New and old dreams

• Source: Global Times
• [10:58 July 13 2010]
• Comments

Everyone's a critic: Viewers weigh in on upstart show

He Lin

28, Radio DJ

"I have watched it from the very beginning, and I really like it. The costumes and the props have improved a lot since the 1987 version, but I did very much enjoy the older version as well. Yu Xiaotong shows another side of Jia Baoyu, one that perfectly defines the character - a trickster who always creates chaos but is mostly kindhearted. However, there are also flaws in the new version. The animation makes the scenes look cheap and fake, but I still think highly of this new version."

Chen Jiaojiao

34, Designer

"The gloomy color and images of this series are similar to other series directed by Li Shaohong, and should not be used for such a magnificent story. The actors and actresses do not show the essence of the characters in the novel, and their performances are amateurish. The 1987 version was fantastic, especially Chen Xiaoxu (who played Lin Daiyu). She defined Lin, in manner and appearance."

Zhou Yangyang

29, TV Editor

"Li Qin's (who plays the young version of Xue Baochai) dialogue is unbearable. I doubt if Li Shaohong really understands the novel or the characters in it. The makeup and costumes for Qin Keqin (played by Tang Yifei) are far from the original characters and is unacceptable. I already stopped watching it because it doesn't follow the rules of television adaptation. I'd rather watch the old one again if they would broadcast it. But I do want to say that the performance from Yu Xiaotong is quite good and that he is the true embodiment of Jia Baoyu, even better than his counterpart Ouyang Fenqiang (who played Jia Baoyu in the 1987 version)."