In the Chinese film and television industry, Wong Kar-wai's name has always been closely associated with exquisite and beautiful movie images. However, at the end of 2023, the famous director brought his first TV series work - "Flowers".
This high-profile drama series is not only Wong Kar-wai's TV drama debut, but also a gathering of star-studded actors.
"Flowers" has a strong cast, bringing together Hu Ge, Ma Yili, Xin Zhilei, Tang Yan, You Benchang and other powerful actors, which amazed the audience. The story mainly revolves around Ah Bao, played by Hu Ge, and tells the story of his growth in Shanghai in the 90s.
Judging from the few episodes that have been broadcast, "Flowers" is not only the story of Po alone, but also a vivid group portrait of Shanghai.
In this Shanghai-style drama, each supporting character has their own unique life trajectory, and even characters with few scenes may become a key role in the development of the plot.
Just like Wong Kar-wai's good film style, the group scenes in "Flowers" are also very exciting, as if each supporting character has his own story and has a unique life trajectory.
Among these characters, there is a seemingly ordinary but hidden small supporting role - Mei Ping, whose presence adds a touch of mystery to this drama. Although there are not many scenes at present, behind her seemingly harmless smile, there seems to be an unknown calculation, which makes the audience look forward to her character development.
Under the background setting of "Flowers", the Foreign Trade Building has actually become a miniature society, in which a seemingly calm but undercurrent of workplace power struggle is staged.
With the imminent departure of Section Chief Jinhua and the vacancy of the position of Section Chief triggered a stir in the entire department, in this whirlpool of power change, our attention was drawn to two key figures: Miss Wang and Mei Ping.
On the surface, Miss Wang and Mei Ping seem to be extremely harmonious colleagues, talking and laughing in the office, and they seem to be close. However, sensitive viewers may have noticed that Mei Ping's seemingly gentle smile hides complex emotions.
At the signing ceremony between Mr. Fan and Po, we can catch a trace of jealousy and loneliness in Mei Ping's eyes, when she tried to talk to Po about things but was hurriedly dismissed, the loss that flashed on her face was so obvious, and when Mr. Fan was pulled by Miss Wang to take pictures, the loss in Mei Ping's eyes was even more pitiful.
Po, the protagonist of the show, is drawn into this power struggle. He secretly supported Miss Wang's bid for the position of section chief, and took Sanyang's order to help Miss Wang. Po's actions complicate the situation even more.
He paid special attention to Sanyang's order, not only because of business, but also to help Miss Wang become the new section chief and replace Jinhua.
In this calculating workplace environment, everyone is careful to defend their own interests, but at the same time, they are also competing in secret. Mei Ping's existence is like a time bomb that can detonate at any time.
In the latest plot, Miss Wang was anxious to go to Zhuji to save Bao, and did not hesitate to spend 25,000 yuan to buy a car and the kraft paper bag containing the money, it was Mei Ping who helped take the upstairs What is even more surprising is that Miss Wang did not hide the fact that the paper bag contained a huge amount of money from Mei Ping.
This detail undoubtedly gave Mei Ping an opportunity to take advantage of. On this cusp, if Mei Ping chooses to use this incident to pull Miss Wang off the horse, I am afraid it will be easy.
This is the charm of the drama "Flowers" - it not only shows the growth of the protagonist, but also reflects the complex human nature in the workplace through these lifelike supporting characters.
In this seemingly peaceful competition in the workplace, we see an unknown undercurrent flowing. And Mei Ping, this seemingly insignificant little supporting role, will play an unexpected role at a critical moment? The characters will find these answers in the rest of the story.
Mei Ping is a small supporting role in "Flowers", although there are not many scenes, but it left a deep impression on the audience. Her existence is like a faint wisp of smoke, seemingly harmless, but in fact it hides a mystery.
Mei Ping and Miss Wang are both employees of the Foreign Trade Building, and on the surface it seems that the two have a good relationship, but the attentive viewer can perceive that there is an undercurrent surging under this calm surface.
Mei Ping's real scary thing is that she is good at hiding her emotions. Her smile is like a delicately designed net, which cleverly hides the jealousy and unwillingness in her heart.
In her daily work, the relationship between her and Miss Wang seems to be harmonious, but who would have thought that under this calm surface, such a complex mind is hidden.
At the signing ceremony between Mr. Fan and Bao, Mei Ping's inner struggle was really seen by us for the first time. When she tried to talk to Po about things but was sent away in a hurry, the loss that flashed on her face was like a drop of ink dripping into clear water, spreading and disappearing in an instant.
And when Mr. Fan was dragged to take a picture by Miss Wang, the loneliness in Mei Ping's eyes made people feel pity, and these subtle changes in expression all showed Mei Ping's complex emotions in her heart.
In the matter of Zhuji saving Bao, Mei Ping's fierceness can be seen. When Miss Wang spent 25,000 yuan to buy a car and was about to fly to Zhuji, Mei Ping became an insider. Miss Wang asked Mei Ping to help with the brown paper bag, which undoubtedly gave Mei Ping a great opportunity.
At this critical moment, Mei Ping's every micro-expression and every subtle movement may hint at her inner calculations.
At this moment, we can't help but ask: how will Mei Ping use the news of the outgoing section chief Jin Hua? Will Mei Ping seize this opportunity to pick off Miss Wang at the fierce juncture of the fierce competition for the new head of this department? The plot is like hanging over the scabbard, and it is about to explode.
