Recently, I finished to watch this drama. Since then, I have checked reviews on the Internet, on various sns, and begun to watch other works of main leads. Now, I try to read the original novel with the help of Google Translator.
Yes, I'm totally obsessed with this drama!
FYI, you can watch Winter Begonia on YouTube, Viki as well as IQiYi International.
I cannot stop praising this drama for its beautiful cinematography, its intriguing but quite straightforward (viewer friendly!) storyline! The acting is simply top notch!
The original story is written as a BL novel (Slash novel), but we don't see any obvious physical contacts between two male leads in the drama due to the censorship in China.
Still I assure you, that the chemistry between two main leads is very strong and in the end, you feel that you just watched the epic love story of two in the turbulent era in Chinese History.
It is also a very good guide of the Beijing Opera and this Entertainment industry at that time.
I, who don't have any prior knowledge about Beijing Opera, really enjoyed to watch some practicing scenes, backstage scenes as well as the interiors of the traditional Beijing Opera theatre.
As for the opera itself, almost always opera scenes and its arias entwined with some plot lines or reflected characters' feelings.
That said, even if you don't have any previous knowledge, you can still understand their emotional attachment to the opera. Really beautifully done!
The drama also shows this closed knitted Beijing Opera Society: its hierarchical system, the overall very severe condition of its trainees with their slave like contracts, their daily rituals, habitats etc.
At the same time, a huge transition from the last empire to the republican era is also depicted through the lens of this entertainment industry.
Especially the disparity between old and new generation / the way of thinking is vividly portrayed in various dramas in that Beijing Opera community.
The drama itself is not that deadly serious though! There are tone of comedic scenes.
The rhythm of the whole drama is very constant and I've never skipped and fast-forwarded any scenes!
It's not a depressing republican era drama, rather a beautiful historical romantic story.
I strongly recommend you to check this drama. You will not be disappointed.
