Since its inception, "The Tale of Rose" has been under the spotlight, garnering significant attention throughout its development. Firstly, the involvement of director Wang Jun and screenwriter Li Xiao, both renowned for their urban-themed works and recognized by the Magnolia Awards, along with the addition of Liu Yifei, has heightened audience anticipation. Additionally, the drama is produced by New Classics Media, a subsidiary of China Literature Group, known for its leading role in urban dramas and its expertise in adapting Yi Shu's works, with an impeccable track record.
However, the project also faces considerable pressure. How can it cultivate something unique in the well-trodden field of female-centric dramas? How can it navigate shifting audience tastes amidst changing public discourse? How can it avoid being pigeonholed? "The Tale of Rose" explores love but avoids compensatory romanticism. It portrays independent, free-spirited modern women without pandering to idealistic fantasies. Using a realistic approach, it depicts a courageous and evolving female protagonist. Despite not taking the shortcut of sensationalism, it still deeply resonates with the audience. Its professionalism shines through practical yet imaginative symbolism, clever cross-cutting, and meticulous visual details, constantly drawing viewers into the main story.
On social media, many analyze its buried symbolic metaphors; in the commentary sections of short videos, countless organic promoters guide users to watch the original show. Despite the predetermined outcomes of each love story, it soothes public impatience with its professionalism and retains its audience. In an era where urban life becomes increasingly refined, online voices grow louder, and people seek stronger stimuli and heavier flavors in artistic works to find solace, "The Tale of Rose" rebels against these trends. It uses its expertise to restore order, delivering a revitalizing boost to the genre of urban dramas.
Immersion: From Rose to Yimei
What first leaves a strong impression on the audience in "The Tale of Rose" is the character development and scene orchestration. Huang Yimei, played by Liu Yifei, is beautiful and passionate, bold and free-spirited, making her a perfect fit for the role. Fashionably dressed and making a striking entrance on a skateboard, she often attracts attention from men, leading to "trouble," but she remains unfazed, believing the fault is not hers. She epitomizes mental clarity and non-exhaustion, embodying the demeanor of a modern independent woman.
Navigating through a plethora of suitors without entanglement, does "The Tale of Rose" present a classic urban heroine romance? The creators quickly inform the audience otherwise. After meeting industry elite Zhuang Guodong (played by Peng Guanying), Huang Yimei becomes infatuated, staying up late to work on a project plan just to get closer to him. She seeks advice from her brother Huang Zhenhua (played by Tong Dawei), devises strategies to catch Zhuang's attention. Ultimately, she takes a direct approach, expressing her feelings over a phone call. Traditionally, viewers might expect Liu Yifei's characters to approach love with cold rationality, but "The Tale of Rose" delves into Huang Yimei's deep emotional needs.
Interestingly, as the story progresses, the show's scene style subtly shifts. The original story is set in 1980s Hong Kong, but the screenwriters, aligning with audience preferences and their writing style, transplanted the story to early 21st-century Beijing. However, aside from the opening scenes, which retain clear era-specific and regional characteristics, the subsequent story predominantly unfolds in modern high-rise offices, sleek restaurants, and cozy but cramped homes. Through the windows of these scenes, viewers see flickering lights and other buildings, but not the unique character of any specific city, they could be any major metropolis in the new century. This seems to be a deliberate choice by the creators, blurring the lines of region and time to add contemporary independent female traits to Huang Yimei. The story of a flawless middle-class woman’s journey in love and personal growth resonates with the current audience’s focus on "self."
Growth: Daring to Love, Hate, and Self-Reflect
Must a narrative about female growth always center around love? "The Tale of Rose" clearly illustrates the unique and irreplaceable role that love plays in Huang Yimei's life. In the initial extensive narrative, the creators meticulously emphasize the various emotional needs and fulfillments of Huang Yimei. Discussing her family background, she comes from a well-off, harmonious family with minor quarrels but no deep-seated grudges. In terms of self-actualization, she is well-educated, thrives at work, and career success seems just a matter of time. As for female friendships, she is not only popular among men but also well-liked by women, quickly forming close bonds with two female supervisors upon joining her new job.
What could be missing in her seemingly smooth-sailing life? Perhaps it's the hardship of love. This is what makes Huang Yimei unique. She isn't a character constructed from popular online symbols and never pays lip service to slogans like "female independence." Instead, she embodies true freedom of choice. Thus, she dares to love, boldly pursuing love when it comes her way, even at the cost of temporarily sacrificing her career. She isn't afraid to take leave or even resign, flying alone to Paris to reunite with her lover, disregarding others' opinions and following her heart. Equally, she dares to hate, expressing her pain and smashing the beautiful memories when she loses love, unabashedly showing her true emotions.
