[Mainland Chinese Web Drama 2020] Three Lives Three Worlds The Pillow Book 三生三世枕上书

[Aari sky]

8 minutes ago, Aari sky said:

Not pillow book..

The mortal realm arc is show In PEACH BLOSSOM.

This is where DH and FJ make their first debut in the three lives universe. 

 

Then later mortal arc is address in bits and pieces in Pillow book

 

In peach blossom,

Siming asking FJ to continue DJ trail is shown in pages 196 to 198 

 

Twin life curse is shown in pages 170-177

If only Pillow books copyright was not purchased then the timeline of Eternal love would have been on right track..

acc to the time line of Peach blossom and Pillow book..

 

Peach blossom: by the time BQ becomes mortal coz of the demon lord seal and meets yehua and jumps from the terrace

Pillow book: FJ goes to Taichen palace works as a maid the whole period 

 

Peach blossom: SuSu jumps from terrace and goes back to being BQ and Ye hua rises Ali for 200 yrs

Pillow books: in this 200yrs FJ ends up becoming DHs baby fox, later leaves on DHs wedding day

 

(Does this mean YCW and ji ling are from Same demon tribe?) 

 

Pillowbook: Later DH falls for 100 yrs of sleep and FJ goes to mortal realm after hearing the rumor of DH mortal trail.. 

Peach Blossom: around this time BQ and YH meet at Easter seals banquet, later BQ goes to mortal realm to help YZ

 

Then the complete mortal arc is covered in Peach Blossom book.. FJ is still paying her debt as CC where BQ leaves the Mortal realm after helping YZ and goes back with Yehua.. and within those 100 yrs of DH's Nap, yehua mortal trail, BQ gaining back her memory, SJ getting punished , YH death and coming back to life after 3 yrs happens. 

 

Where as in mortal arc the events  mentioned in pillow book takes places, emperor chases after FJ for years,  FJ wrecks up the palace , writes love letters to Imperial consort, later gets married to Qingti, Qingti dies , FJ comes back to QQ

 

Few years passes, State of Jin falls, DH finally wakes up and few years later BQ and YH wedding is announced 

 

And then FJ and DH meet for the first time (in their original form) the pillow book starts from here..

 

The Drama adaptation would have been perfect if it followed the original time lines for season 1 (EL) and Season 2 (ELOD) by this method ELOD wouldn't have needed the mortal arc (Personal I liked the improved mortal arc in ELOD)  and would have more time to cover the final chapters in a detailed way (with bonus chapters released after the pillow book)

 

 

 

 

[MayanEcho]

25 minutes ago, Aari sky said:

 

(Does this mean YCW and ji ling are from Same demon tribe?) 

 

Did you mean Li Jing? Li Jing is of the ghost/ghoul tribe. He isn't the same tribe as XY.

 

The 3L3W TMOPB and PB would have been perfect if the chronological order as per the novels were followed, but I guess that ship sailed. At least the first two...

 

Perhaps in the future, if there's a remake from the very beginning? But that won't be possible until probably all the books are over. 

 

Anyhow, as of now, the books are more than enough (for me, hehehe), and getting those adapted to series are an added bonus. What I'd really wish though is that an officially translated set of her books. 

[Miljenko1708]

Does anyone know where I can read first part of Eternal love, I cant find it anywhere?

[jimmylyne]

8 hours ago, Aari sky said:

Not pillow book..

The mortal realm arc is show In PEACH BLOSSOM.

This is where DH and FJ make their first debut in the three lives universe. 

 

Then later mortal arc is address in bits and pieces in Pillow book

 

In peach blossom,

Siming asking FJ to continue DJ trail is shown in pages 196 to 198 

 

Twin life curse is shown in pages 170-177

Ohh...i haven't read TMOPB book.

Anyway thk for the explanation. 

[Ninky]

1 hour ago, jimmylyne said:

Ohh...i haven't read TMOPB book.

Anyway thk for the explanation. 

I have read the chinese version but need to note si ming did not know the emperor is not di jun so the plot still holds. 
 

Si Ming honestly thought that that particular mortal emperor is di jun. but then we all find out in pb that it was not him.

 

 

[Ninky]

Hamster erased the translation of ten miles of peach blossoms due to the plagiarism scandal. And that story has only one book. 
 

Toland’s translation is terrible. A lot of the nuances and context is inaccurate. It is also a very clinical translation.

[jimmylyne]

9 hours ago, Aari sky said:

If only Pillow books copyright was not purchased then the timeline of Eternal love would have been on right track..

acc to the time line of Peach blossom and Pillow book..

 

Peach blossom: by the time BQ becomes mortal coz of the demon lord seal and meets yehua and jumps from the terrace

Pillow book: FJ goes to Taichen palace works as a maid the whole period 

 

Peach blossom: SuSu jumps from terrace and goes back to being BQ and Ye hua rises Ali for 200 yrs

Pillow books: in this 200yrs FJ ends up becoming DHs baby fox, later leaves on DHs wedding day

 

(Does this mean YCW and ji ling are from Same demon tribe?) 

