Dating News: The stars of Princess Jieyou say I do

Gushing about the Yuan Hong and Zhang Xinyi pre-nuptial pictures just a week before and what do you know it's the day, reuniting Hu Ge, Liu Shi Shi, Eddie Peng, Ma Tianyu and more in a wedding ceremony inside the majestic Hohenzollern Castle in Germany.

Now if only I can secure an invite to Hu Ge's wedding when it's his turn? If you want more, found this Chinese site that has a number of pictures.

Source: Taiwan.cn, SinaCN

Dating News: Ruby Lin, Wallace Huo, Yuan Hong and Zhang Xinyi

After waiting on the sidelines for years, Ruby Lin and Yuan Hong's historical c-drama Chang Ge Xing finally clinches a premiere date and this week just in with more happy news for the onscreen couple.

Yuan Hong has been dating Princess Jieyou co-star Zhang Xinyi and they are getting married! Much like Nicky Wu and Liu Shi Shi, the couple released a spread of their wackiest and classiest pre-nuptial shoot (more below) while the actual ceremony will be held on May 30 inside a majestic German castle. 

Meanwhile, Ruby Lin reveals that she is dating none other than Wallace Huo. Scratch that, Wallace Huo's company is the one that did the honors by announcing it on weibo (China's version of twitter).

I was surprised but not surprised? Ruby Lin has always struck me as a career gal, heading a studio, producing dramas and starring in them, all while looking spectacular at the age of 40.

If she did end up with a man, I always imagined that it would be her long-time friend Alec Su (aka Nicky Wu's fellow Little Tiger) but Wallace Huo is actually not a far cry given that he is also from Taiwan. And come on, it is Wallace Huo. Fresh off the highs of Journey of Flower, he is definitely at the heights of his popularity.

I'm happy for everyone but can you believe most of them just got together at Nicky Wu and Liu Shi Shi's wedding bash last March. And yet another one is off the market...

Source: 0123, CNHuaDong, ENT163, EntSina 

Chang Ge Xing

It seems ages ago when Ruby Lin played a high schooler in School Days, a 1995 movie also starring Takeshi Kaneshiro and Jimmy Lin. Twenty years later and she has leveled up from acting, producing a couple of big budget dramas and heading her own studio.

Chang Ge Xing 秀丽江山之长歌行 is another one of Ruby Lin's productions and the cast includes herself, Yuan Hong, Li Jia Hang, Wang Yuan Ke, Song Feng Yan, Yu Bo and Kenny Kwan. 

Based on a novel by Li Xin, Chang Ge Xing promises to be epic, detailing the lives of significant figures in the Han Dynasty through a very large cast. It depicts a chaotic and war-torn period in between regimes, so expect a lot of action not only from the male actors but also from Ruby Lin who plays a badass female.

At the age of 40, Ruby Lin is definitely aging gracefully because she looks great. However, young is still not young enough that I'm not sure how to process seeing her play a young maiden, for the umpteenth time.

Nevertheless, Chang Ge Xing appears to be an outright historical drama, by the book in its attempt to reenact the past. Personally, I prefer gallant heroes and martial arts also known as wuxia, but if you are interested, the series premieres Jul 2016. 

It really is about time given that filming wrapped way back in 2014 (eng subs on Viki).

For synopsis, cast and ratings, see 2016 popular c-dramas.

Scarlet Heart

Scarlet Heart 步步惊心 is a 2011 Chinese drama that means many things for newly weds Cecilia Liu Shi Shi and Nicky Wu. It cemented Liu Shi Shi's status as a top star, rejuvenated Nicky Wu's acting career (he was 40 at the time) and culminated in the couple's lovely beach wedding in Bali. Yes, the onscreen couple got married on Mar 20, 2016 and it seems only fitting to talk about the drama that brought them together.

Scarlet Heart is the shorter iteration of its varied English titles. Based on a novel called Bu Bu Jing Xin aka Startling By Each Step, the adaptation tells the tale of an average white-collar worker who wakes in the body of Maertai Ruoxi, a young Manchu maiden during the reign of Kangxi. 

