Feather Flies to the Sky has been continuously collecting well-deserved trophies for the past year, and this time screenwriter Shen Jie and male lead Zhang Yi received top accolades. Zhang Yi shared the award with Li Yifeng, who won for his performance in popular espionage drama Sparrow. He has improved since then, so I guess the theme this year is encouragement?
2017 was a much better year for dramas in general (I’m actually more excited for 2018-2019, as all the movie actors are returning to the small screen), with several shows hitting it out of the park in terms of ratings and/or online popularity.
Web dramas really started to gain traction this year – in fact, I’m marathoning two right now, and each one stands out for various reasons, whether it be high production values or tight storytelling. These online shows have become an outlet for creativity due to the strict censorship rules applied to television dramas, though SARPPFT has decided to nip it in the bud by making web dramas undergo the same rigorous process before premiering online. Hopefully the streaming sites continue to come up with quality fare in the future despite the roadblocks that are being put in place.
WARNING: Long post ahead.
Nothing Gold Can Stay seems like it’s going to take the crown of being the fastest period drama to get on air – female lead Sun Li wrapped up filming in May, and the 74 episode drama is all ready to air tonight.
The Autumn Harvest Uprising 秋收起义 – August 1
Featuring: Hou Jingjian, Zhao Han Yingzi
Details: 30 episodes, daily drama on Hunan TV
Nothing Gold Can Stay is set in the years leading up to the fall of the Qing Dynasty, and stars Sun Li as a young girl who later transforms into a respected businesswoman.
After releasing a couple teaser featuring Sun Li and Peter Ho, now it’s Chen Xiao‘s turn to take to the stage. He plays Shen Xingyi, a young master who gets off on the wrong foot with Zhou Ying (Sun Li) yet later falls madly in love with her. Shen Xingyi is unafraid to display his affections for her, and it does seem like his feelings will be reciprocated.
Nothing Gold Can Stay has released its first teaser, a one-shot MV that follows a rather tipsy Sun Li (Legend of Mi Yue) as she reminisces about happier moments with her husband (Peter Ho), who had passed away due to illness.
Nothing Gold Can Stay has released stills of the OTP, played by Sun Li (Legend of Mi Yue) and Chen Xiao (Above the Clouds). The creative team deserve extra brownie points for collating the stills into a creative slide show presentation.
I like how the costumes are bright but not to the point where it’s a bit unrealistic.
These Nothing Gold Can Stay 那年花开月正圆 stills have been sitting around on my computer so here they go. Starring Sun Li, Chen Xiao, Peter Ho, and Myolie Wu, those looking for a Qing Dynasty drama that doesn’t really involve the palace can give this a go.
More below the cut.
Here’s a drama that isn’t set in the palace but still has nice costuming. :)
These Nothing Gold Can Stay 那年花开月正圆 stills have been sitting around on my computer so here they go. Starring Sun Li, Chen Xiao, Peter Ho, and Myolie Wu, those looking for a Qing Dynasty drama that doesn’t really involve the palace can give this a go.
More below the cut.