#liuxueyi — Public Fediverse posts

Celebrating the Flower Gods (贺花神) – Spring Gala Festival 2026

Admittedly, this isn’t a typical Chinese drama post (but it has CDrama actors!), but I was so wowed by the Spring Gala Festival 5-minute performance, 贺花神, that I had to share it with everyone.

This is the kind of performance that you need lots of context and knowledge to truly appreciate. Most Chinese audiences would’ve had basic Chinese history and literature lessons, but not most of the world. So I’m here to provide some context to this magnificent performance.

First, watch the performance below:

https://youtu.be/CELpUCjLzp8?si=piMkJt6qs8Iwygr8

The inspiration for this performance is The White Jade Monthly Cycle Set (白玉月令组佩), a Qing Dynasty artifact with twelve petal-shaped jade pendants. Each “petal” represented a month, carved with the representative flower of that specific month.
Source: Sina

The Flower Deities:

1. January: Lin Bu (Northern Song Dynasty)
2. February: Lu You (Southern Song Dynasty)
3. March: Lady Xi (Spring and Autumn period)
4. April: Yang Guifei (Tang Dynasty)
5. May: Zhang Qian (Han Dynasty)
6. June: Zhou Dunyi (Song Dynasty)
7. July: Xu Wei (Ming Dynasty)
8. August: Li Qingzhao (Southern Song Dynasty)
9. September: Tao Yuanming (Eastern Jin Dynasty)
10. October: Wang Zhaojun (Western Han Dynasty)
11. November: Bai Juyi (Tang Dynasty)
12. December: Goddess of the Luo River

January: Lin Bu (Northern Song Dynasty)

Plum blossoms
Played by Ning Li

“Thin branches cast slanting shadows on the shallow, clear water,
Subtle fragrance drifts in the twilight of the moonlit hour.”

The poet, Lin Bu, hailed from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). He is a hermit of sorts, famous for considering plum trees and cranes as his only companions.

Most memorably, Ning Li played Song Chen in Ripe Town. He has appeared in Joy of Life season 2 and The Long Night and The Bad Kids.

February: Lu You (Southern Song Dynasty)

Apricot blossoms
Played by Liu Jun

The poet Lu You (1125–1210) lived through the fall of the Northern Song dynasty. When the Jin dynasty conquered the capital of the Northen Song dynasty, his family fled south. A poet, historian, and government official, he wrote over 9,000-10,000 poems in his lifetime, making him one of the most prolific Chinese poets ever. Lu You wrote poems describing apricot blossoms and their beauty.

Liu Jun has appeared in dramas such as Romance in the Alley, Guardians of the Dafeng (Emperor Jing) and The Tale of Rose.

March: Lady Xi (Spring and Autumn period)

Peach Blossom
Played by Qin Lan.

“The peach tree is young and tender, brilliant and bright are its flowers.”

Lady Xi (also known as 息妫, Xi Gui), one of China’s Four Great Beauties, was a princess from the State of Chen during the Spring and Autumn period (around 684-680 BCE). Forcibly taken by King Wen to the palace after he killed her husband and kingdom, she refused to speak a single word for three years.

Her life has been honoured in countless poems.

Qin Lan starred in The Ingenious One, Story of Yanxi Palace, among many others.

April: Yang Guifei (Tang Dynasty)

Peony
Played by Tang Shiyi

Yang Yuhuan (719-756), better known as Yang Guifei*, was one of China’s Four Great Beauties and the beloved imperial consort of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. She is associated with the peony flower, which was extremely popular during the Tang Dynasty and symbolized wealth, honor, and feminine beauty – qualities that Yang Guifei herself embodied.

Tang Shiyi is the principal dancer of the China Song and Dance Opera House. I adored her “Once Upon a Time in Luoyang” dance where she played the controversial Princess Anle of the Tang Dynasty.

* Guifei is her title.

May: Zhang Qian (Han Dynasty)

Pomegranate Flower
Played by Hu Bing

The famous Han Dynasty explorer and diplomat Zhang Qian is historically credited with introducing pomegranates to China from Central Asia along the Silk Road.

June: Zhou Dunyi (Song Dynasty)

Lotus
Played by Wang Yang

“I alone love the lotus that emerges from the mud yet remains unstained.” A famous quote from his essay, “Love of the Lotus”, he praises the lotus flower as a symbol of purity and nobility, representing a gentleman who remains virtuous despite being in a corrupt environment.

Wang Yang starred in War of Faith, Joy of Life (he was Fan Xian’s beloved bodyguard) and Under the Microscope

July: Xu Wei (Ming Dynasty)

Hollyhock
Played by Zu Feng

Xu Wei (1521-1593) was a legendary Ming Dynasty painter, calligrapher, poet, and literatus. He was the founder of the bold, expressive ink wash painting style, as portrayed in this performance. Xu Wei painted and wrote poems about hollyhocks

Zu Feng has appeared in dramas like Welcome to Milele Village, Minning Town and Faith Makes Great.

August: Li Qingzhao (Southern Song Dynasty)

Osmanthus
Played by Li Qin

Li Qingzhao is celebrated as one of China’s most distinguished poets and is considered one of the greatest poets in Chinese history.

Her first marriage was deeply harmonious as her husband is a lover of poetry. After the fall of the Northern Song capital, she fled south, and her husband passed away shortly after. Her second marriage was not as harmonious as he mistreated her, and she divorced him, a courageous act for a woman then.

Li Qin recently appeared in Fated Hearts, which I adored.

September: Tao Yuanming (Eastern Jin Dynasty)

Chrysanthemum
Played by Yu Ailei

Tao Yuanming (365-427), also known as Tao Qian, was a famous Chinese poet from the Eastern Jin Dynasty who is particularly associated with chrysanthemums. He famously loved these flowers and often wrote about them in his poetry, especially celebrating their symbolism of integrity, resilience, and noble character blooming in autumn when other flowers fade. He is considered one of China’s greatest pastoral poets.

Appearing in Joy of Life (season 2), Hunting and Silent Honour.

October: Wang Zhaojun (Western Han Dynasty)

Hibiscus / Cotton Rose
Played by Wang Churan

Wang Zhaojun (c. 50-15 BCE) was one of China’s Four Great Beauties and a famous court lady of the Western Han Dynasty. She was sent to marry a Xiongnu chieftain as part of a peace treaty, leaving the Han court to live among the northern nomads. In one of the legends about her, it is said that on her journey northward, it was said that she was overcome with sadness and began to play her pipa in sorrow. A flock of geese, overcome by the music, forgot to flap their wings and fell to the ground.

Wang Churan has starred in How Dare You?!, Are you the One, Joy of Life season 2

November: Bai Juyi (Tang Dynasty)

Camelia
Played by Liu Xueyi

Bai Juyi (772-846) was one of the most famous poets of the Tang Dynasty, known for his accessible and socially conscious poetry — he often criticized government corruption and the suffering of common people. “The Song of Everlasting Sorrow” (长恨歌) is about the tragic love of Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei. It is among his most famous narrative poems. Many of Bai’s poems are quoted in the Japanese classic The Tale of Genji.

Incidentally, Liu Xueyi also played a flower God in Love Never Fails, except that his true form is a Peony flower.

December: Goddess of the Luo River

Narcissus
Played by Li Yunxiao

Goddess of the Luo River is a famous figure from Chinese mythology, originally from a poem by Cao Zhi during the Three Kingdoms period. She is associated with the narcissus flower, which blooms in winter and is considered a symbol of good fortune and prosperity during the Chinese New Year season.

Li Yunxiao is a Chinese actress and Yue opera actress. You can hear her performing this in her sequence.

But do you like his shoulders??

#LiuXueyi #AMomentButForever #Cdrama

*Sputters incoherently*

It's so beautiful 😭

I like how this trailer's narration is all placid and peaceful, "This is my father, This is my mother..." and then suddenly without warning, "This is xx, She wants to kill everyone in the Ling family" and I am like, *blinking* wait, what? ☠️

#Cdrama #LiuXueyi #AgainstTheGrain

http://xhslink.com/a/ez2wArMml0Ffb

Luo Zishang -> plots the annihilation of many people
My hormones: OMG I forgive him for everything cos have you seen how he looks???

#Destined #Cdrama #LiuXueyi

Just finished “A Moment but Forever” 🌸 It is a good xianxia drama, because the gods, the humans and war demons are locked in a battle for power which is made worse by disgruntled people. No one is inexplicably evil, though, and they all get along in the end.

Liu Xueyi shows nuance is portrayal of Yuanzhong but the chemistry with Tiffany Tang isn’t there. The side couple is more convincing. But the world-building is beautiful.

#Cdrama #AMomentButForever #LiuXueyi

A Moment But Forever (念无双) recaps and analysis

Note: This has all the spoilers and lots of details about A Moment But Forever episodes. If you just want a less spoilery overview and review, do read my A Moment But Forever review.

During the gods-demons war, the artifact “God’s Left Hand,” used by Heavenly God Taihe to seal demons, was severed and fell to the Mortal Realm, causing Taihe and the gods to fall into eternal slumber.

The Youhu fox clan seized the artifact, using it to defeat their enemies, the War Demons, and establish dominion over the world, becoming its new gods.

The goddess Wu Shuang is sent to reclaim the artifact, which would kill its host, Youhu Clan’s high priest Yuan Zhong. Disguised as maid Ji Tanyin, she infiltrates the clan but discovers Yuan Zhong is not the villain he’s believed to be.

1. Episodes 1-6
2. Episodes 7-10
3. Episodes 11 and 12
4. Episodes 13-15
5. Episodes 16-20 (The weapon spirits)
6. Episodes 16-20 (Yuan Zhong’s big plan)
7. Episodes 21-24
8. Episodes 25 and 26
9. Episodes 27-30
10. Episodes 31-33
11. Episodes 34 – Hanvu
12. Episodes 36 (Ending)

Episodes 1-6

Quick summary of plot: Our hero, Yuanzhong (Liu Xueyi) is both reviled and revered as the High Priest of the Fox clan (Youhu). Due to the disappearance of the gods, the Youhu are now the “gods” of the world, and he’s among the most powerful. Yuanzhou is reputed to be debauched, violent and basically not a nice demigod. (But of course he’s the opposite)

(So far, so Kill Me Love Me. Murong Jinghe, is this your new life?)

Anyway, Yuanzhong is powerful because of this artifact of the former deities, The Left Hand of the former god Taihe. The goddess Wushuang (Ji Tanyin) who made it, is sent to wrest it back from Yuanzhong.

So far:

✅ Upcoming massive misunderstanding

✅ Torture of male lead

✅ Evil “Good” Sect

✅ Flimsy excuse for a kiss

✅ But very logical excuses for undressing male lead a few times

✅ Bath scene(s)

Hilariously, A Moment But Forever trended on Weibo for Liu Xueyi’s bath scene (okay, his bare naked chest trended, and to quote one Weibo-er: “Better to trend for something than nothing”.)

First, don’t be fooled by the promos!

A Moment but Forever is one drama that I can 100% say that the promos did it dirty. Because when the first promo came out, I went: “Meh, another xianxia.” I barely even registered that Liu Xueyi was in it. And when it did, I went: “Tis a pity, I don’t think I can endure this factory-line xianxia for him.”

(Fortunately, I came across a random post ranting about how the promo didn’t do the script justice; I found out more about the story and was intrigued. And the rest was history.)

Anyway, the expectations for this drama were so abysmal that most people said it would be a failure. So, I was bracing myself for a tepid xianxia. Who knew that I ended up being surprised by:

• the coherent storytelling.
• how funny it was
• the couple’s unique dynamic
• the colour grading. The trailers made it look so washed out filtered to death that I’m glad it’s actually pleasing to the eye!
• the careful world-building
• the addictiveness of the episodes!

