JoleCole's Station

BTS of SWAK Miniseries: The Comedy

2012-02-22T23:40:00.000-08:00

Hi all again! Sorry I haven't been very active lately since I'm swamped with work this week and can only find time to drop a few comments on this blog. Hopefully my schedule can free up a bit more this weekend and I can do recaps again for the miniseries. In the meantime, you can enjoy this newly release BTS video while we wait for Episode 5 to come out next week. There are some already seen footage, but we do get to see a longer clip of in the shooting process for the "bed scene."

Official Stills of Beauties Without Tears

2012-02-18T20:38:00.000-08:00

The women in Hong Taiji's harem

The infamous producer/scriptwriter, Yu Zheng, just released some beautiful photos from this series. I'm loving the rich array of colors, sets, and costumes. For serious no-nonsense historical dramas, I tend to like more subtle and darker shades of coloring with deep details of embroidery in the costumes. But since this drama is supposed to be a fusion of history and mostly fiction, I don't mind the wild color combination. In my opinion, the profusive use of fur somehow works well to give an exotically ethnic feel to the drama.
I usually don't mind flamboyant colors for the women outfits, but for men, the drama stylist should always stick to more neutral or darker mix of colors like black, brown, or white and add a touch of gold/silver threading embellishment (as shown above).

For your reference, here is the relationship chart and brief character bio I previously put together for the characters in this series. According to Yu Zheng, Beauties Without Tears will not be another story about palace intrigue/plotting but more about personal growth and intricate web of love relationships between the various characters. Well... I'll trust Yu Zheng's words for now. He has a bad history of saying things that doesn't mean the way we interpret them. I only want to know more about the love relationship between Hong Taiji and Hailanzhu. How much will he actually love Hailanzhu? This isn't exactly your typical monogamous relationship since he has a ton of concubines! I'm curious how this "love" will stand out.

Hong Taiji in formal court robe

Hailanzhu- the only woman Hong Taiji truly loves

Zhezhe, Hong Taiji's principal wife and paternal aunt to both Dayu'er and Hailanzhu

Dayu'er with Prince Dorgon lying or he dying in her arm? He spent his life to trying to win his sister-in-law's heart

Dayu'er and the ascension of her grandson, Kangxi, to the Dragon Throne

Emperor Shunzi and his favorite Consort Donggo

Prince Dorgon looking lovingly at Dayu'er

Dayu'er and her mother, Shanshan, the principal wife of the Khorchin Mongol Chieftain. Shanshan's mistreatment of her husband's children by a low-born woman, Hailanzhu and Ah Gula, will trigger a series of events.

Quick Rant: SWAK Miniseries Sequel Episode 1-3

2012-02-17T02:55:00.000-08:00

I've been refraining to judge the miniseries until more episodes get released. But after Episode 3, I couldn't resist the urge to voice some of my thoughts. Many who have been reading my comments are probably aware of how I feel about the overall plot of the miniseries, which is a total hodgepodge of the most overused plot devices in Asian idol dramas. In other words, I'm feeling really apprehensive about the direction of the miniseries. I just really hate that the new writers made the once powerful, manipulative Mo Shaoqian into a terminally ill patient drowning in his own little depressingly hopeless world. How could they even have the heart to torture poor Mo Shaoqian after everything he went through?! ARGH...

Well...At least we have one redeeming quality about this miniseries: the kisses.

Credit: Tianya Forum

So is your heart pumping yet? On the verge of getting a nose bleed yet? Now this kiss definitely beats every single kiss that was shown in the original drama. Tong Xue has become quite responsive to Mo Shaoqian's kisses. Too responsive.

How about this one? Mo Shaoqian can now kiss the Tong Xue to his heart's content. Actually, I'm sure he has already kissed her to his heart's content during their 3 year relationship.HAHA.

Someone on the Chinese forum is having too much fun making the kissing GIFs! LOL. I found quite a few of them. Here's one where Tong Xue is the initiator.

Like many of you, I'm still not used to Tong Xue being so "proactive" in pursuing Mo Shaoqian. LOL. I sorta missed Mo Shaoqian being the aggressor.

Love this kiss!

Alright, I'll stop teasing you all with these kissing GIFs and go back on topic. HAHAHA!

When I saw first Mo Shaoqian show up onscreen in Episode 1 completely dressed in black garb/beanie with his black sunglasses and looking like a tough mafia boss, I literally burst into laughter for the next 5 minutes. I only managed to contain myself and patiently sit to watch when the first episode was almost over. I just couldn't swallow this sudden change and associate this gangland mafia boss with the ever sleek, urbane, and suave looking Mo Shaoqian is well known for.

Mo Shaoqian's thick black framed spectacles definitely doesn't help the new look. It's such a BIG NO-NO to the overall feel of the character. A pair of expressive eyes is one of the greatest assets of a good actor. For such a controlled and complicated character like Mo Shaoqian, Hawick Lau cannot overact and must rely heavily on his eyes to effectively convey his character's emotions. Unfortunately, the thick black spectacles completely undermine the expressiveness of his eyes and we see a rather stoic, and sometimes even wooden Mo Shaoqian. In the original drama, the reason why we could tell Mo Shaoqian was deeply in love with Tong Xue was through Hawick's expressive eye acting. In the mini, his thick black spectacles pretty much cover up EVERYTHING!! You can barely even see his eyes! Therefore, much of the subtle emotions are hidden by those cumbersome spectacles.

Thinly framed spectacles that allow us complete view of his eyes versus the thick black framed spectacles that overshadowed everything.

I still think Hawick Lau did a good job at portraying Mo Shaoqian in the mini based on what was given to him. The biggest flaws in this miniseries lie in the SCRIPT and MO SHAOOQIAN'S NEW LOOK, not the acting. I know some of you are dissatisfied with Mo Shaoqian's lack of passion for Tong Xue compared to the original TV series. Don't forget. Mo Shaoqian at this point in the story is terminally ill. He's been trying to avoid Tong Xue and remove himself from her life. Wouldn't it be contradictory if he acts too loving?

In terms of the writing, the 2 new writers for the mini are absolute rookies. They have never written a script for any real production before this mini, so you can already sense how banal the story is already and incomparable to the caliber of the original. This fact makes me want to worship the original scriptwriter, Guo Baoxian, even more. We all must thank her for creating the Mo Shaoqian that we love so much. Without a good script, no good actor can shine, not even the great ones. Ru Yi is the perfect example. The drama is blessed with many veteran and brilliant actors/actresses, but unfortunately, the mundane script absolutely butchered all the potential excitement. The same goes for the Mo Shaoqian character. In the original novel, Mo Shaoqian was rather skeletally written. Guo Baoxian manages to successfully build upon the backbone of this vague character and flesh out Mo Shaoqian into a cunningly irresistible tortured man. On the other hand, the two new scriptwriters for the miniseries not only failed to use their creative minds, but decided to just copy and paste the most dreaded plot devices in the history of Asian TV series.

Furthermore, Mo Shaoqian's screen time is ridiculously minimum in the first two episodes. He only pops up for a few short minutes in a few scenes. Tong Xue's new suitor, Song Yi (played by Li Zhinan), has even more sceen time than Mo Shaoqian, perhapsndouble the amount! In the original series, Mo Shaoqian has more than 80% of the screen time, even more than Tong Xue. It's vice versa in the miniseries.

