Houston to Host Online Spring Festival Gala
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16 | Friday, January 22, 2021 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE Strength of characters A new TV series adapted from the writing of prolific Hong Kong author, Yi Shu, is finding an appreciative audience for its strong, wellrounded female protagonists and realistic depiction of modern women’s friendships, Xu Fan reports. ith most of her novels charm that easily draws you into the vividly portraying story’s atmosphere, but what makes intelligent and beauti- Jiang and Zhu’s story quite relatable ful women striving for is their enduring friendship,” says successW in the metropolis, Hong Qin. “It makes me believe that Kong writer Isabel Nee Yeh-su — friendship can stand the test of time better known by her pen name Yi much better than love.” Shu — has captivated readers for However, the author’s stories are more than half a century. widely believed to be a difficult task As the latest adaptation of her nov- when it comes to being adapted for el The Golden Years, which was first the screen, due to their shortage of published in 1987, the 38-episode My plot twists and character develop- Best Friend’s Story has recently ment arcs. Qin reveals that she made a splash online. writes biographies for every major Hashtags containing the drama’s character before starting to pen the title have generated 3.5 million posts script. and 1.2 billion views on the micro- “In most of Yi Shu’s novels, male blogging platform Sina Weibo. The characters come and go and are TV series has also become a frequent- often fleeting, adding to the difficul- ly searched topic on some social ty in adapting her work into a TV media platforms, from the country’s drama, as viewers are used to seeing largest question-and-answer web- a major character exist through the site, Zhihu, to the short video app, entirety of the story,” Qin further Douyin. explains. For the drama’s scriptwriter Qin So, she fictionalizes several major Wen and director Shen Yan, the male characters, including a capa- work marks their second collabora- ble sales manager and a nosy secre- tion, following the 2017 TV series tary, and also adds content to enrich The First Half of My Life — a televi- the personalities of the male charac- sion adaptation of another of the ters who are originally featured in author’s novels which tells the story The Golden Years. of a hardworking single mother — Additionally, she interviewed as they bring to life the charming architects and real estate industry protagonists penned by Yi Shu. insiders to learn details about their “We didn’t expect the TV series to professions and careers, helping her be so popular,” recalls Qin, during a to more accurately create scenes at telephone interview with China construction sites and in the office. Daily. “More importantly, though, it Likening her brain to a cabinet with has helped Yi Shu’s novels to attract many drawers, Qin says that she has fresh attention from film and televi- become used to observing people sion production companies.” while she’s out, sorting their distinc- Riding on the wave of the success tive characteristics into the various of The First Half of My Life, the pro- “drawers”. duction company New Classic “The biggest joy of working as a Media purchased the copyright of scriptwriter is that I can ‘become’ The Golden Years, casting Ni Ni and any of my characters, breathing life Liu Shishi — both ranked among the into them and experiencing their most popular female stars in their joys and sorrows,” says Qin. age group — to represent the two For some critics and television protagonists. show researchers, the popularity of As an effort to localize the origi- My Best Friend’s Story exemplifies nal tale which takes place in late the growing demand from the 1980s Hong Kong, the TV series domestic audience for TV dramas brings the timing closer and and films with strong, independent switches its location to contempo- female characters. rary Shanghai, the international Wang Yichuan, a literature pro- city which Qin believes bears the fessor at Beijing Normal University, best resemblance, in the terms of says that China’s four-decade-long personality and spirit, to the setting TV series My Best Friend’s Story, adapted from the novel, The Golden Years, by Hong Kong writer Yi Shu, has made a splash online recently. reform and opening-up has raised in Yi Shu’s novel. The tale centers on two best friends Jiang Nansun (played by Liu Shishi, center left) and Zhu Suosuo (Ni Ni, center right). It also stars actors the status and education level of The tale focuses on best friends Chen Daoming (top left) and Wu Yufang (top right), Yang Le (above left) and Dong Zijian. