''Winter Begonia'' () is a 2020 Chinese television series starring

Huang Xiaoming Huang Xiaoming or Mark Huang (, born 13 November 1977) is a Chinese actor, singer, and model. He graduated from the Performance Institute of the Beijing Film Academy in 2000. Huang first rose to prominence in 2001 for playing Emperor Wu of Han i ...

, Yin Zheng, and

Charmaine Sheh Charmaine Sheh Sze-man (; born 28 May 1975) is a Hong Kong actress. After winning second runner-up in the 1997 Miss Hong Kong pageant, Sheh signed a contract with TVB in 1998. She is best known for her roles in ''Return of the Cuckoo'' (2000 ...

, based on Shui Ru Tian Er's BL

web novel Web fiction is written works of literature available primarily or solely on the Internet. A common type of web fiction is the web serial. The term comes from old serial stories that were once published regularly in newspapers and magazines. Unlike ...

of the same name. It aired exclusively on iQiyi and tells the story of the close relationship between a shrewd businessman and a

Peking opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became fully developed and recognize ...

genius right before the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. While the original web novel depicted the relationship between the two main men as romantic, the adaptation changed this depiction into a " bromance". The show has been praised for its story, visuals and tasteful promotion of Chinese traditional culture, particularly

. iQiyi released a talk show named ''Wang Peiyu Peking Opera Show'' alongside the drama, which features Peking opera performer Wang Peiyu as she elaborates about operatic repertoire/traditions found in ''Winter Begonia'' and in real life. The series began airing on August 7 on Beijing TV at 19:30 CST.

Synopsis

In 1930s Beijing, Shang Xirui ( Yin Zheng) is a famous

''dan'' performer known for his talent and passion for his art. He meets Cheng Fengtai (

), a businessman who saves him from an unruly audience during a performance. Cheng becomes interested in Peking opera and the two men become good friends. Together, they overcome many obstacles including the objection of Fengtai's wife (

), and must struggle to preserve their art in the face of the incoming Japanese occupation.

Cast

Main

as Cheng Fengtai, a businessman * Yin Zheng as Shang Xirui, an opera performer *

as Fan Xianger, Fengtai's wife

Supporting

Tan Jianci Tan Jianci (; born October 5, 1990), also known by his stage name ''JC-T'', is a Chinese actor, singer, and dancer. He is the youngest member of the Chinese idol group M.I.C. Tan is now active as an actor in China and is known for his roles as ...

as Chen Renxiang * Merxat as Fan Lian * Tang Zengcao as Cao Guixiu * Liu Min as Cheng Meixin *

Huang Shengyi Huang Shengyi (, born February 11, 1983), also known as Eva Huang, is a Chinese actress and singer. Early life and education Huang was born and raised in Shanghai. Her father was educated in the United States and lived there in the early 1990s, wh ...

as Gu Dali * Li Zefeng as Du Qi *

Chin Shih-chieh Chin Shih-chieh (; born 29 December 1951) is a Taiwanese actor, director and playwright. Chin is known for his work with the , the , and the . By 1980, he was known as a director, leading the performances of ''Ho Chu’s New Match'' for Lanling. H ...

as Jiang Rongshou *

Du Chun Du Chun (, born 22 May 1983) is a Chinese actor. Early life Du Chun was born in Hebei, China. His parents are also in the performing business. His father, Du Zhiguo is also an actor, and his mother, Yang Li, is a dancer and dancing instructor. A ...

as Yuan Xiaodi * Bai Bing as Jiang Mengping * Li Chunai as Xiao Lai * Wang Xichao as Jiang Dengbao *

Ma Su Ma Su (190–228), courtesy name Youchang, was a military general and strategist of the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period of China. Ma Su had conspicuous talent in military theories and was admired by the Shu chancellor Zhuge Liang. ...

as Yue Liang * Anna Fang as Shi Jiu *

Tang Jingmei Tang Jingmei (born May 24, 1987), is a Chinese actress. She gained popularity through her various supporting roles. Filmography Film Television series Awards and nominations References {{DEFAULTSORT:Tang, Jingmei 1987 births Living ...

