#character: duanwu

[movielosophy]

The Story of Pearl Girl | Hostess Duanwu

[lovenonymously]

fuck this man (lovingly)

This is likely gonna end in less than 12 hours with express so a poll...

[hyog-blog]

The Story of Pearl Girl (ongoing)

So far the show is delivering hard in all aspects. We get a very dark and tormenting beginning of the story, outlining Duanwu, Zhao Lusi's character, as someone resilient, hellbent on surviving, and also very hopeful about life, despite all the hardships she's experiencing as the pearl diver. But despite being able to leave the godawful place, she finds herself in a world filled with more agony, insecurities, and people doing even worse stuff to each other.

No Savior Is Needed

I really like how her arc is unfolding so far - she's a tough cookie (or, rather, pearlie) and knows what she wants in life, and what's really not her cup of tea. When a knight in white armor appears (quite literally Zhang Jinran is mostly wearing light-colored clothes) she feels an ocean of gratitude towards him but denies his numerous attempts to save her like a damsel in distress that she quite obviously wasn't. She wanted to know more about her origin, and revenge also suddenly appeared on the table. This, and her unwavering desire to be free and fend for herself is what pushes her towards Yan Zijing (played by Liu YuNing).

Matchy-Matchy, but Not Quite

We first see Yan Zijing as a wealthy trader with a super dark attitude towards life (which, later, we get to know why, and he has REASONS to be beyond angsty, stabby, and vengeful like a person who has survived hell on earth, or worse). There's a spark that draws the ML and FL together, but there's no fluff or attempts to save the girl - he's on his vengeful path, but there's just something about Duanwu that reminds YZJ of himself - the way she not only survives but also takes matters into her own hands and wants to learn as much as she can about everything (mostly it's trade and jewelry because that's what she wants to do herself in the future). So, he starts low-key mentoring her, allowing her to make her own decisions (and/or mistakes).

Cuteness Unfolds, but the Drama is Drama-ing

So they stick together with a slow-burn romance blooming veeeery slowly between the two of them, but this is really not the focus of the first, let's say 10 episodes, because the plot is unraveling up to this point. Then we start getting glimpses of them finally acknowledging each other, but once again, it feels more like Duanwu's character development arc than a romance-centric story, and that's what I'm loving about this show.

We get to know more about her origin, and that changes things for her (and him, probably, as well). We also get to see how due to her dark and painful childhood, she grew up to be an incredibly empathetic woman (who is both gentle and strong-willed). She will never pass by a person in distress, and she will fight for the things she feels like fighting. She's quite close to the morally grey character of YZJ because she would literally kill someone if she had to (or believed it was the right thing to do, or for revenge). So it really feels like they're soulmates and have lots of tacit understanding.

2ML Still Doesn't Get It

Zhang Jinran still doesn't get it, even when she straightforwardly tells him they're not meant to be for various reasons. Like people belonging to two different worlds. He still dreams about saving her, not realizing she doesn't need any of that. He follows Duanwu and YZJ pretending to investigate things, but it really feels like he just can't let it go. Which ends up being not a super bad thing, but he could get mildly irritating in the future (for now it's passable and you can feel that he's love-stricken, just a bit delusional and ego-centric in his devotion).

It's like you can dream all you want, but there's the reality they're living in, and it's dark, and violent, and Duanwu is really not the type to end up as some official's wife, raising his babies (and even that wouldn't be possible, she could only become his lover of sorts).

I'm Loving It Up to This Point (ep.15)

We've almost passed the equator, and things are still pretty much interesting - the plot is getting more heated with the romance, but also with stories of traumatic pasts and some future heartbreak looming ahead, judging from the trailer. For now, it's a 10/10 and I'm watching it as the series is being released (first time for me, usually I don't do this to myself XD). But here we are.

Needless to say, Liu Yuning looks posh in his attire and his acting is top-notch. The heartbreaking scenes and the cute ones - he's just very natural and depicts his character with a wide range of emotions. There's always so much DEPTH in everything he does.

For a character who hasn't known or wanted love, his interactions with Zhao Lusi's Duanwu are very heartfelt, and you can see him slowly warming up and looking like an actual human being when he's with her. He's not needlessly vicious, though, there's a reason behind everything he does, and she gets onto that pretty fast. And goes from a pawn to something of a partner, but that still hasn't fully unfolded.

Definitely recommend!

[mirageofadesert]

C-Drama Review: The Story of Pearl Girl

Broadcast: Youku, 2024, 40 Episodes, Genre: Historical

My Rating 7/10

On paper, this drama has everything I look for: a compelling story centered on character development, female relationships, and political intrigue rather than just romance. It starts off with great promise, drawing the viewer in with its strong foundation. However, as the story progresses, it becomes stalled by repetitive obstacles thrown in the protagonist's path, which ultimately saps the momentum from an otherwise intriguing narrative.

Acting: 8/10 World-building: 6/10 Production: 8/10 Storytelling: 6/10 Pacing: 3/10 Re-watch Value: 6/10 

Summary with minor spoilers

Duanwu (played by Zhao Lusi) is raised as a slave on a pearl farm until she escapes this harsh and oppressive environment. Determined to uncover the truth about her family, carve out a place for herself in the world, and seek revenge on those who wronged her, she embarks on a transformative journey. Her path becomes intertwined with the enigmatic Yan Zijing (Liu Yuning), who is pursuing his own vendetta against the families that destroyed his life. Along the way, they encounter new allies and adversaries, including the righteous Zhang Jinran (Tang Xiaotian), the skilled Yue Yunxi (Shang Wanqing), and the ambitious Cui Shijiu (Xie Chloe).

