Sound of the Desert 《风中奇缘》 - Hu Ge, Liu Shi Shi, Eddie Peng

[anonin]

He's suppose to steer away illnesses with his name. -_-"

IKR? Oh the irony... -_-;

Thanks for explaining it to me

[H.Ge-C.Liu]

Haha, yes. The irony of HQB's name and his end.

Here's the translated interview with the leads and Li Guo Li.

After the popularity of Startling by Each Step, Chinese Entertainment Shanghai took the opportunity to bring another of Tong Hua’s novels, Ballad of the Desert, to the television screen. A few days ago, reporters visited Ballad of the Desert’s ‘base camp’ at Xiang Shan, and exclusively interviewed the director, Lee Kwok Lap, gaining answers about the drama ending and other topics related to the drama.

A. Director’s decryption:
Hu Ge has the skills to act out Jiu Ye’s desolation and trauma
On the day of the press conference, Ballad of the Desert revealed its leading cast. Lee Kwok Lap revealed that Huang Xiao Ming, Wallace Huo and Roy Qiu have all been considered to take up one of the lead male roles.
Lee Kwok Lap says, in the end, he chose Hu Ge to play Meng Jiu, because he’s gotten to the level where he can change the type of characters he acts as. “The present Hu Ge has the ability and experience to try more challenging and in-depth roles and can act out Jiu Ye’s desolation and trauma very well. Actually, Huo Qu Bing is also quite different from his past characters, but it’s easy for him to know how to act out Huo Qu Bing, and even easier for him to return to how he used to act for his previous characters-you’ll know with your eyes closed how he’s going to act out Huo Qu Bing.”
Eddie Peng, who acts as Huo Qu Bing, is very popular amongst the female audience. “He is born with the ‘sunny boy’ look that is lacking in a lot of actors in the current generation. I’ve heard that he’s also got good abs and muscles going on at the moment.” As for Liu Shi Shi, “She warms up quite slowly. She needs sufficient time and a protective environment to ‘let go’. Ruoxi is quite similar to her-as a white collar worker, and a little afraid at the same time. Jin Yu is more decisive, so it is also quite a challenge to her.”

B. Tong Hua’s novels understand female readers’ fantasies
Fans who read the book have expressed that the characters in Ballad of the Desert are quite similar to Startling by Each Step, e.g. Meng Jiu is restrained yet gentle, like Eighth Prince, while Huo Qu Bing is more like Fourteenth Prince.
“Meng Jiu is more in-depth than Eighth Prince-I myself like Meng Jiu more. You can see Fourteenth’s shadow on Huo Qu Bing, the strength of youth, an indomitable will when it comes to his love life- they are indeed similar.” Audiences who are a bit older will like Jiu Ye more, and younger people will prefer Huo Qu Bing. The reason why Tong Hua’s novels are quite easily adapted into popular dramas is because she understands female readers’ fantasies. You can follow Ruoxi on a journey that will never happen in real life and go through a spectacular relationship. Ballad of the Desert is the same. On one side is the general, on the other is Jiu Ye, someone who has a good personality, and can also ‘summon wind and rain’. To be loved by those two at the same time is a type of enjoyment, which can mostly only be accomplished by dreaming.”

