[Mainland Chinese Drama 2016] Thinking of Lu Xiang Bei 一念向北

[sugarplum892]

Details:

Chinese title: 一念向北 / Yīniàn xiàng běi
English title:Thinking of Lu Xiang Bei

Genre: Modern, Romance, Revenge

Episodes: 36

Screenwriter: Xú rùn

Producer: Hawick Lau

Director: Mài guàn zhī

Broadcast Period: April 21, 2016

Adapted from Novel: Yi Nian Lu Xiang Bei by author Ju Xiang Ye

Cast:

Hawick Lau as Lu Xiang Bei

Zhang Li as Tong Yi Nian

Jarvis Wu

Liáng yòulín

Zhāng jùnníng

Zhāng zixuān

Lǐdōnghéng

 

Synopsis:

A marriage not of love, but of greed and revenge. Tong Yi Nian (Zhang Li) is the privileged daughter of the CLS Group chairman. She is forced by her father to marry Lu Xiang Bei (Hawick Lau), despite the fact that she does not love him. Yi Nian’s suspicions that Xiang Bei married her for her wealth and position is confirmed after their marriage, when he mistreats her and openly has an affair with Yi Duo Tong (Liang Yolin), her nemesis. Xiang Bei was abandoned as a child by his father and grew up in an orphanage after he lost his mother in a tragic car accident. Hardened by life’s cruel hand, Xiang Bei is determined to get revenge on the person he believes is responsible for his mother’s death. When Yi Nian learns about Xiang Bei’s tragic past, what will she do?

Watch it here with English subs!

**Please use spoiler tags for those who have not seen the episodes yet**

[spoiler ]enter your spoiler here without the spaces inside the brackets[ /spoiler]

Preview:

OSTs:

Hawick Lau - Thinking of Xiang Bei

Hawick Lau - Returning Home Because of Love

Additional Links:

Thinking of Lu Xiang Bei 一念向北 Viki English Subbed Episodes

Thinking of Lu Xiang Bei 一念向北 Raw Episodes

Thinking of Lu Xiang Bei 一念向北 Ebook

Thinking of Lu Xiang Bei 一念向北 Audiobook

**Please use spoiler tags for those who have not seen the episodes yet**

[spoiler ]enter your spoiler here without the spaces inside the brackets[ /spoiler]

[sugarplum892]

Thinking of Lu Xiang Bei 一念向北 Viki English Subbed Episodes

Thinking of Lu Xiang Bei 一念向北 Raw Episode

[creidesca]

anyone watching? I'm up to episode 12.

Since I'm not fluent in Chinese, I'm a bit confused. Lu Xiang Bei has 2 enemies?

Spoiler

His father (who left him and his mother, knowing he was deaf) and Yi Nian's dad (directly killed Xiang Bei's mom by car accident?). It seems he is finished with his revenge for his father (?) and has moved onto Yi Nian's dad?

 

edit: Onto episode 13...

Spoiler

I guess w/ Xiang Bei's grandpa being blind, he is not truly sure that Xiang Bei's mom is killed by Yi Nian's dad?

 

[dekaron]

Hawick with really similar roles

[creidesca]

Seems like the drama adaptation differs greatly from the synopsis/novel from what I've seen of the 1st 13 episodes.

[creidesca]

I'll be crossing my fingers for a DVD release of this drama. The CNTV version has edits which differs from the slight edits of the QQ version, which also differs from the edits to the HRBTV version that aired back in Feb. Why can't a station just air the drama w/o any scenes cut?

[sugarplum892]

14 hours ago, dekaron said:

Hawick with really similar roles

that's what I thought so I am wondering should I give this a try?...

[creidesca]

Great, now that the HRBTV version (most of the 38 episodes) has been blocked on youtube. Of the 11 HRBTV (the drama went under a different name on this station) episodes I skimmed through last night, there were scenes that would make the story in the QQ and/or CNTV version so much more understandable. For example, at least now I see how Duo Tong and Qi Kang's brother-in-law got to know each other/why he's helping her out, which lead to the misunderstanding b/w him and his wife. And small extensions of flashbacks of Xiang Bei and Yi Nian when they were little (they were together for quite awhile and not just in that hole she fell down in where she met him) and of when Xiang Bei was little and Dad figured out his son was deaf before leaving him (how he treated his son).

[IMOmusings]

Hawick in this drama sort of reminds me of his role in that drama with Yang Mi...except less of an actual playboy and more a mastermind?