Hilariously, on xiaohongshu, most of the comments I saw were: “I didn’t intend to watch the drama, but I ended up binging all six episodes and now I’m going to office with panda eyes”.

Well, I almost did the same but I was on leave the next day, flying off to a tropical island, so that’s perfect!

My favourite highlights of episodes 1-6

You think your life sucks? Oh man, wait till you get tricked into putting on a heavy fugly gold necklace that seals your powers and then get shoved into a cave for 40 years, lose your mind, and start talking to your alternate selfs. (That said, dayum, another tour de force performance by Liu Xueyi. You really feel Yuanzhou’s agony, self-recrimination, regret and hatred in that scene.)

That moment when you realize that the Youhu clan, especially the sect leader, is using Yuanzhou as a blood bag and pharmacy. 💀

Liu Xueyi, I don’t know how you do it, not only can you look good in that wig *and* still look great when you’re half dead. That’s why you’re paid the big bucks.

Darling, I know you pride yourself for your impeccable logic but I think you’re a little off with this thesis🫠

Is there a reason for her to kiss him? Something to do with unsealing his gold chain? How? Does it matter? Many females around the world are now happy. Mission accomplished.

So far, my radar is picking up vibes that Tang Hua is UP TO SOMETHING and is probably behind the whole demon possessing thing. Did he orchestrate it to liberate his former bestie from the clutches Evil Youhu Sect Leader With the Eyebrows of Doom? Probably!

My big question is whether Yuanzhong is also in on it, knows Tang Hua is on his side or … really believes that his former best friend is his enemy like the rest of the sect?

Episodes 7-10

I’m dying. DYING. I just finished episode 10, and I’m like, NO DON’T END HERE. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME??

At this point, I feel that this is going to be a drama that will keep me up at night; it’ll probably kill my sleep for a couple of weeks. Luckily I’m doing this on a tropical island. (I’m on vacation.)

It’s so rare for a Cdrama to do that to me. (But please god don’t break my heart at the end though.)

Anyway, on to some highlights from the episodes!

Tanyin’s Groundhog Day

Lawd I did not expect to laugh as hard as I did in episode 8 when Tanyin was repeatedly killed like some NPC in a video game! And then poor Yuan Zhong trying to bury/cremate/freeze her again and again each time she died!

Her explanation to Yuan Zhong about her resurrections though ;D

Tanyin, I think you better stick to science and leave the lying to politicians lol.

But poor Yuan Zhong, he thought he was getting a handmaiden, but he got a clingy stalker who could be a zombie instead.

War Demons – not so bad, not so good either

I really love that they showed the War Demons as a race that was made up of, well, normal people that joked, laughed and had families. But they have a really cruel social system that emphasizes increasing their numbers.

This forces families apart, and this is where we meet our new antagonist Qian Lian, a man eager to find the mother who was separated from him due to said system. He has now stolen a special dagger given to the tribe by a mysterious deity to kill Yuan Zhong so that he can be reunited with his mother.

Again, I really like that the writer has given the villains understandable motivations. For example, as evil as the Youhu elders were in sealing and imprisoning Yuan Zhong, they had a cold logic for it: How do you control someone as powerful as Yuan Zhong? How do you ensure he doesn’t enslave the clan?

Likewise, Qian Lian is rather likeable and has an earnest wish to reunite with his mother. A part of me wants him to succeed, but I like Yuan Zhong more, so …

The mysterious deity

I wonder if the War Demons were as nasty as they were supposed to be during that war and that they were nearly wiped out? And seeing how devilish the Elders of the Youhu clan are, I can really see them being the true devils of the war. Or maybe the deity had something to do with it.

But this drama has been surprising me with the unique paths it has taken, so I bet there’s a surprise waiting for us about the war.

Flying ships!

NGL, I felt like a little girl again when I saw that steampunk flying ship. I love that in this universe, the humans have their abilities. And their most defining strength is to invent machines.

We are no longer besties

I’m trying to decide if Yuan Zhong is talking about Tang Hua or Tanyin lol

As I suspected, Tang Hua had a hand in deceiving Yuan Zhong and eventually getting him imprisoned. It was amusing at first to see Yuan Zhong being all bitchy about Tang Hua, but later, after the attempted assassination, Yuan Zhong bluntly said, “We are no longer friends.”

And twisted the dagger by vividly describing the suffering he endured for 40 years. It was sad to see Tang Hua walk away dejectedly, but honestly, he deserved it. It’s going to take a lot more to mend their friendship … if it can even be mended because …

There’s something off about Yuan Zhong

Is he evil? Good? A bit of both? Or just crazy? It was something we, the viewers and Tanyin, were trying to figure out throughout the episodes.

Seeing Yuan Zhong just stare at a man being pecked to death by one of those Grudge Birds was chilling. Seeing him just casually walk away from people screaming around him was jaw-dropping. Oh noes, all this while we thought he was misunderstood! Maybe he’s just evil.

Like he told Tang Hua – after 60 years of suffering, nothing can reach his heart anymore, and our fox may not be “right in the head”.

Man, Liu Xueyi is just so good at playing morally grey characters I can’t tell what he is right now!

The attack

To be honest, I had a tiny bit of worry when the plot slowed down a tad in episode 9 when they boarded the ship and Tanyin and Yuan Zhong played this cat-and-mouse game with each other. Loved that Yuan Zhong realised almost immediately that Xue was Tanyin in disguise. I wondered if this he-knows-she-knows-he-knows game would be dragged out, but I shouldn’t have worried. Because Qian Lian stabs Yuan Zhong with the deity’s demon dagger, and then the ship was blown up by terrorists and—

And they left us there, just like that, wondering if Yuan Zhong is just going to watch everyone die. EURGH

Some other thoughts

I thought the criticisms against the special effects and styling were overblown. You young’uns try watching Cdramas during my time, where there were neon spandex hanfu and styrofoam demon spiders. A Moment But Forever’s special effects feel like award-winning special effects to me lol. (ok fine, not award-winning, but it doesn’t take me out of immersion.)

OMG Tanyin and that whip were amazing. Surely by now Yuan Zhong suspects that she is something powerful, you know, like a god??

Episodes 11 and 12

We get a lull of sorts (surprisingly!) after the intense flying ship fracas. Our little fox finally gets to fall in love at last. And it’s shown in such subtle ways.

What’s with Yuan Zhong’s expression on the ship?

Question: How do you interpret Yuan Zhong’s expression? It’s bugging me. Is he resentful? Just indifferent? Full of suspicion? A bit of everything? I can’t put a finger on it and it’s driving me nuts. What is your interpretation of his expression here?

Anyway, I’m glad that he ends up saving everyone, even if he didn’t seem very happy about it.

What followed that scene is more iciness from Yuanzhong as he continues to doubt her motives; he tries to shake her off as he goes to the mountain where one of his weapon spirits are sealed, but then that ice is thawed when she blocks a heavenly lightning strike for him.

See, girls, that’s what you need to do to win a guy’s heart – get struck by lightning.

Tang Yin dies. Again.

Look at that boy run

LMAO. Seriously, woman. Stop dying! I don’t think Yuan Zhong can take another round of this lol.

But Yuan Zhong’s reaction is so hilarious! (And how fox-like of him to try to smell to see if she has “gone off”.)

This, at the heels of such a serious moment on the boat, is amazing. It’s honestly fascinating how this drama knows how to balance super angsty moments with laugh out loud moments.

But on a more serious note, he is frankly confused, and like he told Mengshan, he can’t figure it out. Poor fox doesn’t understand why anyone wants to do anything good for him. Oh gawd the upcoming Misunderstanding is gonna hurt so bad, isn’t it?

Also, it’s nice to see Teng She again

To all you Love and Redemption fans, did you have a hoot watching Meishan annoying Yuan Zhong, because I did! (The actor for Meishan, Bai Shu, played Teng She, the sserpent god who constantly annoyed Bai Lin in Love and Redemption. There’s even this little scene where Yuan Zhong pushed Meishen down, a little callback to that scene between Hao Chen and Teng She.

Yuan Zhong falls hard

You were totally peeking, Yuan Zhong!

Our man completely falls for her in this scene, and it’s really wonderful to see Liu Xueyi just act this with his eyes. (It’s honestly wonderful to watch good acting. And er, beautiful men doing it.).

Seriously, that scene with Tang Yin and the crane was incredibly magical. And for the first time, in more ways than one, I feel as if I’m finally watching a classic xianxia.

The compassion and love shining from Tang Yin’s eyes for the crane, the crane dancing for the goddess… Immortals often ride heavenly cranes, so I’m pretty sure the crane knew who she was. It was just goose-bump inducing for me, as it reminded me of the xianxia of my childhood.

You see, in xianxias of old, it’s always emphasized that immortals are there to care for humanity and all creatures. After all, one needs to cultivate good virtues and values to become gods, after all.

So, usually, it’s the most virtuous that become gods, though in modern xianxias that’s often brushed aside and simplified into cultivating some kind of mystical spell/energy. Also, in far too many modern xianxias, human beings and creatures are not even a consideration, so it’s delightful to watch a goddess showing delight and love for a “lower” creature for once.

Tang Hua is the ultimate “did you do something with your hair” guy

Imagine spending all that time looking for a magical sword and sacrificing a bright future to be a handmaiden on a mountain full of immortals only to have the object of your affection not remember your time together. And the only memory you have of her is her cleaning your room.

Tang Hua, I get that you’re busy and all but are your eyes and brain cells only for Yuanzhong LMAO ?

Glad our girl decided to quit her obsession, but Tang Hua’s is just beginning bwahaha

Episodes 13-15

Yuan Zhong meets his father-in-law
I mean, despite what he thinks, Xie You is essentially that, even if he thinks that a 1,000-year-old man is his romantic competition (and even if Yuanzhong would rather die than admit he has the hots for Tanying lol.)

That said, it’s such a hoot to see both of Tanyin’s favourite men bitch at each other like a pair of teenage mean girls. I guess when it comes to her favourite men, Tanyin has a type.

I’m pretty sure if Tanyin knew that Yuan Zhong thought that she and her teacher had a romantic relationship, she would’ve died (again). And Xie You would’ve totally murdered him for real.

Pretty sure Xie You was bitchy to Yuan Zhong because not only was he ordering his disciple around like, well, a handmaiden, he doesn’t think he deserves her. Like any father!

How is Xie You 1,000 years old?
Some of you may wonder how Xie You managed to live a millennia if he’s a human. I don’t think it’s explained very clearly in the drama, but in the novel, a human’s obsession can be so great they can ascend to immortality. (That’s how Tanyin and Hannu became immortals – they were so obsessed with their craft that their godlike abilities made them gods.)

My theory: In Xie You’s case, while his obsession is great, he is unable to ascend to godhood because he never solved the last puzzle (which Tanyin solved). That obsession to solve the problem kept him alive; in a stasis of sorts.

In a way, it’s a miserable way to be; obsessed about a problem he cannot solve instead of the craft itself.

Once a master, always a master

You know, in a typical xianxia, Xie You would’ve tried to rob/kill Tanyin or something, but instead, he’s more obsessed over the fact that he couldn’t solve a problem his student did. He felt so unworthy of his craft that he abandoned it to take up another craft, but he couldn’t let go of his obsessive love for it no matter what he did.

I was super moved by the whole conversation Xie You and Tanyin had about their teacher-student relationship. Xie You believed that Tanyin should be his teacher now and bowed to her, but Tanyin said that he would always be her teacher, and bowed back to him.