 

Pillowbook: Later DH falls for 100 yrs of sleep and FJ goes to mortal realm after hearing the rumor of DH mortal trail.. 

Peach Blossom: around this time BQ and YH meet at Easter seals banquet, later BQ goes to mortal realm to help YZ

 

Then the complete mortal arc is covered in Peach Blossom book.. FJ is still paying her debt as CC where BQ leaves the Mortal realm after helping YZ and goes back with Yehua.. and within those 100 yrs of DH's Nap, yehua mortal trail, BQ gaining back her memory, SJ getting punished , YH death and coming back to life after 3 yrs happens. 

 

Where as in mortal arc the events  mentioned in pillow book takes places, emperor chases after FJ for years,  FJ wrecks up the palace , writes love letters to Imperial consort, later gets married to Qingti, Qingti dies , FJ comes back to QQ

 

Few years passes, State of Jin falls, DH finally wakes up and few years later BQ and YH wedding is announced 

 

And then FJ and DH meet for the first time (in their original form) the pillow book starts from here..

 

The Drama adaptation would have been perfect if it followed the original time lines for season 1 (EL) and Season 2 (ELOD) by this method ELOD wouldn't have needed the mortal arc (Personal I liked the improved mortal arc in ELOD)  and would have more time to cover the final chapters in a detailed way (with bonus chapters released after the pillow book)

 

 

Dongfeng was a made up or fabricated story in TMOPB drama although there a little bit similarities from PB book.

 

Just a flashback of those day .

 

For those who a true shipper and the fan of Dongfeng from the original book and most of them who already read the book they know how the script writers totally messed up FJ character. 

 

And apparently for those who anti Dongfeng they detest FJ character in TMOPB drama . There was guite a lot of bickering about FJ character "drama vs novel" .A lot of negatives comments about FJ "naive, stupid and dumb no dignity" and there also ..how they praised and love BQ character "cool, brilliant , arrogant and badass" 

 

As someone who also "naive" ( that time i haven't read either TMOPB or PB book and don't even know the book existence) i just fall in love with Dongfeng at the first sight..i still remember when DH saved FJ from the beast in TMOPB drama . It's was so magical..

As for for BQ and YH I'm not really into them because i shipped MoYan and Si Yin at first.

 

Don't blame me i really love MY characters back then.

Back then i made a mistake when Google Dongfeng Ending..i was so sad and so miffted i even stop watching at episode 56..and a few month later i resume watches another two last episodes around the same time when i know Vengo/Reba  reprises their roles in ELOD..i such a coward and I am "the Hater" of Sad Ending.

 

There's was also a discussion about FJ and BQ character . Who was the best character between these two..and why the Production of TMOPB had to toned  down the intensity of Dongfeng character.

 

If interested i just can forwarded the said discussion.

 

[Ninky]

11 minutes ago, jimmylyne said:

Dongfeng was a made up or fabricated story in TMOPB drama although there a little bit similarities from PB book.

 

Just a flashback of those day .

 

For those who a true shipper and the fan of Dongfeng from the original book and most of them who already read the book they know how the script writers totally messed up FJ character. 

 

And apparently for those who anti Dongfeng they detest FJ character in TMOPB drama . There was guite a lot of bickering about FJ character "drama vs novel" .A lot of negatives comments about FJ "naive, stupid and dumb no dignity" and there also ..how they praised and love BQ character "cool, brilliant , arrogant and badass" 

 

As someone who also "naive" ( that time i haven't read either TMOPB or PB book and don't even know the book existence) i just fall in love with Dongfeng at the first sight..i still remember when DH saved FJ from the beast in TMOPB drama . It's was so magical..

As for for BQ and YH I'm not really into them because i shipped MoYan and Si Yin at first.

 

Don't blame me i really love MY characters back then.

Back then i made a mistake when Google Dongfeng Ending..i was so sad and so miffted i even stop watching at episode 56..and and a few month after that i resumes watch another two last episodes back around the same time when i know Vengo/Reba  reprises their roles in ELOD..i such a coward and I am "the Hater" of Sad Ending.

 

There's was also a discussion about FJ and BQ character . Who was the best character between these two..and why the Production of TMOPB had to toned  down the intensity of Dongfeng character.

 

If interested i just can forwarded the said discussion.

 

They did tone down the character of Bai Qian in TMOPB and also Feng Jiu in ELOD. For example, in the book, Feng Jiu was really playing her flute to bring in rain to douse the fire of The Chi Yan beast while dodging the beast at the same time. 
 

Losing the flute playing part made her seem less like a woman of valour but a damsel in distress. She played the flute to save the songstresses and Mi Gu from the fire as his ward was slowly disintegrating. She did this continuously until Di Jun arrived. 

 

As for Bai Qian, the show toned down her high goddess capabilities and make it seem like Ye Hua is wayyyy more

powerful than a high god. They also toned down her hot temper quite a bit.

[jimmylyne]

1 hour ago, Ninky said:

They did tone down the character of Bai Qian in TMOPB and also Feng Jiu in ELOD. For example, in the book, Feng Jiu was really playing her flute to bring in rain to douse the fire of The Chi Yan beast while dodging the beast at the same time. 
 

