Now Watching "Amidst a Snowstorm" As A Chinese Romance Drama Filmed in EUROPE

 

It's been some time since I watched a Chinese drama. I was planning to watch another crazy martial arts-themed drama. However, watching a typical love story would be a nice break. Sure, I'm also watching Midnight Photo Studio. However, I was intrigued by the unique filming of Amidst a Snowstorm. The drama's opening starts in Helsinki, Finland. I was expecting the love team of Leo Wu and Zhao Jinmai to go to China after one episode. Instead, I'm already in the tens and we're still in FINLAND with all the white people. I did some Googling and I can expect to "fly to France" before everything wraps up in CHINA.

The Chinese title is 在暴雪时分 (Zài bàoxuě shífēn) literally meaning "Amidst the Snowstorm". Speaking of which, 时分 (shífēn) means "hour and minute". There's also the Chinese song "梦醒时分" (Mèng xǐng shífēn) meaning "Awakening from a Dream". Could the literal context and meaning be "Awakening from a Snowstorm" then? 

There have been some language barriers between Chinese speakers and English speakers. Chinese language teachers in non-Chinese countries may emphasize that there are BILLIONS of Mandarin speakers worldwide. Mandarin Chinese is SECOND among the Top 20 spoken languages in the world. Watching the rather young main cast do a CHINESE DRAMA in a EUROPEAN COUNTRY is amazing. They can be seen speaking Mandarin and English. The exchange between the Chinese cast and the Finnish cast is a daring move. A Chinese cast going to Finland (and later France) to film the 30-episode drama is a daunting direction. 

This TV drama is proof that Chinese entertainment is becoming more and more accessible. Consider the fact that Zhuyin has been replaced with Pinyin for better accessibility. It would build awareness of making people learn Mandarin and change the way Mandarin is taught. Watching this drama gave me a deeper apprecation of the Chinese language.