If you have heard of Shen Yue, then you’ve probably seen her drama A Love So Beautiful. Or maybe you’ve watched Meteor Garden, a 2018 remake of the original childhood Chinese classic. If not — Shen Yue is a name that you might not have to wander far through C-entertainment to hear, especially in the world of C-drama. Both dramas have been wildly popular, and have aided in the making of an international fanbase for Shen Yue. She is twenty two, a rookie actress, and has been in her industry for only a little over two years. With this knowledge, one might assume that Shen Yue’s success comes with little problems. Of course, assumptions are often wrong.
Shen Yue has been plagued with negative comments since the beginning of her career — having elevated after the remake of Meteor Garden (naturally remakes are subject to immense criticism due to audience’s preconceived notions and expectations). Criticisms and critiques are not uncommon in the world of celebrities. In fact, they are expected for an artist, especially in today’s world. Gone are the days when actors and actresses aimed to hide their identities, so as to ensure that audiences could suspend their disbelief for whatever character that they wanted to portray. Now actors and actresses’ lives are accessible via Instagram, Twitter, and in many Chinese celebrities’ case, Weibo.
Recently, the long awaited remake of Another Me began airing. It is based on the novel of the same name, written by Anni Baobei. It follows the acclaimed 2016 film, SoulMate, in which both leads Zhou Dongyu and Ma Sichun won Golden Horse Awards for Best Leading Actress. The drama remake centers around the relationship between Li Ansheng (Shen Yue) and Lin Qiyue (Chen Duling). Childhood friends, they share everything with each other — and eventually, the same love. Lines become blurred when they both garner feelings for the same man. As they enter adulthood, their relationship becomes complicated, plagued by problems from their youth: Ansheng the product of a parentless household — a working mother that was not present for most of her life. Lost and trying to find herself. Qiyue — grown under a sheltered two parent home. Often perceiving happiness with what she considers the ideal life.
Obviously, it can be deduced from this that it is an intense emotional drama — and from what I’ve seen so far, it is a very good watch. I have seen the film version, and although remakes do draw comparisons, I have not found myself comparing the movie and the drama. Instead, the latter is a more elaborative effort in telling the stories of Qiyue and Ansheng — starting from their childhood and even fleshing out relationships that the film only lingered on, such as the one between Apan and Ansheng. These decisions have not hindered the drama. In fact, I think it has assisted it in standing out and apart from its filmic version. Two different pieces of art, two different versions of telling the story. Other points of praise are the cinematography, directing, and writing. Most of the time, it is very easy to follow the characters’ stories, which can be difficult to do when there are two leads with separate lives for much of the drama.
(Spoilers ahead). Lately, Shen Yue’s acting skills have been called into question again with the airing of Episode 14, in which her mother dies unexpectedly. Shen Yue’s character Li Ansheng has no opportunity to say goodbye, and comes home to the news that her mother has passed away without her knowledge. Her uncle then invites her into the room for a chance to give her regards and say goodbye. What follows is a scene of Li Ansheng pouring out her emotions, now given the chance to say all of the things she never got the chance to when her mother was alive. She is caught between love, hate, anger, regret…it is an intensely emotional scene and a standout in a drama that thrives on melancholy. And Shen Yue’s efforts were not in vain. I found the performance to be believable, relatable, and powerful. It didn’t feel inauthentic at all, and actually felt and looked as if Shen Yue herself was experiencing the emotions as she played them. It was a profound portrayal of the human condition, in which the passing of a family member can lead to a multi-faceted experience: an abundance of emotions, sometimes even contradictory. One thing can be certain: Shen Yue is in anguish, and as a viewer, you believe it. Furthermore, to the production team’s credit, I believe that it was well-directed and edited. And for some time, Shen Yue is framed close up, making the viewer’s experience almost visceral. There’s plenty of cuts in there but the scene feels like a long take — almost replicating the emotional exhaustion that Ansheng’s character must have felt. Even the cutaways of the uncle feel purposeful. My only criticism would be the music. Sometimes silence speaks louder than what the music can tell the viewer to feel. Maybe that’s just personal preference though.
This is why I was surprised when netizens expressed mixed reactions — and mostly negativity — over this scene. It became a trending topic on Weibo, with millions of comments. I saw something that proved Shen Yue as a formidable and upcoming young actress, since A Love So Beautiful (which I thought she was great in). Others saw a weak performance, with remarks like “She’s trying too hard”, “She looks bad when she’s crying”, and “Go back to acting school”. I believe that media is subjective. And while I don’t discredit naysayer’s opinions, I do believe in the power of public persuasion and beauty standards. From what I have seen, Weibo is the source of many of Shen Yue’s criticisms. Most often, they revolve around her figure, her appearance, her height, and other purposeless things like her fashion sense. Many criticisms surround the argument that Shen Yue should not be famous, and should be held to a higher standard, since her looks are “average”. I personally find Shen Yue to be beautiful, but nevertheless this is obviously a pitiful and misunderstood assessment of what being an actor or actress entails. (Of course, this is not unusual treatment for actresses. Women are held to a ridiculous standards, especially when compared to those of a man.) Most of these comments have an underlying sentiment of displaced judgement, insecurity, and jealousy. Because of this, it is difficult to discern where the intentions of netizens online lie. One can’t help but ask that if Shen Yue fit into these so-called beauty standards, would her acting be critiqued so harshly?
One thing can be certain. Shen Yue has done a terrific job depicting Ansheng thus far, bringing a little of that comedic touch that I saw in ALSB and an entirely different side of her that viewers hadn’t seen before: the dark and tragic character of Ansheng. Shen Yue has done her part of inviting an international audience into the world of C-Dramas. I believe that she is talented, and has room to grow as any young actress does. She should have a bright future, if she is allowed to bloom.