Losing the flute playing part made her seem less like a woman of valour but a damsel in distress. She played the flute to save the songstresses and Mi Gu from the fire as his ward was slowly disintegrating. She did this continuously until Di Jun arrived. 

 

As for Bai Qian, the show toned down her high goddess capabilities and make it seem like Ye Hua is wayyyy more

powerful than a high god. They also toned down her hot temper quite a bit.

Yes..agreed . it apparently so...it would be fun to watch if they included the scenes where FJ use ZH's flute to summon the rain.

As for BQ ..since i didn't read the books i can't comment much.. but i can say i love her cool and badass character in drama. 

 

But I seem to remember some posters said that the Production upgraded her character into more intense and more badass than the books. 

 

Since i didn't  read the book so i just stick to the drama version of BQ.

 

[Ninky]

3 minutes ago, jimmylyne said:

Yes..agreed it apparently so...it would be fun to watch if they included the scenes where FJ use ZH's flute to summon the rain.

As for BQ ..since i didn't read the books i can't comment much.. but i can say i love her cool and badass character in drama. 

 

But I seem to remember some posters said that the Production upgraded her character into more intense and more badass than the books. 

 

Since i didn't  read the book so i just stick to the drama version of BQ.

 

No I imagined her as more powerful in the books somehow. She had more grit in the book. The book is from Bai Qian's first person view so you don't get other people's point of view. Tang Qi wrote an outtake that shows you a bit of Ye Hua's  POV. So you really really will feel that you hate Ye Hua a lot if you read the book as everything is only from BQ's POV.

 

The Pillow Book's prose is in third person, that's why it feels very different.

[Queen01]

9 hours ago, Miljenko1708 said:

Does anyone know where I can read first part of Eternal love, I cant find it anywhere?

Spoiler

Wattpad.. is where I found the Pillow Books if it's the Peach Blossom version you want I have not been able to find it there. There is fan fiction though if that's you thing, hope this helps.

 

[jimmylyne]

@Ninky 

After read it, would very much love to know your opinions or anyone? who read TMOPB/PB in Chinese and English version.

 

On 9/3/2018 at 1:30 AM, enigmatic_zephy said:

lol.. i am watching season 1 right now..

 

*************

btw, i don't know how many people interpret it the way i do,

but i like that the drama is rearing towards showing respect towards emotional intelligence of the female lead. Her no means a no, her yes means a yes.

 

To explain this further, everyone conveniently keeps declaring how BQ is in love with her master - her family, her first love, all gods, all realms, her husband, her maids, just about everyone thinks that

 

But we never get BQ saying this, feeling it, or showing it.. and we have been shown precisely 3 instances where someone said it to her face ..

1. first time Li jang did, and she didn't even pay importance to that statement.. zero expressions (while watching i thought, it was conscious decision to do so.. in heat of the moment she wouldn't want to pick on that topic.. but as series progresses.. consistency of her behavior to these surmises is interesting)

 

2. When YH asked her, again she completly ignored

 

3. Why 2nd brother said it in presence of 4th brother - family conversation - her marriage.. and this is the 1st time she actually pays heed to that statement and shuns it right there..

 

 

Message: While the entire world, all the realms, for centuries and eons kept believing and saying how a woman loved a man, at the end of the day.. only one person was right.. the woman herself..

( ironically so many love stories play this up.. being in love while not realizing that they are in love)..

 

 

Very powerful message

 

(contrary to the Dijun- FG)

 

On 9/3/2018 at 9:07 PM, redfoxprincess said:

 

Interesting. Actually, most people’s observations are quite opposite to your’s. Bai Qian is thick and slow. Her EQ is basically non-existent, she doesn’t know how to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, she hates any social interaction, and her inability to clarify anything fuels all the misunderstandings along for thousands of years. Bai Qian herself, Zhe Yan and 4th brother all comment on this personality flaw of her’s, being so slow to realise that 1. Mo Yuan is in love with her, 2. Li Jing is in love with her and 3. She is in love with Ye Hua. She causes Li Jing to misunderstand her gratitude towards Mo Yuan, and later causes Ye Hua the same. She fails to let Li Jing know she likes him, fails to realise why Ye Hua is sacrificing so much for her, and fails to realise her own feelings for him. If you had read the book, then this is how the author characterises Bai Qian. Her lack of social interaction means she does not know how to handle situations. But if you are purely talking about the drama, then of course it’s open to interpretation.  The book is told 100% in Bai Qian’s POV and narrated first person - as the reader you know very quickly she has a low EQ and is thick and slow and socially awkward. The drama has a range of POVs and ends up turning down Bai’s Qian’s voice. So maybe that’s why you’ve interpreted it so differently. It is actually the same as all the other cliche love stories - Bai Qian is in love with Ye Hua but takes a long time to realise it, almost too late. As for Mo Yuan, she is too socially inept to realise the important of being clear. In the book, she does not understand why people say the things they say about Mo Yuan, takes offence for the wrong things, and also doesn’t know how to respond (so she doesn’t). She is very tunnel-visioned and completely unaware of how people are interpreting her actions. In both the book and the drama, you can also see her time and time again misinterpreting other people’s words and actions.

