L-R: Yu Zheng, Guo Jingming. Image source: Sina Finance
Well isn’t this an entertaining way to end 2020. Popular author / screenwriter / director Guo Jingming‘s second novel Never-flower in Never-dream was found by the court to have plagiarised Zhuang Yu’s In and Out of the Circle in 2003, yet has never admitted or apologised for plagiarism until today. Guo published a Weibo post at 12am describing it as an “unhealable wound” he was “loathe to face”.
Guo Jingming had offered to pay Zhuang Yu all the royalties he earned from selling Never-flower in Never-dream or alternatively if she didn’t accept his offer, he would donate all his profit to charity.
Zhuang Yu accepted his apology, though suggested they create an “Anti-Plagiarism Fund” using all the royalties from the sale of the novels in question instead. Guo Jingming has accepted her offer to create “the fund”.
The third adaptation of My Fair Princess / Huan Zhu Ge Ge 还珠格格 is being made through a collaboration of Tencent (Ever Night, An Oriental Odyssey) and author Qiong Yao.
They’re looking for actors across the world ages 18+ for every role. Should be able to have basic acting skills and line-reading in Chinese. Interested parties should e-mail xhuanzhu@163.com or call at (+86) -0731-84802648.
18 years after Huan Zhu Ge Ge (还珠格格) won over the hearts of viewers across China, leading actress Zhao Wei will return to the story that catapulted her to fame. Alibaba Pictures recently announced that it will release an animated film adaptation of Huan Zhu Ge Ge, with Zhao Wei taking on the role of director.
In recent years, many popular dramas have been adapted for the silver screen, causing fans to wonder if Huan Zhu Ge Ge would earn similar treatment. In 2014, news reports claimed that Alibaba Pictures had purchased the rights to adapt the novel into a film. Because of Zhao Wei’s close ties with Alibaba founder Jack Ma, it was strongly believed that she would support the project by participating in the movie in some way.
However, in the two years since, there has been little to no news regarding the rumored animated film — until now. Yesterday, Alibaba CEO Zhang Qiang unexpectedly announced that preparations for the movie would begin this year, and that the company planned to present the story as an animated film.
To no one’s surprise, producer-screenwriter Yu Zheng is being accused yet again of plagiarism. This time, the charge comes from well-known novelist Qiong Yao, who claims that his currently airing drama, Palace 3 (宫锁连城), copied her novel-turned-1993-series Plum Blossom Scar (梅花烙). The event then spurred on a number of accusations toward Yu Zheng for copying varying works, including by former scriptwriters.
Qiong Yao, whom readers may know best as the creator of Princess Returning Pearl/My Fair Princess (还珠格格), published an open letter to SARFT on Sina Weibo on Tuesday afternoon. In this lengthy indictment, she writes that she was preparing to remake Plum Blossom Scar, with an anticipated 2015 broadcast, only to discover that Palace 3 was a copy of her own story.
The similarities between the two series have not gone unnoticed by viewers. Even Palace 3 actress Shirley Dai commented that Yu Zheng’s work was born out of Plum Blossom Scar, a scandal that caused a fallout between Yu Zheng and Dai. Both plots involve a switcheroo of the two main characters as a result of a preference for boys, and a similar love triangle between the three leads, although Yu Zheng’s series branches away then by doing a remix of Painted Skin II by having the two lead females switch skins.
Qiong Yao claims that this incident has caused her to fall ill from anger and that she has stopped all work, including a screenplay for her own adaptation, for which she has already completed 25 episodes. Her daughter-in-law, who serves as the manager of Qiong Yao’s mainland-based production company New Image, contacted Hunan TV, the almost exclusive broadcaster of the company, to ask the channel to halt the broadcast of Palace 3, but it was to no avail. Qiong Yao also asked her supporters to boycott Palace 3, in order to protest Yu Zheng’s lack of respect for copyright.
What’s better than medieval castles, awesome actors, and Qiong Yao combined? All those, plus dance and music!
Hunan TV’s “flower fields, ancient castle, romantic comedy drama” of the summer, Flowers in Fog 花非花雾非雾, definitely took me by surprise when in episode 2, a number of the main characters, music and dance students in France, broke out in choreographed dance and song.
Given that two of the leads, Zhang Rui and Li Sheng, play music students, they’re also prone to serenades. The best thing is, both actors are actually really good singers and sings all their characters’s songs themselves. Ruby Lin and Joo Jin-mo also find their romance through opera, but I don’t think they sing their own parts.
Watch Zhang Rui and company sing and dance in ep.2。 I’m crossing my fingers that there’ll be more such scenes.
15 years after My Fair Princess/Huan Zhu Ge Ge, Ruby Lin returns to Qiong Yao for another shot at romance.
Drama “Flowers in Fog 花非花雾非雾” released posters for its main couples themed “love’s embrace.” Starring Ruby Lin, Li Sheng, Zhang Rui, Wan Qian, Yang Zi, Yao Yuanhao, Deng Lun, Han Qiaoyu, Medina, Gao Ziqi, etc., the romantic mystery tale evolves around the lives of four orphans who were sworn sisters, but then were separated, with the eldest gone missing in France.
The series, formerly translated as “Like Flower Like Fog”, airs daily on Hunan TV beginning the 6th. Watch English-subbed trailers here.
This is about the only still of the two where they are neither kissing nor about to kiss. It seems like Li Sheng just isn’t cut out to eat pork.
The queen of romance sets her latest series in the most romantic country – France. With her favorite casts that include both old-timers Ruby Lin and Wan Qian and new favorites Li Sheng, Zhang Rui, Gao Ziqi and Medina, as well as a few newbies Han Chengyu, Joo Jin-mo, Deng Lun and Yang Zi, “Flowers in Fog 花非花雾非雾” is the latest work from author Qiong Yao. With an emphasis on art and focusing on art students, France seemed like the perfect setting for the film. Following coverage by the French press, including Le Telegramme and TF1, Qiong Yao decided to celebrate by releasing stills of the series. Continue reading →
