The Journey of Flower
| The Journey of Flower | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Also known as |
The Journey of Flower |
| Simplified | 花千骨 |
| Mandarin | Hua Qian Gu |
| Genre | fantasy, drama, romance, fiction, novel |
| Based on | Hua Qian Gu by Fresh Guo Guo |
| Written by |
Fresh Guo Guo Rao Jun |
| Directed by |
Lin YuFen Danny Gao Liang ShengQuan |
| Starring |
Wallace Huo Zanilia Zhao Andy Zhang Jiang Xin |
| Country of origin | China |
| Original language(s) | Mandarin |
| No. of episodes | 54 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Huang Xi Long 黄锡龙 |
| Producer(s) | Tang Li Jun 唐丽君 |
| Location(s) | China |
| Production company(s) | CiWen TV |
The Journey of Flower is a TV drama which presented by Ciwen Media Group Co. LTD, publisher ZhongJun Ma and adapted by (Chinese: Fresh果果; pinyin: Fresh Guo Guo) same name fiction had started to film on May 6, 2014, in Guangxi Province, China and wrapped up on 15 September in HengDian, China. The preliminary work started one and a half years ago, including choosing outdoor scene locations and building filming fields in scenic spots.
[1] Appreciating her hard working nature and kind heart, and predicting her tragic destiny, Bai ZiHua Wallace Huo, an immortal in charge of the magical realm of Chang Liu, takes her on as his only disciple. Hua falls in love with her master, but doesn't reveal her true feelings. Eventually the truth was that she was born as the queen of demons and has access to great power. Though Bai tries to protect her and change her fate but Hua is constantly tortured by the machinations of those who wish to see her dead. The story eventually tells the readers a touching love between Hua Qiangu and Bai Zihua. The leading actor and actress to play Bai Zihua and Hua Qiangu have been decided to be Wallace Huo and Zanilia Liying Zhao.
Two versions of a three-minute short trailer for The Journey of Flower, one in Chinese and the other dubbed in English, were released online in August, receiving more than 280 million views on Weibo and becoming one of the hottest topics on social media. In Oct 2014, two long trailer dubbed in both Chinese and English language have been released in Cannes, France and received an overwhelmed response. Please refer to 'External Links' for preview.
Storyline
The fiction was once commented as the most heart-rending fiction, especially due to the rough fate of this master and disciple，Bai Zihua and Hua Qiangu, which intensely attracts readers. The teaser trailer focus on ‘heart-rending’ as well. It begins from the beautiful and pure relationship between the master and disciple and shows many sufferings they endure. In the trailer, the sections in which Hua Qiangu gets disfigurement and Bai Zihua gets poisoned are exposed. However, in order to satisfy the expectation of fans for months, it also exposes many exciting scenes for the first time. One scene is Hua Qiangu, acted by Liying Zhao, showering in a pure and wavy spring. She appears with an appealing and naked back, which is full of temptation. Then, the next scene switches to her showering with a smiling face. Her tender skin is very smooth in the clear water. The beauty and the beautiful scenery form a picture of beauty shower. In addition, the scene Bai Zihua kissing Hua Qiangu with blood appears in the trailer. In the scene, Liying Zhao lies in Wallace Huo’s arms and their bloody kiss is full of pathos.
Trailer
The teaser trailer dubbed in both Chinese and English is released; the formal trailer will release soon in mid of October. Since the filming of The Journey of Flower starts, this drama attracts intense attention of audience as well as many TV drama buyers from Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and HongKong and Taiwan area. The purchase of overseas broadcast right is under negotiation. Therefore, Ciwen Media releases the teaser trailer to please the audience and media, though the filming is still on the half way. According to the drama poducer, Lijun Tang, this three-minute trailer is not official. Due to the filming is not finished yet, the trailer is specially created as feedback to the enthusiastic fans. The mode of propagating trailers dubbed in both Chinese and English creates a new way for drama promotion. It is also a positive try for the globalization of Chinese TV drama. According to the producer of drama, they will unveil the official trailer in Cannes TV Festival in October.