Through numerous twists and turns, Duanwu begins building her own business as a jewelry maker and seller. Slowly, and with the support of her newfound allies, she not only establishes her reputation and business but also closes in on the people who took everything from her.

My review - spoilers ahead!

The first few episodes were absolutely thrilling and deeply moving—they even brought me to tears. The show tackled heavy themes like sexual violence with sensitivity, delivering a female-focused narrative that made me root for the main character with all my heart. The developing friendships and romances were equally compelling, filled with chemistry and emotional depth.

I’ve always loved stories about women overcoming adversity to build their own businesses, as seen in New Life Begins. However, in this case, the story begins to lose its spark in the second half. The intrigue fizzles out as repetitive obstacles are thrown at the protagonist, making the narrative feel stagnant. The show would have greatly benefited from fewer episodes and tighter storytelling in its latter part.

By the time the tragic ending unfolded, my emotional connection to the characters had waned due to the overly drawn-out plot. Finishing the show felt like a chore, as each new conflict added little to the overall progression of the story. While it had incredible potential, the lack of narrative focus in the second half sadly undermined its impact.

[romanceyourdemons]

following in the tradition of, if not quite living up to the reputation of, farewell my concubine (1993), chen kaige’s temptress moon (1996) once again casts gong li and leslie cheung in an exploration of the shifting meaning and role of gender in a modernizing china. whereas the former film straddles the sino-japanese war, this film spans from the abdication of puyi to the 1920s. the narrative of this modernizing, westernizing, revolutionizing timespan, especially in the film’s setting of shanghai, is that in this period both women and servants, oppressed into total submission by the rigid tradition of the qing dynasty, gained class consciousness and power together—with women in particular taking control of their sexuality and playing a particularly central role in modernization and revolution, as depicted in daybreak (1933), the red detachment of women (1961), and two stage sisters (1964) among others. this film paints a different picture, however. christopher doyle’s lush and richly-toned cinematography takes the opposite approach as his later work on in the mood for love (2000), as well as zhao fei’s work on zhang yimou’s raise the red lantern (1991), both of which uses a static camera and heavy use of frames within frames to telegraph how boxed in the characters feel themselves to be in their world of tradition and regulation. the cinematography of this film is fluid and fast-moving, with close-up tracking shots conveying intimacy, forward movement, instability, and confusion (a confusion that echoes the confusion of chen kaige’s loose and difficult-to-follow plot, but i digress). the characters of this film, male and female, former servant and former daughter, feel themselves to be utterly free of the previous, violent, mentally and sexually exploitative class structure. and yet the violence of that system lingers like the protagonist ruyi’s opium addiction inflicted on her by her father during childhood; the only difference is that this violence has reformed entirely along the lines of gender, in the absence of class-based channels of violence. as nodded to in zhang yimou’s shanghai triad (1995), in the warlord-run, revolution-torn, war-bound nominal republic of china, the lowest-born man is considered more important than the highest-born woman. as this film goes to pains to show through the grooming to violence of both duanwu and zhongliang, this attitude is not a revolution against the oppressive class-based structure of the past, but merely a reframing of it, and the internal corruption and violence that destroyed the old dynasty are bound to destroy the new era. of course, the film does not give up these insights easily; despite its gorgeous visuals and sensitive acting, the story is not particularly well-composed, and it reads more as a series of loosely-connected vignettes than as the the last emperor (1987)-like epic tale chen kaige clearly wanted it to be. nonetheless, temptress moon (1996) has style, it has heart, and it has some interesting ideas within it, and at the end of the day i would recommend it

[cubesandblobs]

why i dropped story of the pearl girl: this is a rant post

spoilers included: but i didn't get too far so maybe only a little bit?

zhao lusi is my favourite actress, liu yuning is my favourite singer (who i originally found through his acting). so you know it would take a whole lot of disappointment for me to drop this drama. for reference: i stopped around the 'yan zijing might have found his sister' arc.

I'll start off by saying 2 things I liked: (1) the rich colours, though idk if it's historical accurate (2) duanwu is depicted as clever but inexperienced, which is fair enough. lots of writers want their female leads to get into trouble but still wants them to be 'smart and independent' and doesn't seem to know how to work this balance. this drama does.

unfortunately that's all the compliments I can give.

the main thing that irked me is the toxic fucked up dynamic between this would-be couple. this made the drama near unwatchable. I was happy to sit through hideous writing for these two, but I was not about to watch yan zijing abuse duanwu for whole episodes on end.

yes, I know duanwu is just an annoying thief to zijing. but it's fucking disgusting how someone in such a position of power just lords it over someone they deem weaker. like...okay? she snuck onto your ship and seemingly stole your stuff? get it back and lock her in a bunk then drop her off once you reach land. simple enough. tie her up if she doesn't cooperate. what does yan zijing do? well, he crushes her hand and proceeds to dunk her in the freezing sea for an entire night.

