Once Upon A Time (Movie)

Not to be confused with the drama, Once Upon A Time 三生三世十里桃花 has released movie posters starring Crystal Liu and Yang Yang where they look ravishingly ethereal as the star-crossed lovers clad in matching white robes. 

Crystal Liu takes the cake as the resident actress in ancient dramas due to her traditional yet exquisite features that is practically made for the genre.

While Yang Yang has not yet amassed an equally expansive resume, he along with co-star Crystal Liu certainly possess an otherworldly aura that befits their respective roles as immortals. 

The onscreen couple's stills together are eye-catching to say the least and the very literal symbolism using the peach blossom, dragon and fox offer a nice touch. Filming for the movie wrapped last March and the premiere is expected to be some time next year.

The source novel titled Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms aptly belongs under sadistic romance aka depressing beyond words and because I was that curious, I scoured the net for enough information to know that horrific things happen in the story.

On another note, I was recently made aware by an anonymous commenter that the writer Tangqi Gongzi is actually riddled with plagiarism claims that are too obvious to ignore (see comparisons made here). 

It's ridiculous how blatant the similarities are that it feels right to shed light on the controversy that might otherwise be overlooked due to the intense hype on the drama and movie adaptations of the same.

Source: Ent163, CNWNews

Crystal Liu body slammed and SNSD Taeyeon's crazy fan onstage

A man rushes onstage and goes straight for Crystal Liu Yi Fei. This incident transpired at a fan meeting for her new movie Night Peacock in Guangzhou a few days ago. Fortunately, she is ok, rattled obviously, but she is back in business and busy with promotional activities.

It's crazy that stuff like this happens. I'm reminded of the 2011 incident when a man tried to abduct SNSD Taeyeon while she was performing Run Devil Run onstage.

Source: Ent163

Crystal Liu and Yang Mi face off in Three Lives Three Worlds

Based on a novel by Tang Qi Gong Zi 唐七公子 (writer of Hua Xu Yin), Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花 tells the tale of a romance spanning three lifetimes and Crystal Liu and Yang Mi will star as the lead in a movie and drama adaptation, respectively.

Undisputedly two of the most beautiful actresses in Chinese entertainment, Crystal Liu (born 1987) and Yang Mi (born 1986) are often typecast into the same roles especially if said role requires someone who looks like an ethereal goddess.

Is it any wonder that they have been acting in similar characters as early as 2005? Crystal Liu Yi Fei got her big break playing Ling Er in Chinese Paladin 1 and four years down the road, Yang Mi clinches the role of Xue Jian in Chinese Paladin 3, also opposite Hu Ge.

Yet the similarities don't end there. Back in 2004, Yang Mi portrayed the titular role of Xiao Qian in the drama version of A Chinese Ghost Story while Crystal Liu Yi Fei headlined the 2011 movie version of the same. 

They're not always pitted against each other though as I distinctly remember seeing them together in one of my favorite wuxia series titled The Return of the Condor Heroes with Crystal Liu as Little Dragon Lady (Xiao Long Nu) and Yang Mi as little Guo Xiang. 

A guide for wuxia newbies

Allow me to start with how I fell into the depths of period drama addiction. Growing up, my dad would relive his younger days of reading wuxia novels by marathoning adaptations of HK serials. As his trusty sidekick, I was amazed by this fascinating world of swordplay and martial arts and my childhood heroes easily became the iconic characters created from Jin Yong's imagination.

Back then, wuxia series were far from mainstream, yet my guilty pleasure grew far and wide, amassing a sizable collection of dramas that have become too many to count. Period dramas can be broadly classified into three categories even though most people usually lump everything historical under wuxia, myself included. 

Wuxia 武俠 is translated literally to martial hero with works of renowned authors Jin Yong and Gu Long almost synonymous to the genre, thereby sprouting an endless continuum of remakes and adaptations.

The genre is particularly appealing to me because it is not as far-fetched as xianxia but rather its characters are often well-versed in the art of fighting because of their practice of 'chi', a word that will surely ring a bell if you like Asian-infused action flicks. 'Chi' or 'qi' means air but it essentially signifies the life force that allows practitioners to perform all sorts of incredible feats, albeit amplified to an exaggerated extent. As a result, it is not uncommon to see kung fu manuals, fighting stances and then some inner energy transfer to save a life.

Chivalry is alive and kicking where people choose to live and die in the name of honor but I notice that this thinking is not restricted to wuxia but rather spans across most period dramas because apparently, people from the olden days are better versions of ourselves.

For my first pick, I recommend Lang Ling Wang (2013) 蘭陵王 starring Feng Shao Feng (Ice Fantasy), Ariel Lin, Daniel Chan, George Hu and many more. Lan Ling Wang is a beautifully-packaged romance drama with noticeable modern influences that also incorporates the charms of an wuxia.

