Ashes of Love

Synopsis

A 2018 Chinese xianxia drama starring Yang Zi and Deng Lun, based on the novel by Dian Xian. It tells the epic love story between Jin Mi, a grape sprite, and Xu Feng, the Fire Immortal, spanning across three realms.

Overview

Ashes of Love (Chinese: 香蜜沉沉烬如霜; pinyin: Xiāng Mì Chén Chén Jìn Rú Shuāng) is a 2018 Chinese television series based on the 2009 novel Heavy Sweetness, Ash-like Frost by Dian Xian. Directed by Zhu Ruibin and produced by Perfect World Pictures, the series stars Yang Zi as Jin Mi and Deng Lun as Xu Feng in the lead roles. It premiered on Jiangsu TV on August 2, 2018, and was available on Netflix until December 2023.

The series became a massive commercial success, reaching 100 million views within just 15 minutes of the first episode's broadcast. As of January 2019, it had accumulated over 15 billion views. The drama placed first in its time slot with an average CSM52 City rating of 1.301, and scored 7.7 on Douban.

Plot

Jin Mi (Yang Zi) is a carefree grape sprite of the Flower Realm whose true identity is the daughter of the former Flower Deity, Zifen, and the Water Deity, Luo Lin. Born as her mother was dying, Zifen foresaw that a love tragedy would afflict Jin Mi in the first ten thousand years of her life, and so gave her an elixir called the "Falling Pill" that rendered her incapable of feeling love. Jin Mi was raised in secret behind a water mirror barrier.

Four thousand years later, Fire Immortal Xu Feng (Deng Lun) — the son of the Heavenly Emperor and widely regarded as the God of War — accidentally crashes into the Flower Realm during his Nirvana transformation. Jin Mi saves his life by feeding him a spiritual elixir she had cultivated for hundreds of years. In repayment, Xu Feng takes Jin Mi to the Heavenly Realm where she meets Night Deity Run Yu (Luo Yunxi) and the mischievous Moon Immortal Dan Zhu.

When Jin Mi's true parentage is revealed, she becomes the target of grudges from Princess Sui He (Wang Yifei) of the Bird Tribe, who loves Xu Feng, and the scheming Heavenly Empress Tuyao. An ancient marriage contract between Jin Mi and Run Yu stands in the way of her love with Xu Feng. After Run Yu's mother is killed by the Heavenly Empress, he plots to seize control of the Heavenly Realm and pushes for his marriage with Jin Mi as an opportunity to launch a coup.

Xu Feng is killed by Jin Mi at their wedding when she is manipulated into believing he murdered her father. He returns as the Demon King to oppose Run Yu, who has seized the position of Heavenly Emperor. The elixir preventing Jin Mi from feeling love is finally destroyed after she kills Xu Feng, and she realizes she was in love with him all along. Tragedy reaches its climax when Jin Mi sacrifices herself between the warring siblings during the great war between the Heavenly and Demon realms, her soul dissolving into a teardrop in Xu Feng's eye. After years of searching, Xu Feng finds Jin Mi reborn, and the two live happily in the mortal realm with their son Tang Yue.

Cast

Reception and Cultural Impact

Ashes of Love was one of the most popular xianxia dramas of 2018. It launched Yang Zi and Deng Lun to top-tier star status in the Chinese entertainment industry. The drama was praised for its light-hearted yet emotionally grounded storyline, stunning visual effects, exquisite costume design, and the excellent performances of its cast. At the 2018 Tencent Video Star Awards, the series won Top Ten Series, while Yang Zi and Deng Lun received Popular TV Actress and Popular TV Actor awards respectively. The drama also won the Weibo Annual Hot Drama Honor and the Most Influential Drama award at the 2018 Fingertips List.

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashes_of_Love_(TV_series)
2. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/香蜜沉沉烬如霜
3. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8976346/
4. https://movie.douban.com/subject/26861874/