now, zijing doesn't have to be a decent human being. supposedly, he wants to train her since he sees his former self in her (i hate mentor-mentee dynamics between a main couple but lets set that aside for now). beside that, yan zijing's probably a deeply messed up person who does messed up shit due to all the things that has happened to him. i don't mind that.

however, I'm not convinced that the narrative actually knows that how he acts is...kind of unlikeable, to put it mildly. hot take but romance is just off the table for someone who has unceremoniously stepped on you and almost froze you to death upon your first meeting. but even an apology from yan zijing might not be happening.

duanwu's like 'oh ok i guess if you read between the lines he does care about me'. NO. stop. what the fuck. he risked your life for his business goals but at least he sucker punched your opponent for cheating. yay???

to be clear, i don't think it's unrealistic for duanwu to think this way. it's just that...your main couple can't be built upon 'dude who treats you badly but at least he doesn't anymore & also he just wanted to train you' X 'girl who's been so abused her whole life that's she's so so so ok with this dynamic'

"Can't you just keep watching tho cos maybe i'll address it someday because am i, as the screenwriter, supposed to hint that i know what a character is doing is fucked up & that i'm gonna resolve it in a later episode?" well...i dunno. but if i'm spending 15 episodes fearing that my main couple's gonna have the dynamic of an overachiever parent and an abused child, then i'm just gonna drop the drama

[mirajanefairytailmage]

Rambling About a Show (01/15/2025)

⚠️SPOILER?!⚠️

This series was definitely worth the watch. I watched it on Netflix.

I ended up watching this series because of an edit on tiktok. I think this is the second drama that I've seen Zhao Lusi in. First drama was The Last Immortal. I loved her character in that and decided I'll eventually watch more of her works. I think she did a fantastic job in this one as well.

Duanwu/ Su Muzhe(Zhao Lusi)was such a strong character. As I kept telling everyone that would listen, this poor woman went from one horrible situation to another. Well, when she first meets Yan Zhijing(Liu Yuning), it's not the best. Eventually, it does get better. I loved how Kang Ju(YuYonghai)ends up being the biggest Duanwu/Su Muzhe and Zhijing shipper. 🤣

I ended up loving the silly banter between Zhijing and Zhang Jinran(Tanf Xiaotian)towards the end. Because they were competing for Duanwu's/Su Muzhe affection. I also loved Yingtao's and Gaoshou's relationship. They were so adorable and I wish we got more screen time with them.

In the beginning, Cui Shijiu/Cui Zhaohua(Chloe Xie)was a strongly dislikable character. With her character growth, she became a likable character. The same goes for her love interest Zheng Zhiheng(Tang Zhen Chao). I swear these two were only dislikable because of their circumstances surrounding their families.

[missfinemess]

Read at your own risk ‼️‼️

Story of a pearl girl episode 18

I knew the moment they said that damned word always I knew it's gonna go downhill and it sure did 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Why can't my puppies have a good long sweet relationship and why do they have to go through so much trauma why??????

In the span of three episodes we went from them planning out their entire life and being all cute and fluffy and Yan zijing finally getting to know he can live longer like look at those cute eyes TO downright duanwu getting kidnapped and the bloody entire trading convoy getting killed and Yan zijing ending up alone with kangju like in the beginning???

LIKE WHYYYYYYYYYY

Why would you spend 17 episodes to make me come to love all these characters along with duanwu and make me dream about the happy life they are going to live and how shrimp asks his sister to wear bright red dress on the opening of the shop and he f-ing won't be there to see her????? How accountant wei was supposed to manage books and she won't be there anymore??? How Loud finally started speaking loudly and they just killed him off?????? Like why did you spend so many episodes making me grow close to these characters if you were just gonna brutally murder them all within the span of a single episode and break all the dreams and all the found family in one single episode make my poor girl duanwu almost dead and Yan zijing barely surviving????

Why did you even begin drawing if you had to bring back the line to the beginning point ? Why did you have to make a circle and not a cute home for them to live together forever?

Why are you playing with my already weak heart 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Why is life so cruel to themmmm I need their fluff moments not their angst ones they have already gone through a lot writers why would you do this to me 😭😭😭

Please begging you to let them have a happy ending 😭

😭 how am I supposed to wait till tmrw to know what happens??????

[mathmusicreading]

@yummysuika @ospreywhite I really appreciate your translation work; can you explain more about shichen timekeeping to me? Because I know a tiny bit of modern Mandarin Chinese, but I can't recognize the shichens as the zodiac animals:

Zi (I don't know "rat", so I actually can't make any argument here.)

Chou (I don't know "ox", but I reasonably could have expected "niu" for "cow".)

Yin (I know "tiger" as "hu".)

Mao (I don't know "rabbit", but to me "mao" is "cat".)

Chen (I know "dragon" as "long".)

Si (I don't know "snake", but now I find it interesting that it sounds like death, like snakes could be seen as evil in Chinese culture similar to how they are seen in the Christian world.)

Wu (I know "horse" as "ma".)

Wei (I know "sheep/goat" as "yang".)

Shen (I don't know "monkey", but I would have expected "Sun" or "Wu" or "Kong" because of "Monkey King".)

You (I know "rooster/chicken" as " ji".)

Xu (I know "dog" as "gou".)

Hai (I don't know "pig/boar" unless "pork" and "pig" are the same "siu".)