[lovehbhjw2013]

The fun fact for me to watch this drama is Hawick is so deaf and yet he absolutely lives a normal life in the eyes of everyone...  How to pull off such a tough act flawlessly without being caught?   So this mystery of XiangBei keeps me going for now as I have no special feelings for the lead actress YiNian yet...she seems quite ordinary to me except that she is actually a princess who prefers to live like a pauper.

[creidesca]

6 hours ago, lovehbhjw2013 said:

The fun fact for me to watch this drama is Hawick is so deaf and yet he absolutely lives a normal life in the eyes of everyone...  How to pull off such a tough act flawlessly without being caught?   So this mystery of XiangBei keeps me going for now as I have no special feelings for the lead actress YiNian yet...she seems quite ordinary to me except that she is actually a princess who prefers to live like a pauper.

 

Yi Nian already caught on though;

Spoiler

she's been w/ him in instances where people are calling/yelling out to him and because he doesn't see their lips, doesn't know.

What surprises me more is that though Yi Nian is a rich girl's daughter, the mother of the boyfriend doesn't like her at all. It just can't be because she's the daughter of a rival company.

[budgerie]

I have watched until episode 21 and decided to say goodbye. Hawick acting here is no where compared to SWAK. The drama is not as thrilling as it is. TBH i rather re watch SWAK. 

[lovehbhjw2013]

i finished all 36 episodes.  The revenge is just too iterative and repetitive sometimes.  Wonder if writer has anything to write if there is no revenge...

The ending has a good moral to squash off the revenge though...

However, the part of Xiang Bei falling ill suddenly went unknown...after a coma..... 

At the end I still cannot connect with the actress.  Though plump and not as pretty then the actress in SWAK was much more fun to watch.  

[IMOmusings]

1 hour ago, lovehbhjw2013 said:

i finished all 36 episodes.  The revenge is just too iterative and repetitive sometimes.  Wonder if writer has anything to write if there is no revenge...

The ending has a good moral to squash off the revenge though...

However, the part of Xiang Bei falling ill suddenly went unknown...after a coma..... 

At the end I still cannot connect with the actress.  Though plump and not as pretty them the actress is SWAK was much more fun to watch.  

I haven't watched it all yet as I'm in the process of downloading it....but does he fall majorly ill? Or is it like a really bad cold?

[lovehbhjw2013]

1 hour ago, IMOmusings said:

I haven't watched it all yet as I'm in the process of downloading it....but does he fall majorly ill? Or is it like a really bad cold?

Spoiler

He fell majorly ill and needed a surgery with a 50-50 chance of living but after he got into a coma due to something else.....think we are supposed to assume he did a surgery during his coma and resume his health...    Or maybe I missed some commentaries in between..

 

[sugarplum892]

 

  

[budgerie]

@lovehbhjw2013Agree with you. I rather watch Ying Er in SWAK. Hawick don't seem to have chemistry with this female lead. Don't know is it only me (or anyone feel the same), that after SWAK main drama, his other drama no longer impresses. His facial expression seemed stiff all the time. 

[lia00027]

Wait a minute people do not discourage watching this drama because of unliking comments above. Yes Hawick's acting is totally different with when he was acting on "Sealed with a kiss" definitely because he is acting as 2 different characters. As Lu Xiang Bei Hawick was acting as an unlucky person who was poor and growing up in a harsh life without his real parents beside him while on SWAK he was still a rich man's son and noted that he was not really alone since his parents were alive when he was a child not grew up as an orphan, so of course he was portraying differently but people tend to compare his acting on SWAK with another drama which i can understand since it is his role breakthrough and his great acting so far. However still he is really good acting as Lu Xiang Bei ( i'm currently watching ep. 29). 

The synopsis should be changed because the story is totally different even though the characters are similar. Instead of forcing to be marriage Tong Yi Nian was fall for Lu Xiang Bei because she knew that guy is not a bad person and he has his own goodness but never show it in front of others, but conflict arised when Xiang Bei's grandfather was not allowing Xiang Bei to be with Yi Nian since Yi Nian's father his ex-student did bad thing to him hence the grandpa wanted Xiang Bei to take over Tong's company (perfect) and Xiang Bei's father company (Huajai). In all the bad things Xiang Bei cared for his foster-mom like his real mom and the mom (Liang ma) adored Yi Nian and knew those two hearts only accepted Yi Nian as her daughter-in-law not the bad girl (Ying ying) whom Xiang Bei grandpa forced him to  marry to. Conflicts arised with new characters showing up but Tong Yi Nian's ultimate trust to Xiang Bei is amazing won him over her stocks in Tong's company and she did nothing wrong with that.  