If you’re not Chinese, you may not understand the deep reverence for teachers in Chinese culture. But this whole scene is the epitome of that value (and many Chinese netizens were moved by that scene).

I thought Xie You’s death was a great gift from Tanyin, even if it made her tearful to do it. Being stuck in stasis for so long was a miserable existence for her master, and it was time he was released from it.

Context: In Buddhism, obsession or attachments is said to be the cause of life’s suffering. Unresolved obsessions, especially.

Zhi Dai’s obsession

Zhi Dai’s obsession was more tragic than I thought. I had assumed that she had learned to preserve her youth through some magic she learned on the Youhu mountain, but it turned out that she actually grew old! This really drums in the tragedy that she wasted her entire life on a man who barely remembered her.

I’m glad she got a second chance, but who was the deity who returned her youth? I’m quite certain it’s Hannu, and I have a big feeling there’s no free lunch and she’s going to demand something in return soon.

Truth or dare
“I never approached anyone with ill intentions…”
And Yuan Zhong’s look of deep disappointment when Tanyin hesitated, and when she said, “what if it’s for the good of the world?”
Our fox is totally demanding to know what her true intentions were, and she kinda failed the test….
Then: “I never had a crush” -> Yuan Zhong, you’re totally lying and you’re fishing! lol And that little pout he gave her when he asked if she had, and then she asked what it feels like.
Yuan Zhong, how did you go from sad to cute in a few seconds??

There’s no time
Poor Yuan Zhong having to relive his worst moment and to be cruelly taunted by the image of his dead father rescuing him. That’s an ‘easy’ puzzle compared to the rest.

Never in a million years did I think I’d have to think about the theory of relativity in a xianxia, but there we go.

Okay, Theory of Relativity aside, I’m psyched that Yuan Zhong was the one who solved the time puzzle, but at the same time I was so sad: How many years must he have thought about the idea of time, stuck in that cave for decades?

To me, his “wisdom” about time was borne through that awful period, and I think he must’ve convinced himself that time was an illusion to keep himself sane during all those decades of imprisonment.

Hunt for the weapon spirits
I really like this little adventure Yuan Zhong is going on, seeing the world, freeing his weapon spirits. Kai Shan is such a cutie! He’s not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but he seems to be the sweetest weapon (and hungriest) spirit.
I can’t wait to meet the other weapon spirits. I saw an image of all of them together, and they look so cool!

But of course readers of the book will agree >!that things will get very exciting once Yuan Zhong gets all his spirits together …!<

Tang Hua is … kinda forgiven?
It’s more like Yuan Zhong has decided to 50% forgive him rather than be best buds, I think. I was very delighted to find out that Tang Hua’s two men who were involved in the whole “pretending to be possessed by war demons” campaign are still alive!

So despite his deep hatred and anger for Tang Hua’s betrayal, there’s still a smidgen part of his heart that cares for Tang Hua.

This is especially confusing to me, who have read the novel, knowing what Yuan Zhong is planning!!

Episodes 16-20 (The weapon spirits)

(From left: Zhi Fei, Kai Shan, Lu Chen, Ling Yao and A Xiu)

The weapon spirits are 100% super cool. It’s like Yuan Zhong has his own band of Power Rangers.

I’m going to do something different. Because these episodes is essentially several long arcs in one, and instead overwhelming you with a girnomous essay, I’m going to cover the same episodes in different posts, but focusing on different arcs.

In this post I want to cover the arc of the weapon spirits.

Hunt for the weapon spirits
I really like this little adventure Yuan Zhong is going on, seeing the world, freeing his weapon spirits.

Speaking of character writing. I love how the writer has infused each weapon spirit with such distinct personalities. In fact,
what continues to amaze me is how the writer has fully fleshed out almost every character in this story, no matter how minor.

Zi Fei – ah loyal Zi Fei, we know him well, but I think he may not be the most powerful of the lot.

Kai Shan our foodie is such a cutie! He’s not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but he seems to be the sweetest weapon (and hungriest) spirit.

Pei Jiu/Lu Chen is my favourite yet. And I think he may be the most powerful (and serious) of the lot.

Ling Yao – a female weapon spirit that Kai Shan and Zi Fei obviously has a crush with??

A San – a weapon spirit that likes to eat … gold? (according to the previews.) Man, he has expensive taste.

What do you think the weapon spirits represent?
Some say they represent the five sins. Some say each represent a finger of the Divine Hand. What do you think?

Pei Jiu/Lu Chen
I have to admire this actor. He is able to distinguish himself as Pei Jiu, the simple, happy-go-lucky constable, from the powerful, serious Lu Chen. I really enjoyed his performance and the story.

The whole arc of Yuan Zhong trying to take Pei Jiu as his disciple was hilarious! What tickled many Chinese viewers was that conversation Pei Jiu pooh poohing Yuan Zhong’s idea of a great life: That of a wandering swordsma His greatest ambition was to be a civil servant instead!

Knowing what we now know of the real Lu Chen’s personality, this must have been so infuriating to Yuan Zhong who took a special joy in trying to beat some sense into the man lol.

The innkeeper’s marriage

Ah, I really feel for Yunniang and Pei Jiu (Lu Chen). I’m pleased that she survived it all, but what surprised me was Lu Chen obviously does remember their time together.

I loved that Tanyin, Zi Fei and Kai Shan attended Pei Jiu’s pre-marriage dinner … even if they know that he’d probably never get married. That sad look Zi Fei threw Pei Jiu each time he mentioned the marriage was so sad.

Such a beautiful, painful arc for the unlucky innkeeper who once again loses her groom. When Yunniang started the fireworks in broad daylight, it’s probably her way to say goodbye to him. I like how un-hysterical she is about this painful loss, even if it obviously very painful.

Is there one tiny hope that Lu Chen will survive what’s coming and reunite with her one day?

I can’t wait to meet the other weapon spirits and to see them get together. But of course readers of the book will agree that things will get very exciting once Yuan Zhong gets all his spirits together.

Episodes 16-20 (Yuan Zhong’s big plan)

Ever felt so disappointed in the world that you think the only solution is to burn everything down and start over on a clean canvas?

Okay, I hope you are not like that but well, that’s Yuan Zhong in a nutshell.

—
What do you think about Yuan Zhong’s ‘five sins’ plan??

Remember what I said about not being interested in this drama initially, and then I got sucked in by discussions online about how it’s actually a fantastic script? It was this clip that made me realise – oooh, another powerful performance by Liu Xueyi! That’s worth seeing at least!

This scene turned out to be so damn heartbreaking I can’t bear to see it again. Especially with that little basket of noodles and vegetables descended into his prison.

Seriously, Youhu clan! Is this how you repay the hero who not only saved your clan but made it one of the most powerful in the world??

Tanyin’s heartbreaking plea to Yuan Zhong to rest though … to imagine that this is really how his inner psyche is like, constantly turning over this theory of “five sins” over and over again …

I find Yuan Zhong’s “Thanos” turn very understandable. To him, it was the only way to keep sane, to have a light at the end of the tunnel, the only way to justify his imprisonment. It was all a grand experiment, to make him realise the “reality” of what is. He can fix it! He can still be a hero. He’s not a useless discard. The Five Sins is also his way of understanding why he was imprisoned: It’s some heroic quest to make him realise that he had to save the world by destroying it.

Well, he’s just well and truly mad.

Were you shocked by the reverse uno card?

At the end of episode 20, I love how they revealed how powerful and insane he was at the end, when he suddenly overpowered the demon effortlessly. And when the demon realised that Yuan Zhong was an even bigger demon that he was!

That scene made my jaw drop because I DID NOT EXPECT IT.

A standard xianxia would probably had Tanyin rescue him or something. Instead, Yuan Zhong kicked her out and burnt the demon alive. Gah!

And we the audience realised that Yuan Zhong was the real demon here.

To be honest, I’m not sure how I’ll see the funny cute scenes he’ll have with Tanyin now, knowing that he’s secretly planning the world’s death.

The Mute Lady
In episode 16, we learn about Xie You’s “other disciple”, the Mute Lady. We later discover that this was Ji Tanyin when she had just emerged from her long sleep. Because of her injuries, she couldn’t talk much but she left a mark everywhere she went, building schools, teaching the villagers science and turning bandits into good people. She ended up being worshipped till this day.

I’m also quite pleased that by end of episode 17, Yuan Zhong quickly figured out that Tanyin was the Mute Lady. His fury made a lot of sense, not just because he was tricked but because he really wanted to believe that she followed him because she liked him, and that he was special somehow. Instead, he’s just one of the many people she helped, because that’s her nature, and he’s not special at all.

On top of that, he believes that she has ulterior motives in approaching him.

Zi Feng said something very important to him: That she’s distracting him from his true plans, and that’s the real danger.

Episodes 21-24

Yuan Zhong’s gradual turn to the light

Again, I really love how the show doesn’t really spoonfeed us information, but shows rather than tells us things.

Probably the most significant development is Yuan Zhong’s gradual thawing. This scene is especially moving because here we see Yuan Zhong in his sea of consciousness, in dark robes, possibly on the way to becoming a demon, but as he remembers Tanyin’s words asking him to travel the world, he literally begins to see the light.

And right after that scene we see Taihe’s body disintegrating. It’s as if each time Yuan Zhong heads towards less dark places, Taihe suffers. Hmm! I wonder what’s up with that?

Oh yes, there’s this strange scene where Yuan Zhong is standing in the middle of town and he is surrounded by blue light. I didn’t understand that until I got on to Chinese social media, and those who have read the script said that it was Yuan Zhong extending his senses to feel/see the life in town. Feeling the joy of life for the first time in a long while, he ran back home to read Tanyin’s travelogue, suddenly eager to experience how it’s like to travel the world.

But just as Yuan Zhong starts to soften to Tanyin, she starts to get cold…

One can’t blame her really, because Qian Lian’s remark that “he’s becoming a demon” and what she saw in his sea of consciousness are making her really wary. Remember, her sole purpose for taking back the Divine Hand from Yuan Zhong was because he was considered evil, thus not worthy of the hand. If he has truly become evil, she would have no choice but to kill him.

And we know that Tanyin has started to love him in her own way, and she doesn’t want to do this at all.

The back and forth between them was riveting to watch and it’s going to get helluva more intense in the next episodes!

Is Yuan Zhong possessed or demonised?

I’ve seen discussions online – some say Yuan Zhong is getting possessed by a demon, some say he’s becoming a demon. There’s a distinction between the two, and I think it’s the latter.

What do you think?

Personally, I think it’ll cheapen Yuan Zhong’s journey if he was possessed by another entity. It makes more sense that his tortured decades had twisted him to darkness, and it’s more gratifying to see him fight his way out of that rather than be rescued from possession by Tanyin.

Fu Jiuyun

I’m sure fans of the charming, flirty nearly thousand-year-old immortal Fu Jiuyun from Love of Thousand Years are delighted to see him here.

At first, we think that he’s just here for comedic relief and to be Yuan Zhong’s love rival, but I think he’s here to prod (or tease) Yuan Zhong and Tanyin about their relationship.

Also, if you know about his origins, you’d realise that he was actually being very literal, but because of the way he said it, it came off as smutty double entendre! Hilarious!

There is a connection between Tanyin and Fu Jiuyun, as we’ll come to find out.