C. Going by the original, not changing the ending
Ballad of the Desert happens in the Western Han period, where ‘wolf-girl’ Jin Yu (Liu Shi Shi) is entangled into a love triangle with Huo Qu Bing (Eddie Peng) and Meng Jiu (Hu Ge). Similar to Startling by Each Step, Ballad of the Desert’s ending is also quite heart-wrenching, especially when Jiu Ye leaves a note saying ‘After today’s parting, the date when we meet next will be unknown’ and leaves without a trace after obtaining a cure for Huo Qu Bing’s poison, which caused a lot of ‘Team Jiu Ye’ to be drowned in sadness.
Lee Kwok Lap stated that, “It is true that the Huo Qu Bing in history died very young. But we will still film the drama according to the original, and will not change the ending. The more heart wrenching scenes to Jiu Ye. If we allow Jiu Ye and Jin Yu be together, I bet we’ll be cursed by Huo Qu Bing’s fans.” (ME: Poor ShiGe. Oh well. Looking forward to ninth time lucky!)
In the novel, Jin Yu was originally living with ‘Brother Wolf’ in the western regions, and there are quite a number of desert/battle scenes. Lee Kwok Lap states that the herd of deers, camels and ‘Brother Wolf’ are all hard questions when it comes to filming. “Brother Wolf’s scenes are quite hard-we were originally trying to contact the zoo, and find a real wolf, but wolves are quite aggressive, so the easiest method is to find a dog that has similar traits to a wolf and film from there, with a little CGI. At the start, we also found two dogs for Shi Shi, hoping that she would cultivate feelings with the dogs. But maybe because she had limited energy, didn’t have enough time to keep them company, so sent them away after a few days.”

Q&A:
1. Has Hu Ge’s personality changed over the years?
Eddie: He has a really strong ‘inner mind’, and you will feel really safe and sound chatting with him. If I were a girl, I would definitely fall in love with him (EP grins), he’ll be quite happy. Next time you should ask him how he sees me.
Liu Shi Shi: I don’t believe a person’s true nature changes easily.

2. Everyone likes calling Shi Shi ‘Shi Ye’, is she very ‘tomboy-ish’ in private?
Han Dong: We have quite a good relationship. Shi Shi is really like a good brother, very honourable-which is why no one calls her ‘Granny Shi’. Rather, they call her ‘Shi Ye’.
*Ye can mean boyishness, or ‘Grandpa’.
Hu Ge: In real life, she is really ‘Ye’. When we chat, we sometimes forget about her identity, so if she hears something that doesn’t bode well with her, she will start hitting people straight on (i.e. friendly slapping). I’ve heard that they have included quite a number of ‘fight scenes’ for her, but she’s a ‘fighter (in this context, it refers to someone who hits people often)’ so she doesn’t need to train. (HG laughs secretly).
Q. In real life, do you take the initiative more or are you more passive when it comes to your love life?
Liu Shi Shi: I believe I would be one to boldly state my feelings- there’s no point holding the feeling in your heart (Q: Have you confessed before?) No (hesitates, makes the ‘You understand’ face). If I say I haven’t dated before, will that be too abnormal?
Hu Ge: I’m quite passive. If I meet someone I like, I’ll imply it, and then wait for her reaction.

Q: You both turn 30 this year. Ancient people say that when someone turns 30, they become truly mature and ‘upright’. Do you have any new plans?
Hu Ge: From 20-30 is mostly living your life for your friends and family. After 30, I would like to strive to my utmost goal. If it is okay this year, I would like to participate in more movies, and find some time to learn some backstage work.
Eddie Peng: I’m still keeping a 19 year old’s frame of mind. There’s not much rules to it. Our life changes every day. As for the romance part, I’ll let fate decide. I’m looking forward to the love that might come after turning 30.

Q: You two are the same age, but why is there such a great difference?
Eddie Peng: I’m actually a bit older than Hu Ge, but I like acting like the younger one (EP laughs). Okay, I admit I’m a bit childish, but my ‘inner mind’ is quite mature. It’s just that I haven’t shown it yet. Maybe it’s because of his star sign, Virgo, since they always like to hold on no matter what.
Hu Ge: (HG laughs) Eddie is probably a lot cuter- I’m like a painting whose colours are darker- more like a charcoal sketch.

[H.Ge-C.Liu]

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[H.Ge-C.Liu]

Cute!

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[anonin]

Haha, yes. The irony of HQB's name and his end.

Here's the translated interview with the leads and Li Guo Li.

After the popularity of Startling by Each Step, Chinese Entertainment Shanghai took the opportunity to bring another of Tong Hua’s novels, Ballad of the Desert, to the television screen. A few days ago, reporters visited Ballad of the Desert’s ‘base camp’ at Xiang Shan, and exclusively interviewed the director, Lee Kwok Lap, gaining answers about the drama ending and other topics related to the drama.

