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Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams. - Yeats

UPDATED: Tong Yao Film & TV guide 18th Dec 2024 / Sun Li Film & TV guide 13th May 2024

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Chinese Drama: 四喜 (Si Xi) - Wrap Up & CCTV 2025 TV Series Release Event

  #TongYao #童瑶 #四喜 #CDrama #黄明昊 #HuangMinghao #蒋欣 #JiangXin #ThoseDays

Si Xi (unofficial English title Those Days) announced that production wrapped on December 15th. As is often the case, the production team released stills and a wrap SP video to mark the occasion. A few days earlier, on December 11th, Si Xi was featured at the CCTV 2025 TV Series Release Event. This suggests that the series will likely air on CCTV as well as receive an online release through Tencent's platforms.

I’ve already written an English summary of what the story might be about, but with a caveat: these summaries are often based on the novel that the series is adapted from, and TV adaptations sometimes take creative liberties. The series’ official Weibo account has yet to provide much concrete information about the plot.

Tuesday, October 01, 2024

Chinese Drama: 足迹 (Zu Ji) - 杀青 - production wraps - write-up

 #TongYao #童瑶 #足迹 #RyanChengLei #丞磊 #LiuYijun #刘奕君 #CDrama 

Zu Ji’s official Weibo account has announced the completion of production. We still don't have an official English title for this series, so I'll keep calling it Zu Ji for now. As is often the case with Chinese drama series, they have also released stills and a video to celebrate the wrap-up.  Tong Yao looks stunning in the stills and videos; I hope the story will be just as good.

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Chinese drama: 四喜 (Si Xi) officially announced

  #TongYao #童瑶 #四喜 #CDrama #黄明昊 #HuangMinghao #蒋欣 #JiangXin

A day after I wrote the previous post, "Si Xi" was officially announced and an official Weibo account was step up.  When the project was announced some time ago and no actors had been attached to it yet, the working title was “Those Days” (十月人生). The Chinese title has since changed to 四喜, and there doesn’t seem to be an official English title for the drama yet.

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Chinese drama: 四喜 (Si Xi) begins production

 #TongYao #童瑶 #四喜 #CDrama #黄明昊 #HuangMinghao #蒋欣 #JiangXin

While this has yet to be officially announced, it seems pretty confirmed that Tong Yao will be taking a leading role in this series. I’m basing this on a few Weibo posts that featured Huang Minghao at the ceremony marking the start of production for this drama series.

According to this article, the series is based on the novel “有喜” (You Xi) by 清扬婉兮 (Qing Yang Wan Xi). Tong Yao will play Shen Mingzhu. Mingzhu lives in the old town of Nanxi with her adoptive parents, who run a small restaurant. Mingzhu’s boyfriend, Feng Jianqi (played by Fu Xinbo), comes from an affluent family and faces opposition from his family due to their different social statuses. The two lovers end up getting married due to an unexpected pregnancy.

Monday, September 16, 2024

Hong Kong movie: Cesium Fallout 焚城 release announcement

 #TongYao #HongKongCinema #CesiumFallout #焚城 #AndyLau #BaiYu #KarenMok

Tong Yao’s management officially announced via Weibo today that she will be making a guest-starring appearance in the film.

The trailer actually looks more than decent, which makes me hopeful that it might be a fun movie to watch. I’m likely to watch this in the cinema simply because Tong Yao is in it. She hasn’t appeared in a film in years, and there is no clear indication that she’ll make a return to it. So I wouldn’t want to pass on an opportunity to see her on the big screen.

Thursday, June 27, 2024

Chinese Drama: 足迹 (Zu Ji) - confirmed; videos Eng subtitled

 #TongYao #童瑶 #足迹 #CDrama

This confirmation is as solid as it gets. Tong Yao herself confirmed her role in this series through two Weibo posts on the morning of June 25th. Afterward, I checked to see if an official Zu Ji Weibo account had been set up, and indeed, it has. There is no official English title at the time of writing.

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Chinese Drama: 足迹 (Zu Ji) - quietly begins production?

#TongYao #童瑶 #足迹 #CDrama
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As a general practice, I avoid linking actors Tong Yao or Sun Li to drama series that have not been officially announced. I made an exception for Tender Light, confident that its production had concluded before I chose to write about it. However, 足迹 (Zu Ji) seems to be a confirmed project, although I maintain some reservations, as the supporting information is not as conclusive as it was for Tender Light.

