MINI PROFILE of Liu Yuning 刘宇宁
    Social media: Weibo (18.6 million fans /粉丝 1862.1万 - Dec.23) FANDOM DATAHis fandom name is quirky : Mó fàn, péng fēi /摩饭，棚妃- from “摩饭” (scraping or scavenging for food), "棚妃" (princess or concubine): like those left starving in "cold palaces" of yore. LYN once joked during a livestream that his fans ought to build a shed in a field for the "知性小棚妃 [zhīxìng xiǎo péng fēi] "intellectual little shed princess" ! But it could now evolve to Mo Fan, Yi Lu (poster above ; "from scraping meals, to road to attainments"). Fandom color: yellow ; Fandom chant: 一生所爱,与宁同在 [yī shēng suǒ ài ,yǔ níng tóng zài]= "the love of my life is with you Ning!" shouted by fans on his birthday when Hengdian lit up the sky with the slogan, replacing "与" (=with) by 宇 (part of his name that also means "universe") to emphasize the play on words. (listen on link)
| Liu Yuning (nicknames Xiao Ning (!) or Ning Ge, but some now increasingly call him 宁头儿 Níng Tóu'er, i.e. "Chief Ning" or, for a simple translation like in the AJTL drama: "Boss Ning"). He was born 8 January 1990 , in Dandong (a very special city, that you can discover in the link), Liaoning province of China. He is 1.89 m (6ft 2) tall, according to Wikipedia. Chinese zodiac: Earth Snake, star sign Capricorn. He is a Chinese mainland actor, and lead singer of Modern Brothers pop band.  Dec.2018, his powerful cover of "Lightyears away" 《光年之外》from the G.E.M. 鄧紫棋 song created for the 2018 movie Passengers. In childhood, he wanted to study music but his family was poor. He was raised by his grandparents after his father passed away when he was 4 years old. So he had to struggle through helping with cooking, suffering a serious health issue, working odd jobs until he bought a guitar with his first salary as a chef and became a singer at local bars where he could sing 20 ~ 30 songs a day. Later, he formed the rock band Modern Brothers with his best friends and did street performances at first. The video to top left illustrates his rise from Dandong street singer (list of songs in comments of the video) to Hengdian live streamer, composer and singer of star OST songs. He has a lot of humor, and joked that he got his long legs because he had to jump over fences with barbed wire on top, to escape beatings from a jealous schoolmate and other thugs, and from playing his favorite games of shuttlecock and rubber band, where the girls could not compete with him! He also likes wordplay, as in the short clip showing him on his way through the crowd, a fan insisting on wanting an answer about the "boat" (舟 zhou), probably referring to the enticing address in the AJTL drama Weibo : 导语：一舟之远在于宁，一念关山起，远舟归何处 / "Introduction: A boat is far away from Ning. A thought of Guanshan rising : where will the boat go?" Liu Yuning impishly turned back to shout back to her that it was eight-treasures porridge (八宝粥 babaozhou)! [Well: there were 5 Liudao members, Ren Ruyi, Prince/Princess Li, and for the 8th member, why not the impressive Li Tongguang?]. His fandom of "concubines" (棚妃们 péng fēimen) is as snarky as he can be, exchanging shouts and sarcastic comments, even to naming fan accounts like "我捡垃圾养你啊Ning /I pick up trash to feed you, Ning". But very faithful and waxing poetical in their praise!