A. Director’s decryption:
Hu Ge has the skills to act out Jiu Ye’s desolation and trauma
On the day of the press conference, Ballad of the Desert revealed its leading cast. Lee Kwok Lap revealed that Huang Xiao Ming, Wallace Huo and Roy Qiu have all been considered to take up one of the lead male roles.
Lee Kwok Lap says, in the end, he chose Hu Ge to play Meng Jiu, because he’s gotten to the level where he can change the type of characters he acts as. “The present Hu Ge has the ability and experience to try more challenging and in-depth roles and can act out Jiu Ye’s desolation and trauma very well. Actually, Huo Qu Bing is also quite different from his past characters, but it’s easy for him to know how to act out Huo Qu Bing, and even easier for him to return to how he used to act for his previous characters-you’ll know with your eyes closed how he’s going to act out Huo Qu Bing.”
Eddie Peng, who acts as Huo Qu Bing, is very popular amongst the female audience. “He is born with the ‘sunny boy’ look that is lacking in a lot of actors in the current generation. I’ve heard that he’s also got good abs and muscles going on at the moment.” As for Liu Shi Shi, “She warms up quite slowly. She needs sufficient time and a protective environment to ‘let go’. Ruoxi is quite similar to her-as a white collar worker, and a little afraid at the same time. Jin Yu is more decisive, so it is also quite a challenge to her.”

B. Tong Hua’s novels understand female readers’ fantasies
Fans who read the book have expressed that the characters in Ballad of the Desert are quite similar to Startling by Each Step, e.g. Meng Jiu is restrained yet gentle, like Eighth Prince, while Huo Qu Bing is more like Fourteenth Prince.
“Meng Jiu is more in-depth than Eighth Prince-I myself like Meng Jiu more. You can see Fourteenth’s shadow on Huo Qu Bing, the strength of youth, an indomitable will when it comes to his love life- they are indeed similar.” Audiences who are a bit older will like Jiu Ye more, and younger people will prefer Huo Qu Bing. The reason why Tong Hua’s novels are quite easily adapted into popular dramas is because she understands female readers’ fantasies. You can follow Ruoxi on a journey that will never happen in real life and go through a spectacular relationship. Ballad of the Desert is the same. On one side is the general, on the other is Jiu Ye, someone who has a good personality, and can also ‘summon wind and rain’. To be loved by those two at the same time is a type of enjoyment, which can mostly only be accomplished by dreaming.”

C. Going by the original, not changing the ending
Ballad of the Desert happens in the Western Han period, where ‘wolf-girl’ Jin Yu (Liu Shi Shi) is entangled into a love triangle with Huo Qu Bing (Eddie Peng) and Meng Jiu (Hu Ge). Similar to Startling by Each Step, Ballad of the Desert’s ending is also quite heart-wrenching, especially when Jiu Ye leaves a note saying ‘After today’s parting, the date when we meet next will be unknown’ and leaves without a trace after obtaining a cure for Huo Qu Bing’s poison, which caused a lot of ‘Team Jiu Ye’ to be drowned in sadness.
Lee Kwok Lap stated that, “It is true that the Huo Qu Bing in history died very young. But we will still film the drama according to the original, and will not change the ending. The more heart wrenching scenes to Jiu Ye. If we allow Jiu Ye and Jin Yu be together, I bet we’ll be cursed by Huo Qu Bing’s fans.” (ME: Poor ShiGe. Oh well. Looking forward to ninth time lucky!)
In the novel, Jin Yu was originally living with ‘Brother Wolf’ in the western regions, and there are quite a number of desert/battle scenes. Lee Kwok Lap states that the herd of deers, camels and ‘Brother Wolf’ are all hard questions when it comes to filming. “Brother Wolf’s scenes are quite hard-we were originally trying to contact the zoo, and find a real wolf, but wolves are quite aggressive, so the easiest method is to find a dog that has similar traits to a wolf and film from there, with a little CGI. At the start, we also found two dogs for Shi Shi, hoping that she would cultivate feelings with the dogs. But maybe because she had limited energy, didn’t have enough time to keep them company, so sent them away after a few days.”