I know Hawick only spent 2.5 days (the whole production took 6.5 days) to shoot all his scenes because he could only take a break from his other filming project for this short amount of time. Hawick had to madly filmed 60 hours straight without much rest, or even sleep, to complete all his scenes. I guess we shouldn't ask too much from the actor, because I completely blamed the producers/production company for the all the flaws/bad planning!

Combining all the above complaints/imperfections mentioned, it's a miracle that I'm even "entertained" by this extremely "flawed" end product. But I must admit no matter what how cliche or hackneyed, this SWAK miniseries is definitely not dull or boring. LOL.

I finally managed to respond to some of the questions I promised to answer:

**NEW**

Why did the SWAK production company rushed through this whole miniseries project?

The main purpose of this miniseries sequel is to test out the potential market for a second full-blown TV series. The production company, Xing Sheng Di, did not spend all the money and time in making this mini to just satisfy the craving of fans and viewers for more Mo Shaoqian and Tong Xue. Their main goal is to rip as much profit as possible and capitalize on the current popularity of the original drama. If reception to the mini sequel is positive and makes headlines, they will proceed to the next step in pre-production for a full sequel such as hiring a more qualified scriptwriter to write the script (praying they will rehire the original scriptwriter if they ever decide to make a full sequel) and finding investors to finance the project.

Why couldn't Xing Sheng Di wait till Hawick Lau grow back his hair to shoot this mini-sequel?

Hawick's filming schedule is packed until the middle of 2012. They would have to wait a very long time before Hawick's schedule frees up, and by the time Hawick's hair grows back, Xing Sheng Di would suffer the opportunity costs for not acting faster in planning for the sequel and capitalizing on the current popularity of the series. Since the passion of drama fans tends to fade quickly over time, they fear many will lose interest if they wait too long. Pre-production may also take over a year to prepare before the actual filming occurs. Thus, they first must confirm there is a good market for a full sequel, then decide whether to invest in a full sequel before doing the actually planning for the project.

Why couldn't Guo Baoxian return to write the script for this miniseries instead of hiring new writers?

She is currently busy revising the script for another TV series, Night of Spring. I'm sure the salary of Guo Baoxian is significantly higher than the new two rookie writers for this miniseries sequel. Xing Sheng Di probably wants to minimize the costs and maximize the profits for this investment project.

Why isn't Hawick Lau's voice dubbed in this miniseries?

When the original drama first aired, many fans, particularly Hawick Lau's fans, complained about the dubbed voice of Mo Shaoqian. They felt Hawick's real voice was more in line with the character. Many fans actually left messages on the producer's microblog begging her to use Hawick's real voice. So the producer complied and we hear Hawick Lau's real voice in the miniseries. Unfortunately, the situation has changed. After 30 episodes of the original drama, most people have gotten used to the voice actor and associated his voice with Mo Shaoqian. Hearing Hawick Lau's voice now with his thick Cantarin (Mandarin with heavy Cantonese accent) bothers quite a few fluent Mandarin viewers.

As for me, I once wrote that I prefer Hawick's real voice over the voice actor because I felt the voice actor failed to convey the right emotions during the intensely emotional scenes (i.e. screams of pain). After hearing the dubbed voice for the entire series, I've grown to like the voice actor, except in parts where he had to scream out loud in pain or frustration. I do think Hawick has a good deep, rich voice, but I'm also quite annoyed by his Cantarin. LOL. Even though I'm sure my accent in Mandarin is worst than his Cantarin, but I'm still not used to his voice for Mo Shaoqian.

Quick Scene Translation - Mo Shaoqian and Tong Xue at the museum

TX: Look at this! This must a token of love in ancient times. It's beautiful.
MSQ: But I like that one. Look at that one.
TX: Which one? This looks really ugly. It's freaking ugly! [MSQ tries to contain his laughter] You're just trying to counter me for the sake of countering me. [TX grabs MQS' wrist] Where did this come from?
MSQ: What does this have anything to do with you? Someone gave it to me as a gift.
TX: Who gave it to you?
MSQ: Someone you don't know
TX: Then can you give it to me?
MSQ: Why should I?
TX: Come on, give it to me!
MSQ: No
TX: Give it to me.
MSQ: No
TX: Then I'm going to scream
MSQ: Just do whatever you wish
TX: Mo Shaoqian is stealing things! Mo Shaoqian is stealing jade from the Liangchu Museum! Mo Shaoqian is stealing things! [MSQ puts his hand around TX's mouth to shut her up]

✿ Chinese Drama ✿ Sealed with a Kiss Miniseries Sequel

2012-02-14T20:01:00.000-08:00

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

Available every Tuesday and Wednesday at 12pm Beijing Time on Sohu TV

Trailer: http://tv.sohu.com/20120215/n334842747.shtml

Please watch the streaming videos on official Sohu TV if possible to show support to the cast and crew!

Sohu Streaming Links:
✿ Episode 1 ✿ Episode 2 ✿ Episode 3 ✿ Episode 4

Sohu mistakenly released Ep.3 today and then immediately deleted it, but it just still leaked. I managed to watch it, and I sure do like those kisses!

This drama definitely befits its name...lots of kisses...LOL

YouTube Links:
✿ Episode 1 ✿ Episode 2 ✿ Episode 3 ✿ Episode 4 ✿

Download:
1040x576 High Resolution(Size: ~80 MB, MP4 format)
✿ Episode 1

640x352 High Resolution (Size: ~54 MB, MP4 format)
✿ Episode 1

SWAK Miniseries Sequel Released! And Press Conference

2012-02-13T20:05:00.000-08:00

I highly encourage you all to watch this miniseries on the SOHU OFFICIAL SITE HERE to show support to the hard working cast and crew who put a lot of effort in making this production possible. You can also let it run in the background while you do other things as well. I think the success of this miniseries will be largely based on the number of "hits" or "views" Sohu gets for this production. However, if you can't access Sohu, then go ahead and watch on YouTube below.

Episode 3: Test

Episode 2: Reunion

Episode 1: Missed Opportunity

I just watched the press conference live on Sohu TV. The director officially announced that they cut the entire 70 (I also heard 90) minute long miniseries into 7 episodes, and they're planning to TORTURE us with only 2 episodes per week!! The official channel is no longer calling it a "mini-movie," but now refer to it as a "miniseries." Each episode will get released on Sohu TV online every Tuesday and Wednesday at 12pm Beijing time. It will take about a month to finish the whole darn thing. x_X

I want to scream "UGH!!!!!!" when I heard about the broadcast schedule.

Here's the official website to watch the miniseries: http://tv.sohu.com/s2012/qsmxwdy/

Beauties Without Tears, the Real History, and Past TV Adaptations

2012-02-12T04:10:00.000-08:00

After reading the scriptwriter's microblog and some spoilers, I managed to put together the above relationship chart for the upcoming Chinese drama, Beauties Without Tears, about the Qing Dynasty's founding emperor and his wives/concubines. My initial reaction to the complicated web of relationships is "OMG! What the heck is up with all the one-side love relationships?!" LOL. The only mutual love relationship I know for certain is between Hailanzhu and her first love, Zhuolin. Maybe later, Hong Taiji's infatuation with Hailanzhu will grow into mutual love, and perhaps Prince Dorgon will finally get his love reciprocated by Dayu'er?