Mei Ping, her name matches the character's personality, she seems to be as weak as Mei, but in fact, she has a sharp edge. Her presence adds a touch of intriguing mystery to the drama "Flowers", and also provides an excellent reflection of workplace politics in the workplace.
What kind of calculations are hidden behind her seemingly harmless smile? In the next plot, what kind of amazing brilliance will this budding plum blossom bloom?
Mei Ping's character setting makes the group portraits of the characters in "Flowers" richer, and also adds a suspense and expectation to the whole story. Her presence reminds us that in this seemingly peaceful workplace, everyone may have an unknown side, and it is these complex human natures that constitute the unique charm of the drama "Flowers".
Wang Ju, as a Shanghai-born singer and actress, her personal experience is also very interesting. Her acting career has been full of challenges and breakthroughs, and her story has inspired many people to pursue their dreams.
In 2018, Wang Ju participated in the talent show "Creation 101", which made an important change in her acting career. Before participating in the draft, Wang Ju went through a variety of professions, from primary school teacher to trainer to model agency, each of which gave her rich life experience and provided valuable material for her to shape her role.
In "Creation 101", Wang Ju's image is in stark contrast to the mainstream idol style at that time. Her dark complexion, slightly chubby body, and European and American style should have been her weaknesses, but they were transformed into unique charm because of the confidence she exuded.
From the initial bottom player, to the player who turned the tables against the wind and became a player who attracted much attention, Wang Ju proved the importance of strength with his own efforts.
Although Wang Ju failed to form a group, she won the recognition and love of the audience, and her ranking climbed all the way from auditors to official students.
This experience has made her popular, but more importantly, it has allowed her to find her own position and direction.
After the draft, Wang Ju did not stand still. In the following years, she was active in variety shows and film and television works. Despite the mediocre response to these works, she never gave up her pursuit of an acting career.
She has participated in many variety shows and guest starred in several films, and although she did not achieve breakthrough results, these experiences have accumulated valuable experience for her.
Until the midsummer of 2023, Wang Ju once again attracted the attention of the audience with her role as Tian Rong in the TV series "All the Way to the Sun". In this drama, Tian Rong played by Wang Ju has gradually grown from a girl with a love brain to a successful working woman.
Her performance was praised by the audience as the success of the role of "life-oriented, simple and real", which brought new opportunities to Wang Ju's acting career.
Wang Ju has been steadfast and firm in every step since the talent stage to the TV series. Now, she appears in "Flowers" as Mei Ping again, which seems to be another milestone in her acting career.
Wang Ju's experience, just like her role as Mei Ping in "Flowers", seems ordinary, but contains infinite possibilities, her story tells us that as long as you stick to your dreams and maintain a unique personality, you will eventually shine on the stage that suits you.
Although Wang Ju played Mei Ping in "Flowers", although she did not have many scenes, she left a deep impression on the audience. This seemingly harmless but secretly scheming role has a new challenge to Wang Ju's acting skills.
In the process of showing the complex emotions in Mei Ping's character, Wang Ju needs to portray it vividly without revealing traces. She needs to give Mei Ping's every look and smile a deep meaning, which undoubtedly puts forward extremely high requirements for her acting skills.
She needs to reveal a trace of calculation under the friendly appearance, and this kind of restrained and deep performance requires the actor to have a deep understanding and grasp of the role.
Compared with Tian Rong she played in "All the Way to the Sun", the role of Mei Ping is more complex and subtle. In "All the Way to the Sun", Tian Rong, played by Wang Ju, was very in love when she appeared, lived humbly in front of her boyfriend, and even endured all kinds of criticism from her boyfriend.
With the development of the plot, Tian Rong has experienced a counterattack from a novice in the workplace to a gold medal agent in the industry, showing the growth arc of the character.
In "Flowers", Mei Ping is a character who is comfortable in the workplace, but has hidden scheming. Her relationship with Ms. Wang is harmonious on the surface, but in fact it is secretly competitive. This kind of complex interpersonal relationship and inner drama puts forward higher requirements for Wang Ju's acting skills.
The audience is very curious about how Wang Ju will play the role of Mei Ping, especially in important scenes such as Miss Wang's car buying incident, and the audience also wants to know how she will show Mei Ping's complex inner emotions, so these have become another reason for the audience to pay attention to "Flowers".
For Wang Ju, the role of Mei Ping is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to show the diversity of her acting skills. From the straightforward and simple Tian Rong in "All the Way to the Sun" to the introverted and complex Mei Ping in "Flowers", this change in role will be a key challenge and opportunity in Wang Ju's acting career.
With the popularity of "Flowers", the role of Mei Ping played by Wang Ju will inevitably attract the attention of more audiences. Although the character of Mei Ping may seem inconspicuous in the play, it contains rich plot details and clues that may play a more important role in the development of the story.
For Wang Ju, the role of Mei Ping is a great opportunity to show her acting skills. We look forward to seeing how she interprets this complex role, and we look forward to seeing more of her work in the future."
As the original text said, Wang Ju still needs a lot of opportunities to improve and hone her acting skills, and the role of Mei Ping may make more people remember her name.
At the same time, the development of the drama "Flowers" is also worth looking forward to. The presence of the character Mei Ping hints that there may be more unexpected twists in the plot. In this story of group portraits, each character may play an important role at a critical moment, and Mei Ping is undoubtedly the most noteworthy of them.