Unusual and generous idol (although not having followed the usual idol path to fame), he loves to interact with his fans which ties in with his relatively rare ENTP personality (Extroverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving) if this MBTI page is to be believed (there's another page with a different, but less believable verdict + at least 2 glaring mistakes about him). Latest test he took, impromptu on set of a December 2023 interview, he was told he was a more common ISTP (see more about that in link: well, if Liu Yuning can be likened to undying, soon centennial "Make my day" jazz lover Clint Eastwood, that's a good omen anyway, lol!!) -Let's take it with a grain of salt, since MBTI is known "pop psychology" more for fun than science. What is true is that he is a workaholic, having released "76 songs, two and a half year after his debut!" (over 100 now) AND taking part in TV shows, including as host (in 2021), regular member or guest. AND having roles in over 20 dramas and movies, since his debut as " He Tao, a high school boy trying to fulfill his musical dream and love" in 2016 movie Class 952. Liu Yuning does not do much photo covers, does not sell physical albums and even his digital ones were free. There will be commemorative, limited edition albums for sale now, and concerts upcoming, but he earns enough not to want the price to be a burden on his fans: there are lotteries to distribute a number of the albums for free. Liu Yuning is not specially modest, but has been very savvy about the management of his IT presence since launching his covers on platforms YY's Live Streaming and Douyin in 2014 ; after his contract with YY ended, he created his own studio 刘宇宁 LYN Studio in 2021, to manage his own career and that of his two "Modern Brothers" (guitarist Chen Zhuo aka A Zhuo, keyboardist Zhang Yu aka Da Fei) when they occasionally meet again to discuss music (A Zhuo and Da Fei are not permanently working with Liu Yuning who includes them mostly from fidelity to friends in his "title" as performer). Liu Yuning who is not primarily a songwriter or composer has a knack for choosing to collaborate with gifted composers like Chen Xueran and Du Zhiwen 都智文 who composed the music for the song "Offer/Present" 奉上, written by lyricist Lin Qiao.). He has had to develop a thick skin and a wry humor to deal with attacks on his person for his not conforming to beauty standards, for having been married briefly and his ex wife having chosen to divorce almost immediately "because she wanted a stable life", 6 years before he entered C-ent showbiz. He has no grudge and prefers to leave his unfortunate relationships buried in the past, has no ties nor children there. But when a an e-reporter slandered him and exposed pictures of his ex with her child, he rose swiftly and decisively to rebuke the slanderer, even if he had to go to the live stream room in full costume drama regalia! Even then, over the past and recent years, he has been bullied for not having kept from smoking, and for the sin of not receding into the background and for daring to take part in dramas. Especially being main lead in a tragedy like AJTL (although every true-blue wuxia fan knows that this genre is NOT romance with happy-ever-after end!). Some even went to replace his face with that of other actors!! Liu Yuning had the appropriate response to that. Next he was seen in the glass case as if on display, with his partner, the graceful ex ballerina Liu Shishi (who he said helped him keep a better posture as "warrior Ning Yuanzhou", instead of his usual slouched shoulders). On the other hand, he is kind hearted and has proved his empathy when he lent his coat to Zhao Liying in an interview where she sat quietly freezing under the A/C, and next treated her to dinner because she realized then that she had no payment card with her and awkwardly stepped aside. They have stayed friends ever since, and other people in showbiz deciding circles have come to appreciate his down-to-earth seriousness and talent. He is also generous: when earthquake stroke in December 2023, in a remote area of Gansu, China, he was among the first to send funds for relief efforts, that went speedily and efficiently. Despite not wanting to be misunderstood in romances outside screen work, he has proved to show quite some chemistry with several "romance partners" on set, and has undeniable charisma. But at the moment, the "love of his life" is his pet female Schnauzer, Daimi! He does not dislike cats but prefers tidiness and no hair shedding from his pet.
About food, he mentioned that he likes chicken dishes and bullfrog hotpot in Hengdian, although he also said once that he "likes spicy food but he can't eat it" (the Sichuan recipe linked is probably too hot for him - but fun to watch). In the same interview, he reminisced that he had been inspired by the series Candle in the Tomb, to start acting, and mentioned his singing an OST for one (Tomb of the Sea starring Wu Lei, in 2018: Ràng jiǔ /"Let's toast!" song). For the Jiangsu TV Dec.31, 2023 New Year's Eve, he sang the A Journey to Love OST song "Offer" 奉上 on stage, and together with Mao Buyi (who entered on the tune of his own signature song "Drowning Sorrows") a well-known 2009 "Mongolian grassland" song originally by Jiangyang Zhuoma : "Walking around the world" 走天涯 (notice LYN touching Maomao's back at 3:06 to prevent him from risk of falling as the platform lifts) - and another song with Joseph Zeng Shunxi and Tang Fei (中国智慧中国行 /"China Smart China Journey"). As for dramas (20 to date) and movie (5) appearances, check the MDL page links. Among the upcoming dramas, there are:
After his Breakthrough Actor award (Weibo night Dec.5, 2023), LYN won, January 13, 2024, his first ever Hot Actor of the Year Award at Weibo Night recognizing him officially as an actor. |
* Snippets of 刘宇宁 HUMOR :
- Story of Daimi 呆米 the Schnauzer (Jan 2022)
- Putting on makeup for the live stream (May 2021)
* Also visit the following article, that has a lot of interesting infos, pleasingly put together !
back to Table of contents link last update March.23, 2024
Liu ShiShi's farewell message to Ren Ruyi :
Translation :
- Ruyi's five wishes in life :
- for the truth to be clear, and to live up to kindness.
- for her red clothes to leave a name, and the white birds to fly high.
- for the wars to cease, and the Central Plains to be peaceful.
- for the people she loves to be true to their lives.
- A silver saddle shines on a white horse, rustling like a shooting star.
