【BTS】Perseverance! Resolve! Restraint!🔥| Legend of Zang Hai | YOUKU
[Highlights of the Episode]
Playing mental chess, [Mental chess] [Maneuvering]
maneuvering, and putting himself at risk. I think that’s [Go watch “Legend of Zang Hai”!]
what makes the show so compelling. [Revenge, Redemption]
Is he chasing revenge or seeking redemption? Hello, friends on YOUKU. [Xiao Zhan]
I’m Xiao Zhan. I play Zang Hai in “Legend of Zang Hai.” He’s a character driven by vengeance. He’s a complex role [Zang Hai (still evolving)]
with a long arc of growth. Use three words to describe his ten years in hiding and learning. [Boy, Grown man]
He grows from a boy into a man. I’d say: perseverance, resolve, restraint. What skills did you pick up in architecture, strategy, and geomancy? [Brain kicks into gear] The architecture part isn’t shown much in the drama. It mainly involves how beams, columns, and wooden structures [“Structural Engineering”]
work. Beyond the technical side, I think it’s also shaped Zang Hai’s [Shapes his way of thinking]
way of thinking. You’ll see CG shots of how he maps things out, like a building’s layout or things like that. So architecture helps his revenge journey more in shaping his thinking than in practical skills. This reminds me of what my boss calls “framework thinking.” Exactly. I do that in real life too. I like to lay things out structurally. It makes [Clarity matters!]
everything clearer. Now, [Strategy]
as for strategy, as I said, it’s all mind games. This is the skill that’s used most in the show. Zang Hai is always playing mental chess with his three enemies, [Mental chess] [Maneuvering]
maneuvering, and putting himself at risk. I think that’s [Go watch “Legend of Zang Hai”!]
what makes the show so compelling. Geomancy is really just skills passed down from his father, plus what he later learns from Master Xing Dou, like reading celestial signs, sensing humidity in the air, and predicting rainfall. It’s actually scientific. Of course it is. Our ancestors knew [Ancient wisdom]
what they were doing. Describe Zang Hai’s state of mind during the revenge arc in three words. [Cautious]
I’d say: cautious, restrained, and perceptive. Aside from changes in costume or age, how do you show Zang Hai’s growth as he returns to the Capital after ten years of study and preparation? For example, his eyes start out clear and innocent and then grow sharper when he becomes the Imperial Astronomer. Yes, exactly. Got it. That was something I discussed in depth with the director during table reads. The timeline from when Zang Hai enters the Capital to his first mission is actually really short. Maybe just one week. But in that span, [Shrewd]
he has to become shrewd, [Bold]
bold, and even a bit calculating. I felt that if he started off as a naive, wide-eyed youth and then suddenly turned into someone who can outwit everyone, it wouldn’t feel believable. So I made a choice: From the moment he enters the Capital, he’s already clear about his purpose. But what throws him off are the unexpected variables. He doesn’t expect his enemies to be so powerful, for example. But step by step, he adapts, toughens up, and starts pulling in [He grows strong]
every ally he can [One step at a time]
to achieve his goal. What’s the biggest challenge when Zang Hai first returns to the Capital? [Step one]
I think it’s the first step. Getting started is always the hardest. What do Xiang Antu and Zhuang Zhixing mean to Zang Hai on his path of revenge? At first, to Zang Hai, they’re just pawns in his plan. But as the story unfolds, his feelings toward them begin to change. He starts to question whether his actions are right and whether revenge [Blinded by revenge]
has blinded him. Is it really okay to use others like this? That’s what makes our show compelling. [There are ups and downs]
It’s not just about revenge. It eventually becomes a test of Zang Hai’s humanity. [Revenge, Redemption]
Is he chasing revenge or seeking redemption? Is that a key turning point? Very much so. I think it’s crucial.