Qian Lian’s gift is to be knocked out every episode

… apparently. I couldn’t believe that he was once again knocked out in episode 20 lol

I’ve taken to call him Mr. Third Wheel. Not that he’s much competition to Yuan Zhong at all! I’m really not sure why he’s here, to be honest lol

To be honest, I found the War Demons arc mostly snoozeworthy. They seem not as well fleshed out as other races, just evil sidekicks right now. Besides Qian Lian, no one else seems to have a redeemable, 3-dimensional quality…. well, until the end of episode 20, when we find out that the War Demon that seemed semi-kind to Qian Lian was actually his half-brother.

And that’s about time, to show that War Demons are people too, like Tanyin said to Qian Lian when she rescued him from the slave traders.

I continue to be bored by Tang Hua

Tang Hua and Zhi Dai are doing something, and I’m really bored lol. Each time they come onscreen I have to fight the urge to push the fast-forward button. I’m sure their plot has something to do with Wushuang Society and I’m certain that Zhi Dai’s brother is involved with them, but at this point of the story I just want to focus on our main couple, is that too much to ask?

Raising a child is really expensive

As a fellow fire sign, my favourite weapon spirit has been replaced by A Xiu!

That said, I really love this little interlude between Yuan Zhong, Tanyin and A Xiu because it gave Yuan Zhong a taste of a life beyond the Grand Plan.

When Tanyin told him that he could travel the world once he freed the weapon spirits, it’s as if this thought had never occurred to him before.

You see a sense of wonder slowly descending on him, and a gradual reluctance to execute his Grand Plan. (Him not feeding A Xiu gold to hasten his growth is one big sign.)

As he starts to love life again, he begins to doubt his Grand Plan …

I really love this arc, that’s all I can say, and I wish they could stay like this forever, being pseudo-parents to the precious A Xiu, just worrying about raising an expensive kid …

Episodes 25 and 26

You know what I think? Nobody has the right to be this beautiful when destroying the world lol.

Anyhoo, this is going to be a short one because I just landed from my week-long vacation. (And I swear this is the best thing, being able to chase this drama on a beautiful tropical island.) Also, I feel that these episodes don’t need much exposition because we all know what happened here: Yuan Zhong and Tang Yan are suspicious of each other, and there are full of emotional scenes between the two of them.

Anyway, these episodes were Ah-mahzing! I keep rewatching the emotional scenes in these episodes because They. Are. So. Good!

This is mostly because I like to watch Liu Xueyi suffer I love Liu Xueyi’s Shakespearean scenes. It’s incredibly hard to do monologues in general, and he did two in these episodes.

If he wasn’t this good of an actor, those scenes would’ve been hammy and awkward, but he was able to imprint different emotions just through his voice, at times!

The one when Tanyin entered his sea of consciousness and he had this major blow out demanding, “Why should I forgive them?” I really felt his fury. And I wanted to go, you know what, don’t forgive them Yuan Zhong! They don’t deserve it. Burn them all!

And yet I understand Tanyin’s POV as well. There’s so much beauty in the world too, and she wanted him to emerge from this terrible darkness.

But my favourite scene has to be that pivotal moment when he was about to unleash hell on the world. He started out reverent, almost, as he talked to Wushuang. Then it slowly turned bitter, then menacing as wrathful. And then through a series of expressions, Liu Xueyi conveyed Yuan Zhong’s pain as he hesitated, remembering the beauty of this world. His simple declaration, “Never mind”, was like a bomb going off (emotionally speaking).

I love that he was the one who “saved” himself, and that he flinched for the first time when the orb showed him the terror that he was about to unleash. I like romance like the next person, but despite liking our couple very much I want Yuanzhong to be the one making the decision to turn away. I don’t want him to turn away because the heroine declared her love for him, or if she was in danger. I want him to come to the realisation that he didn’t need to destroy the world.

The scriptwriter is brilliant.

It makes their eventual embrace on the bridge so meaningful. Tanyin was relieved that Yuan Zhong chose not to destroy the world, and that he did this himself. And Yuan Zhong smiled and was relieved as well, because Tanyin didn’t turn away from him after seeing him at his darkest; a literal demon. Instead, she was running towards him.

Some folks online complained that they wished there was more love demonstrated between the two of them, that it took so long for them to even show any kind of affection towards each other, but I thought it was just perfect. This is how two people from very different, polarising positions, can fall in love. And I am happy they didn’t take the short cut by giving us skinship or accidental kisses and embraces (bleargh) so rife in xianxia, even if there was one kiss at episode 6, but that was for totally logical reasons!

So which emotional scene did you prefer? The one in the sea of consciousness or the tower when he was about to unleash hell?

Episodes 27-30

Seriously, the problem I have with express episodes is how do I balance discussions for those who have watched the express episodes and those who have not? So what I’ll be doing is to follow the current non-Express airing episodes and hope you guys are patient, I will be releasing the discussion on the finale at the end of the week. So, do be patient, Express viewers!

By the way, those who have seen the Express episodes: PLEASE PUT ON SPOILER TAGS WHEN YOU COMMENT ABOUT EPISODES BEYOND 30. Those who do not will get their comments removed. All right then, let’s go ahead with the discussion.

So, did you like the kissing scene? hehe

I want to say that watching Yuan Zhong and Tanyin being all sweet with each other, and THAT KISS OMG was the highlight of these episodes.

Of course we know that the writer is giving this sweet moments before drowning us in bittergourd juice, sigh.

Also OMG please make Liu Xueyi do more kissing scenes. Honestly, I just tolerate most kissing scenes in Cdramas, but with LXY, I literally savour them because they’re just so natural that you feel that you’re spying on a couple! The best kisser in CDramaland, that’s for sure.

BTW (some melon gossip) It’s said that he’ll be the male lead in a Ming dynasty costumed drama with Tan Songyun drama soon and omg my girl cannot reciprocate if you know mean. So, if it films, I wonder how the kissing scenes will look like (if there’s any lol).
Two ways to exist in the world

One of the themes that resonated with Chinese audiences about A Moment But Forever, but would probably make us international audiences blink, is that they see China’s geopolitical situation reflected in the drama.

I’m not going to much detail into this as I don’t want to turn this into a political post, but I can at least talk about how episodes 26-31 offer a glimpse at two ways to exist in the world:

a) At A-Xue’s house, did you notice that a deity, War Demon, Youhu fox spirit and a human being sat down together to have meals and watch fireworks together?

b) However, this idyll is shattered when, in a bid to help the Youhu clan, Yuan Zhong is brutally attacked by War Demons, the Youhu clan (seriously, if Yuan Zhong eventually cuts all ties and stop helping them they 100% deserve it), humans and yes, even deities (Hanvu)

These two sets of people exists at the same time in the world:

We can either treat each those alien to us as equals and have meals with them to forge friendships.

Or we can scheme and manipulates and destroy and kill instead.

I’m so proud that Yuan Zhong is of the first group now; it was really lovely to see his development after he gave up destroying the world.

Instead of isolating Qian Lian, he helps heal him and develop into a Perfect War Demon. Of course he couldn’t resist sliding in a few barbs and petty moments, but that Yuan Zhong for ya.

Despite seeing Dingxu spying on him, he lets him go. (Though I wouldn’t have mind if he made an exception, ya know?)

I also loved A Xue, how accepting and grounded she is despite having powerful people in her house!
The attack on Yuan Zhong was brutal to watch 😦

Oh gawd, seriously why is anyone in the Youhu clan still listening to Dingxu and the parasitic elder cohorts?? Please someone tell me why. The Youhu elders are a bunch of moronic, ungrateful, lazy bunch and seeing them literally betray Yuan Zhong, who came to help them is just …! (Seriously Tang Hua, I know it’s not your fault but you did drag Yuan Zhong from his peaceful life to this mess, ugh. Could you like, stop.)

This whole sequence was so distressing to watch. Imagine, after sparing the world destruction, everyone conspires to kill him. (It was gratifying to watch Qian Lian come to his rescue though! What a cool guy.)

Yet, despite using the Divine Hand, it wasn’t deadly enough to annihilate everyone – Yuan Zhong held back when he could’ve easily used it to level the city. And that scene when Tanyin swoops in and catches him, and two flowers land on his blood stained hands and he tells Tanyin that such beauty exists in this flithy place? (EUHGH)

He paid dearly for his kindness but this time, he did not destroy the world. This is a lot of growth because old Yuanzhong would’ve just unleashed hell on the world. (And I would’ve secretly cheered him on a little.)

Also loved Tanyin’s little trick of shrinking the city and flicking it thousands of miles away. Wait, does that mean Yandu is now at a different part of the world?? Did it move back later?? lol

All in all exciting episodes even if it was brutal to watch Yuan Zhong so seriously injured and Tanyin desperately trying to bring him to safety as they are chased by his enemies …

Episodes 31-33

Now that Yuan Zhong is safe, Tanyin has to leave to deal with Hanvu in the Divine Realm. Yuan Zhong takes desperate actions, triggering a cascade of events…

The Green Tea Fox

(PS: “Green tea” is slang for someone who pretends to be innocent, pure, and sweet on the outside but is actually manipulative and calculative.)

Tanyin had no choice but to leave physically this time because all access to the Divine Realm is barred to her now that she’s no longer a goddess, and Hanvu closed the ascension platform.

However, she discovers one more way: use Juanjuan’s spatial magic technique—but she needs to do it physically, not via spirit like before.

Never did I expect Yuan Zhong to pretend to be blind, frail, and worsen his injuries just to keep Tanyin around. But he’s a fox after all (specifically a green tea fox!). I love this, though.

I like that they didn’t outright show he was faking his injuries and blindness immediately. Instead, we get a clue at the start of Episode 32 when they’re stargazing: as Tanyin gently guides his hand to “see” the stars, he sneaks a glance at her. This cunning fox!

But we don’t know why he did it until much later.

By then, Yuan Zhong suspects she’s more than just the immortal Mute Lady—she’s a goddess. Fu Jiuyun’s words must echo in his head: that they’re mere passersby in her life, and her path lies beyond mortals like them.

I deeply empathize with Yuan Zhong when he asks Tanyin (paraphrased): “Do you know what it’s like to wait for someone without any clue where they’re going or when they’ll return?”

And when all tactics fail, he demands to marry her—his way of forcing proof that she truly loved him. Desperate actions, unfortunately. Not exactly my ideal proposal! Lmao.

Though these scenes were sweet, they felt “heavy”, steeped in doom. I couldn’t fully enjoy them knowing what was coming.

I’m Mad at Zhi Dai

Tanyin’s inability to confess her love (thanks, Heavens, and your stupid Three Oaths—ugh) leads to Yuan Zhong’s extreme reaction when Zhi Dai, under Hanvu’s orders, reveals that Tanyin is the goddess he’s worshipped for years.

Like, woman! I thought you’d gained brain cells after your second life, but you regressed the moment Tang Hua flashed a smile. Okay, fine, you were possessed by Hanvu—but you didn’t have to lead her to him!

I get her motivations, but I loathed her hesitance and selfishness. Surely she knew there’d be catastrophic consequences, especially after what happened with her brother.

Are You Annoyed at Yuan Zhong?

Many on Chinese social media were furious at Yuan Zhong’s actions in these episodes. They called him silly for being so insecure that he forced Tanyin to stay, fell for Hanvu’s schemes, and sparked a chain reaction…

Frankly, I see their point. I, too, groaned: “Yuan Zhong, must you? Couldn’t you just cherish your time with Tanyin, even if she had ulterior motives?”

But our fox isn’t mentally healthy. Turning away from world-destruction doesn’t mean instant recovery. Darkness still surrounds him—his clan, war demons, and even the gods want him dead. How much can one man take?

Though he chose to spare the world, Tanyin became his only light (especially after Yandu’s cruelty). That’s… not ideal.

Nightmare Wedding: Why Did Yuan Zhong Do It?