 

I don’t understand your final comment on how it’s contrary to Dijun & FJ though, and whether you are referring to DH & FJ in the drama, or DH & FJ in the book (which is entirely different). Care to elaborate?  Eternal Love drama is not “season 1”, by the way. It’s not a prequel to DH & FJ’s story in The Pillow Book drama. So i’m curious about what you’re saying is contrary.

 

On 9/4/2018 at 2:26 AM, enigmatic_zephy said:

hmm.. i thought she was very consistent in knowing what she felt when.. and she is quite self absorbed.. her world revolves around her and her emotions.. 

maybe i saw it back to back that's why.. but consistently i notice, she is never wrong about her own emotions.. even when everyone else is attaching meaning to her emotions..

 

She knew what she felt for her master. True, she never bothered to notice what the master felt for her.. but that's not the point i am making. what i like is she is not oblivious because she is dumb (unlike the redfox).. but she is oblivious because lol.. she really doesn't care .. she is too preoccupied with her own mind and heart

 

She knows when she is angry, she knows when she is putting up a fight just to save her face/dignity/her temper.. she knows exactly what she feels.;

he he.. i interpreted that as her being proud.. which she is.. very very proud.. she is world's most b'ful, she knows it.. while she has never actively shown that off to people.. but her demeanour tells you how she likes to be in control and just about always knows how to get her way.. emotionally intense.. and to handle her, the other person has to be equally intense.. albeit in a restrained way

he he.. i still get her... its quite simple with her.. you have to match her way of doing things for her to actually pay attention to what you are saying or doing   .. YH manages that .. and LJ managed that the first time as well..  LJ could have his chances if he didn't hurt her pride that bad

And she will never explain.. which i frankly like..

but again, i always got the sense that she looked down upon these insignificant rumors/surmises/hints.. she wouldn't give it any bit of importance by entertaining any kind of a reply...its like if someone asked you if you "like" your master, he has already disrespected you..and your master.. and BQ would not entertain it..

 

And the reason i strongly think it was on purpose because the only time she does respond to YH was when she realized she felt very strongly about YH.. before that.. this point has been raised so many times in the drama and not once she shows she even heard those remarks

For FJ, first half of the drama when she is in the palace, the 3 gossip mongers keep talking about her how much she likes DJ but doesn't know.. and in her case she really took a lot of time to realize what she truly felt for him. Now, that i have completed the drama.. darn her character is stupid..

So YH is dead and she is telling bQ to get over it because dead are dead. Just seconds before she was telling DJ how she will die if he dies. And then, instead of caring for aunt, she runs to DJ to ask if he is feeling well..

The only reason i could tolerate this character was because a) Dilraba is very very b'ful b) there is still sthg very cute about how dilraba portrayed it despite crossing limits of stupidity and that annoying 3 year old voice..

 

 

In the end, given how stupid female leads are in chinese drama.. this drama is a bomb.. BRILLIANT ACTING, brilliant script, music ( well, i still don't find Mark good looking but he is a fine actor .. a very very fine actor). . and this actress.. Ah!.. she is gorgeous, amazing.. and BQ character is just awesome!.. i like bossy, raw emotions driven, headstrong female lead ( candy heroine is candy hero here.. poor YH  .. and jerk rich guy with a temper but heart of gold is our actress here)

 

***************

apologies for the diarrhea.. 

ah!.. i have missed the window to be able to discuss this dram a

 

On 9/4/2018 at 9:18 AM, enigmatic_zephy said:

nah! still not an excuse for that annoying way of talking. You are comparing her to DJ, there were kids in the drama.. even they were talking normally.. 

 

oh when i say bomb acting, pretty much everyone is good.. even side characters.. except the guy who plays DJ ( as in he is good but maybe he is a new actor.. but you clearly see what a really good actor could have done with that role.. he lacks a bit of camera chemistry i say.. but he is good.. i just think inexperience shows).. 

 

are you sensitive about FJ or dilraba  .. i said didn't i, the only reason i could tolerate FJ was because of dilraba.. else she is annoying (and when i say she is annoying, i am looking at the script writer and her mindnumbing dialogues )

 

I do wonder why they did that to FJ.. every other character in the drama is sensible in their reality of characterizaitons.. she is really empty up there

 

On 9/4/2018 at 11:02 AM, enigmatic_zephy said:

you mean that is not dilraba's real voice? that's interesting.. i think she purposely modulated her voice to bring out "innocence" part of her character 

he he.. they do make a deadly good looking couple

ofcourse by all means..

well guess you got lucky.. you will be getting 58+24 episode of your bias.. we have to suffice with 58

 

 

Well, i would point out.. this other actor came on my radar because of this .. Lai Yi..