Most importantly, she dares to self-reflect. Even from Zhuang Guodong's perspective, he seems overly selfish and at fault in their relationship. Huang Yimei's sincere efforts were not reciprocated as deserved. Yet, how does Huang Yimei perceive it? "He seeks the satisfaction of career success, while I seek emotional fulfillment. We both put our needs first and are both selfish."
This is growth, true "human clarity," involving both steadfast determination and the courage to accept loss. Co-writer Li Xiao mentions, "Psychologically, you either love someone very similar to yourself, using the love for them to realize self-love, or someone completely opposite, using love for your opposite to complete yourself. Despite Huang Yimei's many romantic experiences, they ultimately point to her own growth."
Psychologist Erich Fromm also stated, "Human love is an active power, which breaks through the walls that separate man from his fellow men, uniting him with others; love makes him overcome the sense of isolation and separateness, yet it permits him to be himself, to retain his integrity." Huang Yimei's ideal nature lies in her innate ability to love, never calculating the pros and cons, always following her heart—a rare gift. Thus, when she meets Fang Xiewen (played by Lin Gengxin), and sees herself in his future plans, Huang Yimei falls for him once again.
A major contradiction in contemporary series creation is the audience's growing demand for gratification and immersion versus traditional dramatic norms. The fragility of people’s endurance and their desire for certainty and security contrast with the inherent uncertainty of dramatic conflict. Viewers often wish to impose their ideal solutions onto the protagonists, forgetting that many things only gain meaning through personal experience. If watching a show were only about the outcome, this art form would lose its value.
Continuous Echoes of Detail
Finally, it must be said that "The Tale of Rose" uses countless details to once again highlight the charm of long-form storytelling. This is why enthusiastic fans repeatedly urge newcomers to watch the full episodes. This attention to detail showcases the synergy between the director and screenwriter, as well as their dedication to professionalism. On one hand, the already aired episodes depict Huang Yimei's relationships with her two boyfriends as seemingly unplanned and naturally unfolding. On the other hand, numerous details constantly remind viewers that everything has been foreshadowed.
For instance, Fang Xiewen appears to be considerate and attentive towards Huang Yimei, but his efforts to get close to her involve a lot of behind-the-scenes manipulation, such as taking a part-time job at a restaurant and temporarily renting an apartment. While it’s common to put effort into pursuing someone, his actions increasingly feel off. The moment he uses the vase Huang Yimei gave him to grow green onions, his pragmatic nature is exposed. Huang's father, too, sees through his sycophantic behavior instantly. From an omniscient perspective, it’s clear that Fang and Huang Yimei are mismatched. Yet, caught in the moment, Huang Yimei, despite her background in psychology, has much to learn about truly understanding people.
Similarly, the relationship between Huang Yimei and Zhuang Guodong is marked by significant detail. Their first encounter at a banquet sparked Huang Yimei’s infatuation with Zhuang, while in Paris, another banquet marked the end of her feelings for him due to his selfishness. Their relationship began in a heavy rain and ended in another downpour. Looking back at their sweet moments, viewers can see that a cup accidentally broken during their first intimate encounter foreshadowed the eventual breakup. If "The Tale of Rose" can maintain this meticulous filming style until the end, I have no doubt it will enjoy a strong and lasting impact.
So far, "The Tale of Rose" has brought warmth to the summer drama market. According to third-party data, its real-time viewership peak reached 2.0926%, ranking it the top in prime time average viewership. On Tencent Video, its peak popularity score hit 30,362, breaking the record for the fastest urban drama on the platform to surpass 30,000 in popularity. Reflecting on the drama market in the first half of this year, this is the third Tencent drama produced by New Classics Media to break 30,000 in popularity.
In the first quarter, "The Legend of Shen Li" achieved success across multiple platforms. In the second quarter, "Joy of Life 2" dominated with over 55% market share, earning the title of "King of Dramas." Following closely, "The Tale of Rose" emerged as another critically acclaimed and popular series. These three dramas exemplify New Classics Media's strategy of producing high-quality content, diversifying genres, and creating series. It’s clear that by adhering to these three operational strategies, New Classics Media has not only established an excellent industry reputation but also ingrained in audiences the belief that "New Classics Media productions are guaranteed to be high-quality." This approach has provided a winning formula for long-form dramas to compete with other entertainment products and has bolstered confidence in the future innovation and development of this art form.