“I have never been this afraid in my life.” —Yuan Zhong

Did you dread the wedding as much as I did? With Tanyin’s nightmare vision of Yuan Zhong in red, how couldn’t we? Alas, her fear came true.

Why?

1. He wanted to be special to her. Not just one of many loved by a goddess.
2. He believed Tanyin stayed only for Taihe’s mission—no love involved. If his Divine Hand kept her from leaving, he’d rather give it to her and end the farce.
3. The Hand symbolized a lifetime of pain. This was the final straw.

Was it understandable? Yes. Maddening? Also yes.

Could Yuan Zhong have been “reasonable”? Maybe. But consider: a man imprisoned for 60 years by the clan he protected, who finally finds hope in a woman’s devotion—only to learn it’s conditional.

In his mind, their marriage was just a means for her to retrieve the Hand. Why endure that toxicity? With his limited understanding of her mission and his fractured mental state, he saw no other way out.

And she was leaving—perhaps forever. That’s why he said, “I let you go.”

Novel vs. Drama: A Key Difference

In the novel, Yuan Zhong only considered cutting off his hand:

“He imagined cutting off his left hand in a fit of rage… hoping to fill the void with her tears and regret.”

But drama Yuan Zhong actually did it!

While the novel’s pear-tree scene felt tepid (Tanyin’s reaction was oddly muted), the drama’s version made Yuan Zhong seem unstable—but it was earned. His mental decline was well-foreshadowed.

That said, drama Tanyin’s agony over his death sold their love better than the novel’s more detached portrayal.

Episodes 34 – Hanvu

One of the problems the show had toward the end, and when it truly stumbled, was explaining the motivations of its archvillain, the seemingly saintly Hanvu.

This is where the book did it better. In the book, every god goes through tribulations in the world, and it often revolves around Obsessions. Hanvu being trapped in her obsessive hatred for her sister was her tribulation. To “pass” her tribulation, she had to rise above it.

(Obviously, she couldn’t in the end. The book vividly portrayed her ‘stuckness’ when Tanyin saw her ‘true form’ – that of a woman still burning alive in that fire. I always remember her saying that Tanyin had been in that firepit for centuries, unable to move away. In that sense, Hanvu was suffering for centuries with that pain.)

It’s All About Obsessions

Personally, I don’t think the show explained the magic system of this world very well.

The Buddhist philosophy that obsessions lead to suffering gets a twist in the story.

In this universe, one’s obsession can result in great feats, immortality, and even divinity. But on the other side of the coin: it can also lead to great misery and demonization.

• Yuan Zhong was obsessed with judging the world based on the five sins.
• Hanvu was obsessed with the betrayal of her sister, which led to her violent death.

That’s why Yuan Zhong said: “Gods and demons are just a thought apart.”

What obsession makes you a god? What obsession makes you a demon?

Hanvu and Yuan Zhong were on the same journey, but they responded differently.

Hanvu’s hatred had no outlet

Like Yuan Zhong, Hanvu was deeply wronged when she was alive. Despite being a caring sister, she was framed by her sibling and ended up being burned alive by a mob.

Like Yuan Zhong, she had a guide to lead her to a better path: Taihe. However, unlike Yuan Zhong, Hanvu couldn’t absorb Taihe’s guidance. (This is partly due to Taihe’s lack of empathy—a result of his “ruthless path”—where he only taught her to suppress her desires.)

When her sister died, her opportunity for revenge slipped away from her because, as a goddess, she couldn’t interfere with the cycle of reincarnation or enter it like her sister.

She wasn’t able to let go of her grudge as a result, and as she said, “Where can my grudge go? Forgive? I cannot forgive!”

So, instead of feeling gratitude for Taihe, she ended up hating him. She poisoned Taihe by unleashing all the darkness he was suppressing, which turned into a literal demon. She blamed the world for her unjust death, and she used Taihe as her weapon, and later, Yuan Zhong.

A lot of people on social media couldn’t understand her motivations. It may seem lame—to destroy the world based on something you suffered thousands of years ago—but think of it as hatred morphing into something “alive.” In Hanvu, we see the destructive force behind an Obsession; because she couldn’t let go, she needed an outlet for her hatred. She chose a new target: the world.

Yuan Zhong could say, “Never Mind”

Like Hanvu, Yuan Zhong’s target was also the world. But unlike Hanvu, he learned to love his guide, Tanyin, who was gentle and empathetic and gave him love in return. Unlike Hanvu, he could let his grudge go and say, “Never mind.”

That’s why I loved that little scene so much. Just two words, and it said so much—Yuan Zhong was able to let go of his obsessive need to destroy the world and justify his suffering. Hanvu wasn’t.

(PS: That’s why some fan theories say he had already attained godhood then, because he passed his tribulation right there—but it’s complicated, haha, since he replaced this Obsession with Tanyin.)

Unfortunately, Hanvu used Yuan Zhong’s love (or rather, Obsession) for Tanyin against him, resulting in this:

The Problem Lay in the Direction and the Script

The director, Guo Hu, has a rather spotty track record. While he was responsible for The Mysterious Lotus Casebook, he was also responsible for the really poorly received Only for Love.

So, I was holding my breath for most of the drama. On the whole, while he may struggle with some camera angles, etc., I thought he executed the story very well. But then he started stumbling after Episode 31.

And when Hanvu agreed to give Tanyin a “presentation” about why she was doing what she was doing, I could only facepalm. Really, director? You decided to turn Hanvu into the “villain who monologues her plan”? Until then, the drama had been pretty strong in the “show, don’t tell” department.

Of course, not all the blame can be placed on the director. I’d say the scriptwriter shares a fair bit of it. And that puzzled me because the writing had been consistently strong until the last arc, which leads me to conclude that another scriptwriter probably took over (the style is just too different) or… there was interference from above.

Probably a combination of both. Producers and the studio (and this is an iQIYI production) are notorious for dictating story direction, and all I can say is: something happened to the last few episodes.

I also read that originally, Hanvu’s motivation was that she was jealous Tanyin had Taihe’s attention in the past. The director nixed that plot, and I’m glad he did!

However, if only he could’ve laid out more foreshadowing for Hanvu to hint at her Obsession, her world-destroying motivations would’ve been more understandable—just like Yuan Zhong’s.

By the way, if you want to discuss the finale next, head over to the finale thread, which was originally for express viewers.

I have one more post coming explaining my opinion about the ending, and why I think it’s actually a good ending, even one leading towards happy.

Episodes 36 (Ending)

Evil Taihe is cool, I guess?

A lot of people were impressed with Evil Taihe/Yuan Zhong combo but I thought it was not Liu Xueyi’s strongest performance in the drama. (I thought it was rather cheesy, forgive me.) But I was super impressed that he used a totally different voice for him!

Did Evil Taihe die too easily? Yeah, weirdly for such a much-feared demon! haha

Why did Hanvu self-destruct?

Hanvu’s death was very confusing. What prompted her to self-destruct into a tapestry again? Someone explain to me.

Zhi Dai and Tang Hua’s ending was appropriate

Honestly, I’m suprrised Tang Hua got to live, his anime and novel version – he didn’t survive lol. Anyhoo, that relationship was doomed from the begginning and tbh I didn’t feel anything for this ‘ship, so it’s fine to me ;P

Is Meishan dead?

I think he’s in the same state Tanyin was, his body dead, but unless his primordial spirit is irrevocably destroyed, he could return. But, unfortunately, we do not know for sure.

Why did Yuan Zhong inherit Taihe’s powers?

Personally, I think it’s because he finally passed his tribulation and was deemed worthy enough to become Taihe version 2. (In xianxia, gods ascend to a new level after much suffering, but they need to overcome them to do so.) But again, they didn’t quite explain.

So, will Yuan Zhong accept the deity’s invitation to cultivate the ruthless path and be Taihe version 2?

I swear, if he does, he has learned nothing from his 60 years of confinement by the Youhu and deserves a tight slap from Tanyin when she returns.

The entire conversation was way too similar to Dinxu’s appeal that “he can become a god”. He’d be an utter fool to be tricked again just so that he can see Tanyin. So, no I doubt it. Being a god is no longer appealing, all he wants is Tanyin and yes, it’s a dirty tactic that the deity used Tanyin as bait but I’m confident Yuan Zhong is wise and smart enough to know that the ruthless path will only prevent him from reunited with Tanyin (because he has to supress his emotions).

Also, surely he knows that Taihe’s path wasn’t as pristine and pure as they made it out to be. So I doubt Yuan Zhong will fall for this scheme.

But he smiled because he finally have hope (after years grieving for her loss) that Tanyin can return one day.

But won’t he die before Tanyin returns?

It’s said that the Youhu foxes only live up to 500 years (if I’m not mistaken). I doubt that’s Yuan Zhong’s lifespan, being a host to the Divine Hand. Remember, Dinxu used to drain Yuan Zhong to make elixers to prolong his life. With that blood in his body, I’m sure his life is extended by a lot, and now that he has “inherited” Taihe’s full powers, his already god-like. He just chose not to ascend officially and take his place in the Divine Realm. And I doubt he’d ever do that.

The final question: Will Tanyin return?

Yes, to me she will. Reasons below.

Dashed expectations … only if you are a modern xianxia viewer with ‘love conquers all’ expectations

I firmly believe A Moment But Forever ended happily—but this depends on how you interpret the drama’s central themes. Modern audiences, especially newcomers to xianxia, often expect fairy-tale romances where love conquers all.

However, classic xianxia (the one I grew up with) was never solely about romance. Instead, it explored philosophical themes— what is good? What’s evil? What is the true nature of a deity? The immortals in more classic xianxia were far more concerned with mortal welfare than their own love lives.

And if they have some romance, they will prioritise their mission to care for mortals and sacrifice their love lives. That’s the nature of gods, and that’s how they became gods in the first place. Well, at least in old xianxia. Not so, modern xianxia, unfortunately. (They’d rather wreck the world for love!)

Over the years, the xianxia genre came to be dominated by the idol factory, so young actors and romance-heavy plots have became its trademark, almost.

This shift explains why A Moment But Forever faced the ageist criticism in China as “middle-aged xianxia.”

Anyway, if you watch A Moment But Forever expecting a modern xianxia, alas your expectations will be sorely dashed.

But if you approach it as a classic xianxia tale—centred on moral redemption, the responsibilities of the divine for humans—the ending will be logical … albeit unsatisfactory.

But to me, the ending is not just good but happy

Okay, happy-ish.

The core narrative about the drama isn’t about Tanyin and Yuan Zhong’s love story. It’s about Yuan Zhong’s redemption—a man destined to seemingly commit great evil. It’s also the story of a benevolent deity (Taiyin), who acts as his guide to sway him from this dark path.

The story’s “mission” completes when he chooses light over darkness, and saves the world.

Tanyin’s sacrifice—breaking heavenly laws to save him (the ultimate sacrifice for a goddess)—earns her a reprieve from judgement and a chance to live again.

A bad ending would be Yuan Zhong going completely evil and Tanyin dead!

I also liked the fact that Yuan Zhong and Tanyin several years as husband and wife. Tang Hua mentioned that he spent a few years travelling the world, and then we see Yuan Zhong and Tanyin at the tail end of their six-month travels.

I like that Yuan Zhong got to have this time with Tanyin, really truly love each other and lived as husband and wife before they parted.

To quote a Weibo-er, “our fox is no longer a virgin in the world and is now a right and proper widower.”

So what does it mean that she’s in the world, in a blade of grass etc?

The drama hints strongly that Tanyin survives as sentient energy and is able to influence creatures around her or even reincarnate into them – butterflies, dragonflies. Think of it as a higher level of existence.

