#bianji

[toasterbaka]

on another note. Gaoyang and Bianji are very cute. and the bloopers between them are canon to me.

[leipengarchive]

2025.09.16 Ziyu Weibo Update

"Becoming "Bian Ji" is such a strange, wonderful memory for me; thinking back I can't help but ramble a few lines.

The first scenes that come to mind are those shot right as spring was beginning - the weather was a little cool, and the damp chill of the southern Hengdian combined with a light, drizzling rain felt very different from Beijing. At that time I'd just shaved my head. We filmed the execution-walk scenes on the streets beside the Spring-and-Autumn-Warring-States set. After the rain, the sun came out and shone on my bare head - that feeling was so strange. To be honest, before I shaved my head I never imagined there would be a day when my scalp would get direct sunlight! That stretch of road wasn't long, but I could feel everyone's gazes from both sides. My feeling then was that I had to walk out with a heavy step. Wearing costume shoes on the cobblestones, kneeling there and feeling the character's mood, I asked myself: what on earth would someone who is intent on dying be thinking at this moment? The Bian Ji I understood is both clear-headed and stubborn. Maybe that love to others looks utterly ridiculous - but so what? Love is love.

Something funny happened on set that day; after filming the beheading, we needed close-ups of the blood splashing. That day the fake blood was a bit thin; when it splashed on my arm and the floor there were actually little bubbles that wouldn't wash off!!! It took me days of scrubbing before it finally came clean!!!

One scene I remember very clearly was in a temple. When I first arrived the sky hadn't yet gone dark. In the waiting time I kept playing with a candle by myself. Once we started shooting I thought: if Bian Ji sees Gao Yang coming for him, he should really be happy - yet when he hears that she's going to be married, his heart still gives a jolt. Given Bian Ji's temperament, he'd tell himself to restrain, to stay lucid, and to be aware of his identity. So in that scene I acted the joy as something contained, and the sadness as something contained. The only thing I allowed to tremble was the hand hidden under the monk's robe. Then when I received the calamus wreath from Princess Gao Yang, Bian Ji felt deeply moved but had to stay composed. Only after she walked away did he have the courage to gently lift the cherished item - maybe in that instant Bian Ji truly understood his own feelings.

Night fell so fast. When Princess Gao Yang said, "Tomorrow we begin," it was actually the last lucid moment they would see each other. Performing it felt really bittersweet to me; under the stormy backdrop, a mismatched love like theirs was never going to be recognized or blessed by the world. That evening we shot the big fire-rescue scene - the smoke was heavy and choking, but Teacher Xiao Zhai was incredibly professional. Before we came out of the gate, the room had to be filled with smoke to make it work - breathing was really difficult. Once the director called action, we ran out again and again. During filming the director wanted my gaze fixed forward, but the plot required me to go down the stairs, so I silently counted the steps in my head, controlling my pace to keep the rhythm. There was burning material on the set that kept producing thick, acrid black smoke; by the end my nose was full of soot - haha - the first time I washed after the wrap the water ran black. I remember it took ages to get clean. It was my first time doing a big-fire scene and it felt oddly fun.

Later there was another scene in the woods where I got surrounded and needed dirt smeared on my face. At first they put on a little, but the director said it was still too clean for the role, so he literally rubbed charcoal ash on and on until I looked like a little dirtbag. For the plot, I was running for my life in that scene - the little shaved head whipped by the wind; it was so cold. Then I saw Teacher Yao Chi cut down that general with one stroke - my shock was real. 

That wasn't acting, haha - total instinct: "He's dead?" Weren't they on the same side? That villian went out way too fast, haha!!

This shoot has been one of the most peculiar experiences of my acting journey so far. Whether it was shaving my head or, after wrapping, feeling my hair slowly grow back, everything stuck in my memory. During that period I'd wash my face and rinse my head - skipping shampoo entirely - very convenient haha. For a long time I didn't even need a hair dryer. It was all very strange and wonderful!

One last thing: thank you, Bian Ji. I got to feel a bit of your life - though it was a little bitter - I hope that in some parallel universe you can live happily!!!"