#心居 #LifeIsALongQuietRiver #微暗之火 #PaleFire
I still don't intend to prioritise interview translations over reviews but this article contains some interesting information on two drama series, with information on 微暗之火 (Pale Fire) being particularly interesting. The production of this drama has been shrouded in mystery and, to my knowledge, up till this point, Tong Yao had not yet officially talked about it except for a few cryptic references on Weibo. This is the main reason why I decided to translate this interview. There is at least one more interview of interest with regards to Pale Fire. I may translate that in the future, if I do, I'll link it on the Page (Click Me).
First, some disclaimers, my Chinese isn't the best and some of what was written in this article have no direct equivalent in English or have nuances that were hard to translate easily so I just did the best I could. I will place a link to a copy of the article in Chinese on this page so that those who can read Chinese can also read the article in the language it was originally written in. (CLICK ME)
Also, please note that for ease of reference, I will refer to 微暗之火 as Pale Fire in the article even though I don't think it's the official English title.
封面时装A
经典款连衣裙 132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE
Cover Story | The Best of Life
Tong Yao: An Uncompromising Life
(Translator’s note: Although “恣意” translates directly as wilful but in the context of this article, the better word to use may be persistent or uncompromising.)
封面时装B
褶裥袖装饰衬衫、撞色腰带开衩半裙
沙滩白LUNA手袋 均为宝姿PORTS
Tong Yao chose a floral fragrance for Life is a Quiet Long River's Gu Qingyu. At first, one will be hit with a scent of sweet orange, followed by the fragrance of tea before the slight bitterness of cinnamon sinks in. This feeling of coolness is very suitable for Gu Qingyu. When she was shooting Pale Fire, Tong Yao used Armani’s Suzhou Peony (I believe this is probably Pivoine Suzhou). It first hits you with the sweet smell of raspberries and oranges, lustrous and playful, and then the gentle and elegant aroma of peony emerges. Finally, it ends with a warm musk scent and the scent of amber; quiet and quiet. "It's soft and layered, just like the characters in the play seem gentle, but they feel mysterious internally." Tong Yao said.
Tong Yao has a romantic side to her, she will fall in love with a certain perfume for some time.
Recently, she has fallen in love with a woody fragrance. The fragrance has a spicy top note before it quickly softens and becomes gentle, similar to a gentle billowing scent of flowers over the steady woody fragrance, softness and calmness in coexistence. “It's neutral, not just the sweetness of femininity.” Like Tong Yao, who may have a delicate face but has a more neutral and stronger personality.
01 Going Deeper
Tony Yao has just returned to Beijing after principal photography of Pale Fire has wrapped.
01 Going Deeper
Tony Yao has just returned to Beijing after principal photography of Pale Fire has wrapped.
This is no ordinary TV series. According to what is publicly known, the plot is about an elegant and beautiful married woman who is trapped in a small town. This character will have some emotional entanglements with a younger man.
This series seems to feel a little bit dangerous and feels cinematic. Tong Yao excitedly expresses, “It’s a poetic suspense drama.” She’s always wanted to act in a suspense drama series. The tension and the characters’ emotions in this drama are extensive and very epic. It’s challenging but also very enjoyable.
This is a very tragic character and when she first entered the production team she was anxious in the beginning. Once she started production and got into character, even though the atmosphere was depressing, she felt great. “It’s because this show doesn’t feel like a contemporary show. The tension in modern dramas is small but the characters in this drama have a strong sense of destiny and the space for expression is relatively large.” In addition, the cinematographer likes to be creative. The crew shot in Wuyuan which is famous for its rapeseed flowers, and hilly scenery and there are stone streets everywhere. When the weather is inclement, the atmosphere will become very misty which makes it look layered and artistic when filming. This gave the show a cinematic quality which surprised Tong Yao.