In the novel, all gods who “die” reunite with a ‘central hub’ of primordial energy. So gods who ‘die’ become this energy, but Tanyin didn’t reunite with this central hub because she was granted the reprieve, and got to be free to rejoin the world.

But it will take time.

I firmly believe she will eventually return, mirroring the novel’s resolution where she reforms in a new body after centuries.

Why I’m convinced Taiyin will return:

1. The Deity’s Revelation: The god at the end confirms Taiyin’s primordial spirit lingers between heaven and earth, and Yuan senses her presence.
2. 2. Foreshadowing:
   • The fortune teller’s prophecy: Yuan will have “joy with his descendants.”
   • Taiyin gave Yuan Zhong her divine energy in episode 6. In the novel this is the key to her return. Her body is remade with immortal lotus, her teacher gave Yuan Zhong the “lotus gift”. I feel that he probably wanted to protect her too, and I think this “lotus energy” will facilitate her body’s reformation.
3. Novel Parallels: In the source material, Taiyin returns after centuries, her energy merging with a lotus to recreate her body. The drama’s open ending implies the same outcome.

But I get why you want a kissy reunion

Let me ask you: Why should all “happy endings” be about a wedding and babies?

For a classic xianxia tale, a “happy ending” means evil was thwarted, and our heroes ascend their tribulations, ofter after great sacrifice.

I get it though. Modern xianxia viewers are so used to the idea of a romantic conclusion that they get furious when it’s thwarted, but classic xianxia prioritizes the themes I mentioned.

Yes, the frustration stems from mismatched genre expectations. But also, well, I get it. After the many tribulations we just want our couple to cuddle their babies and snog!

Why is it the ending ‘unsatisfying’ then?

Partly because we want to see Tanyin fulfill her promise that “she will definitely return, I promise you.” But didn’t get to see that (even if it’s heavily hinted).

Also, the drama was amazing up to episode 33. I felt that the drama jumped the shark after the Red Wedding (lmao). It’s as if they ran out of money or was told to hastily cut down lots of scenes.

That’s why it’s unsatisfactory to me – the drama was excellently plotted, the logic very solid until episode 33. Then after that it was a return to xianxia cliches. (I wasn’t super enthused with the demon lord arc.)

So many things were left lightly hinted at towards the end. For example, many people didn’t catch that the Weapon Spirits are still alive! Little A Xiu is back at the last episode.

A definite ending for many of our beloved characters would’ve made so many people happier.

Well, at least we understand why the Chinese title of the drama is 念无双 (Thinking/Longing for Wu Shuang). It sure lived up to it!

In the end, all of us know exactly how Yuan Zhong felt at the final scene. LOL

PS: Apparent the scriptwriter said an extra scene was filmed but never allowed to release. There’s some confusion about whether it’s filmed or not. But there was indeed a happy ending, either as an extra episode or a happy ending, but they decided to lop it off so that it has a more open ending instead. Make it make sense, c-ent!

So what are your theories?

#China #AMomentButForever #CDrama #CDramas #ChineseDrama #ChineseDramas #Fantasy #LiuXueYi #LiuXueyi #reviews #romance #TV #Xianxia

A Moment But Forever (念无双) review

I’ve never seen a platform (or industry) more determined to set up its own drama to fail.

Like many Chinese drama viewers already tired from years of blah xianxia dramas, I went: “Meh, another xianxia.”

First, A Moment but Forever’s first trailer 100% did it dirty. If the goal of the producers was to create the blandest, most generic xianxia trailer, they’ve succeeded handsomely.

I barely even registered that Liu Xueyi, one of my favourite actors, was in it. And when it finally did, I went: “Tis a pity, I don’t think I can endure this factory-line xianxia for him.”

Fortunately, I came across a random post ranting about how the promo didn’t do the script justice; I found out more about the story and was intrigued. I read some of the novel, and got really invested in following the drama if it airs.

Then, the drama’s airing got delayed and delayed … and delayed some more, until most fans despaired at ever seeing it. So, when it finally aired I breathed a sigh of relief that I was finally going to see it.

The drama was heavily mocked by China’s very terrifying fan circles; many mocked it for being a “middle-aged fairy drama”, as if people older than thirty don’t deserve to star in this genre for some reason.

Anyway, long story short: The expectations for this drama was so abysmal that most people said it would be a failure. So, I was bracing myself for a tepid xianxia. But I ended up being surprised by it!

Hilariously, on xiaohongshu, most of the comments I saw were: “I didn’t intend to watch the drama, but I ended up binging all six episodes and now I’m going to office with panda eyes”.

Now let’s get to the meat of the review, and why I say it’s worth your while despite its less-than-stellar marketing and appearance.

The story

In the war between gods and demons, the artifact, “God’s Left Hand” used by the Heavenly God Taihe to seal demons, is cut off and falls to Mortal Realm.

Taihe and the other gods fall into an eternal slumber.

The Youhu fox clan, having discovered the artifact, has used it to get rid of their enemies, the War Demons, and establish their dominion over the world. In a realm cut off from the divine, they are now the gods of the world.

The goddess Wu Shuang (Tang Yan) is sent to the mortal realm to take back the Hand, which will kill Yuan Zhong (played by Liu Xueyi), the high priest of Youhu Clan, who is now host to God’s Left Hand.

She enters the Youhu Clan as Ji Tanyin, to become Yuan Zhong’s personal maid. But during her time with Yuan Zhong she discovers that he is not as evil as people say, and that there’s more to the story of the High Priest of the Youhu clan.

What I like about it

Here are big reasons why you should give the drama a try:

The acting is great!

Now, I wasn’t surprised by Liu Xueyi’s performance having followed him from his days of playing second leads (and almost always outshining everyone else). I expected him to put in a great performance, and he seems to have one scene that wows people in almost every drama he’s in. The scene in the prison is really amazing.

Since I have only watched Tang Yan in Blossoms Shanghai I didn’t know what to expect from her, especially in a genre so different from Blossoms Shanghai.

I’m glad to report that Tang Yan is fantastic. Her voice may make some people brace themselves for the dreaded bubbly xianxia girl (TM), but I reassure you that her character, Tanyin, is nothing like that.

She is straight-forward, sharp-tongued, unimpressed by authority and has this “stop wasting my time with nonsense” air about her that I adore. What’s more, she is a very smart, likeable and honourable character. I’ve not seen a character like hers in a xianxia for a long, long time.

The writing is solid

The scriptwriter is the writer of Love and Destiny, a xianxia praised for its plot. She knows the importance of laying the foundation of making us care for the characters.

Sometimes, it does feel as if some things were left out, but it’s by design.

For example, we, the audience knew (or guessed) at the beggining that the little cute fox that woke Tanyin from her slumber was Yuanzhong. We find out that Tanyin has been searching that fox for a long time.

We are left scratching our heads, wondering why she’d care so much for that fox. Only in a later episode do we find out that Yuanzhong had been talking to her through the jade for years, and she grew fond of him. When he abruptly stopped, she couldn’t let him go and wanted to find out what happened to the little fox.

We, the audience are screaming at the screen. “It’s Yuanzhong! The guy you’re trying to take that arm from!”

Only to find out later that she already knew, and we see a scene where she discovered the half of the jade the little fox had spirited away.

Was this because the writer forgot about it and inserted it later?

No, it’s mostly to create a sense of anticipation in the viewers, the “I really need to watch the next episode” feeling that not many writers can pull off convincingly.

There’s no love at first sight either. Both Yuan Zhong and Tanyin started out suspicious of each other. However, you can clearly see their relationship getting warmer and warmer in a logical manner as the series progresses.

I really loved how she wove Tanyin and Yuan Zhong’s stories together, and I can’t wait for them to finally fall in love.

They do not insult the viewers’ intelligence

There’s no Dude Who Tells You What’s Up, something that I really hated in another xianxia that I mildly enjoyed: Love of the Divine Tree.

Writers of factory-assembly-line xianxias are just too lazy these days, turning characters into Exposition Machines that tell us what’s happening instead of showing what’s happening.

For example, I love how they dramatized the strained relationship between Yuan Zhong and Tang Hua. The longing odd looks they send each other, the reactions both have when other people mention their names. You know they have a history, and then we see by episode 6 that they were besties and Yuan Zhong’s imprisonment changed Tang Hua.

I love this careful storytelling, no right-hand man or woman just being Exposition Machine asking: “Hey, you guys used to be best friends, what happened?”

The message and heartbreak of their lost friendship was communicated merely by the actors’ expressions.

I love that they don’t treat us viewers as simpletons who needs everything to be explained to.

Interesting and well-written side characters

This is a rare drama that gives its side characters proper arcs and growth. Except for most of the War Demons, which felt like paper mache villains, most are memorable and fascinating.

It’s a return to xianxia’s roots; it’s deeply philosophical

Many Western viewers have only come to watch xianxia in the last few years. While it’s great that more foreign viewers are now watching Chinese dramas, this is a personal heartache of mine, because what they think of as xianxia isn’t really the “classic” or “true” xianxia of old.

There are many ways modern xianxia like Love Between Fairy and Devil, and Till the End of the Moon have diverged from its xianxia roots.

However, one primary way is that modern xianxia has abandoned the idea that one can become gods through meritocracy and by cultivating the right virtues. In the old tales, anyone can become gods. Even rocks! One attains immortality by cultivating the right mindset, their abilities, and doing good deeds.

Instead, in modern xianxias you see that one becomes gods or immortals because of their race or through mastering some kind of magical spell.

This “you are an immortal because you’re born into a race” is a modern injection from webnovel writers who are possibly influenced by Western fantasy*. And since most modern xianxia these days are adapted from webnovels, we get this transference.

Many long-time viewers like me have longed for a return to xianxia’s more meritocratic, Taoist and Buddhist roots.

What’s more, the purpose of immortals have been lost, with many xianxia dramas focused on the love affairs between immortals, when the many xianxia of old focuses on immortals caring for human beings and rescuing them from peril.

*Many Chinese dramas are adapted from webnovels. I’d say a majority of them. This can be problematic, but that’s a very long story for another day.

What I didn’t like about it

• The drama’s last arc was really rushed, and our villains were dispatched too quickly and unconvincingly.
• That ending. Not a bad and terrible ending by any means. (I’ve seen so much worse. Look at the ending section for more information.)
• Admittedly, the set design and costumes were rough in the first few episodes. There were some costumes and hair pieces that made me go: What in the world was the stylist thinking? But I have to say, unlike most folks in China, it didn’t bother me so much that it turned me off watching the drama completely. That honour belonged to Burning Flames.

At the end, the flaws of the drama is mild to me, and despite my complaints about the ending, it did not spoil the drama or my appreciation of the drama.

About the ending

I’m not going to go into much detail about the ending. For that, do read my episode recap and analysis of A Moment But Forever, where I go into detail about my theories about what happened and why I firmly believe it’s a happy ending.

But I’ll be honest with you, when I heard that it was an open ending, I wanted to scream.

However, I was quite relieved after watching the ending that it was not one of those frustrating open endings, but one that firmly leaned towards a happy ending.

In a way, it is thematically fitting for the drama. (After all, the Chinese title, 念无双 basically means “Missing Wu Shuang”, but what can I say?

The ending was unnecessary and for once I want the director to stop trying to be ‘arty’ with endings like these.

Viewers want closure, (and if possible, kisses and babies) and in this day and age dominated by fast food dramas, they do not have patience for philosophical endings. Give them some closure, give them some sugar after so many episodes of bitterness.