 

How come this set of actors keep repeating in every drama.. like all YM dramas have this combination of main and supporting characters (except male lead). Does china follow thai system? channel has set actors and their dramas keep involving those actors.. (the only time they would venture beyond the group is for male lead or female lead roles)

 

On 9/6/2018 at 11:59 PM, redfoxprincess said:

@enigmatic_zephy In Chinese dramas, 99% of the time, it’s not their own voice. They are all voiced by professional voice actors. The most important reason for this is because China is HUGE with hundreds of provinces and dialects (heavily affecting their accents), and not everyone can speak Mandarin (or to the required proficiency) due to many actors being brought in from Hong Kong, Taiwan (Mark Chao i.e. Ye Hua is Taiwanese) and even Korea and Japan. Many people remark on how strange it is that Chinese dramas use voice actors. But if they didn’t use voice actors, it would be even stranger, eg. imagine Dijun speaking with a strong country accent or something like that. Just an example. In this case, both Vengo and Dilraba’s own voices are fine, but the practice is to have voice actors for all of them, as it is probably logistically easier. I had no issue with FJ’s voice actor and did not feel she spoke like a 3yo (probably because it was already a marked improvement from the audiobook’s voices of DH & FJ! ) An earlier post has a video of FJ’s voice actor and she is a middle-aged lady. FJ was, however, portrayed to be naive and with the typical annoying thought-processes and quirks of a teenager, because she is supposed to be only about 16-18 in human years. That is her age in the book. She was annoying and dumb and made very questionable decisions in the drama. But Dilraba was super cute and DH was super hot and that was enough for me! I agree with @jimmylyne and think Vengo portrayed DH to perfection, even with all the changes, and i have absolute confidence he’ll do it again with all the complexities of the true DH character in The Pillow Book. But people seem to either say he was flipping excellent or his acting lacked, so a matter of opinion and preference, i guess.

 

However, as i and others have pointed out, FJ is much more mature in the book and completely opposite to the way she was characterised in the drama. Her maturity for a 16yo is refreshing, her reasoning is fine, her integrity is admirable and her innocence is adorable. She is also very compassionate and caring, if perhaps sometimes a little naive, but she is a teenager! The huge difference in characterisation is due to the premise of the book: FJ avoids DH while DH chases her. Eternal Love was mainly about YH & BQ so they can’t have 2 female leads, which is why they had to dumb down FJ’s character. With the complexities and, frankly, AWESOMENESS, of The Pillow Book and all the characters in it, DH & FJ would easily, EASILY outshine YH & BQ if they brought in everything from The Pillow Book. But that is NOT what Eternal Love is about. Chronologically, since DH & FJ’s love story happens almost 300 years after the end of Eternal Love, they also can’t really have the 2 stories happen at the same time. I mean, the first time DH & FJ meet properly is at YH & BQ’s wedding! Instead, they made up DH & FJ’s story to fit into the timeline of Eternal Love. In fact, if it was according to the book, DH would have been asleep the ENTIRE TIME due to his 100-year sleep coinciding with most of the events in Eternal Love. The other reason is Yang Mi’s Jaywalk studio does not own the production rights to The Pillow Book, hence the DH & FJ story in the drama is basically COMPLETELY made up, and their characters, although with some similarities in clothing or status or whatever to The Pillow Book, actually have completely different personalities. Luckily, Jaywalk studio is partnering with Penguin for The Pillow Book drama, so some actors will get to reprise their roles.

 

I don’t think people will get sensitive to what you say when it’s your own opinion and interpretation. It’s clear you have NOT read any of the books and you are also not watching the drama in its original language, so it’s completely understandable that your interpretation and understanding is framed around both all the nuances and context you’ve missed, as well as all the extra things you’ve picked up when relying solely on the drama (which has changed and added many things). Still, i don’t agree with any of the things you’ve written about BQ, but we can agree to disagree. I also want to mention that the “rumours” you’ve brought up a few times about how everyone says she’s in love with Mo Yuan - again, that’s drama-only. They really played it up in the drama but it’s not like that in the book. No one really cares about Si Yin’s disappearance and people are not gossiping about that aspect, because it would be abhorrent in the Nine Heavens for them to suggest that their revered God of War Mo Yuan is homosexual. Not even Li Jing knows about Si Yin being a girl until AFTER the 70,000 years, and he only “cheated” on her because he was struggling with his homosexual feelings towards her and felt ashamed, not because he couldn’t be with her supposed tribe or because he was jealous of Mo Yuan - that’s all drama-only. DH certainly wasn’t around to fan the gossip like in the drama, and BQ’s family members did NOT misunderstand her devotion to Mo Yuan as romantic love - they know she honours her master and feels deep gratitude. This was all played up in the drama to remove all the homosexual themes (China censorship). Only Ye Hua really greatly misunderstood BQ’s relationship with Mo Yuan, but that’s because he knows BQ/SY is female. Also, the book never clarifies how Mo Yuan truly feels towards BQ, though he is protective of her. The drama makes it clear that he has always been in love with her and wanted her to wait for him, which is why people like Zhe Yan makes those comments, and rumours get spread. BUT Mo Yuan’s true love is actually Shao Wan in the books (book 3 currently still being written), and after he awakes, Shao Wan gets mentioned and it sets him off (the drama has him trying to confess to BQ, but that is drama-only). All this is a roundabout way of me trying to say - BQ doesn’t respond to rumours or clarify misunderstandings because she didn’t constantly need to in the book. The drama created all the rumours, but still had her react the same nonchalant way as in the books, which actually makes her seem a bit ridiculous. In fact, in the book, the only time someone (Xuan Nu) openly insinuates that BQ is romantically involved with Mo Yuan, BQ flares into anger and disgust and rebukes her immediately. When BQ break ties with Li Jing for the final time, the drama includes the part where BQ tells Li Jing that she did love him, but omits the part in the book where she explains clearly to him about her deep gratitude for her master. What i’m trying to say is, so much is actually modified in the drama, but gets confusing/misinterpreted when you don’t have the context of the book and where changes were made, where things were kept the same.

