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[Mainland Chinese Drama 2019] Novoland: Eagle Flag 九州缥缈录


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An article in Weibo speculated 3 reasons NEF broadcast is yanked, and fears that rather than just a delay in broadcast (which fans would gladly wait for), it might end up being shelved like 天下长安 Peace in the Palace, Peace in Changan.

 

Please note that these are just all speculations on the part of the writer of the article, and no idea if any of them has merit, but anyway, the three main reasons given are as follows:

 

1. An increase in the court intrigues and power struggles - the original novel had few romantic scenes and female-centric scenes, but the adaptation supposedly has changed it such that Lü Guichen, who was originally sent to the kingdom of Tang as a hostage in the book, is now supposed to have gone there due to a marriage alliance, with his bride-to-be being Yuran. In addition, there will be emphasis on power struggles and personal vendettas e.g. Su Shunqin has a vendetta against Yuran and her grandfather, while the Grand Princess who appears very late in the books, shows up at the start and is expected to be at the heart of many court intrigues.

 

2. A strong emphasis on religious beliefs between the militant 辰月 Chengyue whose priests claim to be messengers of God and exhibit a blind belief; and 天驱 Tianzhu who believe in the power of the stars and that Lü Guichen is the embodiment of the star of death Gu Xuan

 

3. The battle scenes are too brutal and unsuitable viewing for young people. This includes Lü Guichen having to see with his own eyes the massacre of those he cared for - the tying of the dead Zhenyan men to the stakes, the womenfolk who kill themselves rather than be subject to abuse, and his wetnurse who died at the hands of her abusers. It was bad enough reading it in the novel, how much more watching it play out on screen.

 

 

Either way, fingers crosssed that whatever issues NEF is facing with its broadcast will be ironed out hopefully soon.

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4 hours ago, liddi said:

An article in Weibo speculated 3 reasons NEF broadcast is yanked, and fears that rather than just a delay in broadcast (which fans would gladly wait for), it might end up being shelved like 天下长安 Peace in the Palace, Peace in Changan.

 

Please note that these are just all speculations on the part of the writer of the article, and no idea if any of them has merit, but anyway, the three main reasons given are as follows:

 

1. An increase in the court intrigues and power struggles - the original novel had few romantic scenes and female-centric scenes, but the adaptation supposedly has changed it such that Lü Guichen, who was originally sent to the kingdom of Tang as a hostage in the book, is now supposed to have gone there due to a marriage alliance, with his bride-to-be being Yuran. In addition, there will be emphasis on power struggles and personal vendettas e.g. Su Shunqin has a vendetta against Yuran and her grandfather, while the Grand Princess who appears very late in the books, shows up at the start and is expected to be at the heart of many court intrigues.

 

2. A strong emphasis on religious beliefs between the militant 辰月 Chengyue whose priests claim to be messengers of God and exhibit a blind belief; and 天驱 Tianzhu who believe in the power of the stars and that Lü Guichen is the embodiment of the star of death Gu Xuan

 

3. The battle scenes are too brutal and unsuitable viewing for young people. This includes Lü Guichen having to see with his own eyes the massacre of those he cared for - the tying of the dead Zhenyan men to the stakes, the womenfolk who kill themselves rather than be subject to abuse, and his wetnurse who died at the hands of her abusers. It was bad enough reading it in the novel, how much more watching it play out on screen.

 

 

Either way, fingers crosssed that whatever issues NEF is facing with its broadcast will be ironed out hopefully soon.

Thanks for sharing.

 

I don't see why court intrigue, romance and power struggles would be an issue: that's what every historical drama is about.

 

I can see why the religious aspect and violence might be an issue but they should be able to edit those. If it is the latter two I don't understand why this wasn't flagged when it was submitted to the censors before.

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@raziela In January this year, after an article published by the Chinese government media in January, listing 5 major negative effects of palace intrigue productions, which include:

1. it has become fashionable to idolise the lifestyle of royalty, whereby those who bask in the glory of royalty end up being arrogant

2. The detailed portrayal of palace intrigues will worsen social evolution, which is incompatible with the socialist core values currently advocated by China, and a very real danger

3. Glorifying the era of emperors or ministers, detracting away from the glory of the current regime, the founding fathers of New China, model heroes and outstanding communists

4. Promoting luxury and pleasure, showcasing the extravagant style of the palace, which goes against the country's advocacy of the beautiful tradition of hard work

5. The one-sided pursuit of commercial interests while weakening positive spiritual guidance. Despite the commercial hype and success of such shows, there is no positive significance in cultural development

 

all broadcasts of the such productions on the major broadcasting networks were immediately halted and swapped out for other shows.

 

I can't imagine so much palace intrigue in NEF, but who knows, since supposedly the Grand Princess is now a key player while Yuran is featured as LGC's bride-to-be, and the target of Su Shunqin's vendetta. 

 

As for violence and religious aspects, I am hoping that it being pulled at the last minute could have been due to some 11th hour complaint to that effect, and that it is now being edited to meet the censorship board's requirements. 

 

As I said, all these are mere speculations, and should be taken with a massive tub of salt until proven otherwise :P 

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2 hours ago, raziela said:

Thanks for sharing.