- The world is huge ; if we are lucky enough to meet each other, I wish you the best, with a yellow flower. Goodbye.
Note : 白雀 [Bái què] was translated as "white sparrows" in the drama, because "sparrows" are often spies in Chinese dramas ; but the simple translation is "white birds" and it is interesting to know that there are two famous Buddhist temples called 白雀寺 [Bái què sì] : White dove / Baique temple, one in Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province, dating back to Song dynasty, and one in Xinxiang City, Henan Province. Both are key protected cultural relics.
Liu Yuning's farewell to Ning Yuanzhou :
(2023) 12-18 14:14
老规矩。收官了。和你们聊聊。
我演过的角色不多。每个都很喜欢。
宁远舟对我来说。有一点儿特别。
因为聪明。所以能看破朝堂的波诡云谲。看透上位者的自私虚伪。看得到身边每个人的细微情绪波动。他没有钝感力。
因为担当。他重新背负兄弟清白、国家大义、百姓安乐。假装轻松地踏上不归路。想放。却放不下。
没人知道他是怎么从一个小孩历练成六道堂堂主的。就像没人知道。无数难捱的日子里。那颗糖对他来说到底意味着什么。
与宁远舟同行的这一路。是映照现实成长的一路。
感谢他。让我更坚定我要走的路。
感谢各位关众看到宁远舟。记住宁远舟。
感谢每一位主创的辛苦付出。
感谢每一位演员小伙伴一起全力以赴。
感谢每一位参与关山的工作人员。
《一念关山》有你们了不起。
刘宇宁奉上。
#一念关山加更礼##一念关山##电视剧大赏#收起
Translation :
Old rules. It's over. Let’s talk about it.
I haven't played many roles. Everyone loved this.
Ning Yuanzhou to me. Something special.
Because he is smart. So he can see through the chaos in the court. See through the selfishness and hypocrisy of those in power. He can see the subtle mood swings of everyone around you. He has no dull powers.
Because of responsibility. He once again shouldered the responsibility for the innocence of his brothers, the justice of the country, and the happiness of the people. Pretended to be on the road of no return with ease. Wanted to let go. But couldn't let go.
No one knows how he rose from a child to become the master of the Six Paths Hall. Like no one knows. Countless difficult days. What did that candy mean to him?
This journey with Ning Yuanzhou was a journey that reflected the reality of growth.
Thanks to him. He made me more determined on the path I want to take.
Thank you all for watching Ning Yuanzhou. Remember Ning Yuanzhou.
Thanks to every creator for their hard work.
Thank you to every actor and actress for working hard together.
Thank you to everyone who participated in Guanshan.
"One Thought Guanshan" is amazing because of you.
Presented by Liu Yuning.
(Weibo links of the drama)
He Landou's final message to Yang Ying and audience:
时光飞逝，很开心能够以杨盈的身份度过这段难忘的时光。杨盈是我无比敬佩、欣赏的人，有机会能成为她，用她的灵魂在我的躯壳里活一回，我感到无比幸运。
杨盈，谢谢你，让我跟你一起体验了这般热烈滚烫的人生，我之前说过，你就像是一颗野草的种子，小小的、不起眼的，起初谁也不会在意你，他们把你踩在脚底，踩进泥里，但是当你经历过暴风雨的冲刷、阳光的暴晒过后，却倔强地发出芽来，你可以钻过树根、钻出地砖，用灿烂的生命力生长在阳光之下，也生长在我的心里。
是你让我跟着你一起成长了一次，我想，往后当我面对未知、面对挫折的时候，也会想起你曾教会我的勇敢。在我心里，你不是一个虚构的形象，而是以另一种形式来到这个世界的人，谁说必须有血肉才算是活人呢，你在我的生命里，是真真实实地存在过。我想，你是借用着我的躯壳在呐喊，我也是借你的灵魂在生长。这一程，有幸能与你相伴。我不想说再见，也不必说再见，因为你教会我的东西，会一直伴随着我。
记得当初看完剧本后，我写下的一句备注是“对于观众来说，杨盈比何蓝逗重要百倍！”就是这句话一直提醒着我，成为了我的使命感。在杨盈面前，演员何蓝逗应该要尽可能地收起自己，让杨盈的经历、她的精神、她的勇敢与纯粹去感染大家。希望我最终的表现是做到了的。
感谢各位喜欢杨盈的观众朋友们，感谢你们看到阿盈的好，也感谢你们对何蓝逗的支持与包容，我知道这是你们对杨盈的爱屋及乌，作为演员，尊重自己的职业、饰演好自己的角色是我的本分，我只是完成了分内之事就收获如此多褒奖，一时间感到受宠若惊。我会把所有的鼓励和肯定都化为日后加倍努力的动力，未来一定会倾尽我所能，更加努力、真诚地演戏，不辜负大家对我的厚爱！
感谢给我这个机会的爱奇艺和柠萌影视、感谢周靖韬导演、邹曦导演及所有幕后工作人员们，是你们创造了属于《一念关山》的平行世界，让那些角色都有血有肉地活着，温暖了我们的这个冬天。
感谢日夜相伴、朝夕相处的演员老师朋友们，无论是戏里还是戏外，你们都是我的哥哥姐姐、好伙伴，我们之间的感情不必多说，你们一定都懂。
谢谢各位“关众”们的一路相伴，《一念关山》有你们，真好。
最后，谢谢糖豆们一直以来的支持，未来也跟我一起走下去吧~
愿我们都像杨盈一样，成为更好的自己。
Translation:
Time flies, and I am very happy to be able to spend this unforgettable time as Yang Ying. Yang Ying is a person that I admire and appreciate immensely. I feel extremely lucky to have the opportunity to be her and live in my body with her soul.