(Translator’s Aside: Wuyuan County looks amazing. CLICK ME)
Principal photography began in Nov and wrapped in March. Tong Yao experienced Autumn, Winter and Spring with her character. She felt that this echoed her character’s destiny and felt that she was fated to be in this show. The show was originally scheduled to begin shooting in April, however because of various reasons, she went into production on another show. After that shoot wrapped, the director came looking for her and said that (Pale Fire) had not yet started shooting. “It felt like I must shoot this show, it felt like a sense of destiny.”
Now that production has been completed, Tong Yao’s first feelings after she returned to Beijing is that compared to her character, her life is too simple and too happy. She can also come out of her character, saying, “If you change the environment, you will come out naturally. I don’t think it’s that exaggerated.”
Still, having a career as an actress will leave some marks on her. “You usually have to create a lot of characters and will touch on different lives, it will slowly widen your boundaries of cognition.” For example, the recently aired Life is a Long Quiet River. With regards to Gu Qingyu, Tong Yao doesn’t understand how such a successful woman would be so blinded by romantic love. Gu Qingyu has already attained a high standard of living when she meets Shi Yuan, someone whom she loved as a youth, again. She felt that Gu Qingyu should be attracted to the radiance in a person and would not have chosen to be with someone because of a dream in her heart. However, that’s how she is scripted, Gu Qingyu is unrealistic, and wants to live in an unfulfilled dream with her first love. Of course, in the end, that dream was shattered.
Life is a Long Quiet River is a contemporary urban series that Tong Yao is familiar with. She also watched the series and likes to read the bullet comments the most. Tong Yao takes the criticism that Shi Yuan and her (Gu Qingyu) don’t seem like a husband and wife calmly. “Actually it’s like this, the two are very careful around each other, it's a reflection of the fact that they both cannot go back to the past and that feeling again but she still wants to try. As a result, they are awkward and cautious, unlike what a husband and wife should be.” In the context of the show, the acting and the emotions generated feel very natural.
Some people also say that Life is a Long Quiet River is simpler than the original novel and feels like a relaxed drama about life. Tong Yao agrees with this point. The TV series hoped that everyone will have a relaxed viewing experience, and edited out some of the more cruel storylines about the different classes.
But in terms of performance, Tong Yao wants to go deeper. For example, in addition to playing urban women, she also played Zhu Yizhen in the Republican drama The Rebel and starred in an independent director's creative short film Night Night.
This series seems to feel a little bit dangerous and feels cinematic. Tong Yao excitedly expresses, “It’s a poetic suspense drama.” She’s always wanted to act in a suspense drama series. The tension and the characters’ emotions in this drama are extensive and very epic. It’s challenging but also very enjoyable.
This is a very tragic character and when she first entered the production team she was anxious in the beginning. Once she started production and got into character, even though the atmosphere was depressing, she felt great. “It’s because this show doesn’t feel like a contemporary show. The tension in modern dramas is small but the characters in this drama have a strong sense of destiny and the space for expression is relatively large.” In addition, the cinematographer likes to be creative. The crew shot in Wuyuan which is famous for its rapeseed flowers, and hilly scenery and there are stone streets everywhere. When the weather is inclement, the atmosphere will become very misty which makes it look layered and artistic when filming. This gave the show a cinematic quality which surprised Tong Yao.
(Translator’s Aside: Wuyuan County looks amazing. CLICK ME)
经典款连衣裙 132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE
Now that production has been completed, Tong Yao’s first feelings after she returned to Beijing is that compared to her character, her life is too simple and too happy. She can also come out of her character, saying, “If you change the environment, you will come out naturally. I don’t think it’s that exaggerated.”
Still, having a career as an actress will leave some marks on her. “You usually have to create a lot of characters and will touch on different lives, it will slowly widen your boundaries of cognition.” For example, the recently aired Life is a Long Quiet River. With regards to Gu Qingyu, Tong Yao doesn’t understand how such a successful woman would be so blinded by romantic love. Gu Qingyu has already attained a high standard of living when she meets Shi Yuan, someone whom she loved as a youth, again. She felt that Gu Qingyu should be attracted to the radiance in a person and would not have chosen to be with someone because of a dream in her heart. However, that’s how she is scripted, Gu Qingyu is unrealistic, and wants to live in an unfulfilled dream with her first love. Of course, in the end, that dream was shattered.