I tried asking my parents, but they just starting talking about how the Chinese zodiac is actually a 60-year cycle with the 12 animals and the 5 elements. So are these shichen names the "Pre-Han dynasty semi-descriptive terms"? Is it kind of like the difference between "midday" and "noon" in English? The former is a "descriptor", the latter is a "name", but they "mean" the same thing?

(I tried checking the etymology for "noon" on dictionary.com, so to be fair "ninth hour" is a descriptor, but in Modern English it's not really recognizable as such and so for the sake of my shichen question, I'm calling "noon" a "name".)

Or is this another language/dialect or due to the evolution of language (changing words and pronunciations)?

I was also looking up the Dragon Boat Festival being on the unluckiest day of the year, and it says, "The Chinese name of the festival is pronounced differently in different Chinese languages. Duanwu (端午) literally means 'starting horse'—i.e., the first "horse day" of the month according to the Chinese zodiac." so I was able to get the exact character for "wu". I think it's interesting that Wikipedia says "literally ... horse" but putting 午 into Google Translate yields "midday, noonday, seventh earthly branch, 11 a.m.-1 p.m." It's unfortunate that Wikipedia only says "different Chinese languages" for "Duanwu" instead of specifying them or time periods, but I appreciate it listing different romanizations by country for Cantonese.

Would you say there's any pattern to Chinese writers or English translators using the above terms vs. using "hour/time/head/body/tail of the (insert zodiac animal here)"? Like if one sounds better for a historical fantasy setting, or choosing to use the pinyin in English instead of translating to not be translating literally? ETA: I should have gotten onto a computer sooner. I asked my parents and then you guys because searching "shichen" in Wikipedia just resulted in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_units_of_measurement. But further digging took me to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_timekeeping. I'll probably get answers there (Maybe I'll even be able to explain to my dad why he was thinking of ten stems and not matching mathematically with "60 is from 12 times 5, not 10 times 6" when he was trying to lecture on the 60-year cycle for the Chinese zodiac, lol.), so my apologies for bothering you. I'd still appreciate your thoughts on what was formerly the last paragraph about writing and translation choices!

[dreamingsushi]

Legend of the White Snake - Episode 33

There’s already a problem and Ruyi hasn’t even come up yet lol. Suzhen is kind of trapped in an imaginary world where she takes of Xu Xian and the baby and wishes that it would stay like this forever... Xu Xian has to go in the dream and convince to come out, otherwise, they will both be in the same state and die. Almost nothing too dramatic here. Xu Xian still wants to go. Fahai agrees to send him in and gives him some rosary beads to protect him and keep him in touch with the real world. So he gets in the dream, which is a mix of West Lake and Emei mountains. He has just been there for like three seconds and he doesn’t want to leave either. This is going to be... hm... hard.

Oh crap. Crap big time, big big time. Xiao Qing is going crazy and is also possessed by inner demons. This is no good. Wow, my only hope now is Wang Daoling. However, I must say that Xiao Qing in black with a more mature hairstyle is gorgeous.

Fahai’s staff is starting to acting up because Xiao Qing has turn dark. It’s going to be a hard night.

Back in the dream, Suzhen won’t believe Xu Xian and he has to fight with a fake vision of himself.

Xiao Qing wrecks havoc in town and gets stopped by Gongfu. When she sees him, she looks so lost and runs away. I hope she doesn’t do anything to him and I hope he can save her. I love that character. Oh wow! It kicked out the inner demon! Li Gongfu, you’re so special! Please keep our Xiao Qing safe and out of that evil spirit.

Since there is danger in Ling’an, the four immortals sends Fahai take care of it, they will keep on helping Xu Xian and Suzhen while he’s gone. He  makes a barrier around them and  they shall not take one step out of it.

In town a lady has gone crazy and now Ruyi tells the town people that in the Nuwa temple, there is a demon snake. She gets everybody on her side and they all run to the Nuwa temple.

Okay, Xiao Qing is still corrupted and she’s asking the people she kidnapped to die for Suzhen. Please Fahai, save her now. I can only believe in you... But now that you left the temple... I am worried for Suzhen and Xu Xian since all the villagers are going to the Nuwa Temple. Oh thank god. What Fahai did made them invisible, people can’t see them. They press Xu Xian to go faster, but Suzhen isn’t really willing to trust him. Please, realize that this is your real husband... Meanwhile, Ruyi locks all the townspeople inside and she’s about to set fire to the temple. All the people inside get corrupted by the inner demon and starts to fight together. The immortals... They are stuck making a difficult choice. Xu Xian, faster so we can save everybody TT Why is this so hard to watch? I’m crying a river now... Suzhen pushes Xu Xian away after he let her stab her and said if she doesn’t come, he will stay with her in there too. She sends him back to his body. Please Suzhen, come out... Xu Xian blames himself for hurting her so much that she doesn’t want to come back to him.

Xu Xian begs them to bring the villagers in the protection too. They say that right now if anything happens, they won’t be able to bring Suzhen back, however Xu Xian pleads that they save everybody.

Fahai and Xiao Qing and fighting together. Then he sees fire coming from the temple and he realizes that he was forced out of the temple. It was all a trap ): 

The inner demon teaches Ruyi how to cultivate dark side. Or something like that. So she would be like the first demon, the one who lost her child.

Xu Xian says that if he and Suzhen can’t pass this trial, than that’s it, please let everybody in. He keeps hugging Suzhen next to his heart.