Q&A:
1. Has Hu Ge’s personality changed over the years?
Eddie: He has a really strong ‘inner mind’, and you will feel really safe and sound chatting with him. If I were a girl, I would definitely fall in love with him (EP grins), he’ll be quite happy. Next time you should ask him how he sees me.
Liu Shi Shi: I don’t believe a person’s true nature changes easily.

2. Everyone likes calling Shi Shi ‘Shi Ye’, is she very ‘tomboy-ish’ in private?
Han Dong: We have quite a good relationship. Shi Shi is really like a good brother, very honourable-which is why no one calls her ‘Granny Shi’. Rather, they call her ‘Shi Ye’.
*Ye can mean boyishness, or ‘Grandpa’.
Hu Ge: In real life, she is really ‘Ye’. When we chat, we sometimes forget about her identity, so if she hears something that doesn’t bode well with her, she will start hitting people straight on (i.e. friendly slapping). I’ve heard that they have included quite a number of ‘fight scenes’ for her, but she’s a ‘fighter (in this context, it refers to someone who hits people often)’ so she doesn’t need to train. (HG laughs secretly).
Q. In real life, do you take the initiative more or are you more passive when it comes to your love life?
Liu Shi Shi: I believe I would be one to boldly state my feelings- there’s no point holding the feeling in your heart (Q: Have you confessed before?) No (hesitates, makes the ‘You understand’ face). If I say I haven’t dated before, will that be too abnormal?
Hu Ge: I’m quite passive. If I meet someone I like, I’ll imply it, and then wait for her reaction.

Q: You both turn 30 this year. Ancient people say that when someone turns 30, they become truly mature and ‘upright’. Do you have any new plans?
Hu Ge: From 20-30 is mostly living your life for your friends and family. After 30, I would like to strive to my utmost goal. If it is okay this year, I would like to participate in more movies, and find some time to learn some backstage work.
Eddie Peng: I’m still keeping a 19 year old’s frame of mind. There’s not much rules to it. Our life changes every day. As for the romance part, I’ll let fate decide. I’m looking forward to the love that might come after turning 30.

Q: You two are the same age, but why is there such a great difference?
Eddie Peng: I’m actually a bit older than Hu Ge, but I like acting like the younger one (EP laughs). Okay, I admit I’m a bit childish, but my ‘inner mind’ is quite mature. It’s just that I haven’t shown it yet. Maybe it’s because of his star sign, Virgo, since they always like to hold on no matter what.
Hu Ge: (HG laughs) Eddie is probably a lot cuter- I’m like a painting whose colours are darker- more like a charcoal sketch.

Wow, what a great interview! Thank you so much for posting!

Is there a video of this anywhere? I'd love to see it...

Hahaha Eddie is so cute.

From what the director said, is it safe to assume that they're keeping the ending close to the novel except for the fact that HQB dies at the end?

It'll be interesting to see Hu Ge do angst

[bachtuyet]

hooray, my favorite couple together at the end

[thesolangestory]

wait i'm so confused, so is huoyu going to end up together? or is hqb going to die... you know what i'm too lazy to speculate about this LOL i'll just wait for the show..

[anonin]

wait i'm so confused, so is huoyu going to end up together? or is hqb going to die... you know what i'm too lazy to speculate about this LOL i'll just wait for the show..

Yeah I'm confused about this too! Except I'm a bit too curious to have to wait till the end of the show...