For anyone who is unfamiliar with the scriptwriter for this series, she is a student of the famous Taiwanese writer Qiong Yao (creator of Huan Zhu Ge Ge) named Shen Zhining. She also co-wrote a recent TVB drama called Curse of the Royal Harem starring Myolie Wu and Jessica Hsuan, and another Yu Zheng's production called Hidden Intentions/Abandoned Secret.

The story/backdrop of Beauties without Tears isn't very original in Chinese television history. I have previously watched two very famous productions focusing on the life of Dayu'er from her husband's reign (Hong Taiji) to her grandson's reign (Kangxi). So, I'm quite familiar with the general outline of this story. The only thing I found refreshing about Beauties Without Tears is the new focus on Hong Taiji's love for Hailanzhu. Supposedly, Hong Taiji will lavish Hailanzhu with unprecedented affection in this version! Past versions have always made Hong Taiji fall deeply in love with Dayu'er, but her true love remained only Prince Dorgon. Hailanzhu, on the other hand, only acted as a character foil to Dayu'er. After reading the scriptwriter's microblog post on "Hong Taiji falling CRAZILY in love with Hailanzhu," I'm very excited by the fact that Hong Taiji doesn't love Dayu'er anymore. It's her turn to love him this time. Payback time! Muahahaha!

In my opinion, I really don't think the historical Hong Taiji loved Dayu'er at the level it was depicted in past Chinese dramas. I speculate she might have been his least favorite out of the 5 Major Consorts in Mukden Palace. Since Hong Taiji died without leaving a will, Dayu'er's son was only able to become successor after Prince Dorgon vouched his political support. Now compared this situation to when Hailanzhu gave birth to a son; Hong Taiji immediately named him successor. Unfortunately, Hailanzhu's son died in infancy.

Though in history, Dayu'er married Hong Taiji when she was 12 years old while her older sister Hailanzhu married him a decade later, Hailanzhu's rank was only second to her aunt, the empress. She completely outranked Dayu'er. Check out the titles, ranks, and designated palace names of his 5 major consorts.

Middle Palace - Qingling Palace of the Empress, personal name Borjigit Jerjer (Zhezhe), posthumously titled Empress Xiaoduanwen. Highest Rank

Eastern Palace - Noble Consort Chen of Guanju Palace, personal name Borjigit Harjol (Hailanzhu), posthumously title Grand Consort Minhuigongheyuan. Second Rank
NOTE: the name of palace "Guanju" that Hong Taiji bestowed upon Hailanzhu has special significance. Guanju is derived from a famous Chinese love poem in the Classic of Poetry (click here to read). The palace name for the other consorts only bore auspicious meanings.

Western Palace - Noble Consort Gui of Linzhi Palace, personal name Borjigit Namuzhong. She was previously married to Hong Taiji's enemy. After her first husband's death, Hong Taiji took her as his concubine. I think it was a common practice for Mongols and Manchus to marry their enemies' wives, since they were seen as military trophies. Third Rank

Ancillary Eastern Palace - Virtuous Consort Shu of Yanqing Palace, posthumously titled Virtuous Consort Kang Hui, personal name Borjigit Batemazhao. She also previously married to Hong Taiji's political enemy. Fourth Rank

Ancillary Western Palace - Consort Zhuang of Yongfu Palace, posthumously titled Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, personal name Borjigit Bumbutai (Dayu'er). Fifth Rank

Aforementioned, the first drama I watched about the love triangle between Dayu'er, Dorgon, and Hong Taiji also happened to be my first Mandarin drama. This series is called The Era of the Empress Dayu'er produced by Taiwan CTV in 1991. Dayu'er and Prince Dorgon were the OTP while Hong Taiji became the villain who broke them up.

Prince Gorgon (the now famous Hong Kong director Derek Yee Tung-Sing) and Dayu'er (Pan Yinzi)

Hong Taiji (Sean Lau Ching-Wan) and Dayu'er

Check out the main theme song! It's an oldie, but I still love it! It brings back very good memories.

The second version I watched is called Secret History of Xiaozhuang starring Steven Ma Jintao, Ning Jing, Liu Dekai and produced by mainland China in 2002. Again, Prince Dorgon and Dayu'er were the main leads with Hong Taiji being the third party who prevented the "star-crossed lovers" from getting their "happily ever after" ending.

Main Theme Song

Subtheme Song

On a final note for Beauties Without Tears, we should expect the drama to air this summer, at the earliest. Many of the main actors have already wrapped up shooting and the whole filming process should end in the next few days.

Prince Dorgon (Han Dong) and Hong Taiji (Hawick Lau) on Hawick's last day of shooting

Ah Gula (Sun Jian) and Hong Taiji
In Ah Gula's eyes, Hong Taiji is his Uncle-in-law, Brother-in-law, AND love rival. LOL.

They're currently shooting the child version of Dayu'er and Hailanzhu

Child version of Dayu'er

Child version of Hailanzhu

In the childhood photos, Hailanzhu seems so poorly dressed compared to Dayu'er. These photos are making Beauties Without Tears look like some type of Cinderella story with an evil stepmother and stepsisters. LOL. I know Dayu'er's mother will mistreat Hailanzhu and her brother. But don't tell me Beauties Without Tear is going to repeat the cliche plot of the mistreated sister seeking revenge by stealing her sister's lover away!!!

Okay, last piece of goodie! Prince Gorgon coming to Dayu'er rescue!

A cozy moment between Hong Taiji and Hailanzhu

Okay...really one last goodie...By chance I found this Chinese song which I thought sorta suited the whole Mongolian theme of Beauties Without Tear. It's sung by a Mongolian singer.

Hawick Lau & Ying'er to collaborate again in new fantasy series

2012-02-11T01:05:00.000-08:00

Attention to all who like the Hawick Lau and Ying'er pairing! They are about to shoot a new series called Painted Skin: To Love Genuinely without Regrets. This drama is a spin-off of the upcoming Painted Skin 2 the movie. Ying'er will play a kind and beautiful princess who gets her heart/body stolen by a malicious fox demon played by Bai Bing (from War of Desires). Hawick Lau's character is a Han Dynasty general whom the princess loves. Qiao Zhenyu and Mao Zijun will join the cast playing some characters that have not been announced yet. This series is actually produced by Ruby Lin's Studio. In other words, Ruby is their boss!

I'm not particularly excited about this series even though I like the Hawick/Ying'er pairing in SWAK. Personally, I think Hawick looks sorta terrible in Han costumes. LOL. He looks best with short hair in modern dramas/Republic Era costumes. I also feel rather indifferent about the whole plot on fox demon possessing the body of the princess and whole body switching theme.

BTS of SWAK Miniseries: Li Zhinan and others

2012-02-09T21:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry Mo Shaoqian fans! Absolutely no shots of Hawick Lau in this video. It's mostly Ying'er and Li Zhinan, the actor who played Xiao Shan in the original drama. However, Li Zhinan is not Xiao Shan anymore. He will be playing Tong Xue's new love interest, Song Yi. You also can get to see a few short shots of the Zhao Gaoxing and new Liu Yueying.

Eagerly Anticipating Upcoming Chinese Drama: Beauties Without Tears

2012-02-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

If I have to name a drama that I really want to see now is probably Yu Zheng's Beauties Without Tears. I know this fact even shocks me. Despite my reservation about his personal character and plagiarist habits, Yu Zheng once again manages to put together a cast I like in befitting roles - Zhang Meng, Ada Choi, Han Dong, and Hawick Lau. The one actress I have qualms about is Yuan Shanshan as the politically shrewd Dayu'er (future Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang). And I heard she's the #1 main female lead. NOOO~! Okay, I'll skip over her parts and watch Zhang Meng's gorgeous Hailanzhu and focus on the beautiful costumes.

