[Mainland Chinese Drama 2020] Royal Nirvana 鹤唳华亭

[PPB]

2 hours ago, bluehibiscus said:

 

象山影视城 is also located in Zhejiang. This article mentions the various locations used by the drama:

http://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1653724257030057572

 

I managed to find an interview with the Art Director which confirms they constructed numerous sets in Xiangshan as they could not find architecture that matched what they had in mind after scouting various locations. 

https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/93232544

 

After filming, they tore down all the sets except for the Imperial Garden.

Wow, thank you @bluehibiscus, will read! Though there must be so many sets ready to be used, somehow I'm not surprised that they had new ones built as they seem very specific in all the visual choices they made. I suppose that is why it's so beautiful, there's a lot of care in choosing everything. Shame about them being tored down though.... 

[PPB]

@bluehibiscus could I also ask you what does it mean, in the scene 

Spoiler

When CPs teacher dies, ep 16,  just before he does, he says to CP "your calligraphy is now... (jin....)" it did not get translated. I'm guessing it's a saying that means you have achieved a high level (gold something??). Would you know it? 

Thank you in advance! 

[bluehibiscus]

6 hours ago, PPB said:

@bluehibiscus could I also ask you what does it mean, in the scene 

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When CPs teacher dies, ep 16,  just before he does, he says to CP "your calligraphy is now... (jin....)" it did not get translated. I'm guessing it's a saying that means you have achieved a high level (gold something??). Would you know it? 

Thank you in advance! 

 

It is the name he gave to the calligraphy CP created. In a prior episode (when Teacher Lu revealed he had intention of retiring), CP asked Teacher Lu to help him name it. It also happens to be the name of a type of Chinese calligraphy created by Li Yu https://zh.m.wikipedia.org/zh-sg/金錯刀_(筆法) and the name of an ancient coin.

https://baike.baidu.com/item/金错刀/72173 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knife_money

 

In my translation on p43, I added a footnote that this may be inspired by the name of the technique for inlaying bronze with gold and also a quote from the novel that explains why it was named thus.

[bluehibiscus]

On 2/16/2020 at 10:24 AM, Janet Minto said:

Hello, fellow RN Enthusiasts!

 

I've just finished the drama on Prime, it's been a deliriously Love/Hate relationship all the way through. The two leads - stunning, just stunning - the production even more so.

 

But here's my problem: I was just lost concerning the battle sequences at the end of the drama and WHY they were a factor in the final wrangle between the CP, Prince Qi, the Emperor and the CP's uncle. How were all of these characters involved in the winning or losing of that battle? Could some kind soul please explain to me the relevance of the battle in Changzhou to all of these characters?

 

Thanks so much, I can't say how great I thought this brilliant drama was or how little I thought of the awkwardly translated, gap-ridden subs, also the huge gaps between the clumps of eps Prime doled out at their whim. :-)

 

Hi Janet, welcome to the thread. It may help you to read through my transcripts for the family banquet with Gu Silin and the major scenes in Ep 56-59 as perhaps the subtitles in Amazon Prime don’t capture the nuances. The navigation guide on p59 can help you locate the posts.

 

In a nutshell, the Gus wanted to maintain and expand their power and influence and it was for that reason they married Gu Siqing to Prince Su and supported him to become the Emperor. However the Emperor and Gu Siqing became estranged after she miscarried their first child while visiting his brother secretly and discovering him dead and hanging from the rafters. The Emperor was forced to have another heir with Gu Siqing which made him feel humiliated so CP was the son he did not want to have. Not knowing this, CP was caught between the two. The Emperor saw CP as being allied with the Gus since half of his blood was Gu and he was close with the Gus growing up while the Gu clan hoped to rely on CP to reinforce its position and bring further glory to the clan so the Gus would do their best to protect CP’s interests and position.

