CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Thursday, July 23, 2020 | 17 LIFE
Comingofage series Twenty Your Life On stars (from left) Guan Xiaotong, Bu Guanjin, Li Gengxi and Wang Anyu. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Offering a degree of nostalgia
New comingofage series about a group of friends tackling the trials and tribulations of life at university is resonating across generational gaps, Xu Fan reports.
or most actresses, control nate with the show’s other three ling their diets is part of protagonists — a hardworking their daily routine. Despite undergraduate eager to have a suc also being sensitive to her I once thought cessful career; a carefree girl who’s Fweight, actress Guan Xiaotong has fascinated with chasing celebrities working as a beauty figured out a “method” to ease her and eating delicious food and an craving for treats. blogger was easy and introverted youngster struggling Revealing that she is prone to be interesting, but with her love of video games and her glued to her smartphone during her demanding mother. spare time, her favorite activity is actually they need to “Compared to my generation, watching internet celebrities live be smart, diligent and youngsters nowadays have faster streaming themselves eating. access to useful information and “After an exhausting day, watch persistent. ” have more opportunities thanks to ing them helps me feel relaxed,” Guan Xiaotong, actress the development of the internet,” Guan tells China Daily. says Li. Recently, she has tapped into her He recalls that from July to knowledge of these internet celebri November last year, the crew mainly ties to portray her latest character, a which is a story full of positive ener filmed the series in Shenzhen, college studentturned beauty blog gy,” says Guan. before traveling to Beijing to cap ger and the protagonist in the 40ep She says she believes the four pro ture some street scenes and Heihe in isode comingofage series Twenty tagonists will awaken the memories Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Your Life On. of many viewers’ final year in col province for shooting the parts of Also starring young actresses Bu lege, as well as their stress and con the script that are set during winter. Guanjin, Li Gengxi and Dong Siyi, fusion around entering a new world “It was stressful and tiring during the series chronicles the colorful life outside the campus. filming. Most nights I never man of four college students who live in Debuting as a child star at 4 years aged more than about six hours of the same dorm room of a fictional old, Guan — a Beijing native born in sleep, but the effort has paid off,” university in Shenzhen, South Chi 1997 — achieved recognition for her says Li. na’s Guangdong province. performance in director Chen Kai Hashtags on discussions about Released on Hunan Satellite TV ge’s 2005 fantasy epic The Promise. how the TV series reflects the reality and iQiyi on July 14, the series domi Starring in a number of TV shows Twenty Your Life On chronicles the colorful life of four college students who live in the same dorm room of life for many young people have nated last week’s TV ratings, obtain and movies, such as The Novaland: of a fictional university in Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong province. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY registered more than 310 million ing 7.5 points out of 10 on the The Castle in the Sky and To Be A views on the microblogging plat country’s popular review aggregator Better Man, Guan is considered to form, Sina Weibo. Douban. be one of the most popular actresses emerging business which has rapid report from China Internet Network with reallife bloggers as a prepara “I hope the TV series acts like a Guan’s character is a beautiful, yet of her generation. ly expanded in the digital era. Information Center. tion for the drama. mirror, reflecting the universal slightly arrogant, youngster major On Sina Weibo, a barometer for Statistics show that around 710 “I once thought working as a For the director of the series, worries and confusions of the ing in tourism management who popularity in China, the 23yearold million people in China are accus beauty blogger was easy and inter 37yearold Li Zhi, who was previ young people, and helps the audi dreams of fame and riches but is actress is followed by nearly 31 mil tomed to purchasing things through esting, but actually they need to be ously a movie journalist in the inter ence to examine their true selves,” driven to reevaluate her life’s priori lion fans. online platforms, and a lot of them smart, diligent and persistent. It’s net portal Sohu.com, the show is a Li says. ties after a series of disappoint She reveals the new series has love to buy products recommended quite difficult to be successful in way to connect with China’s ments. expanded her knowledge of the by livestreaming celebrities or such a fiercely competitive busi 20somethings. Contact the writer at “I was deeply drawn to the script, internet celebrity economy, an influential bloggers, according to a ness,” says Guan, who consulted Many online say that they reso [email protected] Book sheds new light Yi woman stitches herself a better on classic poet’s famous life through her embroidery skills ode at Hainan temple CHENGDU — Had Shen Xiaoy ing not run away from her remote village in Southwest China’s Sich By CHENG YUEZHU lingwang Miao Bei) as an ode to the uan province more than 30 years [email protected] sea god for protecting him and help ago, she would have married one of ing him to survive in the adverse liv her cousins — a child betrothal Experts and scholars gathered at ing conditions, as well as arranged by her parents — and Hainan University on July 18 for a safeguarding the land and the locals. probably spent the rest of her life seminar and book launch ceremony At the seminar, experts of Su deep in the mountains. on the subject of Su Shi, also called Su Studies from around the country, The woman, from the Yi ethnic Dongpo, a literary giant of the Song with diverse specializations includ group, trekked several days from Dynasty (9601279). ing history, literature, artifacts, folk her village, 3,000 meters above sea The seminar was held in celebra lore and tourism, discussed the Su Dongpo Changhuajiang level, down the mountain to town tion of the 920th anniversary of Su latest research on Su Shi and the Yizong Kaolun offers new at the age of 16. Shi’s calligraphy work engraved on a Junlingwang Temple Inscription. insight into classic works by Su “Life in isolation was so hard stone tablet at the Junlingwang Li Gongyu, vicesecretary of the Shi. