Guo Jing and Huang Rong in the new Return of the Condor Heroes

-

One of the most redeeming qualities about the new adaptation of Return of the Condor Heroes is the cast for the"middle-aged" couple Huang Rong and Guo Jing. Compared to the first installment in the Condor Trilogy, the character of Huang Rong is written in a much less favorable light the second installment.  No matter how "unpopular" Huang Rong becomes during her middle age years, she remains my favorite female character in the Louis Cha/Jin Yong's universe. My second favorite character also coincidentally happens to be her daughter, Guo Xiang, who not only inherited the mother's beauty but also her brains.

Anyway, I just love Yang Mingna's Huang Rong. She looks beautiful, sharp, and smart. It also helps a lot that she is paired with a quite handsome Zheng Guolin as her beloved hubby, Guo Jing. Guo Jing and Huang Rong definitely look more compatible and gorgeous together than the main OTP of the drama. I watched almost every single adaptation of Return of the Condor Heroes except for the Singaporean version.  Except for the 1983 Andy Lau and Idy Chen version, I was dissatisfied with the actress who portrayed this character. I could not for the life of me associate her middle-aged self in Return of the Condor Heroes with the spunky, witty, and wickedly intelligent Huang Rong I saw in Legend of the Condor Heroes. Besides the change in characterization, something abstract was always missing in the portrayal. Though I would not be able to admire Xiaolongnü's beauty in this remake, I could at least enjoy the prettiness of Yang Mingna's Huang Rong and her endearing relationship with her hubby.

Popular Posts

Understanding the final episode of Sealed with a Kiss

-
Image
Are you unsatisfied and frustrated with the final episode? Expected a happily ever after? Apparently, the scriptwriter succeeded in getting us all hooked onto this series for 28 episodes and suddenly bombarded us with a really CRAPPY open ending. My reaction when I first finished watching the final shot of Mo Shaoqian  walking lonely toward the police station was like this...   I so expected the last scene to be the novel's ending where Tong Xue cried at the airport, and not Shaoqian at the police station!  At minimum, I think they should have put Shaoqian's police station scene before Tong Xue's airport scene. Then show us Shaoqian at the airport watching Tong Xue's cries from a distance, as described in the epilogue. To cure my poorly frustrated mood, I rushed to reread the dreamily happy epilogue that the author wrote for Sealed with a Kiss novel. After reading various analyses by different viewers online and the scriptwriter's comments about the endin...
Read more

Character Guide to Nirvana in Fire 2: Wind Blows in Changlin

-
Image
Like Nirvana in Fire I, Nirvana in Fire 2: Winds Blow in Changlin has a plethora of characters that are not strictly good or evil. In terms of story execution, the sequel can be split into three phases, each driven by one of the three leading male characters. The central figure of the first phase is Huang Xiaoming's Xiao Xiaozhang whose intelligence and political shrewdness are well exhibited from Episode 1 to 25. The second phase is led by Liu Haorang's Xiao Pingjing. Although Xiao Pingjing also figures prominently in the first phase, his moment to shine is actually from Episode 28 onward. The focal character of the last phase is undoubtedly the antihero, Wu Haochen's Xiao Yuanqi. His slow progression into darkness and moral conflict bring the story into a new climate. This drama is officially being subtitled by DramaFever and Viki. You should go check out the series if you want to watch something that is not cheesy and has substance. Xiao Pingjing 萧平旌 - Second Yo...
Read more

Nirvana in Fire Character Profiles

-
Image
The political plotting and myrid of characters in Nirvana in Fire or Lang Ya Bang may get a little overwhelming for non-Chinese speakers. When I was first exposed to the story, I got drowned in the many names and relationships of the characters. I hope the character profiles will give you a better understanding of the story as well as the trailer. 
Read more

Ru Yi: The drama that brought Hawick Lau and Yang Mi together

-
Image
I'm sure many of you have heard the surprised announcement on January 8th about Yang Mi and Hawick Lau admitting to their romantic relationship on Sina weibo.  Personally, I always wanted Yang Mi to hook up with her Gong co-star, Feng Shaofeng, but that's wishful thinking. Real life is totally different from onscreen pairing. Trivia : Yang Mi was actually the producers' first choice to play Tong Xue in Sealed with a Kiss. I think she was offered the role, but she turned it down to accept another project, Beijing Love Story. I remember during the casting phase, the casting decision for Tong Xue was announced last while it was publicized pretty early that Hawick Lau would play Mo Shaoqian. Thus, many fans speculated for a long time that Yang Mi was cast as Tong Xue. Before Sealed with a Kiss ever started shooting, fans actually created a MV with Hawick as Mo Shaoqian and Yang Mi as Tong Xue, using previous existing materials from their individual series. Now I come to think...
Read more

✿ Chinese Drama ✿ Sealed with a Kiss Miniseries Sequel

-
Image
Title: Sealed with a Kiss Miniseries Sequel / Qian Shan Mu Xue / 千山暮雪续集 # Episode : 7 (~10 minute each) Release Date : 2/14/2012 Broadcasting Company : Sohu TV Cast :　Hawick Lau as Mo Shaoqian, Ying'er as Tong Xue, Li Zhinan as Song Yi, Zheng Zhenglong as Wen Hao, Wen Mengyang as Liu Yueying, Liu Kenan as Zhao Gaoxiang, Angelina Ma Wei as Lisa
Read more