Scarlet Heart might be one of countless TV series in the time-travel and romance genre, yet it is so successful and far-reaching in appeal specifically because it manages to tell a compelling story extremely well, bringing to life complex characters in rich detail and throwing them in the midst of the Nine Lords War 九子奪嫡. The battle for the throne is intense, yet the writing masterfully interweaves a passionate romance that touches the heart.

Scarlet Heart stars Liu Shi Shi (Imperial Doctress), Nicky Wu (Legend of Zu), Kevin Cheng (City of Devastating Love), Yuan Hong (Princess Jieyou) and Lin Gengxin (God of War Zhao Yun). Liu Shi Shi is surrounded by dashing men in a powerhouse cast that can easily headline their own series and the author Tong Hua 桐华 is renown for penning popular novels like Song in the Clouds and Ballad of the Desert, both of which were also made for TV. 

It was a surefire formula that paid off and a Korean drama remake is in the works starring IU and Lee Joonki at the helm. There was also a sequel called Startling Love By Each Step 步步惊情 and a movie too but honestly, I try to pretend that the latter don't exist.

For synopsis, cast and ratings, see 2016 c-drama recommendations.

Source: Baidu

First Look: Princess Jieyou

I never would have guessed that Princess Jieyou 解忧公主, which was devoid of heavy promotional efforts and sans the glitz and glamour that often comes with an idol cast would turn out to be such an incredible find.

Granted that the lead actor Yuan Hong does have his fair share of fans (myself included), his star power still wasn't enough for me to commit 41 hours of my life to this underrated historical cdrama, at least not initially.

Episode 1 is a combination of blood, tears and romance. Due to the unfortunate passing of the Han Dynasty princess who happens to be the wife of the reigning monarch of Wu Sun, Wu Sun sends an emissary to Han along with a proposal for a new marriage alliance in order to keep a united front against the Xiong Nu.

The group is ambushed en-route and General Wong Gui (Yuan Hong) narrowly escapes a ferocious battle in the desert. 

Jieyou (Zhang Xinyi) is a member of a traveling circus searching for a source of water and she witnesses Wong Gui single handedly slaying all the men in sight, therefore contaminating the water in the process. Fearing for her own life, she and her troupe are both relieved and indignant when a nonchalant Wong Gui simply walks away.

During Jieyou's turn to perform a magic act, Wong Gui attempts to hide from the Xiong Nu assassins but is shot after Jieyou's frantic screams give away his location. She later discovers that a critically injured Wong Gui was a stowaway in her trunk of supplies and she ends up saving his life albeit after a sadistic streak of literally scraping off the poison that has seeped into his bones, which despite the way it sounds was actually a rather funny scene.

First Impressions: I'm not familiar with any of Zhang Xinyi's works but her character as Princess Jieyou is quite endearing. Perhaps it's largely due to a story that is set in the Western borders of ancient China where the people tend to be more carefree and passionate but Jieyou is the perfect example of such a person and it's refreshing to see a female lead that is uninhibited yet principled, feminine yet daring.

Yuan Hong as Wong Gui compliments our feisty heroine by embodying the qualities of a courageous and occasionally wayward hero. He is undoubtedly a warrior and a flirtatious one at that, which makes for a fairly entertaining OTP. 

For anyone who has seen the City of Devastating Love also starring Yuan Hong as General Shen An, it's reasonable to conclude that he seems to always be typecast as the manly man.  Thankfully, the similarities end there as General Wong Gui seems to be a way smarter version who hopefully won't repeat the mistakes of Shen An because that other drama ripped my heart out then stomped on it again and again and again.

The first few episodes of Princess Jieyou have been enjoyable overall with enough action and conflict to keep things interesting. It may not look as polished as the highly-publicized productions nowadays but the scenic views across the vast deserts of China are breathtakingly panoramic with a cinematic feel to it. On to episode 2 recap.

For synopsis, cast and ratings, see 2016 c-drama recommendations.