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

CDrama: With Love With You 有你的时光里 - Wrap SP (Eng subtitled)

#有你的时光里 #WithLoveWithYou #TongYao #童瑶 #ZhouYiran #周依然 #LiZefeng #李泽锋 #ZhangZixian #张子贤

"Always make choices that are true to yourself, no matter when."

I had intended to write about this as soon as they announced the wrap-up of the series on May 7th, but I was deeply immersed in Tender Light and busy writing a review as the series neared the end of its release, so I didn’t have the time. Now that I’ve found a moment, I’ve translated and subtitled the Wrap-Up Special into English which you can watch below.

Friday, May 24, 2024

Review: A Heartfelt Masterpiece: 'Tender Light' Shines Bright

#TongYao #童瑶 #微暗之火 #TenderLight #ZhangXincheng #张新成​​​ #cdrama
(SPOILER FREE)

Tender Light defies conventions as a bold and daring Chinese drama series that takes risks, potentially alienating some viewers—but undoubtedly rewarding those willing to invest time and effort to understand its narrative. This series demands a mature and dedicated audience, losing some fans of the starring actors who sought a more straightforward experience. However, for those who appreciate complex storytelling and innovative techniques, Tender Light shines as a rare gem. Despite some missteps in the final 15 minutes of Episode 28, the overall brilliance of this 28-episode series far outweighs its flaws. The 'tender light' it emanates may be subtle, but its impact is profound and lasting. 

Sunday, May 12, 2024

Chinese drama: Tender Light 微暗之火 - alt TV ending

 #TongYao #童瑶 #微暗之火 #TenderLight #ZhangXincheng #张新成​​​ #cdrama

Tender Light aired it's final episode on CCTV8 on the 11th May after SVIP viewers on Youku watched an advance release one day before.  The conclusion of the Youku version was almost universally panned by fans and it's not hard to see why.

VIEW ALT ENDING BELOW ~~~ SPOILER WARNING!!!!

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Chinese drama: Tender Light 微暗之火 - making of w/ English Sub

#TongYao #童瑶 #微暗之火 #TenderLight #ZhangXincheng #张新成​​​ #cdrama


Gone with the Wind's Weibo page released a fascinating making-of video yesterday, which I found compelling enough to subtitle and share with fellow fans below. (and also cos I needed a project to finally force me to use Davinci instead of Premiere Pro 😆)The clip clearly demonstrates the immense thought and care that went into the creation of this series. 

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Youku 优酷 upgrades 悬疑剧场 to 白夜剧场; opens with Tender Light 微暗之火

#白夜剧场 #Youku #优酷 #TongYao #童瑶 #微暗之火 #Tender Light #ZhangXincheng #张新成​​​ #cdrama 

On April 22nd, Youku announced a significant change: the company has “upgraded” its Suspense Theatre (悬疑剧场) to the White Night Theatre (白夜剧场), set to officially launch on April 24th. Alongside this announcement, they revealed that Gone with the Wind (微暗之火) has been chosen as the inaugural drama for this newly rebranded anthology series, with the premiere scheduled for three days later, on April 27th.

Monday, April 22, 2024

Chinese drama: Tender Light 微暗之火 - release date announce & 3rd trailer

 #TongYao #童瑶 #微暗之火 #TenderLight #ZhangXincheng #张新成 ​​​ #cdrama

















Just a day after unveiling the second wave of promotional material, the official Weibo page for the series released an additional trailer, more behind-the-scenes videos, and another lot of images to announce the series' much anticipated release on the 27th of April.
(edited 23rd Apr to include the relationship chart that was released and that I had forgotten about and to add source links.)

Sunday, April 21, 2024

Chinese drama: Tender Light 微暗之火 - write up

#TongYao #童瑶 #微暗之火 #TenderLight #ZhangXincheng #张新成 ​​​#cdrama






Finally after a two year wait, it looks like this series will be released very soon.  I've already written a write-up previously on Gone with the Wind, so I don't really want to revisit old material.  If you wish to read that and other related posts please visit this link (CLICK ME). 

Friday, April 19, 2024

Chinese Drama: With Love With You 有你的时光里 - write up

#有你的时光里 #WithLoveWithYou #TongYao #童瑶 #ZhouYiran #周依然 #LiZefeng #李泽锋 #ZhangZixian #张子贤

Tong Yao plays Wang Yan 王焱

On the 24th Jan, the official Weibo account for With Love With You (有你的时光里) officially declared the start of the series' production and also announced its cast and other related information.  Simultaneously, posters, related images and a teaser video were also released.