 

I actually think the drama dumbed down BQ’s character a fair bit and made her EVEN LESS sure of what she wants and her own emotions. In the book, SHE gets turned on when Ye Hua kisses her and wants it, she partakes in tongue-kissing, etc... in the drama, she acts a lot more frigid and pushes him away/slaps him. In the book, SHE wants to sleep with him and not only initiates it very directly and brazenly, shocking Ye Hua, but she also dictates WHERE they’ll do the deed, wonders if she should remove her own clothes, helps him remove his clothes, she even reads erotica, etc. So i guess, in a sense, she does know what she wants. But she does all this NOT because she is confident, bossy, modern/feminist and all that, but rather because she is socially awkward, inexperienced for someone her age and she knows it, and doesn’t know what to do, so she ends up doing things she finds very, very embarrassing, digs a hole, then keeps digging, and digging... The book also repeatedly talks about how she purposely puts on godly airs and wisdom to cut short conversations and awkward situations, either because she is freaking out about needing to make any interactions with people, or because she can’t be bothered and just wants to be left alone to drink or to have yet another granny nap (she drinks and naps a LOT!). She is a hermit, a geek, a tomboy, a terrible alcoholic, and a very old lady. She spent the prime of her life first as a boy, then she stayed in Qing Qiu for 70,000 years waiting for Mo Yuan. If it’s true that she knows what she wants, then all she ever seems to want is wine and sleep. Even Ye Hua comments on how lazy she is. The best thing she does as Queen of Qing Qiu is that she does nothing. She doesn’t govern. She uses her goddess status when it is convenient to her to get what she wants, or more like, get out of what she should be doing and get away with what she’s done. She loves the perks, like how she compared how many maids she gets as a goddess, and how many she’ll get after she marries Ye Hua.

 

Granted, my understanding of her character is heavily influenced by the book, and i can only, with that context, observe how Yang Mi tried to portray her, which i thought was also fairly accurate and she did a great job. I guess BQ is not your typical female protagonist, but it’s not for the likeable reasons you mentioned, and i find her completely unrelatable, with basically zero actual achievements that make her deserving of her goddess status (the drama already tried to make her seem a lot more heroic and empathetic). She was born a princess of direct godly descent, hence, destined to be a goddess if she survives the trials. In the book, even she acknowledges that she is lucky and really has it easy. For her first ascension trial, Mo Yuan took the lightning bolts for her, but she was immediately treated with respect as a high immortal. For her second ascension trial, her memories were suppressed so she didn’t even know she was undergoing a trial, then when she regained her memories, rather than process and learn from what happened, she immediately drank Zhe Yan’s amnesia potion to forget everything she experienced as Su Su in order to become a high goddess (which is extremely stupid, because she knows Ye Hua is her heavenly fiance, and even if she forgets everything, she will likely encounter him again in the future as BQ). As a result, she also has zero character development. All the way to the end, even after regaining her memories for a second time, she is STILL a drunk and terrible child-abandoning mother who is unable to handle any situations. Compare BQ to the Ghost Princess Yan Zhi, 16th disciple Zi Lan, Li Jing, Ye Hua, DH & even FJ by the end - they were all able to accept their (lack of) fate with dignity and graciously move on with their lives with the other person’s interest at heart. Zi Lan, knowing he couldn’t be with Yan Zhi, sacrifices his future to save Li Jing’s child for her sake. Yan Zhi even adopts Li Jing’s child and cares for her as her own while starting a new life in the mortal realm. Everyone goes through tragedy but resiliently accepts their lot in life. Despite Li Jing’s brokenness and reluctance, he becomes Ghost Lord for the sake of his people (and in the book, he doesn’t die that pointless death, he lives on to lead his people). Even crazy Xuan Nu actually loves her “dead” baby and does everything in her power, however twisted, to save her child. And even Ye Hua grows through his pain and acts sacrificially for BQ and for the greater good, but BQ always turns into a drunk zombie whose as good as dead (after Mo Yuan’s death, after Ye Hua’s death), abandoning Ah Li for a second time even though she now knows he really is her son (actually, the first time she abandons Ah Li as Su Su, she also obviously knew he was her son). That spectacular scene near the end where Ye Hua’s mother loudly and at length scolded BQ about how selfish, inconsiderate and useless she is - the IRONY is that it is all VERY TRUE, and the author included that intentionally! And even then, when BQ finally for the first time truly sees her own character flaws and is filled with regret, instead of taking the opportunity to learn or change or grow, her response is obviously to get drunk and drunk and drunk again. You gotta get her true internal monologue from the book, but the drama doesn’t change much - she is still selfish, useless and drunk for the next 3 years. Ye Hua’s mother is awesome and continues caring for Ah Li in those 3 years. As a mother of 2 beloved children myself, i think BQ is despicable as a mother with zero maternal instincts or tenderness. (Okay, FJ does the child-abandoning thing too, and this is really my only gripe about FJ, but in previous posts i’ve already discussed at length about my theories on why Tang Qi resorts to these convenient plotholes and character inconsistencies, as well as the Fox Clan’s tendency to leave their young offspring).