Trivia: this is the drama that caused Mo Shaoqian to go BALD in Sealed with a Kiss mini-movie!

Beauties Without Tears is the third installment in Yu Zheng's "Beauties" series after Schemes of Beauty and Beauty World. I'm more interested in the love story between Hong Taiji and the ephemeral, Hailanzhu (Consort Chen). I heard in history Hong Taiji was so grief-stricken by the death of his favorite consort that he fainted upon her death and lost his appetite to eat. In less than two years, he followed her footstep and died. Even during the midst of a battle, Hong Taiji abandoned his troops to rush back to Mukden Palace in Shenyang to see Hailanzhu when he heard about her rapidly deteriorating health.

Hong Taiji and Hailanzhu. They will share a love/hate relationship in this drama.

Hawick Lau as Hong Taiji or Huang Taiji:
Jurchen Chieftain Nurchaci's 8th son. Founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty. He will fall crazily in love with Hailanzhu and use Dayu'er to keep his ambitious brother in place.

Han Dong as Prince Dorgon:
Hong Taiji's ambitious younger brother. Nurhaci's 14th son. The powerful Prince Regent under the reign of Emperor Shunzi. Harbors romantic feelings for his sister-in-law, Dayu'er.

Ada Choi as Zhezhe (Jerjer in Mongol):
Born of the Mongol Borjigit clan. Hong Taiji's principal wife. Future Empress Xiaoduanwen. Paternal aunt to both Hailanzhu and Dayu'er.

Yuan Shanshan as Dayu'er (Bumbutai in Mongol):
Concubine of Hong Taiji. Mother of Fulin (future Emperor Shunzi) and grandmother to Kangxi. Younger half sister of Hailanzhu. Niece of Zhezhe. She devotes her life to her husband, but she later discovers he has fallen deeply in love with her sister, Hailanzhu.

Zhang Meng as Hailanzhu (Harjol in Mongol):
Favorite concubine of Hong Taiji. Half sister of Dayu'er. Niece of Zhezhe. She simply wanted to live a rustic life on the Mongolian plains with her fiancée, Zhuolin, a great Mongolian warrior. Tragedy strikes when Zhuolin gets killed in battle and she is forced to marry Hong Taiji.

Future Emperor Shunzi, his Empress (left) and favorite concubine (right).

Dayu'er and Prince Dorgon

Dayu'er gets punished and her aunt comes to the rescue?

Hailanzhu looks gorgeous here!

An expressionless Hailanzhu after her marriage to Hong Taiji

One of Hong Taiji's 5 Major Consorts of Chongde Palaces

Prince Dorgon and his principal wife, Xiaoyu'er. She is the full-blooded younger sister of Dayu'er.

Hong Taiji at camp with his troops.

"I'll kill you, I'll throttle you, I'll kiss you" Recap

2012-02-06T00:51:00.000-08:00

I've been a little bored with the recent dramas lately, so I went back to rewatch some episodes from SWAK and decided to do a little recap of some "intense" scenes. Our lovely but angsty main couple certainly falls under the "I'll kill you, I'll throttle you, and I'll kiss you" category. One moment, they're are at each other's throat, and the next moment, they can start kissing. In Thai Lakorn term, it's a slap-kiss drama. LOL. Anyway, SWAK definitely has quite a few kissing scenes, but most of the kisses are quite chaste, nothing too passionate. I think Wallace Chung's Too Late To Say I Love have more kissing scenes and passionate ones too. Out of all the kisses Mo Shaoqian and Tong Xue shared, my favorite is probably the last kiss initiated by Tong Xue. It's rare that we see this shy girl returns the favor back to Mo Shaoqian. Oh, on a side note, I realize that throughout the drama, Mo Shaoqian and Tong Xue never hugged each other before!

"I'll throttle you" Moments (Note: episode # based on DVD version)

Episode 1: "How dare you call out my name!"

Episode 17: "I'll kill you"

Episode 21: "You killed my baby"

Episode 23: "You took everything away from me, yet you ridicule me"

"I'll kiss you" Moments
Episode 1: "Why are you wearing my shirt?"

Episode 1: Let me teach you how to kiss

Episode 1: "I'm thinking about another man while you kiss me" type of kiss

Episode 4: Shut-You-Up Kiss

Episode 5: Sycophantic Ear Kiss

Episode 8: "I won't ever let you go"

Episode 11: Kiss of Anger<--- I know this title sounds lame, LOL. This kiss was too fast, so I couldn't get a good screen capture. Those who have seen the drama, you get the point.

Episode 16: "I'll take you to hell with me"

Episode 26: Car Hood Kiss

Episode 27: Bathtub Seduction Kiss

Episode 27: Kitchen Kiss

Episode 28: Lingering kiss

What's your favorite "kiss" or "throttle" scene?

BTS of SWAK Miniseries: Hawick Lau

2012-02-02T19:47:00.000-08:00

OH MY GOSH! The captions in this BTS are hilarious!! I had a good laugh watching this video. I cracked up really hard when Hawick was molesting the bunny stuffed animal. LOL. I hope you all will enjoy this one as much as the last one.

Original Link: http://tv.sohu.com/20120203/n333634027.shtml

SWAK cast "traveled back in time" to Ru Yi

2012-02-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

I always knew the production company (Xing Sheng Di Movie & Television Culture Co.) who produced SWAK was also responsible for Ru Yi. But I definitely did not expect them to reunite many of SWAK cast members back to shoot Ru Yi. LOL. There are just too many familiar faces! I counted 10 cast members so far. Luckily, this time the production company has more money to spend on the costumes because the main leads have quite a few good looking outfits. Unfortunately, the story/writing of Ru Yi doesn't captivate me as much as SWAK. I thought it would be fun to list out all the actors/actresses who returned to shoot Ru Yi. Hawick Lau's next Qing Dynasty project called Night of Spring, also based on a novel by Fei Wo Si Cun, is produced by this company again. So expect some veteran cast members to return for that drama as well!

Hawick Lau: Tan Mingkai vs. Mo Shaoqian

Liu Xuehua: Madam Tan vs. Jiang Yun

Zhang Chenguang: Ye Haishan vs. Mu Changhe

Chu Hanlun: Ah Kang vs. Zhang Zhiyuan

Mr. Tong vs. Dr. Gu

Liu Kenan: a street hooligan vs. Zhao Gaoxing

Tan Family Household Manger vs. Tong Xue's uncle (Jiang Wei)

Ru Yi's Stepmother vs. Tong Xue's Uncle Wife

Vency Wen Mengyang: Ye Zi vs. Liu Yueying (SWAK mini-movie)

Angelina Ma Wei: Jinhua vs. Seductress at nightclub (SWAK mini-movie)

BTS of SWAK Miniseries: Hawick & Ying'er

2012-01-30T10:52:00.000-08:00

For those who love the Mo Shaqian and Tong Xue pairing, this is a must-watch BTS video. Hehe. After taking a glimpse at what they filmed in this BTS, my anticipation for the mini-movie is skyrocketing again. My beloved Mo Shaoqian and Tong Xue finally get more loving moments!!! Hey, if the mini-movie doesn't end up according to the direction we want it to go, at least we have these sparingly few but sweet moments to relish upon. Let's just pray the director keeps all Mo Shaoqian/Tong Xue scenes and does not cut too much out of the raw material.

