Blossoms Shanghai

Blossoms Shanghai(Chinese:繁花;pinyin:Fán Huā), also known asBlossoms, is aChinese television seriesdirected and produced byWong Kar-wai. It is adapted from the novelBlossomswritten byJin Yucheng.The series is set inShanghaiin the 1990s and starsHu Ge,Ma Yili,Tiffany Tang, andXin Zhilei. It is the first television series directed by Wong.The series started airing onCCTV-8andTencent Videoon December 27, 2023.
In the 1990s, Shanghai is brimming with promise and opportunity. Young A Bao (Hu Ge) rides on the wave ofeconomic reformand his own hard work to become a rising star in the business world, garnering recognition along the bustling Huanghe Road.His transformation from ordinary A Bao to Mr. Bao is nurtured by the guidance of Uncle Ye (You Benchang), the companionship of Ling Zi (Ma Yili), the owner of Night Tokyo, and the camaraderie of Miss Wang (Tiffany Tang) of theforeign trade building.However, the emergence of a trendy new restaurant and its mysterious owner Li Li (Xin Zhilei) has thrown his once-thriving career into turmoil, testing his relationships with those around him.At the same time, Mr. Qiang, a Shenzhen stock market magnate, looms as a potential nemesis, capable of dealing A Bao a fatal blow. Only by forging ahead with unwavering resolve can A Bao navigate these trials and fulfill his aspirations.
In November 2013, director-producerWong Kar-waiapproached authorJin Yuchengto secure adaptation rights for Jin's novelBlossoms, which was published six months prior.Shanghainese scriptwriter Qin Wen was invited to the project in September 2017 and given Wong and Jin's extensive research on the period drama adaptation.In March 2019, Wong Kar-wai revealed his plan on adaptingBlossoms, by then an award-winning novel, at the Spring tea party of Hong Kong Screenwriters' Guild. This work would be the third of his trilogy, followingIn the Mood for Loveand2046, and also his first television drama series.At the tea party, he also said he had been preparing for 4 years and that the script would be completed soon. In addition, he indicated that the cast crew must speakShanghainese.Han Zhijie, the vice president ofTencent Video, announced that the streaming service has nabbed rights to the series and that the preparations forBlossoms Shanghaihave been completed and filming will start the next spring.
In March 2020, Wong Kar-Wai arrived in Shanghai to prepare for both TV series and film versions ofBlossoms Shanghai.The production was originally scheduled to commence filming atHengdianin July 2020, butShanghai Film Grouppresident Wang Jianer persuaded Wong to shift production back to Shanghai, promising to buy a filming base in the Songjiang district that Wong was interested in. They began to replicate scenes like Huanghe Road. The production team moved to Shanghai in August 2020. In total, Shanghai Film Group provided over 3,000 props, over 2,900 costumes, and built a 31,000-square-meter street area for filming.
On August 2, 2020, the series was officially announced at the 2020 Tencent Video annual conference, starring Hu Ge,with Shanghainese screenwriter, Qin Wen, cinematographerPeter Paualso attached to the series.On August 5, 2020, in order to recreate the period setting, the production company published a notice in the Shanghai newspaperXinmin Evening Newsasking for old items from citizens related to 1990s' Shanghai. Hu Ge, Jin Yucheng, and Wong Kar-Wai shared their oldsewing machine, wedding dress, andShaoxing winerespectively as examples.
Wong Kar-wai metHu Gein 2017 to discuss the possible adaptation of the novel.Initially, Wong considered having Hu play all three main male characters—Lu Sheng, A Bao, and Xiao Mao—but later decided to focus on the storyline of A Bao.In 2019,casting agencyCD Home Studio was engaged for the series, andXin Zhileiwas cast in the spring of that year.Actors from Shanghai Film Group, includingTiffany Tangand Chen Long, joined the crew after production shifted to the company's filming set in 2020.Hu Ge was officially announced as the male lead on August 2, 2020, at the 2020 Tencent Video annual conference.The three female leads—Ma Yili, Tiffany Tang, and Xin Zhilei—were confirmed on November 3, 2022, at theZhejiang TVFall investment conference.Additionally, on the same day, more cast members were announced, includingYou Benchang,Zheng Kai, Jonny Chen,Dong Yong,Huang Jue, Yang Haoyu, andChloe Maayan.The majority of the main cast hails from Shanghai due to the requirement of speaking Shanghainese. Notably, over 20 alumni from theShanghai Theatre Academyhave been cast in the series.
The filming officially began in Shanghai on September 10, 2020.The main scene "Huanghe Road" was rebuilt in 1:1 scale at Shanghai Film Park inSongjiang District, Shanghai.
A veteran stock market analyst was hired as the consultant to the production to provide historical context to the volatile re-opening of theShanghai Stock Exchangein the 1990s, as well as to suggest and verify the terminology and financial accuracy to the various stock market plotlines in the story.
In October 2022, visual directorPeter Paurevealed that Wong was creating each episode of the television series in film style with 50 minutes per episode, which made the filming take over 3 years.In January 2023, Wang Jianer, the secretary of the party committee and president of Shanghai Film Group, said the series will complete filming and broadcast in 2023.
57 songs are used in this series,many of which wereMandopopandCantopopsongs popular in the 1990s. Total music copyright fees are estimated to be around CNY 10 million.
In an interview with the Department of Cinematography ofBeijing Film Academy, visual director Peter Pau revealed that all color gradingLUTsin the show were created by him. During the post-production period, the team was tasked to edit thirty episodes in thirty days, and the entire project was outsourced to Thailand. Since Pau was attached to another movie, he was unable to dedicate full attention to post-production color correction. Pau expressed disappointment with the color grading at the first run of the series, which he believed does not capture the optimal tone. He believes the international version of the series will have better color grading and correction.
On June 7, 2021, the series released its first trailer,Time Is Like Water(Chinese:时光如水), showing the flashing memories of Hu Ge's character A Bao.On November 3, 2022, the series released the second trailer,Blossoms Are Like Brocade(Chinese:繁花似锦), which includes the debuts of three female leads and a sumptuous scene of Huanghe Road in old Shanghai.
Blossoms Shanghaiwas the most streamed television series nationwide when it aired between December 2023 and January 2024 onTencent Video.The series also drew the most advertisements per episode among all dramas on streaming platforms at the time of airing,with an average of 10 advertisements per episode. The series also attracted numerous additional product placement ads fromRémy Martin,Estée Lauder,Pepsi,Bausch & Lomb,KFC, as well as tailor-madeGiorgio Armanisuits for actor Hu Ge, the brand's global ambassador.
Blossoms Shanghaisparked a feeling of nostalgia for many, bringing back memories of the 1990s, and the general mood of positivity and optimism in the early days ofmarket reform.The series has also sparked the trend ofShanghaineseofWu Chinese,a dialect in decline since the push forStandard Mandarinin the 1950s.
Huanghe Road, one of the key locales featured in the series, has become a popular destination in Shanghai after the series aired. Tai Sheng Yuan Restaurant, the real-life inspiration for the fictional eatery Zhi Zhen Yuan that main character A Bao frequented, became a popular photo-taking spot.The Cathay Theater andPeace Hotelalso attracted many travellers.In addition, someShanghainese cuisinedishes showcased in the show were highly sought after by the public.