Blossoms Shanghai: Wong Kar-wai's 30-Episode Love Letter to the Robust City of his Birth
By Alice Shih
Some cinephiles worship Wong Kar-wai for the ambiguity in his films. The elusiveness stimulates introspection, moving the audience to contemplation, their senses wrapped in an array of rich colour and mesmerizing soundtracks.
The audience is cinematically transported to an alternate world of complementing pleasure and mystery. But what if Wong’s work becomes more comprehensible, leaving us less room for our own imagination? Would that change the experience?
Blossoms Shanghai is a TV adaptation of the prestigious Mao Dun literary Prize-winning novel Blossoms, by Jin Yucheng, who wrote the book in the Shanghainese dialect when fitting, instead of using only Mandarin.
Ge Hu is Abao, a man in search of his fortune in Blossoms Shanghai
As the story takes place in Shanghai, Criterion Channel has decided to present this 30-episode TV series in the more expressive and authentic Shanghainese version with English subtitles, instead of the all-Mandarin version which was done in parallel during the production.
Since this is an adaptation of a well-narrated novel, the storyline of Wong’s first attempt on a TV series comes with more clarity, something his die-hard fans will have to adjust to and accept.
The story follows Abao, well-portrayed by the handsome devil Ge Hu, who wants to make a fortune in Shanghai. Stock trades in the 1990s were still not fully regulated by the government, making this an ideal period for profiteers.
Abao schemed with, as well as against stockbrokers, entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, realtors and bureaucrats with the help of his mentor, Uncle Ye (Benchang You). His love interests are three very different women, all exceptional in their fields. Among them is Lili, played by Zhilei Xin, the best actress winner at this year’s Venice Film Festival (The Sun Rises on Us All).
Xin’s character Li Li is not Shanghainese but an outsider who wants to break into the elite dining business in Shanghai’s prime location, Yellow River Road. Her relationship with Abao is strictly business at the beginning but it grows into something deeper later. Miss Wang (Yan Tang) works in the trade bureau. She is an ally of Abao, helping him get lucrative contracts and bypassing red-tape with her capabilities and headstrong personality. Ling Zi (Yili Ma) just wants to run her own quality Japanese restaurant and for Abao to have a safe and happy life.
These compassionate characters are intriguingly written to drive the compelling narrative forward.
Apart from the characters, Shanghai, where Wong was born, stands as another defining presence in the series. This story would not be credible if the host city were not exploding with new opportunities by the minute, as Shanghai was in an economic surge back in the ‘90s following the newly adopted open policy in China.
It replicates the robustness of Hong Kong , the city where Wong resides, as it was in the ‘80s. His perception of the bi-polar energy exhibited in both cities helps him to explore and authentically re-create the absolute frenzy and fun of a rising city, encapsulating the bliss and grief of the people navigating the swells they encounter daily.
The script propels the characters’ fateful ambitions and shows us the enormous loss and gain - both monetarily and emotionally. And the actors do their part, meticulously portraying vulnerability and ecstasy.
Wong’s fans will continue to enjoy stunning visual composition; each frame impeccably lit in saturated colour with the most alluring angles on his actors as they deliver performances from the subtle to the grandiose. They are dressed time-appropriately in the most fashionable costumes and hairstyles.
Blossoms Shanghai is a labour of love, as it took Wong close to a decade of planning and four years to produce. Wong continues to romantically intoxicate his audience, through this exuberant love letter to his birthplace.
Blossoms Shanghai premieres on the Criterion Channel on November 24, with three new episodes releasing each Monday at 8 P.M. ET through the end of January