Original Link: http://tv.sohu.com/20120130/n333205303.shtml

✿ Chinese Drama ✿ Ru Yi

2012-01-29T12:21:00.000-08:00

Title: Ru Yi / 如意
# Episode: 42
Genre: Family Feud, Republican Era Romance, Revenge
Release Date: January 29, 2012
Broadcasting Company: Hunan TV
Cast: Yang Mi as Ru Yi, Hawick Lau as Tan Kaiming, Zhu Yongteng as Tan Kaiyang/Gao Qiulang, Liu Xuehua as Madam Tan

Synopsis:
Madam Tan, the principal wife of a wealthy merchant，feels the intense pressure to bear a male heir for the Tan clan. Otherwise, her status in the Tan household will be severely undermined by a concubine and her son. When she gives birth to a daughter, she orders her personal maid to bring back a baby boy to switch with her daughter and raise as her own. Her biological daughter gets adopted by a impoverished tea farmer and is named Ru Yi. To her dismay, Madam Tan's surrogate son falls in love with this "lowly tea girl," Ru Yi.

Links:
Character Guide
Main and End Theme Songs
Trailer

Watch it on Youtube

English Subtitles on Viki Channel (in progress)

Direct Download:
Okay Quality (~200MB, rmvb format) TV Version

Episode 1 :: Mirror ✿ Episode 2 :: Mirror ✿ Episode 3 :: Mirror ✿ Episode 4 :: Mirror ✿ Episode 5 :: Mirror ✿ Episode 6 ✿ Episode 7 :: ✿ Episode 8 ✿ Episode 9 ✿ Episode 10 ✿ Episode 11 ✿ Episode 12 ✿ Episode 13 ✿ Episode 14 ✿ Episode 15 ✿ Episode 16 ✿ Episode 17 ✿ Episode 18 ✿ Episode 19 ✿ Episode 20 ✿ Episode 21 ✿ Episode 22 ✿ Episode 23 ✿ Episode 24 ✿ Episode 25 ✿ Episode 26 ✿ Episode 27 ✿ Episode 28 ✿ Episode 29 ✿ Episode 30 ✿ Episode 31 ✿ Episode 32 ✿ Episode 33 ✿ Episode 34 ✿ Episode 35 ✿ Episode 36 ✿ Episode 37 ✿ Episode 38 ✿ Episode 39 ✿ Episode 40 ✿ Episode 41 ✿ Episode 42 ✿ Episode 43 (END)
Hunan TV Broadcast Schedule
1/29 - 3 episodes
Mon to Thurs - 2 episodes
Fri, Sat - 1 Episodes
Sun. - 2 episodes.

Top 6 Favorite Characters in SWAK

2012-01-28T13:51:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to compile a list of my favorite characters in SWAK and describe why I like them. This ranking is mostly based on how the character itself is written in the series. I tried not to judge too much based on the acting. Well...I'll be honest. The acting does play a role in how much I like these characters. But I still tried to make it subsidiary to the scripting of the character.

NO. 6 Mu Yongfei

Are you shocked that I included Mu Yongfei in this list? I know she's evil and crazy, but I have to admit, she's definitely not boring to watch! For a drama to be interesting, the villains need to do "evil things" but they cannot go overboard with their "evilness" and disgust the viewers beyond redemption. Mu Yongfei's behavior can certainly be considered psychotic and her mentality is selfishly warped. Sometimes her extremism drives me crazy and I think she's almost bordering lunacy. Despite Mu Yongfei's extremism, I don't despise her like I do some female villains in Korean dramas. I actually found her character wonderfully entertaining to watch, sometimes even more interesting than the our darling little white rabbit Tong Xue. Her obsession with Mo Shaoqian is scary, but at the same time, and her unrequited love for him admirable. What sane woman on earth would waste a decade of her prime years on a man who refuses to even share a room with her? I have to admire her guts and give her extra points for her indomitable persistence.

NO. 5 Tong Xue

I feel Tong Xue can get terribly weak at times so I somewhat hesitated to include her in this list. In the few rare instances where she gets feisty and stands up for herself, particularly her standoff with Mu Yongfei to protect her unborn baby, I just wanted to applaud "You go girl!"Aforementioned in my previous posts, I admire Tong Xue for her resilience to overcome adversity. Any normal girl in Tong Xue's predicament would probably lose her sanity. She grew up with loving parents, then lost them to a car accident as a teenager, felt alienated living in her uncle's household, and forced to become a rich married man's mistress before she reached full adulthood. I don't think any other characters in the story, including Mo Shaoqian, experienced as much trauma as Tong Xue did. The fact she still retains her optimism and manages to live a "normal" life with a stable job and her own circle of friends shows her strength of character. However, her occasional martyr attitude or self-sacrificing actions do test one's patience. Her selflessness is both a flaw and admirable trait.

NO. 4 Liu Yueying

Yueying is probably the best of all best friends anyone can have. Even though she hates homewreckers and believes Tong Xue to be one, Yueying still can't completely turn a blind eye to her friend's dire situation. Her feisty and straightforward personality is much more endearing to the audience than the more "saintly" Tong Xue.When there is a wrong, she doesn't ignore it to protect her self-interest. At first she was interested in Mu Zhenfei. When she found out he saw her in such a bad light, she immediately crushed her infatuation and moved on. I like Yueying's independence and carefree attitude.

No. 3 Jiang Yun

Jiang Yun is one of my favorite mother figures in Chinese television. She does not overly spoil her son nor does she go overboard to reprimand/criticize him for his wrongdoings. Though she must bear some of the responsibility for Mo Shaoqian's ruthlessness, I feel his character flaws are more the byproduct of his dog-eat-dog environment than his mother's negligence. When she discovered the harm her son has done to Tong Xue, she doesn't openly scold him or threaten to disown him, but uses persuasion and compassion to convince her son to free himself emotionally from ludicrousness of his revenge plan. Jiang Yun is one of the few individuals to fully understands Mo Shaoqian and does not rush to judge him. She knows he put tremendous pressure on himself and does not know how to relieve the pressure, so she introduces him to the world of video games. Furthermore, she's the perfect mother-in-law material: fun-loving, easy-going, and understanding. Her most basic requirement in the daughter-in-law is that she can make her son happy.

No. 2 Mu Zhenfei

This guy is definitely the oddball in the gene pool of the Mu family. In deep contrast to his Machiavellian father and near psychopathic older sister, Mu Zhenfei is blessed with both high EQ and IQ. Not only does he have a strong sense of justice, he doesn't try to forcefully assert his own principles and ideals onto others. He respects conflicting opinions and sympathizes with the individuals who need the most sympathy. When he analyzes the complicated entanglement between Mo Shaoqian, Mu Yongfei and Tong Xue, he can clearly identify that Tong Xue is the pure victim/collateral damage in the whole mess. Despite being in part of the complicated drama that surrounds him and his close relationship with both his sister and brother-in-law, Mu Zhenfei is always able to retain his rational stance.