 

Even worse, in The Pillow Book, BQ captialises on her Crown Princess position, and she is mean, spoilt and entitled... lazes around all day watching opera while enjoying being served and entertained, and palms off her son to be looked after by FJ, then punishes FJ because she doesn’t like what FJ teaches Ah Li. She’s still not particularly nice to Ye Hua or Ah Li, and is most focused on her own comfort, continuing the idle life she led in Qing Qiu, only now she gets to live it up even more in the Nine Heavens. I never liked BQ’s character to begin with, not after reading the books, nor after watching the drama, so...  You’ll probably find a lot more people singing BQ’s praises in the Eternal Love thread! 

 

P.S. I mean no offence at all!  You have every right and reason to like BQ’s character based on your interpretation after watching the drama. Just don’t be surprised that book purists will likely hold a very different view because of BQ’s POV/internal monologue, that you’re on The Pillow Book thread here so many people will jump to defend FJ because the Eternal Love drama did not do her justice at all, and that overall if you’ve lurked across different social media for long enough, you’ll find that BQ is probably still the most criticised character in all 3L3W.

 

P.P.S. Despite all this, most people (all of us, i’m sure) still really loved the book, the drama, the story and the romance between YH & BQ. It’s just rarer that i’ve seen anyone so taken by BQ’s character specifically, although admittedly the drama really did try to improve her characterisation, soften her up a bit and give her character more depth through added storylines, make her more heroic as BQ, make her a bit silly as Su Su, make her a bit cute as Si Yin (there was absolutely zero cuteness/loveableness about her in the book). She’s pretty badass when she pierces her heart to feed her blood to Mo Yuan, when she takes on the Ghost Realm, and when she rips Su Jin’s eyes out, but she has always been badass (though she’s lucky she gets to rely on her Kunlun magical fan too haha). I gotta say... the drama heavily utilises YH’s POV, much of which is also made up by the scriptwriters, and he really appears to drive the story and all developments much more than BQ. In the book, YH’s POV is basically non-existent until the short Epilogue at the end. You never know what he’s thinking, what his intentions are, how he feels towards Su Jin, whether he even truly loves BQ, until the very end. As it is BQ’s POV, you as the reader are as clueless as her. All the touching drama scenes with YH & Su Su, and all the scenes about YH’s grief and trauma are drama-only. The book begins when BQ attends the banquet for the East Sea Lord’s son’s one-month celebration. A random guy called Ye Hua, whom she only knows by name as the young Crown Prince she’s been arranged to marry but for 50,000 years has not shown any intention to honour that engagement, seems to suddenly be hitting on her. 

 

P.P.P.S. Maybe if you haven’t already, you could watch Once Upon A Time starring the angelic Liu Yifei as BQ, heartthrob Yang Yang as YH, and charming Luo Jin as Zhe Yan. For all its flaws as a movie adaptation, i actually much prefer their characterisations there, both BQ & YH. BQ is confident and kind (they really changed her completely), and YH is gentle and more playful like in the book. Ah Li is super duper cute and chubby like in the book. And the CGI is stunning too, thanks to its big budget and collab with a Hollywood director. There is also a nice little twist. But maybe you should read the book first... hehe. Buy To The Sky Kingdom (translated by Poppy Toland) on Amazon. After you’ve read that, i can send you a fan-translated version of Ye Hua’s Epilogue, which is in the original Chinese books but was omitted from the English. I can also send you The Pillow Book in English.

 

[Aari sky]

@jimmylyne

All of those discussion are based on the time TMOPB was released right? 

 

I'm suprised they hated BQ In the drama since BQ&YH are the canon plot of TMOPB.

 

If we are strictly talking abt the novel then u have no idea how boring and confusing Peach Blossom is since 90% of the story is written from BQ POV.. if u haven't seen the drama before then u won't understand major events till the end. And BQ in drama was given much layer compared to the novel coz in novel BQ narration is very linear, it feels more like u are reading a documentary than captivating tale of Immortals..TMOPB Drama took the novel to a different level..

 

Where as Pillow book is freaking awesome..  readers are never let out of the plot, we get to see all the characters Personality through many POVs.. sometimes even the onlookers (background characters) are used in a hilarious to describe the situations.. FJ and DH POV are the highlights of the novel.. the ELOD did a great job of following the story as it is (except for mortal arc) but they rushed the final few episodes to give screen space to side characters.. initially ELOD was suppose to have 60 epi I don't why it got cut to 56... 