 

I don't see why court intrigue, romance and power struggles would be an issue: that's what every historical drama is about.

 

I can see why the religious aspect and violence might be an issue but they should be able to edit those. If it is the latter two I don't understand why this wasn't flagged when it was submitted to the censors before.

 

2 hours ago, liddi said:

 

As I said, all these are mere speculations, and should be taken with a massive tub of salt until proven otherwise :P 

 

Pretty sure there has been dramas released this year with court struggles etc.. maybe this will have to go to a online drama only like tribes and other shows that were not allowed on air. 

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https://curiouscat.me/eagleflag_intl/post/894103223?t=1559683323

 

Is Novoland Eagle Flag not yet being replaced by another drama (but instead having Running Man aired in its place [according to rumor]) a good sign that it might air soon? What are the rumors about its withdrawal in China?
Giving a more comprehensive answer since everyone's curious (but the short answer is that no one - including industry insiders - really knows what's going on)
 
1) The unofficial word is that Zhejiang TV is giving it one week - they will continue to air Keep Running reruns this week as Linmon (with the help of Youku, Tencent, and possibly ZJTV) scrambles to get the green light to air again. This is mostly due to 1) ZJTV spent a lot purchasing broadcasting rights for NEF,
 
2) it's supposed to be one of their headliner dramas this year, and 3) they don't have a backup new drama that can immediately take the slot as they need time to get a broadcasting license as well. 2) What happens in a week then? If NEF still can't get cleared, then that's it - ZJTV will air a new drama, and it'll be pretty much confirmed that NEF won't be airing on TV this year, as ZJTV has the rest of its lineup for the year already set. And the second half/third of the year will be all dramas dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the PRC.
 
3) You might ask then, what about just an online broadcast then through Youku and Tencent? It depends on the severity of the issue, since technically webdramas and TV dramas are supposed to be held to the same standards now, but Youku just dropped another teaser yesterday, so it seems like they're saying "we're good to go". However, this is a problem for later - Linmon's short term goals will be focused primarily on getting a TV broadcast.
 
4) As for why the drama got pulled - no one knows. Everyone - the production team, industry insiders, cast, etc. - were blindsided. Jiang Nan confirmed yesterday that he doesn't know why either. The rumor out there is that someone reported NEF to NRTA in the eleventh hour. It wasn't initiated by NRTA because they already issued the broadcasting license and would've been inactive that late at night, but if a third party raises an alarm that they think there might be inappropriate (read: sensitive) content in the drama, NRTA is forced to retract and re-examine (this is supposedly what happened to Hunan TV's Investiture of the Gods too - though in their case Hunan TV just axed it since it was already airing). That's why the solution won't be as easy as "edit stuff out" either - there are a lot of moving parts here in a constantly changing political environment. The NEF production team did everything right, they obtained the right licenses and followed all the proper processes. But the rules changed on them last minute, and while it is immensely unfair, they aren't the first (though this close to premiere is unprecedented), and they won't be the last, unfortunately. Industry journalists don't seem very optimistic at this stage that things can be resolved in a week, but I guess we'll just have to see.
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7 hours ago, liddi said:

it might end up being shelved like 天下长安 Peace in the Palace, Peace in Changan.

The "reason" that's widely circulated on weibo about this drama is that CCTV got its exclusive rights. They were meant to air on CCTV (a severely cut version, 48 vs 70 episodes. it's not unusual for cctv to re-edit dramas, and sometimes they are better for it) and online at the same time. For some reason, the production company decide it'll put bunch of episodes out before they air on TV, so CCTV got angry and it got yanked. The official account is still stuck at saying they are trying to reach an agreement with the broadcasting platforms.

 

With Novoland, I think it was mentioned last page and this page too, that it was reported. I saw rumour mill that Zhejiang TV reported The Gods, and it was taken down due to deviating too much from classic literature and smth smth. Hunan TV retaliated and Novoland have some sensitive material so here we are. If true, this is just ridiculous, why oh why.

 

If it airs as a webdrama, Zhejiang TV would lose out big time. The drama itself wouldn't get as much industry recognitions (you HAVE to air on TV for industry awards). It's why all the big production projects wants to air on TV, and ofc it reaches a far wider audience.

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Rumors about "Novoland:Eagle Flag" are swirling all over weibo.

 

This article here claimed the content in NEF is acceptable, and the reason it got pulled off was due to being affected by "The Gods of Investiture" drama (which got reported for distorting the original folklore tale). Basically, an accidental collateral damage:

https://www.weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404379420486956044

 

Another article speculated the delay had to do with the college exams (6/7-6/9) and the drama should be back next week:

https://www.weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404379831885253536

 

Without an official statement from the media regulators, it's tough to figure out the facts.

Guess we'll just have to wait till next week to see what happens..

 

 

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1 hour ago, FightSphere457 said:

Rumors about "Novoland:Eagle Flag" are swirling all over weibo.