[thesolangestory]

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/Y..._06_02_99?fr=1

i only have this on tudou for now.. i'll replace it with the youtube version when i have it.. its the opening video for the dmy press conference... with bts on all the set and costume prep

omgomgomg it is FREAKING AWESOME I AM SO EXCITED NOW. and i cant believe they are actually gonna use dogs in this. so its really qiqi?

omgomgomg All the costumes!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH DID YOU SEE THE WOLF GIRL COSTUME. OMG AND HU GE IN WHITE

i am looping this like crazy

[anonin]

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/Y..._06_02_99?fr=1

i only have this on tudou for now.. i'll replace it with the youtube version when i have it.. its the opening video for the dmy press conference... with bts on all the set and costume prep

omgomgomg it is FREAKING AWESOME I AM SO EXCITED NOW. and i cant believe they are actually gonna use dogs in this. so its really qiqi?

omgomgomg All the costumes!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH DID YOU SEE THE WOLF GIRL COSTUME. OMG AND HU GE IN WHITE

OMGOMGOMG thank you so much for posting!!! I'm so watching this right now! BBL to fangirl!

EDIT: HOLY SMOKES! EPIC INTRO IS EPIC OMG! I'm so in love with the costumes and the locations/scenery are EPIC! <3 <3 <3 So excited right now!

AND YES OMG THE WOLF GIRL COSTUME!!! LSS U SEXY BEAST! <3

I LOVE HG's WHITE COSTUME SO FRIGN MUCH!!! OMG! <3 <3 <3

Oh and what is "qiqi"?

I'm looping crazy too LOL

[thesolangestory]

OMGOMGOMG thank you so much for posting!!! I'm so watching this right now! BBL to fangirl!

EDIT: HOLY SMOKES! EPIC INTRO IS EPIC OMG! I'm so in love with the costumes and the locations/scenery are EPIC! <3 <3 <3 So excited right now!

AND YES OMG THE WOLF GIRL COSTUME!!! LSS U SEXY BEAST! <3

I LOVE HG's WHITE COSTUME SO FRIGN MUCH!!! OMG! <3 <3 <3

Oh and what is "qiqi"?

I'm looping crazy too LOL

omg haha anonin we are doing the same thing watching and editing. HAHAHAHA. qiqi is liu shi shi's husky..

actually from whatn i see on weibo it seems that TR are emphasising that the script will follow the original novel. and its pretty much confirmed that MJ wont end up with JY.. but what about hqb?

[anonin]

omg haha anonin we are doing the same thing watching and editing. HAHAHAHA. qiqi is liu shi shi's husky..

actually from whatn i see on weibo it seems that TR are emphasising that the script will follow the original novel. and its pretty much confirmed that MJ wont end up with JY.. but what about hqb?

LOL I must've checked your post right after you posted it hence we're watching and fangirling at the same time hahaha

Ohhh LSS's husky! Nice!

Yeah I'm so curious about HQB/JY it's driving me nuts with all the tidbits they're letting out on purpose to keep our minds wondering! TR sure knows how to stir up the fans! With all their publicity stunts and the way they tease us and everything!

And I just have to say this again but I REALLY REALLY LOVE HG's white costume!!! The style looks so good and HG's frame carries it well, and OMG check out the beautiful embroidery on that fabric! I'm in love with the material and everything LOL I can't stop checking out the costumes hahahaha

Oh and the video's background music is awesome

[thesolangestory]

ok wish me good luck i am going to try to screen cap stuff

[anonin]

ok wish me good luck i am going to try to screen cap stuff

Yes yes yes please do that'll be awesome! Thank you! Good luck!

The video flicked through the costumes/photos too fast for me to catch. I totally had to pause/play a lot just to see the details!

[thesolangestory]

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more coming soon

[anonin]

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more coming soon

OMG thanks so much! Best of luck! Keep going!

[thesolangestory]

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i had to rewind so many times to catch the flute

[thesolangestory]

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OMG HQB.

[anonin]

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OMG HQB.

OMG I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. <3

Thank you SO MUCH for all your hard work, taking the time to screencap for us! My mom walked in and she thanks you too! She was checking out the leads just like I was too LOL.

OMG AREN'T THEY ALL JUST LOOKING HOT? <3

Thanks again!!!

[anonin]

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i had to rewind so many times to catch the flute

YES THE FLUTE! I couldn't catch it at all in the clip! Thank you thank you thank you!

I hope MJ plays the flute in the drama. I realllly want to see that!