I was mostly upset that this open ending would affect its Douban scores. And I was right, It opened at 6.7, gradually rose to 6.8, though in my mind, it deserves at least better than Love Under the Divine Tree’s 7 above rating. (To me, a 7.2 Douban score would’ve been fair.)

I liked Divine Tree well enough, but that xianxia had vastly inferior writing and acting, and it just rubs me the wrong way that it got better marks just because it had a crowd-pleasing ending.

Final verdict: 4 stars

Like so many Chinese dramas these days, it is highly flawed, but it came very close to perfection and is probably one of the best written and performed xianxia in years.

#4Stars #AMomentButForever #CDrama #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama #CostumedDrama #Fantasy #LiuXueYi #LiuXueyi #TangYan #TV #念无双

Am watching episode 23 of “A Moment but Forever” 🌸 Yuanzhong went to find Ji Tanyin with an umbrella, because it was raining. This is the first real indication that he might actually care for her.

#Cdrama #AMomentButForever #LiuXueyi

Am watching episode 12 of “A Moment but Forever” 🌸 Yuan Zhong and Ji Tanyin are getting along better. He is giving her a foot rub, but it isn’t a romantic gesture … yet ❤️

#Cdrama #AMomentButForever #LiuXueyi

Am watching episode 11 of “A Moment but Forever” 🌸 The main leads are still at loggerheads with each other but at this moment Yuan Zhong is beginnig to realize that Ji Tanyin is on his side.

#Cdrama #AMomentButForever #LiuXueyi

Just watching episode 22 of “Kill Me Love Me” with Liu Xueyi and Wu Jinyan 🌸 Murong Jinghe has just put on a masquerade to lie to the love of his life in order to keep her safe. The sad irony is that he uses the truth to lie to her. The complex emotions are written all over Liu Xueyi’s face.

#Cdrama #KillMeLoveMe #LiuXueyi

Uh. What was I trying to say...

*Mind goes blank*

#Cdrama #Cdramas #InBlossom #LiuXueYi

https://www.sinotheater.com/82728/ [BTS] A Heart-wrenching Scene with Jinghe🥰💓 | Kill Me Love Me | YOUKU #BiWenjun #cdrama #ChenChuhe #ChineseDrama #ChineseDrama2024 #HuangRiying #JiangKai #KillMeLoveMe #LiuXueyi #ShaoWeitong #WuJinyan #XuHao #youku #ZhaoXiaotang #优酷 #刘学义 #古装剧 #古装甜宠剧 #吴谨言 #徐浩 #春花厌 #春花焰 #毕雯珺 #甜宠剧 #电视剧 #电视剧2024 #蒋恺 #赵小棠 #邵伟桐 #陈楚河 #黄日莹

https://www.sinotheater.com/82299/ [Highlight] Who said a woman can’t be a general? | Kill Me Love Me | YOUKU #BiWenjun #cdrama #ChenChuhe #ChineseDrama #ChineseDrama2024 #HuangRiying #JiangKai #KillMeLoveMe #LiuXueyi #ShaoWeitong #WuJinyan #XuHao #youku #ZhaoXiaotang #优酷 #刘学义 #古装剧 #古装甜宠剧 #吴谨言 #徐浩 #春花厌 #春花焰 #毕雯珺 #甜宠剧 #电视剧 #电视剧2024 #蒋恺 #赵小棠 #邵伟桐 #陈楚河 #黄日莹

In case you missed it earlier, I posted my review of "In Blossom" at the SF-Fandom Forums earlier today.

#cdrama #cdramas #fantasy #jujingyi #liuxueyi

https://forums.sf-fandom.com/thread-37282.html

I've posted my review of "In Blossom" at the SF-Fandom forums. Overall I liked the show.

#cdrama #cdramas #fantasy #jujingyi #liuxueyi

https://forums.sf-fandom.com/thread-37282.html

Just finished “In Blossom” with Liu Xueyi 🌸 The drama was well-crafted with beautiful costumes and a fairly good murder mystery wrapped in palace intrigue. Liu Xueyi carried the show but the second couple (Li Geyang and Wu Jiayi) had much better chemistry than the main couple.

#Cdrama #InBlossom #LiuXueyi

I finally accessed my VIP account on Youku again 🌸 So now I can finish watching “In Blossom”.

#Cdrama #InBlossom #LiuXueyi

I watched all episodes of #InBlossom - no spoilers, promise.
I love it. Love, love, love it. Am very satisfied and happy with the ending.

Sure, it's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but Pan Yue (or rather, Liu Xueyi kahkahkah) gave me so much joy. Darling, please grace me with your abs and embroidered hanfus once again. The world needs this community service.

#CDrama #CDramas #TV #LiuXueYi

In Blossom review

It’s been a long time since I live-blogged a drama. This is because dramas in the last few months have not caught my attention in such a way that makes me want to do so.

Admittedly, this drama caught my attention because of Liu Xueyi, an actor who caught my attention in Blood of Youth, Love and Redemption, and Qing Luo. I’ve always known that he was more than just a pretty face, that he was a very talented actor and just inches away from breaking out into the big leagues.

I really think In Blossom could be the drama to do it.

If you have not watched In Blossom, do avoid the spoilerific Watch Log and head straight to the non-spoiler Final Review section instead.

And if you’re following this blog from Mastodon or Tumblr, do bookmark the In Blossom page and revisit it as the Mastodon post doesn’t automatically update.

Table of Contents

1. The story
2. Main characters
3. Watch Log
   1. Episode 1 and 2
   2. Episode 4
   3. Episode 7
   4. Episode 8
   5. Episode 11
   6. Episodes 8 to 16
   7. Episodes 17 and 18
   8. Episode 21
   9. Episode 22
   10. Episode 24
   11. Episode 28
   12. Episode 29
   13. Episode 32
   14. The ending (spoilers)
4. Final review
   1. What’s not great
5. Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The story

When the handsome, very eligible Pan Yue married Yang Caiwei, the city of Heyang was astounded. She was the last person anyone would expect to capture Pan Yue’s heart: She is scarred and works as a despised undertaker and apprentice coroner.

But then, tragedy strikes. Yang Caiwei dies on their wedding day mysteriously and Pan Yue becomes the main suspect.

But unbeknownst to everyone, Yang Caiwei has become Shangguan Zhi, the ingenue who traded faces with her so that she could marry Pan Yue instead.

Yang Caiwei believes that Pan Yue killed “her”. Determined to uncover his crime, she worms herself into his world, becoming his assistant.

Meanwhile, Pan Yue, who is now the magistrate of Heyang, suspects that she is responsible for his wife’s untimely death.

As the two try to solve the mysterious death of Pan Yue’s bride, they end up embroiled with the shady world of the Four Major Clans, and possibly a conspiracy involving the royal family.

Main characters

Pan Yue – Young, handsome, eligible, rich and beloved of royalty, Pan Yue is probably the most admired and eligible bachelor in the kingdom. But he only has eyes for Yang Caiwei, a scarred woman who was his dearest childhood friend. He has been searching for her for a decade and he has finally found her.

Yang Caiwei – Formerly from the nobility, Caiwei has fallen onto hard times after her father, a former Justice minister, falls from grace and her parents are murdered. She was working as a coroner and grave digger when Pan Yue finds hers.

Shangguan Zhi – The sister of Pan Yue’s good friend, she’s obsessed about her looks and Pan Yue, and 100% believes that he will marry her.

Bai Xiao Sheng – A street-smart hustler and Yang Caiwei’s best friend.

Zhuo Lan Jiang – A mysterious young vagabond who is Yang Caiwei’s good friend.

Watch Log

Episode 1 and 2

Not gonna lie, I was distracted by the fact that Zheng He Hui Zi, who played Yang Caiwei in episodes 1 and 2, won’t be around after because I love her performance here. I’m going to miss her a lot once Ju Jingyi enters the picture. I liked Zheng a lot as Tao Zi in Wonderland of Love and I hope she gets bigger roles in the future. I think she’s a very natural actress and talented.

Ju Jingyi is definitely very okay as a villain. She needs to do more of these roles!

And what can I say about Liu Xueyi? He’s hard carrying the show. I said to a friend that at this rate, he’s going to collapse from metaphorical exhaustion lol. He has a magnetic presence that I can’t quite define or explain. There was one shot of him appearing in silhouette at the door and I went 🤤

Episode 4

I was pretty surprised that the inevitable confrontation between Pan Yue and Shangguan Zhi aka Caiwei took place so quickly. By the way, I’m liking dak, gothic, moody Pan Yue so much. I want to say, “never change, Pan Yue”, but that won’t be fair, foisting such a miserable state of being to our dashing hero.

I definitely love that he literally wears his grief. The white streaks in his hair – what people assumed was a “vanity move” – was the result of terrible grief. And those gorgeous dark robes! It took me a while to realise that he was wearing the Chinese mourning colours of white, blue and black.

Episode 7

So we find out what happened to Pan Yue right after Yang Caiwei’s “death” and it isn’t pretty. Liu Xueyi is acting the heck out of Pan Yue’s deep grief. Can a person look hot when he’s so grief-stricken? Well, Liu Xueyi can totally pull it off.

Episode 8

I love how this show subverts the typical trope of “accidental kiss happens when they fall on each other”, only instead of the male lead falling onto his lady love it’s the opposite!

Episode 11

I’m now on episode 11. I’m pretty shocked that I’m watching so quickly – that’s usually a good sign that I really like the drama. I hope it doesn’t crash and burn like Yong’an Dream, which I had such high hopes for but eventually gave up midway because of the zero chemistry I sensed between the leads. JJY wasn’t as bad as I thought. I think all those comments made me “ready” for her performance lol. But ngl, I keep thinking, “If only…”

Liu Xueyi is 150% delivering here, and looks like I’m in for some fun times with his character lol.

Episodes 8 to 16

What I love about this drama so far:

• The grieving widower trope – uhm, yeah, just irresistible to us females.
• Liu Xueyi’s performance. Damn, he nails the “broken-hearted widower only lives for revenge” thing. And there’s something about the way he carries himself that is magnetic. The camera adores him in this show. Thanks, director! I’ve always known him as an impeccable actor and was pretty annoyed (for his sake) that he has been in supporting roles for so long. But I stumbled on this Twitter post where he said the supporting roles helped him to play protaganists today. (There’s a reel of the roles he had played since he was 16! I particularly dig the punk biker role with the grey hair. Have a look)
• The emotional connection to the cases – the Lantern Festival serial killing case really hit me in the heart at the end. I couldn’t stop thinking about the story, the tragedy of it all! Now that’s how you write stories. Despite the technical superiority of Judge Dee’s Mystery – better mysteries, camerawork, acting, it didn’t give me the same “oh God I need the next episode” now feeling like In Blossom provokes.
• The big emotional reveal we’re dying for – this keeps us watching episode after episode, wondering, “Will Pan Yue finally find out that his wife, Yang Cai Wei, is still alive and next to him? (Though technically since he didn’t really marry her but Shangguan Zhi, so are they really married?

Episodes 17 and 18

How to look cool in front of your lady love:

Step 1 – Spruce up

Step 2 – Declutter

Step 3 – Pour yourself some tea

Step 4 – Sip slowly

Step 5 – Smile like an idiot when she’s not looking

Results – 😅

Some people may think this is out of character for Pan Yue, but it is precisely because it is so out of character for him that makes this scene adorable. Liu Xueyi’s comedic timing and expressions was on point in this scene!

It is just so lovely to see the forlorn shadow hovering around him finally lifted now that He knows she’s alive and next to him.

Meanwhile, our second lead is busy ruining Pan Yue’s every single attempt to date Caiwei.

Episode 21

Finally, that episode we’ve been waiting for. Yang Caiwei knows that Pan Yue knows she’s not Shangguan Zhi!

