“Wind Blows Half Summer” is awarded “Feitian” and resonates with the times to expand the boundaries of realism
At the just concluded 34th China TV Drama “Flying Apsaras Awards” ceremony, the TV drama “Wind Blowing Half Summer” produced by Shangxiang Entertainment won the Outstanding TV Drama Award. Zhao Liying won the Outstanding Actress Award for her outstanding performance as Xu Banxia in the drama. Previously, “Wind Blowing Half Summer” has won many important national awards such as the National Radio and Television Administration’s 2023 Chinese Drama Selection and China’s TV Innovative Influential Drama, as well as more than 30 top honors from media and authoritative institutions.
The “double flying celestials” in the play “Wind Blowing Midsummer” is also the “flying celestials again” of Shangxiang Entertainment. “Special Amnesty 1959” produced by Shangxiang Entertainment has won the 32nd “Flying Apsaras Award”. It is the only quality tribute drama that shows that precious history and fills the vacancy of the subject matter in the field of domestic TV dramas.
As a professional film and television production organization that focuses on producing top-notch realistic content, Shangxiang Entertainment can always capture the most resonant content and produce excellent works that have both the depth of the times and the thickness of history, while also being able to graft the style of the times and the emotions of the audience with the flavor of the world.
One “big” and one “small”: an epic of the times from an ordinary perspective
“The Wind Blows in Midsummer” is adapted from the original work by A Nai. The protagonist is a gray character. Her “fighting spirit, pioneering spirit, and ruthlessness” are both rare and advanced highlights of the character, and also a very challenging focus of the adaptation.
Xu Banxia is a “big” person, with great ambition and energy in her body. She relies on her own ability to fight in the steel industry where men gather, and stands out as a “big” heroine. Xu Banxia is also a “small” person. She is not a perfect woman with zero flaws. She is gentle and kind, but she also does not hide her desire for success.
In the play, Zhao Liying perfectly grasped Xu Banxia’s boldness and decisiveness. Outside the play, Shangxiang Entertainment accurately grasped the pulse of the times and the temperature of human nature.
Reflecting the great era with a small perspective, and reflecting great feelings with small people – Shangxiang Entertainment has always insisted on writing the contemporary stories of ordinary people, accompanied by the macro-value expression of goodness, truth and beauty, allowing the audience to witness the changes of the times and the growth of characters in this “big” and “small”.
One “new” and one “old”: the imprint of the times in real memory
The reason why “Wind Blows Half Summer” is so touching is not only the wonderful performances of the actors, but also the details that make most viewers feel strongly involved. From the background music in the streets and alleys, to the costumes and props of the characters, to the scene creation of the old state-owned factory, everything is restored to the original appearance of the 1990s as much as possible.
At the same time, Shangxiang Entertainment sought innovation and change in the adaptation and made bold rewrites. It did not avoid contradictions or castrate human nature to create a group of well-rounded characters. It concealed the “protagonist halo” in the creation of the story structure, and achieved innovation in character design, creative theme, and value perspective, giving the traditional entrepreneurial struggle story a new flavor and level.
Shangxiang Entertainment innovates in the overall picture and follows the old ways in the details. It does not stay in its own “comfort zone”, but continues to explore the realism track through the collision of “new” and “old”, allowing the audience to understand the times, resonate with emotions, and think about values.
One “plus” and one “minus” – the powerful voice of the times after meticulous craftsmanship
As early as when Shangxiang Entertainment decided to shoot this drama, it decided to add more feminine characteristics and elements to the adaptation of Xu Banxia’s role. As a result, the audience was able to see Xu Banxia’s unique courage, fearless challenge, heroic spirit, and cute humor; they were able to see an ordinary female fighter who respects herself, loves herself, and strives for self-improvement, puts herself first, and treats her loved ones and brothers as her dearest relatives.
Realistic film and television works are very likely to fall into the routine creative rut of “just for the sake of being fun”, so this drama also made corresponding subtractions in character creation, sacrificing certain plot conflicts and contradictions to add a real pulse to the character creation and era profile, eliminating more of the cruelty in the original work.
In recent years, Shangxiang Entertainment has accelerated its development in the film and television industry. Its works cover major historical, realistic themes, contemporary military, urban inspiration, etc. It has won authoritative awards such as the “Five Ones” Project Award, the “Flying Apsaras Award”, the “Golden Eagle Award” and the “Golden Star Award”, leaving behind a series of excellent works such as “Amnesty 1959”, “Young People in the Song Dynasty”, “The Best Taste in the World is Serenity” and “Real Men”.
At present, Shangxiang Entertainment is incubating a series of projects that are highly concerned by the market. Among them, “Qin Opera” is adapted from the famous novel of the same name by writer Jia Pingwa, who won the Mao Dun Literature Award. It uses the birth, aging, illness, death, joy and sorrow of the two major families of Bai and Xia and the lives of all living beings to truly and vividly reproduce the fierce impact and changes brought to the countryside by the great transformation of Chinese society. “The Book of Life” is adapted from the novel of the same name by writer Li Peifu, which is also a Mao Dun Literature Award winner, showing the trajectory of the changes in China’s cities and villages from a first-person perspective. “The Distant White Horse” is adapted from the novel of the same name by writer Zhu Xiuhai. It was awarded the Outstanding Work Award of the 16th “Five One Project” of Spiritual Civilization Construction of the Central Propaganda Department and was nominated for the Mao Dun Literature Award. Military writer Zhu Xiuhai is also the original author and screenwriter of the well-known “Qiao Family Courtyard”.
Past successful incubation experiences have strengthened Shangxiang Entertainment’s determination to delve deeper into the creation of realistic dramas, while sufficient IP reserves have provided a fertile soil for Shangxiang Entertainment to continue telling good stories with “the depth of the times, cultural heritage, human strength, and spiritual value.”
Whether it is the second time flying to the sky, or the development and production of many heavyweight IPs, Shangxiang Entertainment has explored a unique methodology for drama creation, and has grown wildly together with outstanding creative groups. With the creative purpose of writing about the times, singing about the people, paying attention to reality, and respecting art, it continues to create high-quality works around the content matrix of “small people, positive energy, big times, new perspectives.”
It is understood that dramas such as “Starting a Family”, “Happy Days” and “I’m Waiting for You at the Top” produced by Shangxiang Entertainment are being produced in full swing and will meet the audience in the near future. Stay tuned!