 

The Emperor ultimately wanted to relieve Gu’s of their military power (he started this 3 years ago when there was an assassination attempt in the palace on the night that Gu Siqing died and Gu Feng En used a false urgent military report to force the gates to open; General Gu was forced to retire as a result) but now, he needed them to defend the border at Changzhou from enemies. The Emperor put Li Mingan who was stationed in Changzhou in charge of the Tianchang army he took from Li Baizhou to check the Gus. The Gus were well aware of this so in the latest war, they were slow to engage the enemy and disregarded the Emperor’s orders. As long as there were enemies that needed defending against, the Emperor had to keep the Gus around (Li Mingan was not as good as General Gu at leading the army and war strategems). The Emperor was worried about the worsening situation in the war and because CP had let Gu Feng En leave the capital against the Emperor’s express orders and General Gu just let Gu Feng En remain in Changzhou without informing the Emperor of it or seeking his instructions on what to do with Feng En (Li Mingan was the one to inform the Emperor), he suspected CP of working with the Gus.

 

When CP threatened to bring in the Three Legal Divisions to investigate Concubine Zhao, the Emperor felt he needed to boost Qi’s position and ability to counter CP. He thought to himself, “ This time I have to play the role of the Son of Heaven” (i.e. putting his people and country as priority) as opposed to being a father or husband. He protected Concubine Zhao from being investigated and put all the blame on Gu Sese which led to CP realising the Emperor suspected him of being in cahoots with the Gus. CP ended up being flogged and staying in Zong Zheng Si with Gu Sese (he could leave as long as he did not protect Gu Sese). The Emperor also promoted Concubine Zhao to Empress. This would send a message to the Gus that CP could suffer if they were not obedient. News of her promotion reached General Gu. He defeated the invading army but purposely let the leader go. He then decided to head to the capital to check on CP despite having no permission from the Emperor to do so. This was a serious crime punishable by death. Feng En decided to remain in the army in case his father needed support from the army. From the Emperor’s perspective, if General Gu had a fallout with him after finding out CP was in Zong Zheng Si, he would have to be punished (Konghe was already on standby) but the Gus could rebel. CP left Zong Zheng Si to attend the banquet and defused the tense situation between the Emperor and Gu Silin.

 

On the advice of his mother, Qi spread the song that pointed to the fact that the Gus were the reason the Emperor got to ascend to the throne, which was a sore point with the Emperor. CP was suspicious that it was part of the Emperor’s plan to blame his uncle for the song and assumed the rap to protect his uncle. The Emperor punished CP severely by ordering for him to be flogged with a stick (in those days, it was considered demeaning to be flogged and the upper classes were allowed to be exempted from it). Qi then made Zhang Luzheng think it was all part of the Emperor’s plan to put CP down and that Qi was acting on the Emperor’s instructions when he asked him to inform He Shizhao about the matter. When the Emperor said he would investigate Lu Ying’s execution, Zhang became worried. He turned against CP (after Gu Sese changed CP’s verbal message to asking him to assume sole responsibility for the matter should things go south) and said he was instigated by CP.

 

CP initially denied it and was shocked that Sese had betrayed him. But when he realised Sese was really Wenxi, he admitted to it to protect her. The Emperor put Konghe in charge of the investigation of CP instead of the Three Legal Divisions as Konghe was under his control and he wanted to use CP as a pawn to force General Gu to send Feng En back to the capital. He purposely set the date of CP’s trial on the Double Ninth Festival which was also CP’s birthday. General Gu knew the song could not be spread by the Emperor and that Qi was the culprit. He came up with a plan to eliminate Qi permanently. He had Yu Duhou and Feng En put up an act to delay Feng En’s return to the capital. He knew the leader who had escaped would return and launch another attack on Changzhou city. If Changzhou was defeated because General Gu was not around due to Qi’s ploy to frame CP for the song, Qi would be guilty of betraying the country and would be executed. Even the Emperor would not be able to protect Qi then.

 

General Gu arrived at the trial at Konghe Bureau and promised to send Feng En back to the capital to be punished on behalf of CP. CP subsequently realised General Gu’s plan and objected to it because he did not have the heart to sacrifice his people. Knowing the truth behind his birth, he used his life (he had told the Emperor he was aware of General Gu’s plan and was his accomplice which meant he would be executed if Changzhou was lost) to force General Gu to return to Changzhou immediately to assist with the fight against the enemies. On the other hand, CP forced the Emperor to make Qi leave by threatening to submit in court his blood-written request to be deposed. If he was deposed, the Gus no longer had a reason to defend Changzhou and could decide to rebel. The Emperor did not want that to happen and he also did not want Qi to die so he sent Qi away from the capital for life.