 

This article here claimed the content in NEF is acceptable, and the reason it got pulled off was due to being affected by the "The Gods of Investiture" drama (which got reported for distorting the original folklore tale):

https://www.weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404379420486956044

 

Another article speculated the delay had to do with the college exams (6/7-6/9) and the drama should be back next week:

https://www.weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404379831885253536

 

 

Without an official statement from the media regulators, it's tough to figure out the facts.

Guess we'll just have to wait till next week to see what happens..

 

 

 

Even these make me feel a bit better though cause it means it can still air. 

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 There was an ad for “my robot boyfriend” on Zhejiang tv with an air date of June 11 at 10pm. It looks like Novoland Eagle flag won’t be airing this week or any time soon.

 

Why are china such richard simmons idiots and love to sabotage their own scene.. how can you confirm a show then last minute take it off air?

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This is crazy! I have been waited for this drama to air since last year and then this?? Sometime I just don't get how China government operates for this entertainment sector. If you already licensed a show, you need to stick to your decision. This kind of uncertainty habit would not make them look good to their people anyway. First time I saw something like this happened was Legend of the White Snake. But this is worse....... Anybody know what is the public reaction in China?

 

I smell dirty politic in this. Perhaps some problem in the higher ups; because it makes no sense to just postponed a drama already scheduled for airing just a few minutes before it airs. I believe the story is not the problem. It already passed censorship, what more they want? Also, it has not even aired yet. Nobody could complain about the story not good for children or something like that.

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2 hours ago, xienrue said:

This is crazy! I have been waited for this drama to air since last year and then this?? Sometime I just don't get how China government operates for this entertainment sector. If you already licensed a show, you need to stick to your decision. This kind of uncertainty habit would not make them look good to their people anyway. First time I saw something like this happened was Legend of the White Snake. But this is worse....... Anybody know what is the public reaction in China?

 

I smell dirty politic in this. Perhaps some problem in the higher ups; because it makes no sense to just postponed a drama already scheduled for airing just a few minutes before it airs. I believe the story is not the problem. It already passed censorship, what more they want? Also, it has not even aired yet. Nobody could complain about the story not good for children or something like that.

 

Rumor was someone reported this drama which caused it to get pulled off at the last minute. A NEF fan blogger wrote a good description of what's happened:

 

" Giving a more comprehensive answer since everyone's curious (but the short answer is that no one - including industry insiders - really knows what's going on):

 

1) The unofficial word is that Zhejiang TV is giving it one week - they will continue to air Keep Running reruns this week as Linmon (with the help of Youku, Tencent, and possibly ZJTV) scrambles to get the green light to air again. This is mostly due to 1) ZJTV spent a lot purchasing broadcasting rights for NEF, 2) it's supposed to be one of their headliner dramas this year, and 3) they don't have a backup new drama that can immediately take the slot as they need time to get a broadcasting license as well.

 

2) What happens in a week then? If NEF still can't get cleared, then that's it - ZJTV will air a new drama, and it'll be pretty much confirmed that NEF won't be airing on TV this year, as ZJTV has the rest of its lineup for the year already set. And the second half/third of the year will be all dramas dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the PRC.

 

3) You might ask then, what about just an online broadcast then through Youku and Tencent? It depends on the severity of the issue, since technically webdramas and TV dramas are supposed to be held to the same standards now, but Youku just dropped another teaser yesterday, so it seems like they're saying "we're good to go". However, this is a problem for later - Linmon's short term goals will be focused primarily on getting a TV broadcast.

 

4) As for why the drama got pulled - no one knows. Everyone - the production team, industry insiders, cast, etc. - were blindsided. Jiang Nan confirmed yesterday that he doesn't know why either.

 

The rumor out there is that someone reported NEF to NRTA in the eleventh hour. It wasn't initiated by NRTA because they already issued the broadcasting license and would've been inactive that late at night, but if a third party raises an alarm that they think there might be inappropriate (read: sensitive) content in the drama, NRTA is forced to retract and re-examine (this is supposedly what happened to Hunan TV's Investiture of the Gods too - though in their case Hunan TV just axed it since it was already airing).

 

That's why the solution won't be as easy as "edit stuff out" either - there are a lot of moving parts here in a constantly changing political environment.

 

The NEF production team did everything right, they obtained the right licenses and followed all the proper processes. But the rules changed on them last minute, and while it is immensely unfair, they aren't the first (though this close to premiere is unprecedented), and they won't be the last, unfortunately.

 

Industry journalists don't seem very optimistic at this stage that things can be resolved in a week, but I guess we'll just have to see."

 

source: https://curiouscat.me/eagleflag_intl/post/894103223

 

 

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18 minutes ago, sonicwave said:

The latest news/rumour is that Zhejiang TV still tries to get EF on air in the coming weeks, so they empty the time slot (withhold My Robot Boyfriend) to wait for a final decision. We just have to be patient.

Apparently now over the sea I come to you rumored to air on  thursday at 10 pm which would be eagle flag time slot ;p 

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27 minutes ago, ForgottenSoulx said:

Apparently now over the sea I come to you rumored to air on  thursday at 10 pm which would be eagle flag time slot ;p 

Yes it's true, but Over the Sea is a 7:30 drama, and 10:00 is just a temporary rebroadcast to fill the empty time, it doesn't really contradict the previous news.

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