OH! SUZHEN! She’s starting to realize that’s a dream. She asks Xu Xian what date is it and he says it’s duanwu festival. Then she’s surprised that it’s a full moon. Thinking even a little bit more, it’s always the full moon, which makes no sense. Please Suzhen, come back. She realizes that this is the doing of the inner demon. Then he asks why she didn’t go bakc with that real Xu Xian? He says she has been doubting for a while and that she didn’t go because she didn’t want to. She feels so bad to have refused him when he risked his life to come and get her. Those two. She leaves. Suzhen TT 

Just right when the people come in, Suzhen’s human appearance is pale in Xu Xian’s arms. But they want to kill her now ): But at least Xu Xian is happy, his adored wife decided to believe him and came back to him. At least the four immortals protect them.

Outside, the inner demon got more powerful thanks to Ruyi. She looks way older also. Now, I am waiting for Wang Daoling to come to the rescue. I know you don’t like Xu Xian, but can’t you at least do it for Ruyi? I think he’s quite genuine towards her. The four immortals are almost down, they can’t hold much more longer.

Xu Xian expresses his regrets to Suzhen, saying that he’s sorry for not having took care of her. He begs her to open her eyes and talk to him. He doesn’t care if she’s angry at him, whatever she wants to say is fine as long as she wakes up. If she doesn’t.. well he’s going to join her in death.

SHE FINALLY OPENS HER EYES. They are so happy to have each other again. Suzhen can feel she retrieve like 80% of her powers. The immortals tell her the humans became murder instruments. She helps them maintain the barrier so they can relax a little bit and they altogether stop the fire and causes damage to the evil spirit whatever that smokey black thing is.

They wonder from where Suzhen got back her energy, she believes it’s because they retrieved her essence. Well I think that’s because she’s pregnant and the deities decided to help her. It would make more sense. Anyways.

Suzhen is going out to look for Xiao Qing with the four immortals. She begs Fahai to spare Xiao Qing and give her another chance. At first she’s happy to see Suzhen, but when she learns that she knew who the four immortals were, she’s angry again. So one of them decides to tell her the whole story. So basically, the Dragon King fell in love with Xiao Qing’s mother, but when she got pregnant, he was afraid of the punishment for having a relationship with a snake demon. So she kept hiding to give birth to Xiao Qing and after her birth, she kept moving everywhere so they wouldn’t be found. But she was found at last and she didn’t want to say with whom she had an affair and was willing to take all the blame. So they confined her under Leifeng pagoda. Oh. So they switched that from the original tale. Usually, the White Snake is trapped underneath and she gets released by the green snake. In some version, it’s because her son his so filial that she gets free. Interesting.

Well, Fahai wants to suppress Xiao Qing’s demon blood, but she doesn’t want to. She would rather die than to lose her mother’s blood. Also, Suzhen says that even so, she won’t be able to go back to the immortal realm, because her dad won’t recognize her as his daughter, he didn’t even want to give ten drops of blood to let her live her love. Since they won’t let him, Fahai traps Xiao Qing.

Why is he so obsessed with her immortal blood? Why can’t she be a demon anyways? Like you see, some demons are nicer than immortals.

[hyog-blog]

The Story of Pearl Girl (ep. 18)

An episode we've all been absolutely not waiting for, but here we are. It was as gut-wrenching and hit-you-in-the-face-punching as I expected it to be, but it still hurt. Like yeah, I know it's a cdrama and this type of not-really-plot-twist was inevitable, but you can never not hope for something different.

The plot is surprisingly consistent. Having almost lost Duan Wu to the bandits, Yan Zijing makes the only sane decision a man could make in this situation. No, not ditch the whole vengeance thing, that would have been too perfect and totally out of his character.

Although, I do hope he gets his epiphany at some point and decides there are better things to do in life than that. But he decides to leave Duan Wu behind using the good 'ol drug-your-drink stunt. Alas, it was too late, and the bad guys came to meet him, instead of waiting for him patiently in their bandit's den.

It seems that someone in the higher circles of power is in cahoots with the baddies - the army that was supposed to help YZJ in his mission got stopped last minute and the 2ML had to venture into the wild leading just a group of General's guards, who may or may not have been plenty. What a coincidence, huh?

The bandits infiltrated Yan Zijin's convoy (somehow, we don't know the details, our boy obviously didn't do a good enough screening procedure while hiring his people). Either this or they'd been following him around for years in his convoy - in that case, I have questions for the Big Bad Boss. Long-distance relationships rarely work out (but in this case, from his point of view, they kinda sorta did). YZJ did end up coming back to the desert and it didn't end well for him.

I'm not revealing too many spoilers, but it's a sad-sad episode, so you should brace yourselves for a heart-aching evening if you're planning to watch it now.

In terms of visuals, it's still stunning and the fighting sequences are all quite believable.

Duan Wu got kidnapped for a moment there, but the whole thing wasn't too dramatic. I don't know if it was supposed to be like that but it felt more like a means to the end - something that would make YZJ decide to leave her behind.

I can't really blame the guy. She's a fighter, but not an exceptional one. And his mission turned out to be deadlier than everyone thought.

YZJ is a mix of gentleness toward his girl and revenge finally being served (at least partly). Liu Yuning fits this character remarkably well. Going from soft to stabby in a matter of seconds.

