Drama rec: Sharp Downpour
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Time (时光): Review
May. 4th, 2026 07:45 pmdouqi posting in baihe_mediaTime (时光, pinyin: shiguang) is Ning Yuan's realist tragic baihe novel, begun in 2011 and completed around 2017. It's unusual for several reasons: first, it's Ning Yuan doing realism in a way that's reminiscent of Niu Er Er (i.e. she manages to suppress her usual tendency to slip melodrama into the closing chapters), and second, the nature of the tragedy itself.
The one-line pitch for this novel: it's the 1990s Chinese version of the k-drama Reply 1988 (my favourite of the Reply series), but more brutal, and with queer women as its focus. Spanning 1997 to 2017 (twenty years in which China saw a massive amount of upheaval and economic, social and cultural change, which the novel fully leans into), the novel begins with protagonist Wang Yutong and her childhood friend and later sweetheart Qi Yin as high school students. Their fathers work in a state-owned car factory located in the south of China (almost certainly Fujian, where Ning Yuan is almost certainly from), and their families live in the surrounding compound (which also has all the amenities you'd expect of a small town, though not at a particularly luxurious level). Wang Yutong has loving parents who've done their best to provide for her materially, but Qi Yin has a much more difficult life. Her father is an alcoholic who is often abusive to her and her mother, and her mother is quadriplegic as a result of an accident whom many neighbours believe to have been caused by her father. At the start of the novel, Qi Yin's father dies, and she becomes primarily responsible for the care of her mother at the age of thirteen.
( some spoilers, though this isn't the kind of novel that's substantially affected by spoilers )
So for something that offers a completely different take on romance from much of the baihe genre, for a compelling sketch of China's socio-economic development between 1997 to 2017 and its effects on (especially) the working class, for a sobering reminder of why a strong social welfare state is necessary, I highly recommend this novel.
I read the Chinese original of the novel here on JJWXC.
The one-line pitch for this novel: it's the 1990s Chinese version of the k-drama Reply 1988 (my favourite of the Reply series), but more brutal, and with queer women as its focus. Spanning 1997 to 2017 (twenty years in which China saw a massive amount of upheaval and economic, social and cultural change, which the novel fully leans into), the novel begins with protagonist Wang Yutong and her childhood friend and later sweetheart Qi Yin as high school students. Their fathers work in a state-owned car factory located in the south of China (almost certainly Fujian, where Ning Yuan is almost certainly from), and their families live in the surrounding compound (which also has all the amenities you'd expect of a small town, though not at a particularly luxurious level). Wang Yutong has loving parents who've done their best to provide for her materially, but Qi Yin has a much more difficult life. Her father is an alcoholic who is often abusive to her and her mother, and her mother is quadriplegic as a result of an accident whom many neighbours believe to have been caused by her father. At the start of the novel, Qi Yin's father dies, and she becomes primarily responsible for the care of her mother at the age of thirteen.
( some spoilers, though this isn't the kind of novel that's substantially affected by spoilers )
So for something that offers a completely different take on romance from much of the baihe genre, for a compelling sketch of China's socio-economic development between 1997 to 2017 and its effects on (especially) the working class, for a sobering reminder of why a strong social welfare state is necessary, I highly recommend this novel.
I read the Chinese original of the novel here on JJWXC.
Two (More) Baihe Pre-Orders Open
May. 2nd, 2026 09:58 pmdouqi posting in baihe_mediaThe baihe publishing juggernaut that is Miss Forensics continues: the fourth volume of the manhua adaptation is up for pre-order. Pre-orders can be made via the following bookshops:
For a novel that was first serialised in 2019, it's mildly incredible to me that it's still so popular that the manhua publisher is shoving out print volumes as fast as they can. The web version of the novel can be read here.
Also up for pre-order is Missing the Bird (时差十四年, pinyin: shicha shisi nian) by Lin Zizhou (林子周) (do NOT look at me, that's the English title they decided to go with for the audio drama adaptation; the literal translation of the Chinese title is something more like 'a time difference of fourteen years'). This is a (more or less) contemporary romance with a time-travelling element, and I hear it's got either a tragic ending or an open ending. I haven't read any of this author's work yet, but she seems to be known for a sort of melancholy vibe and nuanced, sensitive prose. Pre-orders can be made via the following bookshops:
The web version of the novel can be read here.
For a novel that was first serialised in 2019, it's mildly incredible to me that it's still so popular that the manhua publisher is shoving out print volumes as fast as they can. The web version of the novel can be read here.
Also up for pre-order is Missing the Bird (时差十四年, pinyin: shicha shisi nian) by Lin Zizhou (林子周) (do NOT look at me, that's the English title they decided to go with for the audio drama adaptation; the literal translation of the Chinese title is something more like 'a time difference of fourteen years'). This is a (more or less) contemporary romance with a time-travelling element, and I hear it's got either a tragic ending or an open ending. I haven't read any of this author's work yet, but she seems to be known for a sort of melancholy vibe and nuanced, sensitive prose. Pre-orders can be made via the following bookshops:
The web version of the novel can be read here.
Happy Birthday to Ning Yuan
Apr. 30th, 2026 08:48 pmdouqi posting in baihe_mediaIt's 30 April today, which means it's Ning Yuan's birthday, and I was planning to put together an epub of 'volume one' of the translation of To Embers We Return (chapters 1 to 36). Unfortunately I haven't quite been able to finish that due to Life (my nemesis). Fortunately, all is not lost as I can still show you the amazing cover graphics which skuzzybunny created for the epub!
( images behind the cut )
The epub is still very much happening and will be available imminently! I just need to finish some edits and then actually put it together.
skuzzybunny created for the epub!( images behind the cut )
The epub is still very much happening and will be available imminently! I just need to finish some edits and then actually put it together.
焚情 Fanart
Apr. 29th, 2026 04:06 pmskuzzybunny posting in baihe_mediaDouqi recently asked me if I'd put all my FenQing (To Ember's We Return) art in one place and the answer was a resounding No <3 ahhaha until today!
Put them up in 2 spots for image hosting reasons, as follows. Be warned, some pieces in there are NSFW! All the characters included are mentioned in the alt text. I'm gonna try my best to update as I make more!
- Dreamwidth Post
- Tumblr Post
Put them up in 2 spots for image hosting reasons, as follows. Be warned, some pieces in there are NSFW! All the characters included are mentioned in the alt text. I'm gonna try my best to update as I make more!
- Dreamwidth Post
- Tumblr Post