Joy of Life (TV series)

Joy of Life (Chinese: 庆余年; pinyin: Qìng Yúnián), also known as Thankful for the Remaining Years, is a 2019 Chinese television series that is based on the novel Qing Yunian (庆余年) by Mao Ni.[1] It stars Zhang Ruoyun, Li Qin and Chen Daoming.[2][3][4] The series premiered on Tencent Video and iQiyi on November 26, 2019.[5] It garnered high viewership and mostly positive reviews, and won two awards at the Shanghai Television Festival, including Best Adapted Screenplay.[6] It is currently (2023) available via Rakuten Viki.[7]

Joy of Life
Also known asCelebrating an Affluent Year
Traditional Chinese慶餘年
Simplified Chinese庆余年
Hanyu PinyinQìng Yúnián
Genre
Based onQing Yu Nian
by Mao Ni
Written byWang Juan
Directed bySun Hao
Starring
Opening theme"One Life One Thought" by Li Jian
Ending theme"Remaining Years" by Xiao Zhan
Country of originChina
Original languageMandarin
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes47
Production
Executive producerChen Yingjie
Production locations
EditorZhang Jia
Camera setupMultiple-camera setup
Running time40-45 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original network
Original releaseNovember 26, 2019 (2019-11-26)

Plot

Fan Xian is born in the ancient empire of Southern Qing with memories of the 21st century. He is raised by his grandmother in the rural town, Danzhou as the illegitimate son of the Minister of Finance. His mother, Ye Qingmei was once a celebrated inventor who founded the Overwatch Council, the country's spy network and the Royal Treasury but was killed shortly after her son was born. Fan Xian has been protected since birth by a blind martial arts expert, Wu Zhu, his mother's bodyguard. He learns martial arts and the art of poison as a child, also assisted by his knowledge from the 21st century. After an assassination attempt, he decides to venture into the capital to find out more about his mysterious mother and why anyone would want to kill him, as he perceives himself to be an unimportant person. He also wants to know why he has memories of an obviously different era. In the capital, he accidentally meets Lin Wan'er, the sickly illegitimate daughter of the Princess Royal and falls in love with her. Unbeknownst to him, she is the woman the Emperor chose for him to marry so that he could take over the Royal Treasury, an institute Fan Xian's mother established in the palace and currently handled by the Princess Royal. In the capital, however, he gets entangled in the relationship between the Emperor and the two Princes, as well as the Overwatch Council, leading to him question his whole identity and motivating him to find his true life goals, abandoning his original intention to just "enjoy life".

In the 46th (and final episode of season 1) Fan Xian, choosing loyalty to friends and family over loyalty to state, is apparently killed. Two more seasons are planned.[8]

Cast

Main
ActorCharacterIntroduction
Zhang Ruoyun[9]

Haolin Han as young Fan Xian [10]