According to Zhenfei, though both Mu Yongfei and Mo Shaoqian are pitiful, he pinpoints that their misery is a direct consequence of their own decisions. For Tong Xue, she is like a beleaguered scapegoat trapped in the intense crossfire between Mo Shaoqian and Mu Yongfei. Thus, she deserves the most sympathy. He can clearly see what is right and wrong in spite of his father's attempted brainwashing of his childhood and comfortable upbringing as the wealthy heir to the Mu conglomerate. I also love the fact that he's a great intermediary and manages to maintain a cordial relationship with almost EVERYONE in the drama, particularly Mo Shaoqian. His friendship and rapport with his brother-in-law is one of the best highlights of this series. Mu Zhenfei is probably the only individual, besides Jiang Yun, who understands Mo Shaoqian. He recognizes early in the beginning, even before Mo Shaoqian even realizes himself, that his brother-in-law deeply cares about Tong Xue.

No. 1 Mo Shaoqian

It's probably a no-brainer that I picked Mo Shaoqian as my No.1 favorite character. I've literally spent the past 3 months ranting about Mo Shaoqian on my blog. LOL. I know many viewers either absolutely hate him because of his abusive behavior toward Tong Xue is nearing psychopathic or absolutely love him due to his unwavering devotion toward her. He's definitely an intriguingly controversial character full of contradictions, flaws, and fascinating traits.

Mo Shaoqian totally has the money, the looks, and the ability to become a playboy and fool around with plenty of beautiful women. But he doesn't. He chooses to remain faithful to his heart and to resist all temptations higher society brings him. Even when Su Shanshan literally strips naked in front of him, Mo Shaoqian doesn't even blink an eye and treats her as if she doesn't exist. Unlike Xiao Shan who wavers between Tong Xue and Lin Zixian, Mo Shaoqian never gives Mu Yongfei any kind of false hope even when their relationship amiably improved after she voted for him during the Board of Directors meeting and when he has already broken up with Tong Xue. I really like his clean-cut personality and doesn't have any unnecessary romantic baggage. He's the type of man once in love, he loves for life.

What's your list of favorite SWAK characters or least favorite characters?

Mo Shaoqian + 36 Military Stratagems (Part 3)

2012-01-24T22:13:00.000-08:00

Stratagem 3: Episode 25 - Mo Shaoqian refuses to see Tong Xue

Entice the tiger to leave its mountain lair (调虎离山) Wiki

Never directly attack an opponent whose advantage is derived from its position. Instead lure him away from his position thus separating him from his source of strength.

After Mo Shaoqian's confrontation with the Mu family and his revenge plan underway, Mu Zhenfei goes to the cemetery to warn Mo Shaoqian that his sister is plotting something against him.

At this time, Tong Xue had already ended her illicit relationship with Mo Shaoqian. When Tong Xue phones Mo Shaoqian on her own initiative, Mo Shaoqian can definitely sense something is awry because she rarely calls him out of her own accord. Since Tong Xue is his weakness, he probably knows that Mu Yongfei will use Tong Xue to force him to loosen up his grip on the Mu family business and withdraw his ultimatum against them. The fact that Tong Xue is looking for him equals BAD NEWS. To avoid Tong Xue, he purposely lies that he'll coming back to Hangzhou later that day, but in fact he has already arrived at the airport. Not only does Mo Shaoqian have no intention to meet with Tong Xue, he wants to prevent Tong Xue from seeking him out at home and tells her that she's welcome to wait for him at he airport if she so desires.

Anyway, Tong Xue's resilience won in the end. She still manages to track him down!

When Mo Shaoqian sees this look on Tong Xue's face, does it remind him of the moment when she was cooking for him in his kitchen?

Mo Shaoqian seems genuinely tormented/conflicted when he sees Tong Xue waiting for him in his living room. He probably misses her a lot, but also knows that he should never see her again for her own sake.
Once Tong Xue turns around to face him, Mo Shaoqian immediately switches back to his icy exterior again. In the past, Mo Shaoqian loved Tong Xue in a petty manner. Now he loves her in a cowardly fashion.

Since Liu Yueying's father is facing bankruptcy due to some bad investment decisions and in great need to subcontract with Yuanzhong Corporation to get him out of sunken financial hole, he begs Tong Xue to go ask Mo Shaoqian for help. Being the ever selfless girl she is, Tong Xue is willing to return to Mo Shaoqian's side if he agrees to sign Liu Liangchun's contracts.

Mo Shaoqian gives a sarcastic chuckle full of self-ridicule. In other people's eyes, his love can easily be used as a bargaining tool.

No matter how hard he tries to push Tong Xue away and not see her, he still can't help himself but pull Tong Xue back when she's about to leave him.

To prevent Tong Xue from seeking Mu Yongfei or Mu Zhenfei for help, he promises to consider signing the contract if Tong Xue is willing to spend another month with him. He cannot bear to see Tong Xue servilely beg the Mu family for help and have them use Tong Xue as their pawn. Mo Shaoqian would rather have Tong Xue stay by his side so he can protect her from Mu Yongfei's schemes. During this month, his request will be enough to occupy Tong Xue's mind since she will probably devote her energy in persuading him to sign the contract and not shift her attention elsewhere.

"Entice the tiger to leave its mountain lair" is more of an offensive stratagem, but Mo Shaoqian uses it as an defensive technique to fend off Mu Yongfei's trap. He feels that if Tong Xue can't find him, then he wouldn't have to face her and Mu Yongfei won't be able to use her to scrape at his soft spot. Unfortunately, Tong Xue's persistence is indomitable. Just a few tears and a forlorn look from Tong Xue can cause Mo Shaoqian's wall to start crumbling down. He is keenly aware that his love for Tong Xue can destroy him, but he still can't resist it. In this world, the most brilliant trap is something called "love."

Originally written by cainfreya, translated/commented/edited by JoleCole

Translated Lyrics of Sealed with a Kiss Theme Songs + Another Fanmade MV

2012-01-23T15:08:00.000-08:00

I found another nice fanmade MV of SWAK. If you have time, check it out! The song used in this video is called "Hui Bu Qu Le" meaning "Can't turn back."

I've been asked several times to translate the lyrics for Sealed with a Kiss theme songs. Well, I finally got the chance to do it. The translation is not perfect, but I hope you still get the meaning of the songs.

"Thousand Mountains" or Qian Shan 千山 Song Lyrics (originally sang by Hawick Lau)

最爱拥抱着 (Zui Ai Yong Bao Zhe)
What I love most is to embrace you

最怕看到的你哭泣 (Zui Pai Kan Dao De Ni Ku Qi)
What I fear most is to see you cry

总会想起相爱时光 (Zong Hui Xiang Qi Xiang Ai Shi Guang)
I always reminisce about time when were loving toward each other

你和我静静依偎的情景 (Ni He Wo Jing Jing Yi Wei De Qing Jing)
You and I quietly cuddled in each other embrace

我们都以为是永远 (Wo Men Du Yi Wei Shi Yong Yuan)
We always thought it would last forever

却看不到悲伤靠近 (Que Kan Bu Dao Bei Shang Kao Jin)
Because we never expected to see the approaching pain

人世间太多事 (Ren Shi JIan Tai Duo Shi)
There are too many things in this world

我却不能为你抵挡抗拒 (Wo Que Bu Neng Wei Ni Di Dang Kang Ju)
That I could not shield from you nor fight back for you

爱与不爱 (Ai Yu Bu Ai)
To love or not to love

谁能决定 (Shui Neng Jue Deng)
Who could actually decide?