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY women. Jiang Nansun and Zhu Suosuo — “There are wonderful women in played by Liu and Ni, respectively — all walks of life in our society, pro- who lead completely different lives, viding inspiration for TV series and but always support each other no films. All these works reflect the matter what, whether one is trapped Yi Shu’s wording is a powerful charm that easily draws you into the story’s atmosphere, public’s recognition of women’s con- in a doomed affair or the other is but what makes Jiang and Zhu’s story quite relatable is their enduring friendship. tribution and dedication,” says struggling with her career. Wang, citing such hit television dra- In the story Zhu is young when It makes me believe that friendship can stand the test of time much better than love.” mas as Nothing but Thirty, Dear her parents split up and she is sent Missy and Twenty Your Life On. Qin Wen, scriptwriter to live with her uncle’s family. Self- Lu Rong, a TV research professor taught, she grows to be streetwise, with the Communication University yet sophisticated. After landing a life is full of high-end brands and says she has sat, curled up on the well-educated character, who’s gen- became dubbed as one of the “three of China, says China’s female-led TV job in high-end property sales, she expensive hairstylists. Even during sofa, to watch the latest episodes, as tle yet unyielding, while Ni Ni vividly top miracles” in the golden age of series have already shaped a huge works diligently, but her beautiful routine dinners at home, the fami- she’s barely visited the film sets of portrays an ambitious and magnani- Hong Kong literature, Yi Shu has audience base, but suggests that cre- looks and ambition make her a sub- ly’s table is served with dozens of her stories. mous woman,” says Qin, a Shanghai penned around 300 books, most of ators take greater care to observe ject for the office rumor mill. mouthwatering dishes cooked by a “I like both of the two leading native herself, who graduated from which feature strong female charac- real life in order to make the stories Jiang is almost the opposite, as nanny. However, Jiang believes she actresses, whose natural acting the Central Academy of Drama. ters and are written in short and more realistic. she grew up in a rich family. Her is like a bird imprisoned in a golden chops authentically bring to life of A prolific writer who, alongside sharp sentences that belie their home is a luxurious villa in down- cage and dreams to escape. the two characters. Liu Shishi the late martial arts novelist Louis thought-provoking depth. Contact the writer at town Shanghai’s Fuxing Street. Her Just like the common viewer, Qin matches the temperament of her Cha and sci-fi writer Ni Kuang, “Yi Shu’s wording is a powerful [email protected] Drawing on an ancient craft Houston to host online Artisans produce “pi paper”, or “bastfiber paper” (right and bottom Spring Festival gala left), and a unique type of flower- and-plant-based paper (bottom HOUSTON — A grand Spring right) in Shiqiao village, located in Festival gala is going to be staged Guizhou province’s Qiandongnan online to celebrate the upcoming Miao and Dong autonomous Chinese Lunar New Year, which Around 70 acts have prefecture. falls on Feb 12 this year, the orga- signed up for the The artisans have been recognized as nizer said on Saturday in Houston, masters of the craft that originated Texas. event, more than centuries ago and is now a national- The show Embracing Spring any year before.” level intangible cultural heritage. will be the largest of its kind in The process to make bast-fiber paper Houston, and this year will be the Jiajin Ji, director of the show involves pulping the inner bark of ninth anniversary for the tradi- Embracing Spring, a grand Spring Festival gala which mulberry or similar trees. tional celebration. will go online this year in To meet Spring Festival demand, the At a news briefing on Saturday, Houston, the United States villagers have been working extra the organizer said that due to the hours in the cooperative, which was COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s initiated to preserve the craft and to gala will be held online for the 70 acts have signed up for the attract greater visitor numbers. first time through internet plat- event, more than any year The bast-fiber paper is used for forms such as YouTube and You- before,” director of the show Jia- artistic endeavors, such as ku, among others, on Feb 6. jin Ji says. Only around 30 have calligraphy and painting, while the Yang Deqing, chief executive of been chosen, due to time limita- flower-based paper is used for deco- the Chinese Civic Center, says sev- tions.