Yang Ying, thank you for letting me experience such a hot life with you. I have said before that you are like a weed seed, small and inconspicuous. No one will care about you at first. , they trample you under their feet and trample you into the mud, but when you experience the erosion of the storm and the exposure of the sun, you stubbornly sprout. You can drill through tree roots and drill out of floor tiles, and grow with brilliant vitality. Under the sun, it also grows in my heart.
It was you who allowed me to grow up with you. I think that when I face the unknown and setbacks in the future, I will also think of the courage you taught me. In my heart, you are not a fictitious image, but a person who came to this world in another form. Who said that you must have flesh and blood to be considered a living person? You have truly existed in my life. I think you were borrowing my body to shout, and I was borrowing your soul to grow. I am honored to have been with you on this journey. I don’t want to say goodbye, and I don’t have to say goodbye, because what you taught me will always be with me.
I remember that after reading the script, I wrote a note: "For the audience, Yang Ying is a hundred times more important than He Landou!" This sentence has always stayed with me and become my sense of mission. In front of Yang Ying, actress He Landou should try her best to put away herself and let Yang Ying's experience, her spirit, her bravery and purity infect everyone. I hope my performance achieved that goal.
Thank you to all the audience friends who like Yang Ying, thank you for seeing the goodness of A Ying, and thank you for your support and tolerance for He Landou. I know your love for Yang Ying. As an actress, respecting my career, it was my duty to play my role well, and I was flattered to receive so much praise just for completing my duties. I will turn all the encouragement and affirmation into the motivation to work harder in the future. I will definitely try my best to act harder and sincerely in the future to live up to everyone's love for me!
Thanks to iQiyi and Ningmeng Film and Television for giving me this opportunity, thanks to Director Zhou Jingtao, Director Zou Xi and all the staff behind the scenes. It is you who created the parallel world of "Yi Nian Guan Shan" and made those characters alive and warm with flesh and blood, this winter.
Thanks to my friends, actors, teachers, and friends who accompany me day and night. Whether on or off the screen, you are my brothers, sisters, and good partners. There is no need to explain the relationship between us, you must understand it.
Thank you all "guanzhong" for your accompanying all the way of "One Thought of Guanshan" ; it was great to have you.
Finally, thank you all the jelly beans (*) for your continued support, and please continue to walk with me in the future~
(*) Tang Dou / 糖豆 "jelly beans" is the name of her fans (rhyming with her name He Lan Dou / 何蓝逗)
Chang Huasen (Li Tongguan) was more succinct, perhaps feeling he still has a lot at stake. His message was accompanied by a short clip :
 full video on Weibo | 尽管不舍，这次真的要说再见了 Even though I'm reluctant to say goodbye, I really have to say farewell this time. |
Zhang Qiao'er (Liu Li) left a message to state her feelings on Dec.26:
 | 收官啦！都问琉璃去哪了，我自己也好遗憾没在最后看到属于琉璃的结局 (picture from her visit to Tian Tan, temple of Heaven, in Beijing, Dec.22, 2023, on her Weibo) |
It’s over! Everyone asked where Liuli had gone, and I felt very regretful that I didn’t see the ending that belonged to Liuli at the end.
For Liuli, Li Tongguang is like his name, shining into her life full of darkness. Sometimes some residual warmth is a warmth she cannot get in her life. Even if she knows that she is Ruyi's "surrounder", she still can't. I just want to leave a place where I can protect the one I love.