你已是我不悔唯一   (Ni Yi Shi Wo Bu Hui Wei Yi)
You have already become the only thing I don't regret

千山呀万水的飞翔 (Qian Shan Ya Wan Shui De Fei Xiang)
Oh over a range of thousands of mountains, to fly over ten thousand bodies of water

却回不去 (Que Hui Bu Qu)
But I could never go back

你的心里 (Ni De Xin Li)
inside your heart

我该如何去挽留你    (Wo Gai Ru He Qu Wan Liu Ni)
What can I do to retain you?

当绝望慢慢淹没我眼睛(Dang Jue Wang Man Man Yan Mei Wo Yan Jing)
When hopelessness slowly blinded my eyes

飞跃千山(Fei Yue Qian Shan)
As I try to leap through thousands of mountains

心默默呼喊着你 (Xin Mo Mo Hu Han Zhe Ni)
My heart silently cries out your name

"Evening Snow" or Mu Xue 暮雪 Song Lyrics (originally sang by Ying'er)

眼泪滴在心的上面 (Yan Lei De Zai Xin De Shang Mian)
Teardrops are dripping in my heart

一点一点累积这爱你的体会 (Yi Dian Yi Dian Lei Ji Zhe Ai Ni De Ti Hui)
Drop by drop slowly culminates this love that you feel
如果痴心不愿后悔
If I don't ever regret my blind love for you

这是种幸福啊　还是种宿罪
Should it be considered type of "fortune" or should it be a type of "fated retribution"?

时间在变　　谁能打造永远
Time is changing, who can still promise eternity?

纵然我在心里天天喊你千万遍
Even if I cry out your name a thousand times, ten thousand times everyday

在梦里我看着你依旧的容颜
In my dreams, I would still see your face

幸福只是虚构的一瞬间
Happiness is a just a mere moment of one's imagination

我也明白全是过往云烟
I also understand that everything is like the dispersing smoke and passing clouds

回头心上已暮雪
Turning back, my heart has already become like evening snow

时间在变　　谁能打造永远
Time is changing, who can still promise eternity?

纵然我在心里天天喊你千万遍
Even if I cry out your name a thousand times, ten thousand times everyday

在梦里我看着你依旧的容颜（Zai Meng Li Wo Kan Zhe Ni Yi Jiu De Rong Yan)
In my dreams, I would still see your face

幸福只是虚构的一瞬间 (Xing Fu Zhi Shi Xu Gou De Yi Shun Jian)
Happiness is a just a mere moment of one's imagination

我也明白全是过往云烟 (Wo Ye Ming Bai Quan Shi Guo Wang Yun Yan)瞬间
I also understand that everything is like the dispersing smoke and passing clouds

回头心上已暮雪 (Hui Tou Xin Shang Yi Mu Xue)
Turning back, my heart has already become like evening snow

回头心上已暮雪 (Hui Tou Xin Shang Yi Mu Xue)
Turning back, my heart has already become like evening snow

Main and End Theme Songs of Ru Yi

2012-01-22T21:40:00.000-08:00

HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!

I really like the melody and just the overall feel of the Ru Yi's end theme song, but I just wish the producers hired a real professional singer instead of using a main lead with bad singing voice. The effect would have much more profound and comforting to the ears.

Even though I'm quite fond of Yang Mi's acting, I absolutely detest her singing voice. When she sang the Gong theme song "Worship of Love," I prefer to ignore her version and just listen to Mickey He's version. Her high-pitched/squeaky voice is just not suitable to be a professional singer. As for Hawick Lau, I like his distinct deep voice, but he still needs practice on his singing technique. I'm sure many of you will feel differently and feel free to voice your opinions!

After watching the new footage from these videos, my first response is Ru Yi certainly looks pretty. And my second response is "How the heck does Hawick Lau make himself look so young at age 37?!" Despite their 12 year age gap, Yang Mi and Hawick Lau can totally pass off as a couple close in age range. In Ru Yi, they're supposed to play a pair who was born on the same day or at least around the same time. I think the secret behind Hawick's youthful looks must be his daily 5 kilometer jog. I also know a 38 year old lady who is blessed with the look of a 30 year old, and like Hawick Lau, she's a hardcore marathon runner. So, anyone who wants to stay young and healthy, start RUNNING!

Main Theme Song "You Dian She Bu De" or "A Little Reluctant to Let Go" Sang by Yang Mi

End Theme Song "Cuo Guai" or "To Blame Mistakenly" Sang by Hawick Lau and Yang Mi

✿ Chinese Drama ✿ Gong 2

2012-01-21T14:07:00.000-08:00

Title: Gong 2/ Palace 2/ Jade Palace Lock Heart 2 / Gong Suo Zhu Lian / 宫锁珠帘
# Episode: 40
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: January 20, 2012
Broadcasting Company: Hunan TV
Producter: Yu Zheng Director: Li Huizhu
Cast: Yuan Shanshan as Lian'er, Mickey He as Yongzheng, Du Chun as 17th Prince Yinli, Shu Chang as Concubine Yun, Zhang Jiani as Yushu, Hai Lu as Jiajia

Introduction:
No more time traveling theme in the second season of Gong. No more 8th Prince. No more Qingchuan. They will only make a brief appearance in modern time. The love triangle between Mickey He's Yongzheng and Du Chun 17th Prince and Yuan Shanshan's Lian'er will be the focus of the new story. According to Yu Zheng, the first season of Gong is about "falling in love" while the second season is centered on "marriage." The drama, once again, revolves around a group of palace women fighting for the Emperor Yongzheng's favors while he only has his eyes set on Lian'er.

Links:
Okay Video Quality (rmvb format, ~200 MB) from Ckrelease
Episode 1- 36

Watch it on Youtube

End Theme Song MV by Mickey He "Fo Shuo" (It's quite pretty!)

Mo Shaoqian + 36 Military Stratagems (Part 2)

2012-01-20T22:56:00.000-08:00

Originally written by cainfreya, translated/commented/edited by JoleCole

Stratagem 2: Episode 1 - At a night club, Mo Shaoqian sits leisurely as he watches his men bully the private investigator who has been trailing him.

Kill with a borrowed knife (借刀杀人)^Wiki

Attack using the strength of another (in a situation where using one's own strength is not favorable). Trick an ally into attacking him, bribe an official to turn traitor, or use the enemy's own strength against him.

The idea here is to cause damage to the enemy by getting a 3rd party to do the deed.

Mo Shaoqian knows someone has been following and snapping pictures of him. He fears that Tong Xue may have gotten her pictures taken too and exposed herself as his "other woman." Thus, he asks Wenhao to track down the private investigator and make sure he has no traces of Tong Xue on his camera.

Wenhao - "The issue you wanted me to investigate"

Wenhao - "I got it"

Throughout the whole "interrogation" process, Mo Shaoqian did not utter a single word. He just let Wenhao and his bodyguards do all the dirty work. They first throw a few physical threats at the private investigator, then cajole him with few comforting words, and finally bribe him with future promises.

In sharp contrast to the absolutely terrified private investigator, Mo Shaoqian just quietly observes in darkness, like an all powerful mafia lord.

Mo Shaoqian seems to be quite enjoying himself as he watches the private investigator quivers in fears.

Wenhao - "He's rich and he's powerful"

And voilà! Mo Shaoqian got what he wanted without even raising a hand.

"These are the only photos you've taken?"

After he got his answers, Mo Shaoqian doesn't want to waste another minute of his time and leaves the scene.