That was a fine act by Liu Xueyi when Pan Yue was blind and crying for Yang Caiwei at the hillside. It was uncomfortable watching him so anguished 😢

Also, Yang Changwei finally knows that Pan Yue knows, and that kiss! (And the long lingering camera focuses on Liu Xueyi’s muscles 🤪 when he’s in the bath. Thanks, Mr Director, I truly appreciate it 😆)

Also, Pan Yue’s assistant (Ze) forever being that fly on the wall there to witness their big moments. 😆

There’s also a little sweet moment between Jiang and Bai Xiao Sheng. Kiss her damnit.

I wasn’t surprised by the reveal of who the mastermind in the wheelchair was. But now there’s another big bad in the capital. Hmm!

I know some people seem disappointed that the show is becoming less gothic and lighter in tone, and that Pan Yue is even getting quirkier, but I am loving the change. How about you?

Episode 22

I continue to love the camera work in this show. It is not exactly top-tier, but some scenes are beautifully framed, making the shot look like something straight out of a painting. Love this scene of Pan Yue walking down the corridor.

Not that it should surprise anyone, but Pan Yue, as you know, literally “wears” his grief. His hair turned white from sorrow, and after YCW’s “death”, he wore only blackwhite or occasionally dark blue, always in mourning. If he wore colours, it is always about work (going undercover).

However, his clothes are now brighter and colourful, reflecting his happiness as he is freed from the guilt that was weighing him down.

That emerald robe on him in this episode is a delight. 🤭

Episode 24

One thing I love about this show is how confident and forward the women are. They are not the typical, shy wilting flower types who are reluctant to express their desire for their men. I love the Uno reverse card they did in this scene, where Pan Yue is trying to be the smooth and seductive Cassanova, only to have Caiwei turn the tables on him, pin him to the shelves and and declaring what she thinks about his physical attributes instead 🤭

Episode 28

Me, after viewing this: OMG Pan Yue don’t you die on me

People on social media: OMG he is so pretty when he faints.

Admittedly, Pan Yue is gorgeous even when he faints.

Episode 29

I did it. I submitted to the power of Express episodes. Dang you, Youku, take my money. I have to admit they’re terribly ingenious with the whole thing. First, they charge you for advanced access; you can view an episode six hours ahead of time. And they did not announce the Express package ahead of time lest you decide to skip on the advanced episodes option to get the Express option. I bet you that advanced episode viewers do not get an automatic upgrade and have to pay more to get the express package.

Fortunately, I did not fall for the advanced episodes because it was just useless for me as they land during working hours and I don’t want to be distracted at work. But I did fall for express episodes, yes I did. But I’m really glad I got them because MyDramaList and Twitter was a minefield of spoilers, with an idiot, I mean, someone posting a damn video of a character’s death the moment the express episode was released. If anything, I often buy express packages to spare myself the pain of being spoiled.

But I shall go ahead and talk about this drama.

I think it’s credit to the writers that I’m driven enough to buy express episodes. The only drama I did this with was Mysterious Lotus Casebook. It’s not that the mysteries are especially well-written or compelling, but that I truly, truly care for the characters and want to know how they fare.

Episode 32

All I can say is that I breathed a sigh of relief. CDramas has had this unfortunate trend of going sideways in the last 10 episodes or so that I was holding my breath from episode 28 onwards.

My thoughts about the ending below, hidden in the expanded text.

The ending (spoilers)

I love it. Love, love, love it. Am very satisfied and happy with the ending.

But yes, I feel sad for A-Jiang eventhough I expected it because his tragic end was so heavily foreshadowed. Eventhough I wanted badly for him to live for Xiaosheng’s sakes, I knew somehow, that his tragic end was fiting for the story.

But this tragic though? It’s awful that he literally died a painful death. Writers, you’re too cruel!

Also, I didn’t think he was very smart at the way he went about seeking revenge. For a man who is supposedly clever enough to control a sect and get rid of a rival sect by his own lonesome, I expected more of him. But perhaps his competence was all an illusion because, after all, his dad was still alive and may be pulling strings in the background and mitigating his inexperience.

I wasn’t so sure where they were going with Pan Yue, however. He could meet the tragic end of his real-life counterpart, who was falsely accused of treason and executed along with his family. So, I was genuinely scared that the writers would decide to mirror history and our poor Pan Yue would meet the same end.

But fortunately he did survive, and had a rosy end with his lady love. To bad I didn’t feel a smidgen of chemistry between Liu Xueyi and Jiu Jingyi at this point, so what would’ve been the pinnacle best ending ever felt hollow for me.

About the supposed – “cliffhanger” ending. I’m not sure why people say it’s a cliffhanger. It’s more like a teaser, a possibility etc. It will not ruin the entire series for you nor will it render it “unfinished” in any way. The entire arc is needly wrapped up, so don’t worry, proceed it peace.

Just who is No.1? Well, who knows at this point. Despite its popularity, I highly doubt In Blossom will get a second season, so I have no idea why in the world the writers thought inserting this would be a good idea.

Final review

Sure, In Blossom was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but Pan Yue (or rather, Liu Xueyi) gave me so much joy. Liu Xueyi’s magnetic presence was the entire drama for me, seriously. Darling, please grace me with your abs and dark, embroidered hanfus once again. The world needs this community service.

With CDramas being the way they are, I really expected it to just go sideways sharply towards the end, but it didn’t! The storytelling, while not perfect and sometimes terribly convenient, held up till the very end. No fillers, no unnecessary side quests. No jealous rivals that bjorked everything up.

I would say this has bumped off Wonderland of Love as my favourite lite, cracktastic drama. Finally, a drama I can happily rewatch! I thought the story, while problematic at some bits were tightly woven throughout.There were no weird, unnecessary side quests, noble idiocy moments or side characters that fill up the space but don’t do anything.

What’s not great

Yes, they be downsides for this drama too.

The awful make-up
Dear god in heaven who did the makeup? Especially for Ju Jing Yi’s? Because those fake eyelashes are killing me inside. I don’t know if it’s the camerawork or the makeup but sometimes the makeup feels too obvious (even on the men) and it takes me out. Also, I swear, I was totally horrified to see tape on one actor’s face at one point. Hello, styling crew, were you asleep when putting on those wigs? Because I kept seeing the glue marks. I don’t usually notice these things, but the eff-ups are so glaring I could not ignore them.

But thumbs up for the wardrobe folks tho. Those robes on Zhuo Lan Jiang and Pan Yue are gorgeous. The women’s seem blander in comparison.

Ju Jingyi’s performance
In Blossom created an unexpected storm in the teacup: Ju Jing Yi’s acting.

Her performance just doesn’t match the skills of the first actress who played Yang Caiwe, Zheng He Hui Zi.

After going through the five stages of grief, knowing that I won’t see her again, I settled in with Jing Yi’s acting, which I eventually decided wasn’t terrible. Not good, but not terrible. A fine distinction. Though, I really, really miss Zheng He Hui Zi’s subtle physical mannerisms. The way she struts around, not caring if the world thinks she’s ugly.

Jing Yi moved around like a delicate flower. I wished she’d adopt Zheng’s more broad movements. I also missed the way Zheng projected this determined yet resigned air about her. Jing Yi’s Caiwei was too bubbly and perky. What I would do for that glimpse of sad determination and resignation of Caiwei’s again.

Again, I don’t think Jing Yi’s performance is terrible. Fun fact – I have a list of bad actors whose shows I refuse to watch because they’re just awful. But Jing Yi is not on that list. Yet.

But admittedly, this is my first drama with her, though I did watch a few episodes of Legend of Yunxi and barely remember her performance there. If it’s true that she is the same in every single drama, my patience would run very thin indeed.

The chemistry between our main couple, alas, is sadly lukewarm
Not at arctic levels like our couple in Yong’an Dream, but far from what I call “hot” or “phew we need to see them kiss more.”

A lot of people abandoned the drama due to the switcheroo, especially since they had a hard time transitioning from Zheng He Hui Zi’s better acting to Ju Jing Yi’s less nuanced one. I asked a friend – why did we continue when others didn’t? And, honestly, it’s down to a few things:

1. Liu Xueyi
2. Pan Yue’s character growth

I’ve noticed Liu Xueyi’s talent for a few years already, most notably in dramas such as Blood of Youth and Qing Luo. Not only is he an Adonis, he can act circles around the main leads of the dramas he’s always a second lead or a supporting actor. In Blossom is finally his chance to shine, and he delivers incredibly well, especially since the styling of his character is absolute perfection with those gorgeous embroidered robes, the white streaks of his hair and more.

Another reason why I continued watching In Blossom is because I’m not the sort to watch dramas nor is romance a primary motivation for me to watch a drama.

Meaning, I’m not the sort to ship anyone or even watch a drama purely for the romance. I’ve always been primarily attracted by character growth. And the more potential there is for that, the more I want to watch a show.

Watching Pan Yue change from confident, romantic hero to being a gothic, mourning, driven-by-vengeance widower was fascinating to watch. And towards the end, when Pan Yue regains the spark he had in the first two episodes, we are delighted for him.

Usually, Pan Yue’s romantic life would have been a wonderful enhancer to this journey, but due to Jing Yi being overshadowed by Zheng’s impactful performance, and due to Zheng and Liu Xueyi having such dynamite chemistry and Ju Jing Yi’s inability to surpass or even match that … well, darling, we have a problem.

So, Pan Yue’s peak happiest moment, when he finally reunites with his lady love, feels hollow.

But is this enough to forsake the entire show? Well, it really depends on your primary motivation or drive to watch the drama. Like I mentioned, I’m not the sort to ship anyone, not even the main couple. In fact, I tend to watch dramas where there’s little emphasis on romance.

So, if you’re the sort of person who’s interested in Pan Yue’s character growth or just want a simple, rip-roaring, wuxia-ish tale, In Blossom will be right for you. However, if you’re looking for a hot romance you can swoon over, you may have to be extremely forgiving of the acting performances or look elsewhere. Like Wonderland of Love, The Sword and the Brocade or of course, the doyen of sizzling chemistry, Dream of Splendor.

Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

#3Stars #CDrama #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama #CostumedDrama #drama #inBlossom #liuXueyi #romance

New stills from “In Blossom” have just been released 🌸 The drama has a nice balance of murder mystery, romance and nice visuals. The costumes for the male actors are particularly well-tailored and elegant.

It’s been a pleasure watching this drama. Will be interesting how it all ends…

#Cdrama #InBlossom #LiuXueyi

Am watching episode 21 of “In Blossom” 🌸 and they have both just realized that he knows who she really is. It was very touching.

#Cdrama #InBlossom #LiuXueyi

Am now watching episode 7 of “In Blossom” with Liu Xueyi and Ju Jingyi 🌸 The premise with the swapped faces requires suspension of disbelief but it’s an effective plot device for the love story to unfold. The main couple are still wary of each other but are perhaps beginning to respect each other a little.

Still no chemistry but then again the love part hasn’t unfolded yet. I like this drama; it looks beautiful and the male lead is handsome and charming.

#Cdrama #InBlossom #LiuXueyi

Have just begun to watch “In Blossom” with Liu Xueyi and (so far) Zhang He Hui Zi 🌸 Ju Jingyi has just made an appearance and I’m already a little sad that she is the main lead, but these first episodes seem to be the prologue.

Liu Xueyi has looks and charisma, making the love story feel real. I’ve never quite warmed to Ju Jingyi either in looks or acting skills, but I’m hoping that the drama will hang together because of him.

#Cdrama #InBlossom #LiuXueyi #JuJingyi

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