Behind the scene
Hua Qiangu drama is still being filmed in Guangxi but it is already well known on the internet. In the stills we can see the beautiful oil painting style of Wallace’s Bai Zihua and Zhao Liying’s Hua Qiangu. The background is Detain Waterfall at the Guangxi’s Zhuang Autonomous Region. It seems that they’re enjoying themselves in this clean and beautiful place. But it’s just the opposite behind the scenes. To accommodate the scenery, the cast has heat rash. To look graceful, the cast is on a crazy diet. The reporter of Nandu Daily News interviewed Producer Tang Lijun and male and female leads Wallace Huo and Zhao Liying. They revealed the more beautiful the scenes are, the more money they’re burning.[2]
Producer Tang Lijun: It’s burning money to film in Guangxi! Why do they only film 5 to 6 hours a day?
Many ancient dramas chose Hengdian. This time Hua Qiangu has chosen Guangxi’s Zhuang Autonomous Region. It’s both time consuming and a financially burden to film in Guangxi. “The two scriptwriters thought of Guangxi when they wrote the script. We considered Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou previously but Guangxi’s road conditions are better.” Because they can’t have modern buildings around and therefore they have to pick a remote place. “None of the mega dramas have taken place there before. We have to overcome many difficulties. The cars can’t get there. The Wiring can’t be used.” The price for filming in this place is the cast can only film 5 to 6 hours a day. They signed up for 12 hours per day. But the distance between the hotel and here is 2 hours. One hour for makeup plus other bits and bots. There are only 5 to 6 hours left for filming. We have given up many things to stay true with the atmosphere of the novel. For us this means we’re burning money.
Why do they get discounts for meals?
Tang Lijun said although they have to face many difficulties, there are moments of joy. The local government gives importance to their filming. They've held many meetings to accommodate them. Most importantly, "when we visit the restaurants and we say we're Hua Qiangu they'll give us friendly discounts." Previously Guangxi was almost 40 degree Celsius and Tang Lijun wanted to send cold water to the filming site. "The roads were too narrow and so they could only drive three wheels carts. I asked a middle age man to take water to the filming site. I gave him money but he refused. He said: 'I don't want the money. I want to take my wife to see the filming.' Some villages bring solid food and watch us all day. Although it is a hardship we're happy."
Wallace Huo, after joining Hua Qiangu, is trying hard to lose weight to look graceful to suit the Bai Zihua character as described in the novel. "He only has corns and eggs for dinner. He lost several pounds in a few days. He has achieved his ideal weight." Tang Lijun revealed that because of the warm weather, the crew have prepared many drinks for the cast. But many of them don't like sweet water. "Ma ke is 1.85 meter tall but he is only 140 pounds and is keeping losing weight. The director ask them to look at the mirror every day. They can't join if they don't look 100% perfect. Actor Zhang Danfeng, who plays Dongfang Yuqing, has a baby face. He has lost 6 pounds after joining us." Is the whole crew on a weight losing contest?
Main characters
| Cast | Role | Brief description |
|---|---|---|
| 白子画 | | Master of Hua QianGu, The leader of Chang Liu (realm of fays) |
| 花千骨 | | World’s last God who has supernatural spirits. She is the only disciple of Bai Zi Hua, fall in love with her only master |
| 夏紫熏 | | A fairy who managed spices in heaven |
| 东方彧卿 | | The master of YiXiuGe with supernatural power of knowing the past |
| 杀阡陌 | | The leader of the Yao and Mo (demon) clan, the most beautiful mens in the six boundary |
Broadcasts
| Year | Date | Title | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2nd June | The Journey of Flower | Hunan TV |
References
- ↑ Throughout the online novel the story references Daoist legends regarding the path to immortality. In the story, the main character Hua QianGu Zanilia Zhao is an unlucky orphan who looks to learn magic to survive.
- ↑ They also revealed how they cope with the heat and their secret of playing martial art.
- Hua Qiangu Behind the Scene News by Nandu Daily. "Jun 2014 - Hua Qiangu BTS", WallaceHuo Info
- Flowering overseas by Global Times News. "Oct 2014 - Flowering Overseas", Global Times News