By now, everyone knew the name Jiang Qin, except for those living in remote, isolated corners of the world.

So when the official channels put out the promotional claim that the film had been two years in the making, it piqued everyone’s curiosity.

After all, Jiang Qin’s long-form series were always filmed, wrapped, and broadcast within the same year.

As for this film, people had only heard whispers toward the end of last year that she was planning it as an awards contender.

But then things went quiet. No one knew what was going on, and eventually, everyone forgot the project even existed.

It wasn’t until promotions began recently that they remembered this film.

But if you had to ask who was most excited...

...it would have to be Tang Wanqing!

If she hadn’t been so poor back then—living in a small city on a remote planet with a terrible internet connection—she definitely would have gone to the audition.

Unfortunately, by the time she heard the news, they were no longer recruiting actors.

It wasn’t that she wanted to star in the movie to become famous.

Instead, she figured that since it was a film about Peking Opera, there would surely be someone on set to teach the actors how to sing.

So she had wanted to join the production to learn how to sing Peking Opera.

Unfortunately, she missed the opportunity.

She didn’t regret it anymore, though, because she had transferred her contract from Tianwen Entertainment to Muzhao Entertainment.

Now she was officially learning to sing traditional opera under Jiang Qin.

Even though Jiang Qin said she wasn’t a professional herself, Tang Wanqing felt she was more than qualified enough to be her teacher.

Moreover, the company was also asking around, trying to find any hidden masters in the field.

’There have to be,’ Jiang Qin thought. ’After all, there are some Interstellar Hidden Clans that haven’t adopted Beastman Genes. They must have preserved a more complete artistic lineage.’

’A unique art form like this, one that represents the culture of an entire era, couldn’t have been completely forgotten.’

Now that she had some connections of her own, she had actually managed to find someone.

She hadn’t been able to contact them yet, however. The person had never appeared in public and didn’t use the Star Network, making them difficult to track down.

The only reason she even knew of their existence was through word of mouth.

In a high-tech world like this, it was simply unbelievable.

There wasn’t a single trace of this person anywhere on the entire Star Network.

...

Soon, the movie began.

From the very beginning, the film’s atmosphere was oppressive.

Everyone watched in silence.

They watched the ill-fated boys in the film, being whipped as they learned their craft in the opera troupe.

Especially the protagonist, Xiao Douzi.

He was born with six fingers. His mother was a prostitute, and his father was unknown.

Because he was a boy and getting older, his mother could no longer keep him with her. She decided to send him to the opera troupe.

Unfortunately, the troupe master rejected him after seeing his sixth finger.

His mother was ruthless. She covered her son’s eyes, took a cleaver, and cut off the extra finger herself.

Only then was Xiao Douzi allowed to stay with the troupe.

After his mother left, his life in the troupe became an abyss of suffering.

Because of his handsome, androgynous looks, he was constantly bullied, but thankfully, his senior, Shitou, protected him.

The audience watched as Xiao Douzi stubbornly refused to recite the line, "I am by nature a girl," getting punished again and again.

They watched him run away, only to return on his own.

They watched Lai Zi take his own life.

They watched as, after making the same mistake again, Shitou shoved a pipe into Xiao Douzi’s mouth until it bled, finally breaking him.

He finally recited the line.

...

The film was full of subtle plot points, but the Interstellar People understood them all.

And it was precisely because they understood that they wept in silence.

It was an oppressive film. It didn’t make one break down and sob, but rather caused a dull ache in the heart, prompting silent tears.

The oppression of the era... everyone was trapped in their role, with no freedom to be found.

Even as the credits rolled, no one in the audience had moved to get up.

Although the story was sparked by the Peking Opera *Farewell My Concubine*, its true focus was the era itself.

In a time of turmoil, no one could remain untouched.

Every ordinary person was swept up by the currents of the time.

After watching it, Tang Wanqing felt she loved opera even more.

Unfortunately, it would be almost impossible to assemble a full opera troupe these days. Even if she mastered the art, she would likely only ever be able to sing alone.

Performing on a proper stage would be incredibly difficult.

Whenever a series or film involving Jiang Qin was released, the movie review bloggers on the Star Network would be the first to watch and post their thoughts.

This time was no exception.

After all, Jiang Qin’s name alone guaranteed traffic on the Star Network. No one could afford to be a step behind the competition.

So just half an hour after the film ended, there were already review posts on the Star Network.

The blogger who posted was named: The Cat Who Steals Jiang Tang.

[As everyone knows, your humble blogger is a long-time Jiang Fan.

So, I make it a point to never miss any of Miss Jiang Qin’s works, and this new film was no exception.

Here are my thoughts after watching the film. They’re just for fun, and if you have your own ideas, feel free to discuss them in the comments.

First, let’s talk about the film’s shortcomings.

After all, if I only praise it and don’t mention any flaws, people are just going to call me a mindless stan.

So, what are the flaws? For one, the film’s historical setting is quite ancient, so it might be difficult for many viewers to feel immersed.

Of course, in my opinion, this is also a strength. I believe history should not be forgotten.

If not for nostalgic films and shows like this, how else would we get a glimpse into a corner of the past?

Take this film, for example.

If Miss Jiang Qin had just written down the history of that era in a few short sentences, would anyone really read it? Would they really try to understand it?

And even if they did, could they truly imagine what it was like?

I know I couldn’t.

But this film tears off a corner of that era and presents it right before our eyes.

After watching it, you remember everything.

If someone were to ask about the history of that period, you’d remember the events from the film.

You’d remember that it was a backward, chaotic time. You’d remember the ordinary people struggling to survive within it...

The emotional entanglements are also incredibly compelling. And the one who broke my heart the most was Cheng Dieyi.

No one is perfect, but that’s what makes a character feel the most real.

And the performance of *Farewell My Concubine* within the film sparked a longing for traditional opera in me.

It’s a kind of charm that comes from our cultural heritage...]

This review was very long.

Even though it was written in the half-hour just after the film ended.

But because of the time crunch, the blogger hadn’t carefully constructed the post; they just wrote whatever came to mind.

This made it obvious that the thoughts were straight from the heart, which made them more relatable.

[Gotta love our ’Cat Who Steals Jiang Tang’. Every sentence spoke right to my heart.]

[You can tell ’Cat’ isn’t like those bloggers who have a whole team behind them. He writes all his own posts.

Unlike most bloggers who just have their staff write drafts, pick the one with the fanciest prose, and upload it.

Their whole posts have ’phony’ written all over them.]

[Although I like most of Qin Bao’s works, this movie is my favorite.]

[After watching the film, I feel like my whole perspective has been elevated...]