So far I find the plot running quite quick compare to usually dragging mainland drama, the story is not boring if you followed it closely you will feel Lu Xiang Bei is a sad characted and Tong Yi Nian is matured through episods which encouraged me to watch more since I found her character as dummy at first, yes it is a nice development the other would be when Xiang Bei tried to love rather than taking revenge.

Watching this drama will need concentration since the eng sub is until ep. 4 so far yet i can understand the story line (i guess my chinese is not bad after all) but you will not find it boring if you can find the true stories of each characters since the story is not too dragging and not too complicated, instead it moved on quite fast and the problems will be easy to handle since main character Lu Xiang Bei was made as a  smart and intelligent person even though he has few flaws so he can handle one problem to another. Yes the actress who was acting as Tong Yinian is really not bad i can say she is good and don't compare her with another actresses whom were acting with Hawick before since they were acting as totally different characters on each dramas.

  

[creidesca]

7 hours ago, lia00027 said:

Wait a minute people do not discourage watching this drama because of unliking comments above. Yes Hawick's acting is totally different with when he was acting on "Sealed with a kiss" definitely because he is acting as 2 different characters. As Lu Xiang Bei Hawick was acting as an unlucky person who was poor and growing up in a harsh life without his real parents beside him while on SWAK he was still a rich man's son and noted that he was not really alone since his parents were alive when he was a child not grew up as an orphan, so of course he was portraying differently but people tend to compare his acting on SWAK with another drama which i can understand since it is his role breakthrough and his great acting so far. However still he is really good acting as Lu Xiang Bei ( i'm currently watching ep. 29). 

The synopsis should be changed because the story is totally different even though the characters are similar. Instead of forcing to be marriage Tong Yi Nian was fall for Lu Xiang Bei because she knew that guy is not a bad person and he has his own goodness but never show it in front of others, but conflict arised when Xiang Bei's grandfather was not allowing Xiang Bei to be with Yi Nian since Yi Nian's father his ex-student did bad thing to him hence the grandpa wanted Xiang Bei to take over Tong's company (perfect) and Xiang Bei's father company (Huajai). In all the bad things Xiang Bei cared for his foster-mom like his real mom and the mom (Liang ma) adored Yi Nian and knew those two hearts only accepted Yi Nian as her daughter-in-law not the bad girl (Ying ying) whom Xiang Bei grandpa forced him to  marry to. Conflicts arised with new characters showing up but Tong Yi Nian's ultimate trust to Xiang Bei is amazing won him over her stocks in Tong's company and she did nothing wrong with that. 

 

Only gripe I have w/ the drama so far, as released by QQ and CCTV, is the edits. Those scenes found in the HRBTV version (and not the QQ and CCTV ones) flesh out the characters better. For example in the CCTV/QQ episode 10 (HRBTV episode 11)...

Spoiler

scene between Yi Nian and Xiang Bei in his office when she saw the article in the magazine. After her memories of little Yi Nian and the "gege", we have Xiang Bei gazing at her and Yi Nian continues with her memories of the little her distracting the stall owner so he could steal pao for the two of them, and Xiang Bei has his own memories where he is pushing her in a stroller and another scene where he writes something in the sand. Then in the CCTV/QQ version we have Yi Nian leaving the office and Xiang Bei in his own thoughts, whereas in the HRBTV version, right after she leaves and he's in his own thoughts, Xiang Bei makes a comment (I think something similar to why is it her). So by then he already knows, which makes the scene when Yi Nian goes to find him after the news is spread that he's deaf all the more endearing.

 

[Table122000]

Hi Everyone!

I just started this drama. Right now I am waiting for more episodes to be subbed in English because it seeems to be quite different from the synopsis? I read that adultery is now against the rules for TV shows in China that were just passed so perhaps they had to do a lot of re-editing to cut out that storyline and change things for broadcast? I don't know.  Thanks to everyone for the information about the drama and also the cut scenes. That is really helpful since I don't speak Chinese. Actually, I was kind of looking forward to the drama as described in the synopsis as I like shows that explore the darker themes. However, the show still looks interesting to me right now as well. I guess it's more of a straight revenge type drama? Anyway, hope to see more posts about the episodes from everyone.