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY that I told myself I had to move Temple in Changjiang county, Hain China Su Shi Research Association off the mountain,” says Shen, now Visitors enjoy an exhibition of traditional outfits worn by the Yi an province. and director of the Hainan Su’s 49. ethnic group in Handan, Hebei province. HAO QUNYING / FOR CHINA DAILY Junlingwang is a unique histori Research Association, launched his colleagues accompanied Li on field She was a dishwasher and a cal phenomenon where ancient new book, Su Dongpo Changhuaji trips along the river and interviewed cleaner before opening an embroi people worshiped a giant rock ang Yizong Kaolun (Research on Su local villagers about the legend. dery clothing shop in the city of er’s delicate handiwork helped the ple found her wearing a beautiful beside the Changhua River — the Dongpo’s Traces along Changhua “Over the years many have visited Xichang of Liangshan Yi autono young woman of the family secure Yi costume in the street and bought second longest river in the province River). the temple and viewed the broken mous prefecture, some 200 kilome a longanticipated marriage pro 11 of her designs for 37,000 yuan. that runs through the county to the “Due to the lack of clear historical stone tablet, but never has anyone ters away from her home. The posal, as dexterous hands were “It’s a huge sum of money, con ocean — as an incarnation of the god records, a series of relevant ques read the inscription as meticulously shop, a threestory building, brings expected from any Yi woman who sidering I earned only 60 yuan a of the sea. tions remain debatable in acade as Li. He studied the inscription an annual income of 3 million yuan looked for a fiance. month at that time,” she recalls, As early as the Five Dynasties and mia: did Su really set foot in word by word on the spot, and based (about $430,000). Shen has been fond of needle adding that she was too excited to Ten Kingdoms (907960), emperors Junlingwang Temple? When and his findings on a large number of China is aiming to eradicate work since she was young. She sleep for days. were conferring titles to the deified where did he write the article? Who historical materials and documents. absolute poverty this year. Liang sewed a pair of cloth shoes and a She later opened her shop, rock. In 1082, Song Emperor Shen engraved Su’s original writing onto His attitude to his research is truly shan, home to 178,000 impoverish halter top for her younger brother attracting customers ranging from zong declared the rock Junlingwang the broken stone tablet in front of admirable.” ed people, is one of the poorest when she was 8 years old. Her own movie stars and lawmakers to ordi or Lord of Junling. And the Junling the temple?” Li told the seminar Ruan Zhong, president of the regions in the country. clothes were embroidered with nary people. wang Temple was built to pay trib when explaining his motivation for Hainan Su’s Research Association, Yi women attach much impor patterns of birds, trees, stars and She has hired dozens of ute to the ocean deity. writing the book. said: “The book’s publication is a tance to their clothes. A traditional sheep’s horns — inspiration drawn embroiderers for the expanding Su Shi (10371101), a prominent In order to solve the puzzling major achievement for our associa Yi costume usually consists of a from her life — which were business. Some of her workers can figure in Chinese classic literature, questions, Li spent over three years tion. It drives our research of Su long pleated skirt, an upper gar admired by her neighbors and earn up to 6,000 yuan monthly. is known for his achievements in conducting research of relevant Studies, as well as enhances the Su ment with decorative patterns and classmates. According to the women’s feder poetry, prose, calligraphy, painting texts, going on multiple expeditions Shi culture in Hainan province.” headwear used to wrap long hair, She honed her skills even further ation of Liangshan, the prefecture and even gastronomy. However, his to the temple and consulting with Ruan said that with the recent as well as silver accessories. after an accident with a horse con has more than 30,000 women political career was not stable, and other experts, before publishing his Hainan free trade port policy, the Before the 1990s, when clothes fined her to bed through her pri embroiderers. On average they he was relegated and exiled several findings. province’s development requires a shops were rare, Yi women need mary school years. usually earn 2,000 yuan per times for being involved in political The book confirms and records corresponding strong cultural back ed to make clothes for their fami “I kept sewing in bed, hoping month. factions. for the first time the full text of the ground. The latest findings on the ly members with needle and that I could support myself with “With the money they bring In 1097, Su was once again relegat inscription, and verifies the year works of Su Shi can serve as a link thread. my needlework just like my moth home, women will have a greater ed, this time to Danzhou, Hainan when it was originally engraved. between Hainan’s folk culture and “My mother told me she had er, even if I could not stand up,” she say in their family,” says Zhu Xuelei, province. After three years when he Pang Dahai, president of Changji its tourism resources, thus becom brought home a lot of food by says. vicepresident of the federation. was about to leave, he wrote the Jun ang county’s literature and art asso ing a new symbol of the province’s embroidering for a wealthy family,” Shen did not sell her work until lingwang Temple Inscription (Jun ciation, said that he and his culture. Shen says, adding that her moth the late 1980s when a foreign cou XINHUA