I feel lucky and grateful to be able to participate in Liuli’s life. I hope that not only Liuli, but also all the women in Yi Nian Guan Shan will no longer have to bear the suffering of the entire era with their own humiliation.
Wang Yizhe (Qian Zhao) was even more brief, also linking to a Weibo clip for his character:
 | Be true to your original intention and live up to this life. It’s been a journey through mountains and rivers, let’s just say goodbye, so let’s say goodbye properly. |
Alen Fang Yilun (Yu Shisan) chose a quote on 23-12-23 as motto for his role :
 | 喝最烈的酒，看最美的姑娘，交最好的朋友，打最痛快的仗。 于十三的这一生，无憾了 Drink the strongest wine, look at the most beautiful girls, make the best friends, and fight the happiest fights. Yu Shisan has no regrets in this life. |
Link to the Mango tv show Hello Saturday episode 47 of Dec 16, 2023 (subtitled) featuring the cast of A Journey To Love and Tan Jianci :
+ link to the Dec.14, 2023 interview of Liu Yuning (thank you to ReedMery , for alert) :
+ link to the Dec.7, 2023 Interview of Liu Yuning about the drama A Journey to Love (6'03) :
ReedMery:
Hello, thank you for your mini profile for LYN. Enjoyed reading that☺️ Btw, he took mbti test during an interview for AJTL, and he's an ISTP, just like Ning Yuanzhou?
I really ought to tweak that in, then; even if we all know that these MBTI tests should not be taken too seriously, not more than astrology, zodiac animals, and other hocus-pocus about weather patterns for the next 3 months. MBTI tests can vary a lot for someone over time, even short periods, as Chen Zheyuan disclosed about himself... A professional psychologist on MDL warned about believing too much in those tests, in the wake of my mentioning Tan Jianci's, who also has different results. But it is fun, like all fandom lore and other trivia.
If you still have the link for that specific interview, it would be nice to give it ? Especially if it was "Ning Yuanzhou" who took the test!!
He was an awesome guy! I hope he recovered from his injuries and had his wish of finding a quiet place, away from court intrigues, come true. Can't recall if we saw his grave or that of "Ren Ruyi"? But even if there was one, we know that "Ren Xin" already had been buried once, but lived on under another name : so, with all their skills and all-purpose healing magic, I would not be surprised if we got a sequel someday where these guys reappear.
I have finished proofreading, re watched twice, added some missing characters that were on the Baidu list but not in the illustrated characters and cast here, found where they appeared (except two. If someone spotted where they appeared, feel free to add it in comments! ), added some maps, and some meat (yes literally! ;-) to the mini Profile, for the joy of the "starving concubines" ... I also watched Liu Yuning's new year show, found some videos to include in the Profile, and checked out some snippets from his upcoming work. I am now ready for other adventures :-)
Meanwhile, wishing a very happy and prosperous year 2024 to all who visited these pages and liked the drama and/or music!
[Feb.12, 2024] Just landed among my recoms, this video recording of the fan made souvenir booklet of the drama, crafted by the "shed concubine sisters" 棚妃姐姐 :) The full video with the famous song is one minute long ; hereunder in two parts GIF copy. The booklet is not for sale (if it was, it might be a hit for the many LYN and/or AJTL admirers!) so thanks to fan @md_lemonpuff who recorded and posted it!
A CONTINUATION ?
As pointed out by attentive c-drama watchers, there may be a continuation, or anyway, a new story in the same universe as A Journey To Love. It is in the works by original scriptwriter Zhang Wei and is tentatively titled 一念江南 [Yi nian Jiangnan : A thought about Jiangnan] or A Journey To Glow.
Midnight-Latte informed in December of the following links to information on Baidu and Douban. There was a picture for the project that "could start production in 2024, to air in 2025", but it is still in the rumors stage only. A mention in the Baidu link informs about the "promotional activity:
On December 7, 2023, the play was selected into Ningmeng Film and Television’s 2024 annual film list" and Douban titled their post optimistically with (2025) mention.
Synopsis:
The second part of an original series. A wandering female thief, a low-ranking official who's been demoted, a general searching for a lord, a female palace official tasked with guarding the imperial mausoleum, and the son of a rich family who repeatedly failed in starting his own business; fate caused these five people to hit rock bottom in chaotic times. A story of rebuilding oneself and homeland through healing and self-discovery.
Raymond Ardin commented : "This is set in the same universe as A Journey To Love (specifically Jiangnan, where the Kingdom of Wu is located), but with completely new characters. -- The general could be searching for his missing (existing) lord, or he could be looking for a (new) lord to serve; the wording is ambiguous."
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