Of course, she doesn't know ALL the bad news. The Big Bad Boss is vicious enough not to kill YZJ directly, but to take away all hope of him getting better (because POISON, yes, good old, good old).

The show finally remembered it is, indeed, dark and gritty, and the memories of cute fluff were devoured by smoke and fire.

We also got a glimpse into Kang Ju and Yan Zijing's past when they were running away from the bandits - the boys had it rough. And they're having it rough once again.

On a brighter note, Zhang Jinran looks a tad bit funny in this armor XD That's probably the only positive thing that can be said about this episode. Oh, and kudos to him for leaving Duanwu's girlie friend behind. That desert is too deadly for pretty ladies.

[ao3feed-scumvillain]

Summer Solstice

by Mizukiyoru_Shiroko

BingQiu Week 2020, Day 3 - Negotiation

【Option A】 Spoil 【Option B】 Worth 【Option C】 Idol AU

It's in the midst of Summer, the weather in CangQiong is terrible but festivities were around the corner. It was a busy period in the sect but for once Shen QingQiu has finally finished with his peak lord duties early and Luo BingHe has no urgent business or uprising to settle in the Demon Realm. It was a great week end spent, making dumplings and going on a date with his husband to the Dragon's Boat Festival downtown.

Words: 3384, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 3 of 🥒🍃 BingQiu Week 2020 😈🐶

Fandoms: 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Luò Bīnghé, Shěn Yuán | Shěn Qīngqiū

Relationships: Luò Bīnghé/Shěn Yuán | Shěn Qīngqiū

Additional Tags: Domestic Fluff, DuanWu Jie, Dragon's Boat Festival, Summer Festival, Very very smol amt of angst, Fluff, Day 3, BingQiu Week 2020, Unbetad we die like sqq

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/24878683

[mymovietravelseo]

Why & How Chinese people make ZongZi during Dragon Boat Festival?

Visit China and don't experience Duanwu Festival - Dragon boat it would be a big pity. During this festival people are preparing the famous "steamed rice dumplings" called ZongZi. How they are made, ingredients and why they are so famous you will find out in our Vlog# P.s. you have a bonus image about the Dragon Boat competition and our experience in such unique culture. Enjoy our videos and don't forget to subscribe.

#zongzi #ricedumpling #chinaculture #travelinchina #chinavlog #discoverchina

Are you planning a trip to China? then watch the full video and playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iy_E...

It was passed on for generations, eventually evolving into the leaf-wrapped sachets served today. Commemorating loyalty and respect for parents and elders, the Dragon Boat Festival is also known as Zhongxiao Festival and is celebrated by Chinese families and communities all over the world

There are quite a few things to consider as you plan a trip abroad, but with China – as with any country – there are specific tips and tricks that can help you along the way. I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned from traveling all across China. I hope this can help you feel more prepared and less nervous!

Thank you so much for watching the Vlog!

zongzi festival, dragon boat festival history, dragon boat festival taiwan, dragon boat festival food, dragon boat festival 2019, dragon festival, zongzi recipe, how to wrap sticky rice in bamboo leaves, chinese dragon boat festival 2019, typical activities for the qingming festival, dragon boat festival food recipes, zongzi in chinese character, what is zongzi called in english, dragon boat festival race, mugwort and calamus, zongzi pronunciation, dragon boat festival history, dragon boat festival food, dragon boat festival shanghai, dragon boat festival facts, dragon boat festival greetings, sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf, vegetarian zongzi recipe, bamboo leaves for cooking, dragon boat festival wishes, chinese boat races, dragon boat festival symbols, dragon boat festival korea unesco, dragon boat festival perfume pouch, dragon boat festival questions, how is the dragon boat festival celebrated, how did the dragon boat festival come to be

[mymoviemedia]

Why & How Chinese people make ZongZi during Dragon Boat Festival?

Visit China and don't experience Duanwu Festival - Dragon boat it would be a big pity. During this festival people are preparing the famous "steamed rice dumplings" called ZongZi. How they are made, ingredients and why they are so famous you will find out in our Vlog# P.s. you have a bonus image about the Dragon Boat competition and our experience in such unique culture. Enjoy our videos and don't forget to subscribe.

#zongzi #ricedumpling #chinaculture #travelinchina #chinavlog #discoverchina

Are you planning a trip to China? then watch the full video and playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iy_E...

It was passed on for generations, eventually evolving into the leaf-wrapped sachets served today. Commemorating loyalty and respect for parents and elders, the Dragon Boat Festival is also known as Zhongxiao Festival and is celebrated by Chinese families and communities all over the world

There are quite a few things to consider as you plan a trip abroad, but with China – as with any country – there are specific tips and tricks that can help you along the way. I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned from traveling all across China. I hope this can help you feel more prepared and less nervous!