 Fan Xian / Fan ShenFan Jian's adopted son; the son of the emperor and Ye Qingmei. He is quite skilled in martial arts and has memories from the 21st Century which allow him to use that knowledge to his advantage. Lin Wan'er's love interest and fiancée.
Li Qin[11]Lin Wan'erCommandery Princess. The illegitimate daughter of Lin Ruofu and the Elder Princess. Fan Xian's love interest and fiancée. She suffers from tuberculosis, and later Fan Xian treats her disease.
Chen Daoming[12]EmperorThe ruler of Southern Qing. Original name unmentioned, as the author thought it to be unnecessary.
Imperial palace
ActorCharacterIntroduction
Zheng YuzhiEmpress DowagerEmpress Dowager of Qing. Mother of the Emperor, Elder Princess Li Yunrui, and Prince of Jing. Eunuch Hong attends to her.
Yuan QuanYe QingmeiFan Xian's birth mother, and former lover of the emperor. Her inventions made the royal family wealthy, which created the Royal Treasury and also founded the Overwatch Council.
Li Xiaoran[13]Li YunruiEldest Princess (equivalent to the west's Princess Royal) and Lin Wan'er's mother. Younger sister of the Emperor although they are not blood related. She controls the Royal Treasury which will be passed on to whoever marries Lin Wan'er.
Lin JingNoble Consort ShuThe mother of the second prince.
Deng TongtianConcubine YiLiu Ruyu's cousin; the mother of the third prince (he is really the fourth prince by birth order but the Crown Prince is excluded from the ranking).
Qiao HongTalented Lady NingThe mother of the eldest prince. A native of Dongyi (Japan), her foreign blood bars her son from the succession.
Liu Duan DuanLi ChengzeThe second prince of Qing. Born by Noble Consort Shu. He appears laidback but underneath he is calculating and hides his true nature.
Zhang HaoweiLi ChengqianCrown Prince of Qing and the third eldest prince of Qing by birth order.
Liu Runnan[14]Li HongchengSon of the Prince of Jing, who is the full younger brother of the Qing Emperor. Close friend and cousin of the second prince.
Imperial court
ActorCharacterIntroduction
Yu Yang[15]Lin RuofuPrime Minister of Qing. Father of Lin Wan'er', Lin Dabao, and Lin Gong.
Gao Shuguang[16]Fan JianCount of Sinan and formerly Assistant Minister of Revenue, now Minister of Revenue. Fan Ruoruo and Fan Sizhe's biological father. Fan Xian's adoptive father.
Chang ChengGuo YouzhiMinister of Rites. Father of Guo Baokun.
Li JianyiMei ZhiliLocal Prefect of the Capital City. He acts as the judge in civil court. Assassinated en route to return to hometown for retirement.
Li ZifengYan XiaoyiCommander of the Palace Guards. The only 9th level archery martial artist in existence according to Wuzhu. He was saved and promoted from a hunter by Eldest Princess Yunrui, and he is loyal to her.
Cui PengGong DianVice-Commander of the Palace Guards and the emperor's bodyguard. 8th level martial artist.
Cui ZhigangEunuch HouThe emperor's head eunuch
Du YumingEunuch Hong SikuEmpress Dowager's head eunuch. Reputed to be one of the four martial grandmasters.
Zhao Zhen TingXie Bian2nd Prince's Bodyguard. A martial artist who is highly skilled in using swords.
Overwatch Council
ActorCharacterIntroduction
Wu Gang[17]Chen PingpingRuthless and astute head of the government's Overwatch Council, an investigative agency that monitors other government branches. He is considered to be the second most powerful person in Southern Qing.
Hai YitianZhu GeHead of the first bureau of the Overwatch Council, the branch in charge of the capital city.
Liu Hua[18]Fei JieHead of the third bureau of the Overwatch Council, the branch specializing in poison and gadgets. Fan Xian’s first teacher. Master of poisons and medicine.
Dong JingchuanSenior LengActing head of the third bureau of the Overwatch Council.
Li QiangYan RuohaiHead of the fourth bureau of the Overwatch Council, the branch in charge of everything outside the capital city, including foreign espionage.
Hei QiHead of the fifth bureau of the Overwatch Council, the armed division known as the Black Knights.
Wang YifuYing Zi (Shadow)Head of the sixth bureau of the Overwatch Council, the assassination branch. Known as Lord Shadow. He appears mysterious and no one has ever seen his face under his mask and hood. He is highly skilled in martial arts and according to Chen Pingping, he can wipe out an army by himself.
Jiang YangXuan JiuHead of the eighth bureau of the Overwatch Council, the branch in charge of publication of books.
Tian Yu[19]Wang QinianA notary of the first bureau. Loves money and is afraid of his wife.
Xiao Zhan[20]Yan BingyunYan Ruohai's son. He is dispatched as the spymaster in Northern Qi. Stands for peace and order in Northern Qi.
Fan's family and household
ActorCharacterIntroduction
Cao CuifenFan Jian's mother. Fan Xian's (adoptive) grandmother. Fan Ruoruo and Fan Sizhe's biological grandmother. She lives in Danzhou and looked after Fan Xian when he was born.
Zhao Ke[21]Liu RuyuFan Jian's second wife and Fan Sizhe's mother
Song Yi[22]Fan RuoruoFan Jian's daughter, Fan Xian's adoptive younger sister, and Fan Sizhe's elder sister. She is known to be the most talented girl in the capital.
Guo Qilin[23]Fan SizheFan Jian's son with Liu Ruyu. Is very focused on money.
Wang Yang[24]Teng ZijingOriginally a member of the fourth bureau of the control department, later Fan Xian's close friend and bodyguard. 7th level martial artist.
Han YuanqiTeng Zijing's son.
Others
ActorCharacterIntroduction
Tong Mengshi[25]WuzhuA blind martial arts grandmaster and loyal servant of Ye Qingmei. He serves Fan Xian under orders from his mother. Only a few people know of his existence.
Kang JieLin GongLin Ruofu's second son and Lin Wan'er's older brother, he dislikes Fan Xian.
Lin DabaoLin Ruofu's eldest son. He suffered an illness a young age which impacted his mental development. He and Fan Xian get along well.
Jia JinghuiGuo BaokunGuo Youzhi's son. Friend of the Crown Prince.
Xiao HaoranHe ZongweiAn orator/lawyer who often argues cases in favour of the aristocrats, much to the disgust of the commoners.
Han Jiunuo[26]Ye Ling'erLin Wan'er's friend and daughter of the head of the Garrison
Li Shen[27]Gao DaA guard escort accompanying Fan Xian to Northern Qi.
Si GujianOne of four martial arts grandmasters. Resides in Dongyi. His disciples are never without a sword.