 

The battle sequences showed that the lives of innocents were at stake and the heroism and sacrifices involved in defending the city - the Gus and Li Mingan did risk their lives even if their interests were in conflict.

 

If you find my reply useful, you can click on the little heart at the bottom right hand corner to show your reaction.

[PPB]

Excellent summary, thank you so much. 

[PPB]

12 hours ago, bluehibiscus said:

 

It is the name he gave to the calligraphy CP created. In a prior episode (when Teacher Lu revealed he had intention of retiring), CP asked Teacher Lu to help him name it. It also happens to be the name of a type of Chinese calligraphy created by Li Yu https://zh.m.wikipedia.org/zh-sg/金錯刀_(筆法) and the name of an ancient coin.

https://baike.baidu.com/item/金错刀/72173 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knife_money

 

In my translation on p43, I added a footnote that this may be inspired by the name of the technique for inlaying bronze with gold and also a quote from the novel that explains why it was named thus.

Thank you, that's really helpful, informative and interesting. 

[bluehibiscus]

On 12/16/2019 at 4:18 AM, bluehibiscus said:

There is actually a historical context behind the title which means “The Cry of a Crane at the Chinese Pavilion”. The author also made references to other historical accounts when naming each chapter. In the case of the title, it was a phrase uttered by an official called Lu Ji just before he died due to being implicated in the War of the Eight Princes. He had been a brilliant scholar who had caught the notice of Prince of Chengdu, Sima Ying, who then recruited him and relied on him heavily. When there was war, he was made a general in charge of a large army despite his protests (remember he was a scholar). When his army suffered heavy defeat, other villains set him up as being on close terms with Sima Ying’s brother, Prince of Changsha, and he was sentenced to death. The phrase was his way of expressing his longing for the carefree days he had before entering officialdom and his regret over becoming an official. Different variations of the phrase were also used by other poets.

 

Doing further research, I think Huating refers to Huating County, the former name of Songjiang District West in Shanghai rather than a pavilion. A scenic place with lush forests and clear springs, it was Lu Ji’s birthplace and where he travelled for more than ten years with his younger brother before he became an official. In the drama, it is the hometown of Lu Ying. 

 

华亭鹤唳 (Huating He Li) is now used as an idiom to express nostalgia for one’s past.

[PPB]

Very interesting, thank you. I suppose people assumed it was the pavillion because of the opening scene. 

[PPB]

Unfortunately I haven't been able to watch recently, but have just finished watching ep 17. I know why this drama is simply so brilliant.... Visually it's stunning, emotionally it is heart wrenching, culturally it's so interesting. I don't know if it won any award  but it really, really should. 

[PPB]

I'm sorry to see that others have already watched all the episodes so no more discussion... I'm still watching, absolutely magnificent, getting quite obsessed with it, though the torture scenes were a bit too much for me! 

[GiaGia]

Wow, I finished it^^!!! This drama has everything if you want to watch a complicated drama. This drama does very well in terms of directing, acting, and the cinematography was great! I read the spoiled of the real ending, so that was just heartbreaking. No wondered the emperor was high alert with CP/DQ is because he is so afraid of Gu's family power. Even towards the end, the bad guy 1st Prince didn't repent at all. I don't feel sorry for him and his mom separation. This drama taught me that if you do evil deeds, bad things will come back to haunt you. Karma and revenge is real, and it shows here. It was nice chatting with you guys^^!!! 

[bluehibiscus]

15 hours ago, PPB said:

I'm sorry to see that others have already watched all the episodes so no more discussion... I'm still watching, absolutely magnificent, getting quite obsessed with it, though the torture scenes were a bit too much for me! 

 

The torture scenes were a bit much but hang in there. It gets better. I’m not sure if anyone is interested but in many scenes, we see the characters practising calligraphy and the historical background of those calligraphy pieces allude to what is going on in the characters’ heads. I’m not an expert on Chinese history but I have read some explanations by other viewers. If I have time, I may do a translation of one or two.