They both laugh at the private investigator's lack of mental stamina as he easily cracked under pressure and feel fortunate that he's not part of their team.

Mo Shaoqian's cold humor " Luckily, your old schoolmate is not employed by me"

Preview of the next stratagem: Entice the tiger to leave its mountain lair

Ru Yi Release Date Officially Announced

2012-01-20T12:30:00.000-08:00

Hunan TV just announced that they will broadcast 2 episodes per night for Ru Yi starting next Sunday, January 29th at 7:30 p.m. Yay! Now I have something to look forward to. Hopefully, Ru Yi will be more entertaining than the currently airing Wipe Out the Bandits on Wulong Mountain.

After reading the character descriptions for Ru Yi, the story sounds somewhat interesting but none of the characters are appealing to me, with the exception of the evil half-brother who has the potential to captivate the audience. Both Hawick Lau and Yang Mi's characters sound too "typically good" for my personal liking. I have a feeling the bad guys will beguile our OTP countless times and they'll probably never retaliate or learn never to give their trust so easily. I tend to like more charismatic gray characters who aren't completely evil nor are they saintly.

Doesn't this look "loving" between mother and daughter? LOL.

Mo Shaoqian and the 36 Military Stratagems (Part 1)

2012-01-19T22:19:00.000-08:00

I'm sure many of you who like Sealed with a Kiss is largely attributed to the charisma of Mo Shaoqian. At least for me, I definitely fall into that category. Mo Shaoqian is one of the "smarter" Chinese television characters I've seen. He's not perfect, nor he is the typical hero. He honestly sounds more like an anti-hero. Despite his unethical actions and flaws, I still find his character irresistible and love to watch every minute of his character gets unfolded onscreen.

Enough of my babble and let me get to the point. As I was browsing the SWAK Baidu Forum, I read this interesting thread where a fan intelligently weaves a series of Mo Shaoqian's actions in the drama with the famous 36 Military Stratagems. I found her application of 36 Stratagems on Mo Shaoqian quite entertaining and witty, so I decided to translate what she wrote. Note, not all the stratagems fit perfectly in Mo Shaoqian's situation.

For those of you unfamiliar with the famous Chinese Military Thirty-Six Stratagems, here is the wiki's answer:

"The Thirty-Six Stratagems was a Chinese essay used to illustrate a series of stratagems used in politics, war, as well as in civil interaction, often through unorthodox or deceptive means."

||Originally written by cainfreya, translated/edited by JoleCole||

Stratagem 1: Episode 8 - Mo Shaoqian at the Shanghai Land Auction and his wheedling of his business nemesis, Tao Jingtian

Besiege Wèi to rescue Zhào (围魏救赵)

When the enemy is too strong to be attacked directly, then attack something he holds dear. Know that he cannot be superior in all things. Somewhere there is a gap in the armour, a weakness that can be attacked instead.(to read more here)

The idea here is to avoid a head on battle with a strong enemy, and instead strike at his weakness elsewhere. This will force the strong enemy to retreat in order to support his weakness. Battling against the now tired and low-morale enemy will give a much higher chance of success. (credit: wiki)

Whenever Mo Shaoqian has a slight show of his dimple, it means he's conjuring up something in his head or his "prey" is going according to his plans.

Perfect shot of his smirk

Mo Shaoqian's body language when he drinks his cup of tea exhibits the classy confidence of a shrewd business man and manipulator

"I need to find someone who's even more powerful and capable"

"Tao Jingtian is a man who hides his true nature well"

"It's extremely hard to read his thoughts"

"I'm going to wait for him (Tao Jingtian) to come to me"

In this episode, our beloved Mo Shaoqian purposely lost the land bid to his business rival, Tao Jingtian. Rather baffled by Mo Shaoqian's amicability at first, Tao Jingtian eventually understood Mo Shaoqian's actions. He pointed out to his assistant that Mo Shaoqian has categorized his enemies according to specific ranks. Mo Shaoqian's greatest enemy is his father-in-law, Mu Changhe, while he is just an ancillary culprit in the demise of Mo Yaohua.

On the other hand, Mo Shaoqian sees Tao Jingtian as a capable ally who hides his true colors well and is a worthy contender against Mu Changhe. Many years ago, when Mu Changhe turned against Tao Jingtian after they collaborated to destroy Mo Shaoqian's father business, Tao Jingtian still managed to thrive successfully in the business world despite this major setback. This fact shows that Tao Jingtian is not the docile/agreeable gentleman he appears. He is as much of a snide old fox as Mu Changhe. Thus, Mo Shaoqian would love to use Tao's discontent and eagerness to strike back at his father-in-law to his advantage. This stratagem tells us that enemies should be ranked according to usefulness as well as allies.

Preview of the next stratagem: "Kill with a borrowed knife"

✿ Chinese Drama ✿ Wipe Out the Bandits on Wulong Mountain (Suspended)

2012-01-19T13:10:00.000-08:00

Title: Wipe Out the Bandits on Wulong Mountain / Xin Wu Long Shan Jiao Fei Ji /
新乌龙山剿匪记
# Episode: 30
Genre: Communist Revolutionary, Espionage
Release Date: January 19, 2012
Broadcasting Company: Hunan TV
Cast: Pu Bajia as Liu Yutang, Choo Ja Hyun as Si Yatou, Ady An as Ah Xi Miaomiao, Ray Lui as Zhan Shanpao, Shen Junyi as Chen Zixian

NOTE: Hunan TV announced some abrupt changes to their schedule. After only 4 episodes, the broadcast for this series will be suspended and postponed till a later date (maybe July or August). I believe this decision was made because of the poor ratings for the first few episodes and to accommodate Lunar New Year TV shows.

I heard this a remake of a classic "red" revolutionary drama 26 years ago. I'm only interested in this series because I want to see Ady An wield her double guns and shoot some bad guys! LOL. In this drama, she plays a Miao ethnic girl named Ah Xi Miaomiao, who also happens to be the leader of a group of bandits on Wulong Mountain. Her love interest is Liu Yutang (played by Tibetan actor Pu Bajia), an outstanding soldier from the People's Liberation Army assigned to wipe out the various groups of bandits in southwestern China (Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture). Cho Ja Hyun's character is an undercover spy working for Nationalist Party and is also the first love of Liu Yutang.

Thoughts:
I just gave episode 1 a try, and I must say the action sequence is one of the most poorly choreographed scenes I've watched. The PLA soldiers were just open targets for the bandits to shoot down. Anyone with common sense should know they need to duck and cover when there are flying bullets aiming at you!!!

The little romantic flashback and reunion scenes between Liu Yutang and Si Yatou make me want to cringe. I like subtle romance, not blatant forceful mushy fluff. Hopefully the Ah Xi Miaomiao and Liu Yutang's romance can ignite some tasteful sparks.

Trailer:

Direct Download Links:
Okay Video Quality (rmvb format, ~200 MB)
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BTS of Sealed with a Kiss Miniseries - Ying'er

2012-01-17T01:20:00.000-08:00

Sohu just released this short BTS video of Ying'er. We get a closer glimpse at the shooting process for the miniseries. Mo Shaoqian fans, sorry, not much Hawick Lau in this video. I think they're going to release another BTS video dedicated to Hawick later. At this moment, I'm pretty certain the miniseries revolves around Tong Xue since she has the most screen time.

Video Link: http://tv.sohu.com/20120117/n332465598.shtml