Thank you so much for watching the Vlog!

zongzi festival, dragon boat festival history, dragon boat festival taiwan, dragon boat festival food, dragon boat festival 2019, dragon festival, zongzi recipe, how to wrap sticky rice in bamboo leaves, chinese dragon boat festival 2019, typical activities for the qingming festival, dragon boat festival food recipes, zongzi in chinese character, what is zongzi called in english, dragon boat festival race, mugwort and calamus, zongzi pronunciation, dragon boat festival history, dragon boat festival food, dragon boat festival shanghai, dragon boat festival facts, dragon boat festival greetings, sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf, vegetarian zongzi recipe, bamboo leaves for cooking, dragon boat festival wishes, chinese boat races, dragon boat festival symbols, dragon boat festival korea unesco, dragon boat festival perfume pouch, dragon boat festival questions, how is the dragon boat festival celebrated, how did the dragon boat festival come to be

[hyog-blog]

Nothing Else I'd Rather Choose (fic)

The Story of Pearl Girl | Duanwu character study

Duan Wu and Zhang Jinran | Duan Wu and Yan Zijing

Duan Wu stares into the doe-like eyes of Zhang Jinran, feeling something unusual coming up to the surface from the depths of her heart. She didn't know it could even feel things like that. A mixture of gratitude, gentleness, and clarity, seeing the other for what he truly was - a gentleman with a noble heart, traditional upbringing, and a wish to lend her a helping hand. Probably, along with his bright sparkly eyes and a chivalrous heart.

He was everything a girl could dream of, taking care of her with utmost attention, not being entirely open about his affection, but she could feel it nonetheless. She has learned to read people while growing up, especially the men who surrounded her, looking at women as if they were prey or a prize to fight over and win for themselves. No one ever asked the women what they wanted in the place she grew up. Even within that dark nook of the world she was living, there were rules of its own and the strong always ruled over the weak, even if they themselves were ruled by even stronger predators and slave-keepers.

She had finally turned that page of her life over, but her agile mind and perceptive heart were still with her, more sensitive than ever before. The man sitting in front of her was nothing like the ones she grew up around - he was the very opposite of everyone she knew back at the pearl farm. So far from the world she lived in that he almost seemed like a mythical being. Much like she was a little mermaid for him back when they first met, he was a celestial creature for her - untainted with the darkness of the real world, the one that would grab you while you're young, enslave you, rape you, and make you bear their children just for profit.

In a way, she got lucky. She fought for her body as fiercely as she did for her heart and soul, but the damage was already there. She knew it when she looked into his eyes with all the light and nobility sparkling there like rays of sunshine - he would never be able to understand her. He could love her, long for her, and take care of her the best way he could, but he'd never give her the freedom she craved so much. It simply didn't exist in the world he was living in. But she, herself, could make it come true. Carve out a path for herself using whatever strength and wit she could master. Learn everything there was to learn about trade, follow Yan Zijing to the end of the world to see how it's being done, and explore the world she didn't yet get the chance to see.

Will it be as ugly as the pearl farm she grew up on? Or will it be as magical and soft as the poems written by Zhang Jinran? Will it cradle her in her arms like the waves of the ocean she both loved and hated so much? Or will it crush her, piercing like a sword that she was only learning how to use? She really didn't know, but she would do everything in her power to find out.

Duan Wu smiles at him with the softness of a person, who has seen light after living in the darkness for most of her life. It was the light emanating from her own heart, and one would be foolish to tie it to another person and hope that they would help this light burn brighter. He wouldn't be able to carry this burden - it was hers and hers only. Both her life and her future, and her death were in her own hands. As well as the secret of her origin and, maybe, who knows, some relatives that could still be alive somewhere out there.

She will find out only if she ventures out into the wilderness of the world that raised her in the darkness. But now the sun was shining brightly and it wasn't the sunlight sparkling in Zhang Jinran's eyes - her sun was burning brightly in the sky, bigger than anything, than the whole world, and she would follow it just like she would follow her heart and soul, wherever they'd take her.

"I can't accept this, sorry," she returns the envelope that could help her start a new life, and leave everything behind, but that everything was who she truly was. He didn't get that, but she did. And she knew she wanted to build on top of that, becoming so much more than a little scared mermaid who has finally reached the surface of the ocean and seen the broad sky, spread limitless above her head.

The light in Zhang Jinran's eyes dwindles just a bit but doesn't fully disappear. He might not be the type that lets go of the things he likes easily, especially the things that don't want to be owned and taken care of. The wild things, the mysterious things, the bitter and broken things he thought needed mending.

When she returns back to the ship, accompanied by Zhang Jinran, she spends a long moment staring at the tall figure of Yan Zijing, who came up either to greet or to scold her, or just to make sure that his asset was still in one piece. It was a weird mixture of sorrow, strength, and edginess emanating from the man as if he were a sword ready to strike at any minute. Relaxing was really not Yan Zijing's forte and the only thing that brought him peace of mind seemed to be music, that erhu that he played sometimes. The sound was beautiful, but she always felt like his soul was weeping at the time.

This man reminded her of the Ocean's depths that birthed her, nurtured her, tortured her mind, body, and soul, and then suddenly let her go to the surface to breathe in fresh air and enjoy the sun of the day. Could she really let go of her origin, though? He reminded her of harsh ocean winds and waters so cold that you could barely move in them, feeling the freezing current hug your body, slowing down your movements. One wrong decision, and you'd stay there forever, becoming a part of the deep-blue depths, just another piece of the still underwater landscape.

And yet, it was that very Ocean that held so many pearls in its bottomless pits. And the treasures Yan Zijing was hiding were but merely a glint in his dark eyes. A slight curve of his lips, a vicious stare, or a sudden gentleness that softened his features, emphasizing the raw beauty, like the light of a sunset would make the ocean seem so calm and welcoming, soft even.