 

Can someone who can access the episodes on YouTube confirm if the Eng subtitles have been fixed?

[Cdrama]

2 hours ago, bluehibiscus said:

 

Can someone who can access the episodes on YouTube confirm if the Eng subtitles have been fixed?

 Only the last 5 episodes that had problem and it’s fixed. 

[PPB]

8 hours ago, bluehibiscus said:

 

The torture scenes were a bit much but hang in there. It gets better. I’m not sure if anyone is interested but in many scenes, we see the characters practising calligraphy and the historical background of those calligraphy pieces allude to what is going on in the characters’ heads. I’m not an expert on Chinese history but I have read some explanations by other viewers. If I have time, I may do a translation of one or two.

 

Can someone who can access the episodes on YouTube confirm if the Eng subtitles have been fixed?

Thank you @bluehibiscus, truly appreciate it. I was a bit surprised by the dark turn it was taking.... I'm not stopping, quite the contrary,  I love this drama, it's simply so interesting and beautiful. Just that usually I try not to watch things that are this cruel! I suppose they were hard times! Personally, I find the calligraphy super interesting as I'm learning Chinese myself, very good practise! For some reason they are not translated by the subs, and that's quite a shame as they are an integral part of the story and its unfolding. At the end of ep 40, for ex, just before the credits CP has a letter in his hand  with some characters which I have copied. I'm trying to translate them myself, but they are doubly hard, as the style is quite fancy, so I'm not sure what I'm copying is correct. I have asked my teacher to help, and very kindly she has agreed. If you can and have time, I would absolutely love your take, no pressure though as I can see it's a lot if work! Many thanks again 

[bluehibiscus]

19 hours ago, PPB said:

@bluehibiscusAt the end of ep 40, for ex, just before the credits CP has a letter in his hand  with some characters which I have copied. I'm trying to translate them myself, but they are doubly hard, as the style is quite fancy, so I'm not sure what I'm copying is correct. I have asked my teacher to help, and very kindly she has agreed. If you can and have time, I would absolutely love your take, no pressure though as I can see it's a lot if work! Many thanks again 

 

I translated them on page 39. They are the same as the first two lines of poetry on the screen with the painting. Episode 40 has a lot of allusions. Even the homework assigned by Teacher He has significance.

[bluehibiscus]

On 2/27/2020 at 11:12 PM, Cdrama said:

 Only the last 5 episodes that had problem and it’s fixed. 

 

That's good to know as I saw a number of people commenting that they didn't understand the translation by the machine.

[bluehibiscus]

For those who love the background music that didn't get released like me, a very talented musician has done a close version of it in this video clip. He played the same tune 10 times and then layered the recordings onto one another to produce an orchestra effect.

https://www.bilibili.com/video/av89537994

@liddi @DramaLover @greenwatch08

[bluehibiscus]

Ah, a very sweet MV made by a fan! She added in a consummation scene (I don’t recognise from which drama but it fits very well here). Towards the end, our OTP recited the poem.

 

https://www.bilibili.com/video/av90725863

[PPB]

5 hours ago, bluehibiscus said:

 

I translated them on page 39. They are the same as the first two lines of poetry on the screen with the painting. Episode 40 has a lot of allusions. Even the homework assigned by Teacher He has significance.

Thank you so much @bluehibiscus, I have read the whole thread a few days ago, but that escaped me, as I had not seen ep 40 as yet. As always  much appreciated. 

[PPB]

On 1/3/2020 at 1:32 AM, bluehibiscus said:

 

The poem is the same, just that the calligraphy style is different.

 

代云陇雁浙江潮,

Daidi’s clouds, Longxi’s grey geese, Zhejiang’s waters (means: the world)

人有迷魂犹待招

A lost soul waiting to be called  (means: a demoted/disappointed official dreaming to be given important responsibilities once more)

世间多少金谷客，

So many people long for wealth and riches (means: many people aspire to become an official)

数声鹤唳念遥遥。

I miss hearing the cries of the cranes (means: I only want to retreat into the mountains and woods.)

OK, you have put it in the simplified characters, that's great as it was quite difficult to decipher them, though my dictionary has both  thanks.