Northern Qi Empire
ActorCharacterIntroduction
Liang AiqiEmpress Dowager of Northern Qi.
Liu Meitong[28]Zhan DoudouEmperor of Northern Qi.
Li Chun[29]Si LiliA spy from Northern Qi who infiltrates Southern Qing. Noble Consort of Northern Qi. Granddaughter of a Qing prince (presumably an uncle of the Qing Emperor). She later develops feelings for Fan Xian.
Yu Xiaowei[30]Shen ZhongCommander of the Jinyiwei Guards. He is highly skilled in martial arts and appears cunning and sadistic.
Xin Zhilei[31]Haitang DuoduoBlessed Maiden of Northern Qi. 9th level martial artists and youngest disciple of Ku He.
Yu RongguangXiao EnZhuang Mohan's younger brother. Former Northern Qi spymaster. Is captured and imprisoned by the Overwatch Council more than a decade before the start of the story.
Sun YimuLang TaoEldest Disciple of Northern Qi's grandmaster Ku He. One of the most powerful martial artists in the world.
He ZimingShang Shan HuNorthern Qi general. God-son of Xiao En. It is not known whether his surname is Shang or Shangshan
Guo Jia NuoHe DaorenNorthern Qi swordmaster, disciple of Si GuJian and 9th level martial artist.
Ku HeUncle of the Emperor of Northern Qi. One of four martial arts grandmasters. Wants Xiao En dead.

Production

Principal photography commenced in January 2018 and the entire filming wrapped up in August 2018.[32] A second season was announced in 2020,[6] while Tencent Pictures, Xinli Media and China Reading Film and Television later announced the project would go live in the fourth quarter of 2021.[33] In October 2021, Disney announced that they would be involved in producing the second season of Joy of Life with New Classics Media, and that this season would be a prequel to the first season.[34]

Reception

The drama received positive reviews for its skillful adaptation of the original novel, comedic elements and logical story flow.[35] It also received praise for its cinematography, acting performance, special effects and action scenes; as well as its tight plot and interesting storyline.[36] It achieved more than 13 billion combined views on Tencent Video and iQiyi, and received 8 out of 10 stars on Douban.[6] International streaming site Viki gave it a 9.6 rating out of 10 with over 5000 reviews in 2021.[37]

Awards and nominations
AwardCategoryNomineeResultsRef.
Film and TV Role Model 2019 Ranking Popular Web Series Joy of Life Won [38]
China Literature Award Ceremony IP Adapted Drama of the Year Won [39]
26th Shanghai Television Festival Best Television Series Nominated [40][6]
Best Director Sun Hao Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Wang Juan Won
Best Actor Zhang Ruoyun Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Chen Daoming Nominated
Tian Yu Won

Soundtrack

Mainland China
No.TitleLyricsMusicSingersLength
1."One Life One Thought (一念一生)" (Opening theme song)Li JianLi JianLi Jian04:36
2."Remaining Years (余年)" (Ending theme song)Lu JingyaChen ShimeiXiao Zhan04:25

Hong Kong
No.TitleLyricsMusicSingersLength
1."The Coldest Day (最冷的一天)" (Opening theme song)Sandy ChangAlan CheungBrian Tse03:29

Taiwan
No.TitleLyricsMusicSingersLength
1."Anything Goes (皆可)" (Opening theme song)Xiaoxie Lan (藍小邪)Terence LamHebe Tien04:26
2."One, after Another (一一)" (Ending theme song)Radio Mars (火星電台)Radio Mars (火星電台)Hebe Tien04:10

International broadcast
RegionNetworkDatesNotes
 Hong Kong,
 Macau		TVB Jade2 March 2020 - 18 April 2020 (Monday to Friday at 9:30 PM) & 21 March (Saturday at 8:30 PM back to back episodes)Dubbed with Cantonese
 Malaysia8TV15 May 2020 - (Monday to Friday at 8:30 PM)Original

References
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  2. 陈道明张若昀《庆余年》演父子 古装权谋大戏曝角色海报 李沁郭麒麟吴刚加盟. Mtime (in Chinese). January 26, 2018. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  3. 《庆余年》豪华阵容曝光 老戏骨新生代齐亮相. Tencent (in Chinese). January 26, 2018.
  4. 《庆余年》首曝剧照 描绘传奇众生相. Xinhua News Agency (in Chinese). April 23, 2018. Archived from the original on April 28, 2018.
  5. 张若昀李沁《庆余年》将上线，晚8点开播. Beijing News (in Chinese). November 26, 2019.
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  7. Joy of Life | Mainland China | Drama | Watch with English Subtitles & More ✔️, retrieved 2023-04-01
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