褶裥袖装饰衬衫、撞色腰带开衩半裙
沙滩白LUNA手袋 均为宝姿PORTS
Some people also say that Life is a Long Quiet River is simpler than the original novel and feels like a relaxed drama about life. Tong Yao agrees with this point. The TV series hoped that everyone will have a relaxed viewing experience, and edited out some of the more cruel storylines about the different classes.
But in terms of performance, Tong Yao wants to go deeper. For example, in addition to playing urban women, she also played Zhu Yizhen in the Republican drama The Rebel and starred in an independent director's creative short film Night Night.
暗夜繁花印花上衣、奶白色直筒裤
均为 宝姿PORTS
At certain stages, she always has idols that she likes to emulate when it comes to performance.
Recently, she watched the American TV series Inventing Anna and Mare of Easttown. In the former series, the heroine's performance is very modern. She’s a liar who takes steps to get closer to her dream but the amazing thing is that she still believes that she is very close to her dream even after being caught. What's even more amazing is that after being released from prison, some people still believe and invest in her. This surprised Tong Yao because she feels that an actor must have so much faith to perform and express such a powerful obsession.
In Mare of Easttown, Tong Yao was amazed by Kate Winslet's acting skills. Winslet became a living person living in a small town, there was no dissonance. In every show she’s been in, Winslet seems to be able to become the character very naturally. This is what Tong Yao yearns for, "For every actor and every project, this is very difficult. We can only create this kind of show if everyone can achieve a consensus and ability in all things, it would be impossible if even one link is missing.”
In the new show Pale Fire, will Tong Yao also become a character who is integrated into the town? "My character is like an outsider in the town, she’s independent and solitary and not like the people in the town at all. She has always wanted to go out, but fate prevents her from leaving."
暗夜繁花印花上衣 宝姿PORTS
02 Cheerfully Blooming
Tong Yao is known for appearing in a trio of shows that are part of the “She Era” genre (“她时代”), Imperfect Love, Get Married or Not, Nothing But Thirty, and then now Life is a Long Quiet River, Tong Yao's roles are mostly urban elite women.
In Pale Fire, the female protagonist is trapped in a small town and she is of course different from strong urban elite women. Tong Yao also thinks that these urban women are also completely different, "Although Gu Jia and Gu Qingyu both share the surname Gu, the former is a mature and strong woman while the latter has more girlish traits beneath her mature persona."
But the characters also have some similarities, "They all have their own ideas." Even the women in Pale Fire never listen to the voices outside, and live their own lives." What's interesting is that upon returning to her own life, Tong Yao once posted on Weibo, "I am also envious of Gu Qingyu’s life."
黑色斜肩蝴蝶长裙 CAROLINA HERRERA
黑色不对称蝴蝶结高跟鞋 JIMMY CHOO
耳环 SUNS
Compared with the role, of an urban female, Tong Yao’s life consists of walks in the park, making coffee, checking out cafes, buying flowers, writing (Translator’s note: I think this means calligraphy); always a little romance and a little self-love which makes it a more comfortable personal world.
She likes to go to the park. After the shoot wrapped and she returned to Beijing, in her spare time, she’ll go for a walk by herself at a park near her home. She loves tree-lined paths with no one else, the changing of the seasons from Spring to Summer, the lush trees, and the bright light and air that is neither cold nor hot. Although there are floating catkins, it’s especially comfortable.
She also loves making coffee. Even though she’s not yet roasted beans herself, she’s already started evaluating different types of coffee beans. She also bought a semi-automatic coffee machine and made coffee for the crew. Usually, she’ll have an Americano in the morning to reduce swelling and to energise herself. She’ll have a latte or oat milk latte in the afternoon.
黑色斜肩蝴蝶长裙 CAROLINA HERRERA
耳环 SUNS
At one period in time, she loved going to various cafes in Shanghai. She likes small corner cafes where everyone is lining up to enter and the fragrance of the coffee greets you as people crowd in to drink coffee. She also likes it when friends in Shanghai bring her to a shop with a secret menu. Even if they are very small, they have a lively ambience. Each store roasts its own beans which makes the taste unique.