Edited April 24, 2020 by Aari sky

[Megan]

28 minutes ago, jimmylyne said:

Maybe if you haven’t already, you could watch Once Upon A Time starring the angelic Liu Yifei as BQ, heartthrob Yang Yang as YH, and charming Luo Jin as Zhe Yan. For all its flaws as a movie adaptation, i actually much prefer their characterisations there, both BQ & YH. BQ is confident and kind (they really changed her completely), and YH is gentle and more playful like in the book. Ah Li is super duper cute and chubby like in the book. And the CGI is stunning too, thanks to its big budget and collab with a Hollywood director. There is also a nice little twist. 

I loved the movie leads way more than the drama leads!

for starters, I found the drama and Susu terribly slow. But in the movie, we see BQ with attitude. Plus I just really love her dresses. Not to mention in the movie, Ye Hua wasn’t the one to decide SS’s punishment. Though I still wonder why he lets SJ wonder around his study.

 

meanwhile, is anybody else kind of disappointed the amnesia medicine wasn’t used? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad DH didn’t rewrite FJ’s memories...but couldn’t they use the medicine for something else? Like give it to Jiheng so she would quit following DH around? Sabotage Nie Chuyin with it...?

[Megan]

For those of you who remember Zhi Yue....can you imagine what her reaction will be once she finds out DH and FJ are married at the Bingcang ceremony? Remember, she would probably not be acquainted with DH in ELOD, so she wouldn’t have been hiring maids and whatnot.

[MayanEcho]

4 hours ago, Ninky said:

Hamster erased the translation of ten miles of peach blossoms due to the plagiarism scandal. And that story has only one book. 
 

Toland’s translation is terrible. A lot of the nuances and context is inaccurate. It is also a very clinical translation.

 

Toland's version is like reading an academic paper, not a novel.

 

Hamster's version is not as polished as her PB translation, but more readable than Toland's.

[Aari sky]

4 minutes ago, Megan said:

I loved the movie leads way more than the drama leads!

for starters, I found the drama and Susu terribly slow. But in the movie, we see BQ with attitude. Plus I just really love her dresses. Not to mention in the movie, Ye Hua wasn’t the one to decide SS’s punishment. Though I still wonder why he lets SJ wonder around his study.

Unpopular opinion: I hated the movie.. CGI was so over the top, And I will never forgive them for wat they did to poor Zheyan with that drab costume..

 

The actors who played BQ & YH were well suited for the role, they were closer Version to the novel but the plot was all over the place , it felt more like a commercial ad than a proper movie..

 

Drama Ali acted more like a immortal child compared to the movie kid..

[MayanEcho]

2 minutes ago, Megan said:

For those of you who remember Zhi Yue....can you imagine what her reaction will be once she finds out DH and FJ are married at the Bingcang ceremony? Remember, she would probably not be acquainted with DH in ELOD, so she wouldn’t have been hiring maids and whatnot.

 

She's one of the unhappy ones in the book at the bingcang ceremony. Though I don't remember in the book whether DH had association with her, unlike in TMOPB series, FJ mentioned of having a duel scheduled with Zhi Yue. It's in the book, and in the series.

[jimmylyne]

25 minutes ago, Aari sky said:

@jimmylyne

All of those discussion are based on the time TMOPB was released right? 

 

I'm suprised they hated BQ In the drama since BQ&YH are the canon plot of TMOPB.

 

If we are strictly talking abt the novel then u have no idea how boring and confusing Peach Blossom is since 90% of the story is written from BQ POV.. if u haven't seen the drama before then u won't understand major events till the end. And BQ in drama was given much layer compared to the novel coz BQ narration is very linear, it feels more like u are reading a documentary than captivating tale Immortals.. Drama took the novel to a different level..

 

Where as Pillow book is freaking awesome..  readers are never let out of the plot, we get to see all the characters Personality through many POVs.. sometimes even the onlookers (background characters) are used hilarious to describe the situations.. FJ and DH POV are the highlights of the novel.. the ELOD did a great job of following the story as it is (except for mortal arc) but they rushed the final few episodes to give screen space to side characters.. initially ELOD was suppose to have 60 epi I don't why it got cut to 56... 

Actually...it was one and a half years after TMOPB drama aired( Jan to March 2017) and as you can see the date of the discussion was on September 2018. 

That time I'm just a new member of this forum.. registered on July 25th 2018 and had comments for the first time ever on July 28th 2018 on page 20..i thinks. 

As a new member and didn't even read TMOPB book, there are not much to quoting or reply. 

[ChibiLy]

On 4/23/2020 at 5:45 AM, Yori Ten said:

Just like I was surprised by the Koreans reaction to DH's silver mane. Haha, to them, only monsters and beasts have white/silver hair so they didn't like it on DH.

That is a surprise. So Koreans are not as receptive to the drama because of DH's silver hair?

 

FJ/Reba and Vengo/DH have ruined all other dramas for me. I have unconsciously set the bar too high and compare all drama characters to them. I guess I will be watching ELoD on repeat for a while. 

 

@jimmylyne  wow. I now realized why I never wanted to watch TMoPB. Just reading the analysis of BQ, made me dislike her character.