as Ceng Aiyu * Zhang Yixi as Cha Chaer * Huang Xingyou as Zhou Xiangyun * Cheng Feng as Xue Qianshan * Chi Shuai as Chang Zhixin * Wang Maolei as Shang Juzhen * Li Yixiao as Cheng Mu * Hei Zi as Cao Siling *

Michelle Yim Michelle Yim Wai-ling (; born September 2, 1955), better known by her stage name ''Mai Suet'' (), is a Hong Kong actress and elder sister of former actress Sidney Yim Wai-ming also known by stage name ''Suet Lei'' (). She graduated from St. Ro ...

as Lao Fujin * Gao Yu'er as Yu Qing * Hou Yansong as Liu Hanyu * Zhang Gongshi as Wang Qi * Lei Han as Ning Jiulang * Wen Haibo as Chairman Zheng * Liu Boxiao as Lao Ge * Sun Di as Si Xi'er * Zhang Tianyun as Chun Xing * Shen Baoping as Hou Yukui

Production

Shooting

The previous 55 episodes were shortened to 49 in June 2018. Shooting began on December 13, 2018 at

Hengdian World Studios Hengdian World Studios () is a film studio located in Hengdian, a Chinese town in the city of Dongyang, Zhejiang Province. It is one of the largest film studios in the world. The movie studio is operated by the privately owned Hengdian Group fo ...

. Principal photography ended on April 29, 2019, and entered post-production.

Peking opera depictions

To accurately depict the traditions of

on the small screen, production brought in experts of the craft to train the actors. The crew also invited 90-year old Peking Opera performing artist Bi Guyun as a drama consultant. Yin Zheng also received one month of closed training from the master. The crew also invited practitioners of specific styles of Peking opera, such as

Hui opera Hui opera, or ''Huiju'' (), is a regional genre of Chinese opera originally from southern Anhui. It is popular in the area around Huangshan City and Chizhou, as well as Wuyuan County, Jiangxi, and was formerly also popular in neighboring Zhejian ...

, to direct the plays that are performed in the drama. As there were many scenes featuring

Kunqu opera Kunqu (), also known as Kunju (), K'un-ch'ü, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. Kunqu is one of the oldest traditional operas of the Han nationality, and is also a treasure of Chinese traditional cul ...

, it is reported that two Kunqu opera directors were needed.

Sets and costumes

The two theaters featured were one-on-one reconstructions of Beijing-Guangzhou Hall and Hu Guang Hall. The Cheng Fu Pavilion and Shui Yun Tower were also completely built by production, necessitating around 20,000 square meters. More than 200 sets of costumes were used in the drama, with more than 100 of them customized by the production team. The Peking make-up and hairstyle on actors were also supervised by professional opera teachers. Art design was headed by Luan Hexin, while clothing design was headed by Song Xiaotao and Li Anqi. Li Xiaoli was in charge of makeup.

Original soundtrack

''Winter Begonia Original Soundtrack'' was compiled and released on March 19, 2020 as an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

Reception

''Winter Begonia'' has been well received by viewers and critics. Its first 12 episodes debuted with a 7.3 out of 10 on Douban. By its conclusion, the show subsequently rose to an 8.1, aggregated by over 100,000 user reviews. The series reportedly went viral on Sina Weibo, in which the show's hashtag received 480 million clicks. ''Beijing Youth Entertainment'' praised

and Yin Zheng's acting as well as the drama's depiction of Peking opera, highlighting it as an example of the potential for film and television to help spread traditional Chinese art and culture. ''People's Entertainment'' praised the show's visuals and the interesting depiction of female characters and their relationships.

Award and nominations

References

{{Reflist

External links

*
Winter Begonia
' on Weibo *
Winter Begonia
' on Douban Chinese period television series Chinese romance television series 2020 Chinese television series debuts 2020 Chinese television series endings Television series by Huanyu Film Mandarin-language television shows Chinese web series IQIYI original programming Television shows based on Chinese novels Fiction about Chinese opera