Edited Mar. 2, 2016
I know that Lan Ling Wang is not exactly an wuxia in the truest sense and the comments against it are not unfounded, so I'm still in search for a newer better wuxia that could really serve as a nice introduction for anyone attempting the genre.

But for now, it doesn't hurt that the Lan Ling Wang cast is made up of popular c-drama actors and actresses and the story highly addictive so I wasn't surprised that it was widely-exported after its initial release. I apologize in advance though as Lan Ling Wang is not without its hair-pulling moments especially towards the middle of the series. Nevertheless, it makes for a very enjoyable watch and I hope you like it.

Xianxia 仙俠 is translated literally to immortal hero. It is a newer sub-genre that has been getting a lot of love mainly from younger fans. Since that's where you make the big bucks, production companies tend to make more and more such dramas that are also star-studded to boot.

Xianxia can encompass anything supernatural with the latest trend being adaptations of role-playing video games and the sky's the limit in terms of subject matter that can include monsters, demons, fairies, magical realms, elixirs and what not. If the characters appear to fly in an wuxia, they literally fly in a xianxia.

For my second pick, I recommend Chinese Paladin 1 (2005) 仙劍奇俠傳 starring Hu Ge, Crystal Liu, Ady An and Eddie Peng. It might be a bit older but it is the first of its kind and the best one in my opinion catapulting the up-and-coming newbies from yonder years to international fame. 

Until now, xianxia is not my preferred genre and I can't get over silly pet peeves like the characters being able to video chat via magical portals in a historical drama. However, I understand the innate appeal of an idol-cast so I continue to be hook, line and sinker'ed nonetheless, eagerly awaiting Chinese Paladin 5 like everyone else. 

Last but not the least is a made-up category that is just a catch-all for anything else. Off the top of my head are palace dramas, historical biopics and melodramas to name a few so for my third and final pick, I recommend Nirvana in Fire (2015) 瑯琊榜 starring Hu Ge and Liu Tao. 

I was torn between Scarlet Heart versus Nirvana in Fire despite the two being so different that they shouldn't even be compared. What holds true is that both are extremely successful dramas and even though the former is more mainstream, I ultimately decided to go with Nirvana in Fire because it is too good to miss out.

Nirvana in Fire is a massive 54-episode revenge drama that is a masterpiece of epic proportions so brilliantly written and thought-provoking. Lest I run out of adjectives, I will let the drama speak for itself so please, please check it out. 

It might seem like I'm going off on a tangent but many years ago, my dad decided to buy DVDs to the 2007 k-drama called Story of the First King's Four Gods aka Legend starring Bae Yong Joon and Lee Ji Ah. I won't go needlessly wordy on this but it's safe to say that like a happy kid who found a neighboring candy store, I started venturing into Korean period dramas aka sageuk 史劇 and never looked back. 

Also see 10 signs you're a wuxia fan.

Dating News: Crystal Liu, Yang Mi and Liu Shi Shi

I must have been living under a rock because I just found out that Yang Mi is a new mom.

Crystal Liu, Yang Mi, Liu Shi Shi and Tang Yan all of which had a starring role in Chinese Paladin are four of the most beautiful faces dominating today's wuxia films and the most recent one to be in a relationship is Chinese actress Crystal Liu Yi Fei (born 1987) and Korean actor Song Seung Heon (born 1976). Both admitted to dating since May 2015 when they met during the filming of the movie called The Third Way of Love.

Song Seung Heon rose to international stardom due to the 2000 k-drama Autumn In My Heart, which grew in popularity all over Asia spearheading what has become the Korean wave. He briefly dated Korean actress Sung Yuri but the two split up in 2003. Twelve years later and he finally found romance in Crystal Liu who is 11 years his junior.

I seriously don't judge but I know 11 years might be quite substantial for some people. Yet lo and behold, there is another such example in Yang Mi (born 1986) and Hawick Lau (born 1974). I have never seen any of Hawick Lau's dramas but because he is playing the lead in one of my favorite wuxias The Legend of Flying Daggers, he is now on my radar. After dating for a few years, the couple tied the knot at a Bali wedding in 2014 and welcomed their baby girl in the same year. In case you didn't notice, Tang Yan was the maid of honor.

Last but not the least is Liu Shi Shi (born 1987) who has been dating Nicky Wu (born 1970) since their popular TV series Startling By Each Step (Bu Bu Jing Xin) ended five years ago. Bu Bu Jing Xin was definitely a force to be reckoned with, garnering such a large viewership that it is going to be remade into a k-drama called Moon River starring none other than IU.

As an avid fan, it is quite endearing to see the couple you root for actually get together in real life. The story of Si Ye (4th Prince) and Ruo Xi continues to this day as the power couple held a civil wedding back in 2015 and are preparing for the actual ceremony some time this year. They trump everyone else with a whopping 17-year difference, which goes to show that love knows no boundaries - neither language nor age. 

Sources: CNHubei1, CNHubei2, Xilu