To Live to Love[1] is a 2006 Chinese period TV drama series directed by Ding Hei, based on Wang Anyi's 1995 novel The Song of Everlasting Sorrow. The series stars Huang Yi and Maggie Cheung Ho-yee as the protagonist Wang Qiyao in different ages. It also stars Tse Kwan-ho (as Mr. Cheng), Wu Hsing-kuo (as Director Li), Xu Zheng (as Kang Mingxun), and Chen Lina (as Jiang Lili).
| To Live to Love | |
|---|---|
 North American DVD cover | |
| Traditional Chinese | 長恨歌 |
| Simplified Chinese | 长恨歌 |
| Literal meaning | The Song of Everlasting Sorrow |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Cháng Hèn Gē |
| Genre |
|
| Based on | The Song of Everlasting Sorrow by Wang Anyi |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Ding Hei |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Zhao Lin |
| Opening theme | "Ruguo Meiyou Ni" (如果没有你) performed by Bai Guang |
| Ending theme | "Wuxin Dengdai" (无心等待) performed by Janice Yan |
| Country of origin | China |
| Original language | Mandarin |
| No. of episodes | 35 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Ding Hei |
| Producer | He Zizhuang |
| Cinematography |
|
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Shanghai Television |
| Release | March 28, 2006 |
Filming
editFilming began in July 2004 in Soochow University, and moved to Shanghai, where the story is set, in August 2004.[2] The series was first broadcast on March 28, 2006 on Shanghai Television.[3]
Cast and characters
editEpisodes 1-14 deal with the years 1947–1950. These episodes correspond to roughly Part I and Part II, Chapter 1 of the novel. Episodes 14–35 deal with the years from 1958 to 1979.
| Actor | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Main cast | ||
| Huang Yi (ep. 1–14) | Wang Qiyao | |
| Maggie Cheung Ho-yee (ep. 14–35) | ||
| Tse Kwan-ho | Cheng Shidi | "Mr. Cheng" |
| Chen Lina | Jiang Lili | |
| Gu Yan | Wang Qiyao's mother | died of illness in 1968 |
| Episodes 1–14 | ||
| Ding Danni | Wu Peizhen | |
| Wei Li | Wang Jingtang | Wang Qiyao's father, died of illness in 1948 |
| Zhang Junwei | Wang Qiming (teenaged) | Wang Qiyao's younger brother |
| Xu Yulan | Mama Zheng | Wang family's maidservant |
| Liu Changwei | Mr. Xu | Wang Jingtang's colleague |
| Song Linlin | Captain Jason | captain of a European ship |
| Jiang Shizhuo | Fugui | Wu Peizhen's cousin |
| Qu Cheng | Yang Biao | film director |
| Yan Xiaopin | Jiang Lili's mother | |
| Li Ying | Su San | film actress, also Li Puzhi's mistress |
| Wu Hsing-kuo | Li Puzhi | "Director Li" |
| Liu Jie | Xiaoyanhong | Li Puzhi's wife, also sworn sister of Jiang Lili's mother |
| Liao Jinfeng | "eldest sworn sister" | sworn sisters of Xiaoyanhong and Jiang Lili's mother |
| Song Ruhui | "second sworn sister" | |
| Sun Min | "fourth sworn sister" | |
| Ye Qing | "fifth sworn sister" | |
| Yuan Ping | "sixth sworn sister" | |
| Zhou Xiaoli | "seventh sworn sister" | |
| Zhao Zhenzhong | Li Puzhi's adjutant | actually a Communist spy |
| Tan Zengwei | "Mugen" | Jiang family's butler |
| Li Daojun | Jiang family's tailor | |
| Xiang Mei | Wang Qiyao's grandma | |
| Sun Qixin | Yu Qing | servant and lover of Wang Qiyao's grandma |
| Si Xiao | Wang Hongcai | "Deuce" |
| Episodes 14–35 | ||
| Chen Qing | Wang Qiming (older) | |
| Liu Xiao | Cuifen | Wang Qiming's wife |
| Zhang Dongwei (child) | Maomao | Wang Qiming's son |
| Zhang Hongming | Mr. Zhang | Jiang Lili's leader and eventual husband |
| Ni Hongjie | Gu Mali | Cheng Shidi's neighbor who likes him |
| Wang Yin | Liu Mei | Cheng Shidi's colleague in the library |
| Wang Guojing | Yan Shande | "Mr. Yan" |
| Jin Meng | Lu Yunying | "Madame Yan" |
| Li Shuai (child) | Yan Xiaodi (Lu Yunying's son) | |
| Yu Cunshi (teen) | led Red Guards to ransack Wang Qiyao's apartment | |
| Zhou Hao | dated Weiwei before realizing they were related | |
| Fang Ling | Fengdi | Yan family's maidservant |
| Dai Zhao'an | Aliu | a neighbour in Peace Lane |
| Huang Lijuan | Qian Yingying | Aliu's wife |
| Xu Zheng | Kang Mingxun | |
| Xu Chengxian | Kang Mingxun's father | |
| Chen Hongmei | Kang Mingxun's "Mother" | not his real mother |
| Chen Jianfei | Kang Mingxun's "Second Mother" | his real mother |
| Shi Tingting | Kang Mingni | Kang Mingxun's younger half-sisters |
| Wang Yun | Kang Mingshan | |
| Zhao Rongrong | Kang family's maidservant | |
| Ji Xueping | Xu Yuanyuan | Kang Mingxun's date and eventual wife |
| Bahtiyar Aziz | Sasha | |
| Sheng Zhao (child) | Wang Weiwei | |
| Gao Si | dated both Yan Xiaodi and Feng Yongli | |
| Shen Yue | Zhang Yonghong | dated Feng Yongli |
| Liu Lei | Feng Yongli | "Old Colour" |
| Xu Fu | Feng Yongli's father | Cheng Shidi's colleague in the library |
References
edit- ^ Wang Anyi (2008). The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai. Translated by Berry, Michael; Chan Egan, Susan Chan. Columbia University Press. pp. 433. ISBN 978-0-231-14342-4.
- ^ 电视版《长恨歌》开机 两个“王琦瑶”面对面
- ^ 《长恨歌》黄奕版王琦瑶将除面纱