year (Zhong Chuxi, Zhou Xun, and Ni Ni’s) .
His photos often have trace elements of surrealism, and his unique use of lighting creates a distinct 3D on 2D look to all his subjects.
Continue readingStanding Together 在一起 revolves around China’s pandemic response, and will be split into 10 X 2 episode stories:
The drama is slated to premiere on all major television networks in October.
Brotherhood in Blades director Lu Yang released a trailer for his latest film, fantasy thriller Assassin in Red 刺杀小说家. The film stars Lei Jiayin, Dong Zijian, Yang Mi, Yu Hewei, Guo Jingfei, Tong Liya, and Dong Jie and is set for a Chinese New Year release in 2021.
With a diverse set of characters that grow with each other as they try to find their way in a hierarchical feudal world that is rapidly in decline, the Peter Ho and Dong Jie version of The Butterfly Lovers 梁山伯与祝英台 is one of my to-go feel-good dramas (I stop at some point for obvious reasons). It’s refreshing to see a series where every person is full of wide-eyed wonder at the world they’re learning about and will soon be facing. Foils at every major decision point for the lead couple shows the complexity of the decisions they are forced to make and truly show why Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai are soulmates.
Alternatively, if you like the possessive male lead who is mean to everyone but the female lead and has a troubled childhood that you can pity him for, then supporting male lead Ma Wencai (Chen Guanlin) has you covered. I’m 100% convinced the canon couple are soulmates in this drama, but I can see why this version’s Ma Wencai has a huge following.
This dance that Dong Jie choreographed on the day of shooting is one of my favorite TV dances. It’s simple but it’s so beautifully shot.
“From the moment I met you, I knew I would love you for a lifetime. Not for all of your life, but all of mine.” – Endless Love
Even after twenty years, people are still trying to diagnose everyone in Endless Love 天若有情. From kleptomania to borderline pedophilia to open cheating and medical malpractive, everyone in the show has so many issues that even their resident therapist needs help.
With a super tight script full of quotable conversations, dimensional and flawed characters, a stellar cast – Dong Jie, Cha In-pyo (the Korean actor actually spoke Chinese during filming), Jerry Huang — and a surprisingly nuanced take on plenty of controversial issues, the series remains a stable in the “remember when Chinese dramas still could do this” conversations. You can watch it on Youku here.
Nineteen-year-old kleptomaniac Zhan Yan (Dong Jie) has been in love with her legal guardian (Cha In-pyo) since she first met him at the age of ten. Before then, she had been abused by her ascetic grandmother and had been stealing for the thrill. When her guardianship is transferred to the male lead after her grandmother passed away, she begins to steal things from the mall he owns to gain his attention. Continue reading
Tang Yan will see you now.
It seems like it’s now a thing for fashion event to take group photos now. This time, Marie Claire captures Yang Mi, Tang Yan, Ni Ni, Angelababy, Zhou Dongyu, Victoria Song Qian, Li Qin, Zhao Wei, Wu Lei, Cai Xukun, Fan Chengcheng, Huang Xuan, Song Weilong, Sun Yi, Zhang Tian’ai, Lisa Lu, Song Zu’er, Wang Ziwen, Chen Wenqi, Dong Jie, Tong Liya, Jolin Tsai, He Sui, and Xi Mengyao behind a window. This time we’re at Marie Claire. How does this compare to the Cosmo, Elle, and Vogue photoshoots earlier this year?
Dong Jie proves that you can sell the poor girl – rich boss story even at 38.
When disgruntled noodle shop owner (Li Liqun) threatens to take his three adult children to court, they agree to a list of requirements as a settlement. These include calling him every day, going on blind dates, and living at home for periods of time. Siblings (Dong Jie, Roy Qiu, and Ren Yunjie) must navigate their own lives and find true love while sharing one bathroom between seven people in the house.
The oldest, played by Dong Jie, is a 35-year-old head secretary who plans to never get married. When her boss’s son (Zhai Tianlin) returns from abroad, he quickly assumes that she’s having an affair with his dad while she decides he’s a pervert. The bickering pair fights their way to love as he manages to demote her to become his secretary, while she becomes his landlord. Continue reading
False history: The concubines scheming to overthrow the emperor together.
Photographer Yin Chao used wet plate processing and large format cameras to recreate vintage Qing-dynasty looks for currently streaming series Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace. (FYI The camera was invented after Qianlong’s death, but there are definitely photos of later Qing dynasty harems) . Watch the series starring Zhou Xun and Wallace Huo on Youtube here. Continue reading