Him, she could relate to. His eyes were mirroring her own. His philosophy was that of a person who has survived and prospered in a world that killed anyone who would so much as show a hint of weakness. Just like the Ocean, Yan Zijing would one moment torment her with a storm and the next gently support her with his strong waves and undercurrents. His presence, for some reason, felt like home - that dark place that birthed her, but also the one that let her feel what freedom truly felt like. She was, indeed, a mermaid. She could never let go of the underwater world with all its inhabitants, both the weak and the vicious, the soft and the strong.

And just like a pearl diver that she's been all her life, the pearls hiding in the depths of Yan Zijing's heart seemed too attractive, although unseen if you just look at the surface. It was similar to a feeling that she always got when going deep underwater, intuitively knowing where to look for those shells containing precious shiny droplets of light.

The moment passes and his eyes dart toward Zhang Jinran, a spark of hostility turning his face into that of a general ready to command his army to attack the opposing forces. The other man looked at him with a mix of disdain and fascination on his face. They couldn't be more different, and yet, fate, or destiny, or someone's brilliant plotting entangled them together, making one follow the other. But as it goes, sunlight would never pierce the darkness of the ocean waters, at least, not to the full extent. You'd have to be a mermaid to go that deep, look that far, and find whatever monsters, gems, or pearls hidden where no man could ever go.

Maybe for the first time in her life, she was happy to be a mermaid. For the Ocean was truly her home. When she steps onto the ship's floor, she feels a door getting shut behind her - the life she could have had, but that just wasn't meant for her. Whatever was waiting ahead of her, she had no regrets. None at all.

[dreamingsushi]

Legend of the White Snake - Episode 23

Xiao Qing is still a little angry against Xu Xian and thinks Suzhen forgives him too early. Xu Xian is so good at making people happy. Xiao Qing breaks plates on purpose and he just lets her break more, until she’s happy.  I just can’t anymore. Xiao Qing is probably the best character of that drama. For real.

They opened back Baohe tang and a man comes in to get some snake medicine. However, Xu Xian sells him something else, because they won’t sell snake parts anymore. Suzhen thinks it’s odd, because there are still plenty of that medicine. Xiao Qing though is pretty happy about it, because they should kill snakes to heal people. Suzhen is worried because she thinks Xu Xian is being weird lately, but Xiao Qing doesn’t believe so. Just then, Yutang calls for Xiao Qing.

Xu Xian thinks Xiao Qing is not there, so Yutang then sells him a snake he caught. He  bought it so Yutang could release it. He even suggests he doesn’t hunt snakes anymore because it’s dangerous. Since Xu Xian tells him so, Yutang decides not hunt them anymore. Does Xu Xian realized that Suzhen is that white snake? Wow. Well that’s what Suzhen thinks. It’s so weird that he didn’t really like snakes in the past and now he does seem like he doesn’t want to hurt them. So Xiao Qing suggest that they spy on him to see if he guessed.

He asks an old guy about demons and how to get rid of them. Then after that, since he still has questions, he decides to go ask Fahai, which angers Xiao Qing because she thinks he wants to harm  them maybe.

He actually went to see Fahai so he won’t bother Suzhen anymore. So I guess he knows she’s a demon. Well, he’s really smart, it was kind of about time. From far away, Suzhen and Xiao Qing can’t hear everything properly and Xiao Qing wonders what should they do if they try to expose them. Suzhen just accepts that and says it’s her fault for hiding it.

Fahai wonders why Xu Xian keeps on loving so much Suzhen, even if he knows that she’s a demon. He hears a voice telling him it’s because demons have a high ability to attract people. It’s again that dark side of him speaking. I really enjoy that, but I wish we could finally see what’s the point of all of it?

Xu Xian asks Suzhen if there isn’t something she’d like to tell him, but if she doesn’t want to tell he won’t ask. He just hopes she could tell him one day. Since she knows he knows, she tells him everything. She looks so hurt when she talks about the duanwu festival and what happened next. Poor her. She must be thinking her happiness is going to fade away again. But he doesn’t care what she is, human or snake, he loves her way too much to be scared of her and that’s never going to change. He even bought a whole bunch of snakes to understand what they like and dislike.  That’s kind of cute.

Xiao Qing left not to be caught by Fahai and she’s thinking about her poor Suzhen, but really, she’s in good care. Xu Xian is even doing her make up for her. Then, big sis comes to get them for breakfast and gives them some good luck charms. Xu Xian wants to refuse them, but seeing it’s hurting Jiaorong’s feeling, Suzhen takes them. As soon as big sister leaves, he throws it away, worried that it hurt Suzhen. He even tells her that he found a grotto for her to cultivate and she teases him by saying that since the conditions to cultivate are precise, some demons will drink blood to enhance their spiritual energy. He then offers that she takes his blood. So cute. She kisses him on the cheek and he then kisses her too hehehe. Even though we don’t see the kiss. Then he asks a few questions and she answers him, basically, she’s not as weak as he thinks she is.

She then shows him a little bit of her powers and even takes him to Emei mountains. Then he thinks of Jin Song and wants to pay a visit, which makes Suzhen really sad. Poor him, he wouldn’t know. She agrees to take him see Jin Song? What? But he’s dead? ): I don’t understand...