One of her favourite cafes has a slogan that reads "Nothing is more important than coffee." This store has an "attitude", they only have dine-in and no take-out. Each cup of coffee that is served will come with a card suggesting that it be drunk within a few minutes. It feels very ceremonious.
Tong Yao is not particular about rituals. She likes flowers. There was a time when she was in a flower shop in Shanghai and saw that the shop had bouquets for each season or solar term; bouquets would have more orange-brown for Autumn and more pink and yellow for Summer. She likes these pre-arranged bouquets but doesn’t have the habit of arranging flowers herself.
What is romantic about her is that she will queue for a long time at a shop that’s gone viral on the internet to buy delicious food to share with her family and colleagues.
黑白撞色蝴蝶结装饰连衣裙 宝姿PORTS
Her interests are artistic and one of them is writing. While filming Pale Fire, there was a teacher on the crew who was very good at writing. When she was free in the new solar term, or when it was raining or snowing, she would go over to write. As the snow falls silently outside the window, she would write passionately in the house.
These are the things that she enjoys, and it is rooted in loving herself. Aside from that, she is also very concerned about her health. For example, when she’s filming, when the weather is particularly cold, she will soak your feet when she returns to the room. She will also drink a glass of water every morning, noon and night before meals and her three meals are at a regular time and well balanced nutritionally. If they are still shooting till one or two o'clock in the afternoon, she will definitely ask the director when they can eat. She’s also always exercising. She’ll usually exercise about four to five times a week, if she’s in production then maybe once or twice if she’s on set. She says, "A good condition and a good figure can make people look younger."
The most important thing is that she accepts everything. "I don't have anxiety about my age. Instead, I like myself more after the age of 30. Because I know my inner persistence, I have a clearer idea about the path that I want to take, which makes me calmer and more confident."
黑色镂空长裙 ALAIA
琉璃水晶流苏耳坠 MIDNIGHT OPERA HOUSE
Some people say that Tong Yao is a person who has turned the tide against the wind. She is reluctant to use this term to summarise her experience, she does not even think that she has turned any tide against the wind because it is normal for everyone to stumble on the way to growth. "The most important thing is that you firmly know what you want to do, and head in that direction as much as possible, and then leave the rest to time." Knowing what one wants and where one is going represents the self-realisation that Tong Yao hopes to achieve.
Her tenacity, energy, joy, anger and sorrow are kept to herself. As a public figure, Tong Yao has almost no desire to share and has rarely been on variety shows. She is accustomed to using her characters to express herself. This is reminiscent of the words of British writer Somerset Maugham, "I have been held back also by the irksomeness of setting down my thoughts in my own person." (The Summing Up, Chp 3)
In addition to this layer of calmness, a woman's natural femininity and sensitivity are also reflected in her person. For example, sunny or cloudy days will affect her mood. Or when the seasons change, when the flowers bloom in spring, when leaves fall in autumn, and now that it’s summer, she feels that everything is flourishing.
"I don't like withered things, I like the feeling of blossoming." Which is just like her current state.
Her tenacity, energy, joy, anger and sorrow are kept to herself. As a public figure, Tong Yao has almost no desire to share and has rarely been on variety shows. She is accustomed to using her characters to express herself. This is reminiscent of the words of British writer Somerset Maugham, "I have been held back also by the irksomeness of setting down my thoughts in my own person." (The Summing Up, Chp 3)
In addition to this layer of calmness, a woman's natural femininity and sensitivity are also reflected in her person. For example, sunny or cloudy days will affect her mood. Or when the seasons change, when the flowers bloom in spring, when leaves fall in autumn, and now that it’s summer, she feels that everything is flourishing.
"I don't like withered things, I like the feeling of blossoming." Which is just like her current state.
黑色镂空长裙 ALAIA
琉璃水晶流苏耳坠 MIDNIGHT OPERA HOUSE
No comments:
Post a Comment